Although the aims of alchemists of transforming base metals into gold has been previously achieved through synthetic transmutation first in 1941 by heavy bombardment of mercury with neutrons—though the resulting isotopes were extremely radioactive and again in 1980 by Glenn Seaborg at Lawrence Livermore labs by surgically removing protons and neutrons from bismuth atoms, these demonstration projects were prohibitively expensive and would need to be scaled up a trillion-fold in order to produce a microscopic speck of the precious metal. We learn, however—via tmn—that researchers working on the ALICE programme at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the acronym somewhat disappointingly only standing for A Large Ion Collider Experiment designed to study conditions immediately after the Big Bang with by creating exotic plasma phases of matter, have recently detected the mass albeit very short-lived conversion of lead into gold as the extremely hot and close-packed conditions cause dissociative reactions that can cause the target element to eject a small number of protons and neutrons, producing gold (the similar densities probably what inspired the study of alchemy in the first place). The above quick-silver and thallium were also temporary by-products of nuclear transmutation. Related to the title term, ฯฯฯ
ฯฮฟฯฮฟฮนฮฏฮฑ, แผฯฮณฯ
ฯฮฟฯฮฟฮนฮฏฮฑ (argyropeia) refers to artificial silver-making, usually trying with copper.
Friday, 9 May 2025
chrysopoeia (12. 443)
Saturday, 26 April 2025
9x9 (12. 412)
crytophasia: eye-witnesses to an accident, twins speaking in unison yield insights about language acquisition
keep your cool: a 1967 garage rock number appropriate for our times by Terry and the Chain Reaction
swiss pavilion: the country’s contribution to the Osaka Expo evokes the spirit of the original venue—see previously here and here
all dams are temporary: an interesting look at the limitations of hydrological regimes
universi dominici gregis: the faithful and world leaders gather at the Vatican for the pontiff’s funeral
buying access: Trump offers largest holders of his meme coin exclusive dinner date
hilma’s ghost: a monumental glass mosaic installed in New York’s Grand Central Station—in homage to the mystic artist
on the corner: Myles Davis’ rock and funk, at first panned but now considered a masterpiece
rampant pedantry: an overview of prescriptivism and hyper-correction
synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronoptica), a massive gallery of Star Trek images plus ancient scrolls deciphered with the help of AI
seven years ago: Brutalist Tetris, Macron addresses the US congress, the mythological namesakes of the Chinese lunar programme plus conspicuous consumption and the Diderot effect
eight years ago: Japanese manhole covers, journalism from Wikipedia, more links to enjoy, the Turkish-Syrian border, a Nazi-era bronze back on display plus more persuasive maps
nine years ago: bat nurse, the Sykes-Picot agreement, US tax-havens plus cataclysmic anniversaries (caution flashing image)
ten years ago: American founding fables
Sunday, 30 March 2025
charted territory (12. 348)
First issued in 2022, Kottke extols the redesign of the coveted Swiss passport from Geneva based studio RETINAA which excels at the intersection of aesthetics and enhanced security features, an homage to the sleek and simple branding of the country, travelling through each of the twenty-six cantons like driving atlas on his pages for entry- and exit-stamps, visas and other endorsements. Authentication measures (see also) that burst out under ultraviolet inspection reveal the cartographic traditions of the alpine ranges, valleys and passes, resulting in an identity document that the holder can be proud of and cherish through its expiry date, for which there is no reason, like classic diplomas and commendations, should not be the case with all official documents.
synchronoptica
one year ago: a visit to Neuseenland (with synchronoptica)
seven years ago: the magazine Children’s Land, a trip to a local shrine plus No Mates Nigel
eight years ago: the collected landscapes of Bob Ross, new cloud designations plus German contractors bid to build Trump’s border wall
nine years ago: German flea-markets and other scavenger hunts, the referendum on Scottish independence plus the LGBTQ+ corner of the US congressional cemetery
ten years ago: the last crusades, the etymology of tidings plus assorted links worth revisiting
Saturday, 8 March 2025
liber novus (12. 286)
The manuscript named after its original leather binding, the folio penned by psychiatrist Carl Jung between 1914 and 1930 documents a series of personal observations and self-experimentation following the dissolution of his partnership with his interlocutor Sigmund Freud moreover reflects a psychotic break with reality and the journey of re-establishing an albeit tenuous connection with his soul and psyche. Although considered Jung’s main contribution, expounding such ideas as dream-interpretation, visions, the collective unconscious, common fate and the notions of introversion and extroversion, the work was meant never to be published in the traditional since and locked away in a vault until 2009. And whilst not intended for public consumption and still not available in a comprehensive volume freely accessible, Open Culture presents a variety of sources to learn more about the Red Book, including a relaxing, hour-long paging through the massive personal account with a definitive autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a certain frisson and auditory-tactile synaesthesia which we’re sure that the author would have appreciated.
