synchronoptica
one year ago: Markkleeburger See (with synchronoptica)
two years ago: more on teletext pages plus US vice presidents’ day
three years ago: a classic from The Small Faces
four years ago: a promotional short from Bell Labs plus an homage to the history of film
five years ago: assorted links worth the revisit plus the 1975 Song of the Summer
six years ago: disabling automatic formatting, a coffee table book on tarot, more links to enjoy plus the martyrdom of Edith Stein
Greenlandic authorities issue stern warnings to a Trump-linked, Texas-based oil company when drilling equipment arrives and is unloaded via tugboats on the semi-autonomous arctic island without permission—or license for petroleum extraction with Nuuk having a moratorium on exploration since 2021 for environmental concerns and the site borders on a protected wetland. Scheduled to begin drilling according to the company in October, claiming there are a trillion barrels in the reservoir and ostensibly a path to lowering gas prices just before the midterms and a casus belli for annexation should Greenland refuse allowing kit to be put in place.
synchronoptica
one year ago: Ringo Starr for president (with synchronoptica) plus assorted links to revisit
two years ago: Laverne and Shirley billing
three years ago: the alien artwork of Karla Knight
four years ago: Nixon resigns plus more links to enjoy
five years ago: your daily demon plus an MST3K classic
six years ago: a cosmic running soundtrack, Xanadu (1980) plus LEGO computer consoles
Tรผrkiye enters a defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, saying the alliance does not contradict its commitment to NATO. 
Small municipal water utilities across the US experience cyber attacks on their equipment, with authorities suspecting Iranian hackers though Trump dismisses the assessment—instead blaming the incompetence of political opponents like Wisconsin governor Tim Walz. America promises to lift the blockade of Iranian ports without conditions once Tehran and Muscat finalise negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Web Curios directs our attention to an engrossing tool that explores planar percussion, allowing one to experiment with different drums and hear and explore the sonic output in great detail. With Eigendrum (see also) can also outline their own drum and listen to the acoustics, no matter how implausible, with visualisations of the reverb and fade and mallet. The intersection of maths and music, the sound of a standing wave across a bounded surface is −∇²u = ฮปu, u being the edge where it zeroes out and lambda wave length. Most planes however are eigenvalues and do not follow the formula and must be solved numerically, scaled by inputs—in the case of one’s own creations. Bang a gong and do let us know what you discover.
synchronoptica
one year ago: the Milgram experiments (with synchronoptica) plus assorted links to enjoy
two years ago: retroactive statehood for Ohio
three years ago: an atlas of the internet, then and now
four years ago: Come on Eileen
five years ago: St Donatus, letters from space, dazzle camouflage for cars, mysterious emojis plus husband-and-wife trees
six years ago: getting rid of the rum-ration plus wine windows
We have very much enjoyed this curation and appreciation from The Art Room Plant on author and illustrator Aliki Brandenberg. Graduating from the Philadelphia Museum School of Art, Aliki (usually going by her mononym) had a brief stint as commercial graphic designer and founded her own greeting card company before in 1956 returning to Europe to explore her Greek heritage, meeting Swiss native Franz Brandenberg—eventually marrying—and inspired to write her first children’s book on the legend of William Tell, the expert archer of Switzerland. 
Well received, her first publication in 1960 started a long career adapting fables and myths with other works on a broad range of topics from her personal life, dinosaurs to Shakespeare. The pictured illustrations are from My Hands and The Listening Walk with Paul Showers of the “Let’s Read and Find Out” series. Much more at the link above.
After a series of intense bombardments of Kyiv, Ukraine hits back with more attacks on Wildberries fulfilment centres and petroleum refineries deep inside Russia, confounding its ability to finance its war. US secretary of state Rubio and UK foreign minister Milliband emphasised their shared commitment to open shipping channels and preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. 
