synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronoptica) plus The Good Life/Good Neighbours (1975)
seven years ago: Capella Sansevero, askance satellite views, more on seamstress Agnes Richter plus antique Friendship Books
eight years ago: an open air gallery in Amsterdam, tensions over North Korea, Gibraltar and Brexit plus a march against alternate facts
nine years ago: an MST3K reboot plus mesh churches
Via the New Shelton wet/dry, we are directed to this scrolly-telling essay (in the style of the artists from the sadly former Nib, from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (previously) blog entitled “Mars Attacks” 
about how Elon Musk’s and his colonial aspirations for the Red Planet, as a part of a general aversion towards rules, could transform into a flagrant violation of the Outer Space Treaty, which far from a relic of the Cold War has served to preserve humankind here on Earth by preventing weaponisation of the higher ground and includes liability rules for damage caused by spacecraft, the safe return of fallen astronauts, an international rocket registry and the prohibition of projecting national sovereignty or claiming domain. Surely it is the intent of Muskovite Martians to proclaim their independence from terrestrial entanglements, however that first Virginia Dare might be reliant on Earth-based resources and wealth, and even if the flag nation does nothing to stop this assertion, other signatories will, launching a new geopolitical conflict over extraterrestrial claims.
kapmifmif: a study morphological emic distribution classes through a constructed language—see previously
murder on flight 502: the star-studded 1975 television disaster movie gets the Poseidon’s Underworld treatment
blanket rate: bad assumptions and arithmetic informs Trump tariff regime, which is tanking markets globally
mira calligraphiae monumenta: paging through a sixteenth century illuminated model book on scribal excellence rebelling against the standardisation of the printing press—with embellishes reminiscent of the Voynich manuscript and Codex Seraphinianus
clickens: judge chicken portraits on various personality traits and harness the wisdom of the masses—via Kottke
salmon run: a beautifully crafted early home arcade game speaks to swimming upstream
sala di consultazione: free access to the Vatican Library’s digital archives
elbows up: Canada plans retaliation over US punitive duty deal plus GOP senators side with Democrats to rebuke the proposal to levy additional tariffs on its northern neighbour
real id: US government is beginning to require an internal passport, which is not automatically issued
mezameta: the role of katakana in loan words, gairaigo, scientific binomials and transcription and the problem with conveying the shifting meaning of woke
synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronoptica), standard lunar time plus vulgar expressions of indifference
seven years ago: Iran’s faux Western fast foods, bi-lingual Braille plus a North American medicinal plant map
eight years ago: more links to enjoy
nine years ago: vintage Canadian tourist posters plus a Rosary ring
ten years ago: the Anthropocene plus the architecture of folklore
With years of lead time and staking his presidency and the system of global trade on his counterintuitive instincts, Trump announced sweeping tariffs on trade partners across the world with a flat duty for most 
foreign goods and custom levels for countries labelled the worst offenders. Countries subject to a ten percent base rate for all or most items include the UK, Brazil, Singapore, El Salvador and Saudi Arabia. There are no additional reciprocations for Canada and Mexico but no relief either—Cuba, Belarus, North Korea and Russia, already subject to heavy sanctions also were exempted. For removing all duties on US exports, Israel was also excepted. A quarter tariff is imposed for all imported automobiles worldwide. Declaring a national economic emergency in response to trade deficits, the European Union, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Cambodia and South Africa face some of the highest rates—with not only tariffs counted as barriers to trade but also regulations like quality and safety standards. Australian imposts were received as “not the act of a friend,” but met with bemusement as the tax-regime was broken down regional, including targeting the overseas territories of Heard and McDonald islands, uninhabited barren volcanic islands off on Antarctica. Poised to fall short of its aim of stimulating domestic manufacturing, these developments have rattled both markets and consumers with the global community reluctant to start a trade war and a race to the bottom that leads to price rises and slow growth.