Thursday, 20 February 2025
verkehrshaus der schweiz (12. 247)
Delightfully, we discover courtesy of Present /&/ Correct that the Swiss Museum of Transport in Luzern has a wing (Halle Strassen-verkehr) clad in street signs. One of the most popular exhibitions in the country (see also), the museum campus features displays of historic railroad engines, automotive exhibits (with tunnels and mountain passes), cable cars, maritime navigation and aerospace, including the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) an uncrewed science laboratory, one of the few satellites successfully deorbited and returned to the Earth undamaged.
Monday, 10 February 2025
nackte und naturnah (12. 221)
Via fellow internet caretaker Messy Nessy Chic, we are directed to a profile of Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach, whom whilst rubbished by critics as the Kohlrabi (turnip) Apostle is regarded as the forefather alternative movements, championing naturism, vegetarianism and pacifism from a commune outside of Vienna and cooperative on Monte Veritร on Lago Maggiore, established by protรฉgรฉs. His first moment of transcendence happened on this day in 1882 came at sunrise in the alpine foreland of Bavaria with the vocation of being a prophetic reformer, travelling to
Mรผnchen shortly thereafter in a woollen habit and sandals (though often unshod) and delivered his message, turning away from society’s institutions. Authorities suppressed his teachings and Diefenbach retreated to the countryside to focus on his paintings, though his fame did not materialise as with another follower’s, Hugo Hรถppener called Fidus and praise from the contemporaries like Egon Schiele, with the public focused on his unorthodox ways and a series of failed exhibitions though finally establishing a studio on Capri. Much more at the links above.
synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links to revisit, Lunar New Year plus Death of a Salesman (1949)
seven years ago: rewilding plus notes on adulting
eight years ago: the official White House photographer, parliamentary procedure plus more links to enjoy
nine years ago: a van Gogh retreat and retrospective
ten years ago: Werner Herzog motivational posters, Deutschland 1983, reputed time-travellers plus social media and net-neutrality
Monday, 30 September 2024
8x8 (11. 884)
glamos: Switzerland and Italy agree to redraw their borders due to melting glaciers
a purrfect storm: the childless cat lady trope goes back to the origins of female suffrage and political participation—see previously
main character syndrome: a need for recognition and validation fuelled by technological change drives self-mythologising whether or not there’s an audience—see also
daily affirmation: fifty years of Saturday Night Live title cards and graphic design
viscawide-16: a Wiki dedicated to vintage and antique cameras—via Pasa Bon!
ultraviolence: Trump proposes sanctioning a day of lawlessness, akin to the plot of The Purge or Kristallnacht to end criminal behaviour
we are the trampions: the annual European street car driver competition—see previously
industrial age: UK shutters last coal-fired power-plant, ending a one hundred forty two year era
Sunday, 22 September 2024
mauritius (11. 863)
Fรชted on this day on the occasion of his martyrdom in 287 by execution for refusing to kill local Christians under order of Emperor Maximian, this disobedience punished with decimation—killing one out of every ten rebellious soldiers, at the Roman outpost of Agaunum (present day Saint-Maurice in the canton of Valais, and not to be confused with St Moritz in the Engadine, also named for the same leader of the Theban Legion), Maurice (โฒโฒโฒโฒ โฒโฒฑโฒฃโฒโฒฅ) is a popular and widely venerated saint whose patronage includes multiple kingdoms, municipalities and professions. Depictions and iconography of Maurice have been contentions throughout the centuries, with some suggesting that Holy Roman Emperor (who the saint champions with some crowned before his altar in St Peter’s) Frederich II in the eleventh century initiated the darker-complected trope as a symbol for the Crusades, and that the Christian mission was a universal and non-discriminatory one. Others argue Maurice was never turned Black, though the otherness (see also) went through periods of acceptance and intolerance, including the Nazis’ forbidding the city of Coburg’s coat of arms (since 1493) for glorifying another race and temporary replaced the Wappen with a sword (as guardian of sword-makers) with a swastika on its pommel. Patronage also include armorers, Alpine troops, infantry soldiers, cloth-makers, weavers, dyers and the Pontifical Swiss Guard, Austria, Piedmont, Sardinia, the Houses of Savoy, Lombard and the Merovingians and is invoked against muscle cramps and gout.
Sunday, 15 September 2024
entspannt und achtsam (11. 846)
Labelled an imbecile and cretin during his lifetime, though the latter with some charity in the sense of a pious, holy fool, for his weak constitution and shy, withdrawn and compliant behaviour, Swiss artist assistance and apprentice Gottfried Mind really came into his own following the death of his master Sigmund Henderberger of Berne known for his sentimental pastoral scenes. Mind accidentally discovered his precocious virtuosity for the faithful feline study, usually drawn from memory with exacting detail, eventually earning him the reputation as the Katzen-Raffael—or the Raphael of Cats. Click through for more of the artist’s portfolio at the link above.