Houthis stage a violent coup against the recognised Yemeni government as the movement announces expanded military operations. The Strait of Hormuz is reported of the verge of being reopened as Tehran and Muscat agree upon the coordinates of the route for the transit chokepoint. Whilst Trump, excluded from the negotiation process maintains that he would much rather reach a deal with Iran rather than resume the US offensive, Netanyahu, ahead of elections, hints at unilateral action to prolong and undoubted escalate this costly and illegal joint undertaking.
synchronoptica
one year ago: the Vostok 2 mission (with synchronoptica) plus assorted links worth the revisit
two years ago: a 1963 surf-rock banger, chess notation plus presidential candidate Kamala Harris introduces running-mate Tim Walz
three years ago: Stay by Lisa Loeb (1994) plus born this day in 1911, Lucille Ball
four years ago: the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire (1806) plus more links to enjoy
five years ago: Klaus Nomi, Ghanaian heraldic standards plus Olympic trivia
six years ago: Trieste street photography, anime Spongebob plus caveat scriptor
astro-boy: striking photographs of Jupiter made with a Nintendo handheld game
gobaith newydd: Star Wars dubbed into for the first time Welsh airing on Christmas Day—see previously
vatnajรถkull: Icelandic environmental activist turns to his his skill as a storyteller to champion the melting glaciers and icecaps—see previously
turingery: the resourceful tricks underpinning the Colossus codebreaker that deciphered Enigma—see previously—via Kottke
troubled waters: Trump administration opens up pristine nature reserves in the Pacific ocean to commercial fishing
the i’s have it: parsing a new possessive construction first documented in a 1992 episode of Married with Children
path of totality: your local view of the upcoming sunset solar eclipse, Wednesday 12 August—via Maps Mania
Houthi rebels target a Saudi Arabian oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, issuing more warning to vessels to avoid Saudi ports. IDF launches strikes on the suburbs south of Beirut. Tehran and Muscat appear ready to finalise a deal for entrance and egress respectively cleaving to the coastlines of the Islamic Republic and the Sultanate, presaging reopening of the Hormuz under their joint-administration, barring interference from certain third-parties. 
Meanwhile Trump lauds the deal to restore access “tomorrow or the next day” with the US manifestly excluded from negotiations, conditioned on the end of the American blockade. Humanoid character and US secretary of the treasury Scott Bessent: “Is this a pigeon?”
synchronoptica
one year ago: posthumously restoring citizenship to a confederate general (with synchronoptica), Trump eliminates board of labour statistics following a week jobs report plus ant-eater coevolution
two years ago: Trump assures Christian supporters that if they vote for him this once, they’ll never have to worry about voting again plus assorted links worth revisiting
three years ago: an anomaly observatory, more links to enjoy plus the Nixon tapes
four years ago: a chart-topper from Doris Day, an album from Pink Floyd, an insightful globe plus an aesthetic mapping app
five years ago: even more links, a Da Vinci sketch plus a classic from The Beatles
six years ago: potential TikTok ban in the US, early advances in telegraphy, even more links plus a critique of The Giving Tree
Following moves by the Czech Republic, Swaziland and Turkey to change their exonyms to Czechia, Eswatini and Tรผrkiye respectively, the world’s third smallest country, the remote Pacific atoll, facing an existential threat over climate change and rising ocean levels, has announced it will be henceforth called Naoero after a popular referendum. Whilst ditching the colonial name of Pleasant Island when Great Britain allowed the German Empire to annex it as part of the Marshall Islands Protectorate, its endonym was restored, though in sort of a backhanded, paternalistic manner by ethnographer and linguist Paul Hambruch who gave it the folk-etymology as a contraction of the phrase a-nuau-a-a-ororo, supposedly, “I go to the beach.” 
After the British retook the phosphate-rich island following the end of World War I to be administered by Australia, the name Nauru stuck but as a pronunciation of convenience since the native name was difficult for foreigners to say. The twelve thousand residents of the parliamentary republic is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the International Monetary Fund. Mineral resources mostly exhausted—which destroyed all arable land and all food is currently imported, Naoero has earned a significant portion of its revenue by alternating recognition for the ROC and the PRC under the One-China Policy, as well as the breakaway regions of Georgia of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and from housing refugees awaiting immigration requests for Australia and New Zealand to be processed.