Topping off on this day in 1975 with last segment of the antenna installed by helicopter skycrane, the Toronto communications and observation spire held the title of the tallest free-standing structure in the world until overtaken by the Burj Khalifa of Dubai in 2007. At just over five hundred fifty metres high, it remains the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, (see also, a member of the World Federation of Great Towers) opening to the public in June of the following year. The CN stands for Canadian National and was conceived by the state railway’s desire to build a large radio and television broadcasting platform to serve the area. Plans were expanded to include the observation gallery—originally the Space Deck but later renamed the SkyPod with a revolving restaurant.
synchronoptica
one year ago: the Fabiola Project (with synchronoptica)
seven years ago: the premier of 2001, assorted links worth revisiting plus the money plant
eight years ago: sculpting with cheese plus a doomsday archive
nine years ago: an appreciation of artisanal signage, a disturbing hack plus hybrid husbandry
ten years ago: epic and pioneering roadtrips, David Rumsey’s map collection plus more links to enjoy
gondor assault small group: a poem for the first of April
unitedhealthcare: US attorney Pam Boni general will seek the death penalty in the slaying of company CEO
yield my time: Senator Cory Booker’s speech on the chamber floor at eighteen hours and counting dataviz: an infographic challenge round to recreate the WEB Du Bois economic and demographic charts as presented during the 1900 Paris Exposition using modern tools—via Quantum of Sollazo
nearby jobs: Chinese omni-app points flexible users to local gig opportunities and side-quests—shake it ’til you make it
unabhängigkeitserklärung: from Der Zeit, Europe frees itself from American hegemony but starving their attention—via Kottke
wyld stallyns: texting conversation demonstrates that we’re in the wrong timeline
mora, negare, deponere: archaeologists uncover fresco foretelling the coming of Saint Luigi
i scorn the morn: ‘conjugated nouns’ by linguist Arnold M Zwicky
As New Jersey Democratic Senator Corey Booker continues a marathon speech in the Senate, addressing the chamber for as long as he physically endure, beginning on Monday night and passing well into Tuesday to highlight the disruptions and dangers that the first seventy-one days of the Trump administration has wrought, he emphasised that these are not normal times in America and should not be treated as such, concluding this good filibustering on election day for three special elections, which normally would not garner much attention but are now seen as referenda on Trump’s performance and Musk’s clout in politics and the administration. 
Though the two districts in question in Florida are regarded as solidly Republican and are not up for competition normally, polling shows that Democrats could eke out a win, further narrowing Republican control of congress. One of the seats formerly was represented by Matt Gaetz, who vacated it prematurely to stand for attorney general before withdrawing his candidacy, and as a sign of caution over losing their hold on all three branches of government, Trump rescinded the nomination for UN ambassador for a congress woman from New York, owing that she was more important in the House of Representatives rather than the United Nations—“anyone can do that job.” The second seat was held by Mike Waltz, leaving to become a security advisor for the White House and apparent fall-guy for Signalgate. Outside of Florida, the other, supposedly non-partisan race that has become outsized is to fill a vacancy on the state supreme court of Wisconsin. While limited in jurisdiction, over one-hundred million dollars has been spent to secure or shift the ideological alignment of the justices that could impact voting rights, reproductive rights and the power of public unions nationally. Much of the backing for the conservative candidate has come from cheerleader for fascism Elon Musk, recognising the crucial nature of the swing-state for upcoming elections and to preserve the status quo through gerrymandering, and who also has a personal stake in the outcome, with a pending lawsuit filed against Wisconsin to allow direct sales of automobiles to consumers, without going through a dealership as state law requires, which Tesla practises.
Freedom Train, twenty-six cars conveyed by a stream locomotive outfitted with a special livery, began its twenty-month long journey criss-crossing the continent and visiting all the forty-eight contiguous states on this day in 1975, arriving in Wilmington, Delaware in a lead-up to the country’s bicentennial celebrations—see previously. The display cars carried more than five-hundred pieces of America on loan from various institutions, artefacts including: the original constitution, the Louisiana Purchase, Jesse Owens’ Olympic medals, a Moon rock, Martin Luther King, Jr’s pulpit, George Washington’s fire engine and Judy Garland’s dress from The Wizard of Oz, and was visited by over seven million people in near one hundred forty cities. Afterwards, the cars (without their contents, see also) were purchased by National Museums of Canada and reflagged as the Discovery Train for a similar rail tour.
synchronoptica
one year ago: Germany legalises marijuana (with synchronoptica) plus April Fools
seven years ago: more early Easter greetings, a monopoly on local media, a vintage April calendar plus Granny’s University of the Imagination
eight years ago: alphabetic architecture, Trump’s supporting cast, more AI pranks plus the proposed Analemma Tower
nine years ago: precision crowd formation plus a once lost species makes a comeback
ten years ago: assorted links worth revisiting, the roots of monotheism plus an overview of heraldic charges