Saturday, 7 September 2024
10⁶⁰⁰ (11. 819)
Via Things Magazine (lots more to explore there), we get the chance to revisit the electromechanical rotor cipher machine, the advanced HX-63 developed by a private Swiss firm, which would prove difficult to crack even by contemporary standards and in 1952 was exponentially more secure than the CIA’s top model. Over the course of a decade, only about a dozen of the units were manufactured and though most clientele remained anonymous, the French defence ministry was one known buyer and a defence contractor found the device in a Cold War communications bunker and restored it to working order. The potential of those above undisclosed purchasers to be forces not aligned with Western interests caused the intelligence agency to intervene and not only eventually stop their sales but also to enter into a partnership with the company to produce a model with a backdoor so the CIA could decrypt any transmission. More from IEEE Spectrum at the link above including a video demonstration of the restored, uncompromised model and more on how the technology works to encode messages.
synchronoptica
one year ago: INTERPOL (1923)—with synchronoptica—plus divination through cheese
seven years ago: an appreciation of composer Edvard Grieg, a meditation on the dacha plus cabmen’s shelters
eight years ago: restoring the Houses of Parliament, the debut of Star Trek, a Buddha-inspired knitted cap plus the debut of Voyager
nine years ago: a partially submerged art installation in the Thames is a statement on climate change
ten years ago: window displays, NATO talks on the Russian invasion of Ukraine plus a visit to Bad Vilbel
Friday, 5 July 2024
alpine passes ii (11. 663)
Reluctantly we headed back home after our adventures in Italy and Switzerland, this time consulting more local sources and news, discovered that the portion of the Swiss Autobahn washed away by a rockslide had in less than two weeks been made once again navigable for traffic with engineers incorporating material that had destroyed the roadway.
Navigation services had not yet cottoned onto the completed repairs and the way was notably clear and without congestion for the beginning of high season for the preferred San Bernardino Pass connecting Bellinzona with the Mesolcina Valley of the canton of Graubรผnden, the watersheds of the Po and Rhein river basins and high-road parallel to the ancient bridal path—mostly restricted to donkeys—known as Viamala (in Romansh, the bad route due to the treacherous nature of the gorge) and made open to wheeled conveyance to undercut Austrian-controlled trade.This snapshot above was not an atypical Swiss highway rest stop with lowing cattle and cow-bells.
synchronoptica
one year ago: Nasty Boys (with synchronoptica), Tynwald Day on the Isle of Man, assorted links to revisit, the Tiny Web awards plus the pop-top can
seven years ago: an extra prosthetic thumb plus more on public education in America
eight years ago: what’s across the oceans, timber architecture, Olympic demands plus a giant radio telescope in China
nine years ago: a distraction for a hot day plus more links to enjoy
ten years ago: a game of geographic trivia
Monday, 1 July 2024
castelli di bellinzona (11. 657)
Returning to Ticino, we visited the UNESCO World Heritage site, the ensemble of fortifications, of the cantonal capital and strategically important location occupied and defended since Neolithic times as the place where several Swiss rivers converge and near the Alpine passes of San Bernardino, San Gottardo and Lukmanier, and maintaining hold of Bellinzona meant control of traffic and trade between northern Europe and the Mediterranean.
ambitions of the Duchy of Milan, the third and highest, Sasso Corbaro, was added in the sixteen century with reinforcement on the lower existing structures, and is now a symbol of Swiss unity and identity.
one year ago: a venerable Viennese newspaper folds (with synchronoptica)
six years ago: negotium and otium
seven years ago: an AI names cats, moss walls, the Tour de Trump plus the Hong Kong transfer of sovereignty (1997)
eight years ago: on listicles plus the fantastic illustrations of Franรงois Schuiten
nine years ago: West Germany’s NATO accession (1955), grail candidates plus assorted links to enjoy
Thursday, 27 June 2024
ponte dei salti (11. 653)
Driving back through Ticino near Locarno, we headed through the Verzasca valley, punctuated with a monumental reservoir, Lago di Vogorno. Completed in the mid-1960s by the same civil engineer, Giovanni Lombardi, who designed the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the dam makes a cameo in the 1995 film Goldeneye, with James Bond parachuting from the wall. No bungee jumping was on offer today, however.
synchronoptica
one year ago: paronomasia (with synchronoptica) plus a critique of the Latin alphabet
seven years ago: America’s retaliatory strike on Syria, Salvador Dalรญ exhumed plus the TSA empowered to check one’s reading material
eight years ago: US supreme court upholds Trump’s travel ban plus the history of America’s Pledge of Allegiance
eleven years ago: Snowden granted asylum
twelve years ago: drone warfare
Wednesday, 26 June 2024
carmine superiore (11. 652)
Traveling back to Luina—which inherited market privileges from Maccagno—but not quite the showcase of local food and craft week expected, we returned to Laveno to take a ferry ride to the Piedmontese side on the lake at the port of Intra by Verbania and between the stretch of coast known as the Cannero Riveria—with same Mediterranean flair—and city of Cannobio, we stopped to explore an abandoned village—the lower settlement named inferiore though still populated.
one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronoptica) plus the Pied Piper of Hamlin
seven years ago: low-Earth orbit being crowded out, mobile check-up units, more links to enjoy plus an IBM featurette
eight years ago: a camera carriage frame for car morphing, secessionist groups plus a potential UK constitutional crisis
nine years ago: more links to enjoy
ten years ago: the Wicked-isation of classic fairy-tales