Jordan, whose Hashemite monarchy administers the religious site in Jerusalem and maintains the status quo treaty that stipulates only Muslims can prayer there, convenes an emergency meeting of ministers from the Islamic world due to the possible Israeli takeover of the al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock, which the Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Tensions are heightened as illegal settlements continue to edge out the Palestinian population in the West Bank. 
With Qatar reportedly brokering indirect talks, US secretaries of state and the treasury hint that a deal over the Strait of Hormuz will be achieved very soon (“possibly today or tomorrow” as opposed to two-weeks) and fuel prices will begin to tumble as Trump complains about oil companies’ record quarterly profits and demands lower petrol prices. Iranian president Masud Pezeshkian asserts he has no intention of resigning amid speculation regarding his political future.
Daily routines continue with robots attending to household chores and meal preparation, acknowledging their former residents and masters though they mistake their presence for silhouettes burnt on to the walls by the atomic blast. The absent family’s pet dog, starving is blocked from entering the kitchen whilst the systems are whirring away, eventually dying of hunger and exhaustion before being unceremoniously incinerated by the clean-up module. The house recites a selection of the hostess’ favourite poetry, choosing the above. Later an errant wind gust blows a branch through the kitchen windows, causing a fire that the robots are unable to extinguish with the house itself consumed, save for a single wall and an automated clock, registering the date and time.
In retaliation for strikes on cargo ships in the Caspian, Iran says it was ready to attack Ukraine but reconsidered and called off the strikes. 
Despite having just walked back his latest threats to allow for negotiations that Tehran denies were even on the table, Trump says that the Islamic Republic now has its last chance to make a deal or surrender and face total “decapitation”—again. Iran reiterates its refusal to negotiate under duress and the blockade of its ports against the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, repeating it is only in talks with Oman over the administration of the Strait of Hormuz. The Trump White House makes a deal with defence contractors to restock the dwindling supplies of Patriot and THAAD missiles.
Via the illustrious cabinet of hypertext curiosities of Mx Tynehorne, we are given an update, the latest beta version of our favourite conlang (see previously, see also) with the morpho-phonetic system of writing, the New Iลฃkuรฎl, the latest version of the experimental under development by John Quijada since 1978 and designed to express higher levels of human cognition briefly and precisely. The highly agglutinative three word phrase of the title translates to: the digital home of the fourth edition of a constructed means of communication created to be as terse as possible. Much more at the links above.
synchronoptica
one year ago: a taste of fossil freedom (with synchronoptica) plus more on artist Leonora Carrington
two years ago: a return to the Frankonian Wine Islands
three years ago: a banger from Madonna
four years ago: the Feast of the Myrrhbearers plus a classic from Tears for Fears
five years ago: wagging the dog, the first email in West Germany (1984), imagined retro social media platforms plus the film posters of Richard Amsel
six years ago: Chair Universal, Prussia/Borussia plus photographer Alberto di Lenardo
Categorically denying Trump’s claim that he called off the “biggest attack since World War II” at the request from Iran so that talks could resume on Monday (without providing details of where or with whom) regarding reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, 
Tehran says reports from Washington were untrue, that no negotiations have been scheduled and that Iranian forces stand ready to defend themselves. Officials add that the only imminent deal being negotiated is with Oman for administration of the vital maritime artery and are not interested in working with the US over continued violations of their MOU: Despite the fact that this marks the fourth of fifth time Trump has stepped back from the brink, citing phantom progress, the markets hang on his every word and react with irrational exuberance.
Via our fellow internet peripatetic, Messy Nessy who’se got a flashy new revamped site, we discover the Dutch community where residents reside on narrow islands on a vast shallow lake in a water sports park and nature reserve between Amsterdam and Utrecht between the canals of Hilversums and Tienhovens.
