day two hundred thirteen (13. 860)

Canadien separatist party wins provincial elections in Quebec—promising another referendum on leaving the nation, but not whilst Trump remains in office. The internationally recognised government of Yemen claims gains in counteroffensive with the Houthis, retaking the port city of Mocha. Washington issues further warnings to foreign financial institutions doing business with Tehran, saying they may be subject to sanctions without notice. Garnering strong denouncement from the state’s governor, Trump intimates that Iran could “take out Los Angeles or San Diego,” maintaining that the pain at the pump is a small price to pay to ensure that the Islamic Republic never obtains a nuclear warhead. At the same rally in Nebraska, the American president brings auto-pen Natalie Harp on stage to sign an impromptu executive order rescinding the federal excise tax on so called red-dyed diesel and allowing any one to purchase it, whereas beforehand, it was the reserve for agriculture. Whilst this manoeuvre may temporarily lower prices by the 24¢ per gallon that government taxes, it does nothing to increase supply or address delivery shortfalls, and perhaps worse than doing nothing, it could create shortages for farmers who use the off-road formulation (it is normal fuel, just coloured to differentiate it from non-tax exempt sales and not at all related to that bizarre hoax a decade ago involving “red mercury” in hopes to extract the mythical substance from antique Singer sewing machines in hopes of miniaturising atomic weapons) during harvest season, stripping the Department of Transportation of revenue for highway maintenance and perhaps increasing prices overall with new demand pressure. Despite the weak US dollar, the euro looses value as contagion fears spread over the French bond market. IDF storms Bethlehem and demolishes homes in East Jerusalem.

synchronoptica

one year ago: US television networks decline request to pre-empt programming to carry a presidential speech from Ford (with synchronoptica) plus aura farming

two years ago: more adventures on the Mecklinburgischer Seeplate 

three years ago: touring the Mainschliefe plus island universes

four years ago: more research in the paranormal plus a 1975 McDonaldland mascot specification manual

five years ago: more streamlined designs,  a unique underpass plus a beloved Soviet cartoon character

 

six years ago: Trump emerges recovered from COVID, fascist nihilism, assorted links to revisit plus the first exoplanet confirmed (1995)

seven years ago: German-American Day

 

eight years ago: more fascist nihilism plus Carter debates Ford (1976)

 

guide du déménagement à vélo (13. 859)

Though a bit late for Quebec’s quasi-official moving day this year, we enjoyed this demonstration project with detailed instructions (en francais) on how to plan, coordinate and execute moving household by bicycle, via MetaFilter, which seems like some degree of grunt work but overall a way of getting one’s possessions from one point to another that’s significantly more fun and flexible than traditional short-haul methods. The packing for the move, the unboxing after it’s over—a process that can take years—and pivoting up a narrow stairwell seem to be the most onerous parts as one looses the momentum to keep going (in the same way I restrict grocery shopping to what I can comfortably fit and carry in one basket and perhaps a juncture to reassess the volume of one’s belongings), not covering the kilometres between addresses and if a cheaper, less polluting way can be found, then we are all for it. The barn-raising of helping friends move without engaging professionals has shown us that many hands make light work.

day two hundred six (13. 840)

US troops completes its withdrawal of troops from Iraq after two decades. Frustrated that the White House press pool isn’t covering his daily activities non-stop, the American president has launched Trump TV, whilst tax-payer funded propaganda spots are aired on commercial networks, justified as public service announcements. Hegseth announces a further twenty percent reduction in generals and admirals. US tariffs on Canadian exports go into effect. Settlers attack villagers, burn homes in the occupied West Bank and IDF planes continue the bombardment of souther Lebanon. US fuel economy standards are considerably relaxed, in hopes of making new automobiles cheaper, more expensive to operate.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the Chicago Tribute switches to standard spellings (with synchronoptica) plus more adventures in the Alsace

two years ago: sea birds in a hurricane plus a Schoolhouse Rock!-style explainer for Project 2025  

three years ago: another fiscal cliff edge for the US 

four years ago: the Mayak disaster (1957) 

five years ago: assorted links to revisit

six years ago: Star Trek tarot,  the Feast of the Archangels, the cartoons of R Cobb plus more links to revisit

seven years ago: more Theremin maestros plus more Middle English vulgarities

eight years ago: the Munich Agreement (1938) plus the Suprematism movement

 

they thought he was a goner (13. 825)

We enjoyed this short film retrospective (plus a preview of coming attractions) of the works of Winnipeg animator Cordell Barker, showcasing his Oscar-nominated 1988 piece that was screened along with Who Framed Roger Rabbit? in Canadian theatres. Based on the Tin Pan Alley song of the same name written by Harry S Miller in 1893 about an indestructible cat, Barker’s version is a bit less violent with injury and carnage visited only on Old Mr Johnson, the little yellow cat returning increasingly destructive after each failed and manic attempt to get rid of it. More from the NFB blog, the filmmaker a creative consultant retained by the National Film Board for animation projects.

8x8 (13. 824)

claudefishing: AI slop is a new kind of creative poverty  

saint-pierre-et-miquleon: Mark Carney meets with Emmanuel Macron on the small French overseas territorial collective, which once toyed with the idea of joining the United States, just off the coast of Newfoundland  

soundscape: avian vocalisations can boost one’s mood but the positive effects are negated by traffic noise  

an imperfect analogy: what lessons nuclear proliferation treaties have for AI containment  

jefferies tubes: the first physical model of the Enterprise finds a home at the MIT museum  

old dog, new tricks: OK Go’s “White Knuckles” video sixteen yearrs on—see previously  

apostolic journey: the Pope’s upcoming to France includes a stop in Metz to pay tribute to Robert Schuman, one of the Founding Fathers of the European Union  

sunshine superman: understanding intention, agnosticism and the new uncanny valley

 synchronoptica

one year ago: a thwarted assassination attempt led to an involuntary outing (with synchronoptica), carbon-dating plus Donald in Mathmagic Land (1961)

two years ago: the Tanaka Memorial of 1927  

three years ago: a musical montage from DJ Earworm, an exhibition of antique home entertainment, assorted links to revisit plus The Love Boat (1977)

four years ago: more links to enjoy,  Our Lady of Mercy plus even more links

five years ago: assorted links to revisit plus punctuation appreciation day

six years ago: Pope Liberius, more links worth revisiting plus the 1976 Swine Flu outbreak

seven years ago: Trump pressures Ukrainian authorities for dirt on his apparent political opponent, more synthetic models, UK courts rule that the suspension of Parliament was an abuse of power plus variations on Misirlou

eight years ago: an atlas of remote islands, theatrics trumps discourse, and more and more links plus twenty-seven songs about the twenty-seven amendments to the US constitution

 

day one hundred ninety-five (13. 809)

Citing Patriot missile battery shortage, US NATO envoy tells allies to “dig deeper” and contribute more to the common cause. Days after opening a Chinese cyborg factory in the country, Serbia unveils an armed robot dog. South Korea decides there will be no deployment of troops to the Middle East. The Trump administration rejects UN allegations of war crimes and Israelis express displeasure over sanctions imposed by the UK, Canada, Australia and the EU over illegal settlements in the West Bank, continued deaths and demolition in Gaza. As air raid sirens go off in Riyadh and other areas of the kingdom, warning of drone strikes from the Houthis, the US appears to content to watch from the sidelines as the rebels take the Bab al-Mandeb strait. Denmark grants the US permanent control over the security of Greenland in an attempt to save it from annexation.  Trump bans news outlets CNN, Politico and MS Now from reporting on the White House.

day one hundred ninety-four (13. 806)

The Trump administration relents on its earlier effort to prevent the Iranian delegation from attending the upcoming UN General Assembly, granting visas to the ombudsmen, though Palestinian attendance is still blocked. Following a fact-finding mission by the United Nations, preliminary evidence suggests that the joint Israeli-US offensive constitutes war crimes with the indiscriminate targeting that lead to civilian death and the destruction of non-military infrastructure. The sweeping sanctions bill against Moscow crafted to pressure countries buying Russian oil lingers on the president’s desk awaiting his signature, whilst Trump harshly criticises the European Union for making Canada an associate member, calling it an act of aggression and threatening more tariffs—Carney in turn says that Canada picks its own partnerships. Petrol and diesel prices soar in Europe. After the Revolutionary Guard attacks a Togolese flagged tanker under US naval escort, Trump weighs “annihilating” his foes. Skirmishes between Saudi and Houthi forces intensify.

day one hundred ninety-two (13. 795)

Trump claims that Ukraine and Moscow have agreed to refrain from striking each other’s energy infrastructure—Zelenskyy contradicts this truce. The American president, harking back to phrases used months earlier asserts that Tehran wants to make a deal quickly and badly, adding he will determine whether or not the USA will choose to engage, “the concept of which we are open to.” Iran denies it had any role in the destruction of a key Saudi pipeline, connecting the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf overland through Riyadh and conveying five percent of the world’s oil supply. Trump’s supreme court rules against restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the midterm elections. Canada becomes an affiliate member of the European Union in terms of trade with talks of greater integration on the table.