Reopened and touted as a family friendly tourist attraction, the Hellfire Caves outside the village of West Wycombe are a a series of artificial caverns excavated at the behest of Francis Dashwood, the 11. Baron le Despencer (the second Post-Master General) in the mid 1700s as a meeting location for its membership of the exclusive, 
eponymous club for high society rakes, whose rolls included portrait artist William Hogarth (whom painted many fellow members but did not, as far as is known, document any of their activities) John Montagu, 4. Earl of Sandwich, satirist Paul Whitehead and American statesman Benjamin Franklin. Though difficult to ascertain the truth behind rumours of devil worship and orgies, it does seem that debauchery shielded from public inspection or judgement took place underground, and from the statuary in the chalk alcoves, suggests a strong element of pagan rituals, Hercules and the Nemean Lion, Bacchus and Venus also featured prominently. 
Locals generally respected their privacy for their lord’s munificence and the project having employed many during a time of poor harveststhe crated away material used also for road construction. Dashwood adopted for the group’s motto Fais ce que tu voudras—the mission statement associated with the fictional abbey of Thรฉlรจme of Rabelais, later taken up by Aleister Crowley as “Do what thou wilt.” Just a short excursion from the capital, there are hand-hewn galleries named after associates Sandwich and Franklin and the Inner Temple with more details and a guided tour from Londonist’s Matt Brown at the link up top.
synchronoptica
one year ago: consoling the condemned (with synchronoptica), assorted links worth revisiting plus new standards from the US federal communications commission
two years ago: eye-chat with a stranger, a pommel horse champion plus an anagram generator
three years ago: American Graffiti (1973) plus back-links and crediting sources
four years ago: more links to enjoy
five years ago: your daily demon, Dead Man’s Hand, the impetus for the Manhattan Project plus even more links
six years ago: the Lioness of Bretagne, the Blessed Basil of Moscow plus political malapropisms
The EU is to host an emergency meeting of interior ministers over migrants massing at the north African frontier of Spain at Ceuta. As the illegal joint Israeli-US war on Iran continues to spiral out of control with its expansion into Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Trump announces that he has decided to “hold off” on further attacks, with the “perimeters of a deal” agreed upon by Tehran—adding that Tel Aviv was joining the US in committing to giving negotiations time to work.
Condemned as rank corruption and a tool of market-manipulation, Trump is trying to sell a premium membership plan to his social network that offers the top tier early access to his missive so they can buy and sell stocks accordingly. An exchange with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly persuades Trump to cancel operations. Dialogue, of which there is only scant evidence from Pakistani and Emirati envoys other than Trump’s vacillating threats, only concerns reopening the Strait of Hormuz to avoid a global economic recession over the energy crisis.
Whilst not given the deserved retrospective treatment as her near namesake and contemporary Leonora Carrington, in her own time Argentine-Italian surrealist (though rejecting the label the label and broader movement personally), designer, illustrator, dresser and author, especially celebrated for her empowering and erotic portrayals of women (herself included), Leonor Fini, had her share of attention from documentarians wanting to know more about her life, influences and works. 
We appreciated this entree to Fini via the discovery of some of these films, rarely screened or available online, with subtitles, including the feature length profile by Belgian director and screenwriter Chris Vermorcken and the short produced for Swiss broadcaster Radiodiffusion-tรฉlรฉvison-franรงaise by journalist Yvan Butler, decades after her credentials were established with showings in her native Trieste, Milan, patronised and exhibited by Peggy Guggenheim as well as costuming several theatrical and screen productions. From 1953 onward, Fini held an open polyamorous relationship with Count Stanislao Lepri, Italian consul general to Monaco, and Polish writer Konstanty Jeleลski, remaining inseparable for the rest of their lives along with her retinue of no fewer than twenty-three Persian cats. Like Carrington’s, Fini’s art often focused on liminal beings, witches, werewolves and sphinxes. More from { feuilleton } at the link above.