twa 355 (13. 780)

Hijacked on this day in 1976, the domestic flight from LaGuardia to O’Hare in Chicago was taken by a group of five Fighters for Free Croatia to further the independence movement of the constituent state from Yugoslavia. Halfway into the flight, the hijackers stormed the cockpit and directed the plane to Montreal’s Mirabel airport, allowed to refuel after telling authorities that a bomb had been planted in a locker at New York’s Grand Central Station and issued instructions on how to locate and disarm it. Further the group group demanded an appeal for the movement be printed in major American newspapers. The plane was flown to Gander, Newfoundland where an air traffic controller negotiated for the release of thirty-five passengers. Refused permission to land by the UK government in London, the aircraft touched down in Keflavík before traveling to Paris where the hijackers surrendered after talks with US ambassador Kenneth Rush. America writer and activist Julienne Bušić, married to the operation’s mastermind Zvonko Bušić, was hugged by the pilot for her help in keeping the passengers calm during the whole ordeal. Although a New York police officer was killed attempting to dismantle rather than detonate the explosive device planted at the train terminal, the devices on board the airplane were discovered to be fakes. The group of five were sentenced to long terms in prison, minimum of thirty years, for conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy and for the death of the police officer (Julienne Bušić served her time in a correctional facility in Dublin, California along with cellmate Squeaky Fromme, whom was reassigned after several incidents of violence perpetrated by Fromme), though eventually all were remanded to parole in an independent Croatia.

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronoptica), a posturepedic bed, AI can’t do clocks plus Russian threatens Finland’s sovereignty 

two years ago: more links to enjoy

three years ago: even more assorted links  

four years ago: Hey Jude (1968), links to enjoy, more telling the bees plus more even more links to revisit

five years ago: St Aubert, the ecological importance of oyster-beds, comparable to coral reefs plus even more links worth revisiting

six years ago: the largest basilica in the world, artist Marianne von Werefkin, a devastating earthquake in Constantinople (1509), the original and the reprised Fresh Prince, burning skies plus Hongkonger neologisms

 

 

day one hundred eighty-seven (13. 779)

Trump says that Iran war will end immediately after midterms and forecasts a sharp decline in gasoline prices shortly thereafter as oil continues to rise and skirmishes over the Hormuz intensify. The America president makes this announcement during the GOP special convention held in Dallas Texas (such an off-cycle gathering is not a thing a only a campaign rally for Trump) where he vows to make himself the centre of attention and asks voters to pretend he is on the ballot as some Republican actually running distance themselves from the spectacle. Trump further pledges a five thousand dollar dividend to be paid to every American adult—like the DOGE cheques never issued—should Republicans retain both houses of congress. IDF attacks Bethlehem and launches missiles at the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza. The senior rabbinate of the UK supports decision to sanction West Bank settlers, joined by France and Canada. The town of Gander, Newfoundland, which hosted thousands of US travellers a quarter century ago stranded after American airspace was closed for an extended period following the 9/11 terror attacks consider disinviting the US ambassador from the commemoration over rhetoric and the escalating trade war.

day one hundred eighty-three (13. 769)

With economic indicators like the better than expected jobs numbers and crippling inflation pointing to a need to increase interest rates, Trump (sporting a new coif apparently) threatens his newly minted chair of the Federal Reserve that if he does not comply and reduce rates, the American president will embargo countries that have a trade surplus with the US and suspend all economic activity—as an alternative to the reciprocal tariffs declared unlawful. The US fires upon at least six tankers headed towards Iranian ports—confirming by the numbers its new tit-for-tat policy of striking an Iranian affiliated ship for every commercial vessel or US asset targeted by Tehran, the Revolutionary Guard attacking a US naval warship enforcing the blockade. Netanyahu orders the IDF to bomb Qatar, labeling it a hostile state. Special envoys Kushner and Witkoff, despite their terrible track records, hold a late night meeting with Putin to discuss ending the war with Ukraine—in time for the midterms. AfD is poised to take over state government of Saxon-Anhalt as more suspected acts of sabotage against Germany‘s power grid are narrowly thwarted by authorities—Russian agents are thought to be behind the attacks. The US justice department pauses cooperation with the government of Canada.

9x9 (13. 759)

it-narratives: the imagined inner lives of inanimate objects  

inwats: the history and use-case of the 1-800 number  

du big bang à mardi matin: Claude Cloutier’s overview of the evolution of life on Earth in his signature animation style reminiscent of aquatint printing  

shadowology: more art installations from Vincent Bal—see previously  

the decade you’ve been waiting for: Paste magazine’s contention top hundred songs of the 80s—via MetaFilter, see previously  

after the fire: Los Angeles residents moving entire homes to burnt out, vacant lots as a cheaper alternative to rebuilding 

it’s fantastic! it’s futuristic! it’s fatalistic! it’s science fiction: a 1973 BBC Omnibus documentary by Harley Cokeliss  

escape claudes: two chatbots placed in a recursive loop—see previously 

hack’s law: the hidden maths of rivers that calm the waters—via Kottke

synchronoptica

one year ago: a visit to Geraberg (with synchronoptica), woodblock printer Sekino Jun’ichirō plus the branding of the US Civil Defence Corps

two years ago: a pivotal moment in the Star Trek timeline, aspiring travel-writers, assorted links worth revisiting, a trip to Schwickershausen plus the largest aerospace exhibition 

three years ago: ten-thousand digits, danger signs, the Goring Gap plus more links to enjoy

four years ago: a banger from Tina Turner plus legibility and semi-vowels

five years ago: an attempt was made with AI for a mash-up, the Carrington Event (1859), the Cod Wars (1958) even more links plus reskilling as a swan

six years ago: a Banksy-sponsored rescue boat, Church rejects modernism plus saints named Hyacinth 

day one hundred seventy-seven (13. 756)

The US initiates fresh airstrikes on Iranian missile launchers positioned on the strait island of Larak, claiming to observe the Revolutionary Guard preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines (an inefficient means to deploy them—Trump offers an AI-generated video of Kharg Island being “blown to smithereens!!”—into the Hormuz. The IRGC attacks US assets based in Jordan. The Supreme Leader urges Muslim nations to unite against their common enemies, America and Israel, vowing to avenge his father’s death. The US company Educational Testing Service confirms that it has suspended certifying its Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in Iran as part of the latest sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Trump demands that all Canadian concerns doing business with the US relocate to America immediately. Iceland narrowly rejects resuming the accession process to join the European Union.

day one hundred seventy-six (13. 752)

With overtures for the annexation of Greenland unabated, Iceland prepares to vote on a referendum to restart the accession process for EU membership. Though not as consequential as the US decision to not support continued British control of the Suez Canal which ended the Empire, the Trump administration is threatening to withdraw support for UK sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) if Prime Minister Burnham does not increase defence spending, presumably with the purchase of US weapons systems. Trump’s friendship with with Argentine president Javier Milei probably has more to do with than actual plans to take claim the archipelago for America—probably, but the announcement which cites the need for a review of allies’ commitment to NATO coincides Russian threat to the UK for providing weapons to Ukraine. Ottawa neighbourhood Central Park, whose streets are named after NYC attractions and personalities, to rename one designated in honour of the real estate developer twenty-five years ago Taco Avenue. Violent settlers besiege locals in the West Bank town of Qusra and an Israel drone attacks a hospital in Gaza.

day one hundred seventy-four (13. 745)

Amid calls for Canadians to boycott US travel and exports, Trump signs an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, ignoring the indigenous monicker that predates both settlers and additionally EO aimed at securing America’s bulk-power system, declaring a national emergency to protect the electrical grid by prohibiting non-domestic equipment systems, just as he has restricted foreign built WiFi routers and robots. Moreover, Trump dismisses concerns over a Russian provocation on NATO territory. Moscow threatens the UK following Andy Burnham’s pledging to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles. After mediation from Qatar, Iran’s security chief drafts a list of conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz—adding that the US must first take practical steps to fulfils demands before the waterway is cleared for maritime traffic.

day one hundred seventy-four (13. 743)

The Revolutionary Guard report that Tehran and Muscat have reached a deal on traffic control and revenue sharing for the Strait of Hormuz. A Kuwaiti oil tanker attempting to cross the waterway is fired upon and shipwrecked in the gulf. Crude prices, paradoxically, continue to edge lower despite the total stoppage of flow. US CIA director John Ratcliffe’s unannounced visit to Russia is reportedly to persuade Moscow to join in Operation Economic Outcast and the embargo against Iran (which the US has kept up for the last fifty year with only marginal measures to add)—but undisclosed objectives could be more sinister, like backstabbing Kyiv or requesting a disinformation campaign ahead of the elections or directed at Canadian separatists. Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman heads to Iran for peace talks as Netanyahu tells Trump diplomacy will not work with the Islamic Republic—Israel, with the backing of America, defaults to bellicosity towards its neighbours, never in position to have to play nice or negotiate. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, in defiance of seizure of facilities by Tel Aviv, says it is not giving up operations.

day one hundred seventy-three (13. 738)

Trump’s CIA director mysteriously appears in Moscow. In a limited ruling, the US Supreme Court allows the administration to curb use of mail-in ballots ahead of the mid-terms. Oman and Iran outline their plan to restore safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz whilst the American president claims the waterway is fully demined as his economic warfare unfurls, chief Iranian trade partner China (the only other nation to refuse Trump’s deals) strongly denouncing the threat of secondary sanctions. Canada, not demurring from their own trade war—attacked and not of the their choosing—compiles a list of targeted tariffs to match dollar-for-dollar US designed to apply pressure to MAGA majority regions in hopes of swaying GOP dominated districts to rethink their tacit support for these policies, deferring on energy exports for the time being cognisant that a tariff is a tax domestically and not wanting, like Iran’s politically savvy restraint—or Ukraine pausing attacks on the Russian capital during the US intelligence chief’s visit (the only reason why the secret flight is known about), to too quickly expend sympathy and solidarity.

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronoptica), the burial site of Richard III plus another executive order from Trump

two years ago: more links to enjoy plus a visit to Hermannsfeld  

three years ago: the quandary of creation plus the Great Moon Hoax (1835) 

four years ago: colour television in Germany plus even more links

five years ago: Rashomon (1950), Saint Genès, a fictionalised rivalry, assorted links worth the revisit plus a complete cheese presentation guide

six years ago: Voyager I leaves the Solar System (2012), more links to enjoy, standards for casks and barrels plus a Downing Street double

day one hundred seventy-two (13. 737)

US launches its economic D-Day against Iran, threatening allies to cut trade ties or face sanctions themselves—though few details emerge regarding the execution or efficacy. Trump announces he will implement more tariffs on Canadian steel and automobiles to go into effect in ninety days to allow time for negotiations—which won’t materialise as Carney and company walked away from a very bad deal with a litany of demands that undermines the nation’s business sovereignty. This strategy of deferment is typical, a time-bomb left for others to diffuse—or not and having to address the consequences not of their choosing, like the arrangement that Trump made with the Taliban for America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the provisions of the his Big Beautiful Bill that trigger cuts to federal aid programmes for the incoming congress to handle (not to mention the exploding debt and broken trust globally)—and Tehran’s refusing further talks with the current administration—leaving an awful inheritance ostensibly for the Democrats. Alberta, the US chief exporter of petroleum, announces cuts to supply coming in September as America continues to drain strategic reserves to dangerously low levels and only a single tanker transited the Strait of Hormuz today with another being fired on and forced to turn back.

8x8 (13. 736)

a comparison using like or as: a treasury of simile and metaphor from Ross MacDonald’s private detective Lew Archer 

mario v pareto: a scrolly-telling illustration of efficiency and optimisation—via Quantum of Sollazzo   

siamese wins: Thailand avoided colonisation through diplomacy and cultural synthesis  

world famous gopher hole museum: a visit to an usual tourist attraction in a tiny Albertan hamlet  

biblioclasm: Amazon’s AI book-pulping division has a cartoonish evil logo 

count coudenhove-kalergi: the Austro-Japanese politician and diplomat who championed the movement of European integration and was the inspiration for the character of Victor Laszlo in Casablanca—plus nominated Ode to Joy as the theme for the united continent 

balloon banjo: a 3D printed heuristic tool for experimenting with acoustics  

ounce dice trice: a garland ring of unusual words that ends up where it starts out

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronoptica) plus a cache of vintage picture postcards

two years ago: a quick weekend get-away plus the Formosa Straits crisis of 1958 

three years ago: the US Republican primary debates plus more links to enjoy 

four years ago: even more links plus Ukraine re-establishes itself as an independent state (1991)  

five years ago: assorted links worth the revisit, ant architecture plus Bohemian Rhapsody (1975)

six years ago: cocktails for remote learning, superlative garden photographs plus re-sampling Soviet pop

pepperidge farm remembers (13. 734)

Via ibidem, we are referred to this rather incredible gallery documenting the effort that went into the packaging and presentation of corporate standing for shareholders and stakeholders once upon a time for annual reports when trade and commerce were a bit more staid and predictable for North America and companies involved invested in production and distribution, retaining their own branding and marketing teams. This expansive archive ranging from the 1940s to the present is interactive and fully searchable—though beyond the considerable cover art might prove a tad boring and academic. Take a browse through the archives and let us know what you find.