day twenty-nine (13. 302)

Thailand has negotiated a separate peace with Tehran to allow its tankers safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz—which the US president during an investment conference referred to as the “Strait of Trump” before correcting himself and then sitting with the Freudian slip and going off on a tangent about the Gulf of Mexico and claiming his “great gift” from Iran he’d coyly hinted at earlier was in the form of “ten oil ships” for the US were offered as tribute to make amends for their denials that formal talks were happening. In the same speech, Trump also said that the US has no obligations to NATO partners, emphasising his disappointment that European allies had not provided material support for this campaign of chaos, and would not come to their aid after this perceived betrayal—never mind that he had belittled the institution, harangued its members and threatened to invade and annex a couple. Houthi forces have launched missiles into Israeli territory and explosions were heard in Damascus. Iranian drones attacked the Prince Sultan Airbase in Al Kharj, damaging several refuelling aircraft and severely injuring a dozen US troops following reports that the Saudi government is urging Trump to continue the war. Iranian nuclear facilities again came under attack, including a deuterium complex and a yellowcake uranium enrichment plant. Intelligence suggests that Russia is working to replenish Iran’s drone and ballistic missile stocks, returning some of the munitions and supplying new ones from the Iranian surplus used in prosecuting its war on Ukraine. Only seen in the news lately following a ruling that he had mislead investors during his hostile take over of the microblogging platform Twitter, for some reason Elon Musk was included on a call with Trump to India’s president Narendra Modi earlier in the week about ending the conflict in the Middle East.

synchronoptica

one year ago: more on Fermi’s paradox (with synchronopticæ), embroidery artist Tomoko Kubo, introspective descriptors plus Chinese gaslighting

 

twelve years ago: invalid characters 

 

fourteen years ago: commuting companion plus euro coinage

 

fifteen years ago: academic prejudice against Wikipedia 

day twenty-eight (13. 299)

Rejecting reports that he is searching for an off-ramp (another tortured metaphor that isn’t build for this) as economies continue to falter and it becomes manifest that the situation is out of his control, Trump says; “I am the opposite of desperate. I don’t care,” as he again extends the pause on attacking Iranian energy infrastructure. Contrary to what Tehran is putting out, Washington maintains that Iran is eager to make a deal with productive conversations ongoing. Despite the veracity of the claims, Iran we think has no appetite to work with the same negotiators, Kusher and Witkoff, who orchestrated all the previous rounds when, resulting in last year’s attack on Iranian nuclear research facilities (now cited as a casus belli) and lately all out war (which led to the closure of shipping lanes) rather than achieving any semblance of cooperation or compromise. Meanwhile the Houthi militia in Yemen seem to be plotting opening up another front in the war by seizing control of Bab-el-Mandeb (Gate of Grief, the strait that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, fed by the Suez canal and the Indian Ocean. Bombardment and counterstrikes continue.

 

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronopticæ) plus a German colonial holding in the Americas

 

twelve years ago: the Rod of Asclepius plus current affairs 

 

thirteen years ago: signs and shingles plus a reminder that a country is not a corporation

 

fourteen years ago: a Cold War melodrama 

 

fifteen years ago: long term entombment 

day twenty-four (13. 286)

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent defended Trump’s erratic statements on the war with Iran, arguing that “winding down” and escalation were not mutually exclusive stances, whilst Iranian leaders maintain that terror and threats, like the looming deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, only served to strengthen solidarity and resolve. Houthi rebels in Yemen join the fight. Pope Leo calls the death and suffering and environmental damage caused by the conflict in the Middle East a “scandal for the whole human family” as the civilian toll continues to rise. The International Energy Agency calls for the release of more stockpiles as the present crisis dwarfs the oil supply shocks of 1973 and 1979 combined.

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronopticæ) plus author Ray Nayler

twelve years ago: a halibut recipe, antique Japanese travel posters plus the NATO intervention in Kosovo

thirteen years ago: Easter greetings plus a census of the secret internet

fourteen years ago: inside out socks look like a sea slug plus the debate over continuing financial assistance for former East Germany 

fifteen years ago: rutherfords and risk assessments plus intervention in Libya

sixteen years ago: water throughout the solar system 

6x6 (12. 441)

αντίδωρον: brilliant wrapping paper makes presents appear as loaves of bread  

impact statement: for the first time, an AI avatar of a murder victim testifies in court 

heptapods: imagining alien languages reveals insights into the nature of our own ways of communicating—see previously 

picking fights: while Trump declares a ceasefire with the Houthi militant group—which we only know about because of Signalgate—the administration signals it will not get involved over the dispute in Kashmir  

orrery: a centenary of planetariums still inspiring awe—via tmn—see previously  

decomposing: lab-grown mini-brains of a deceased musician create posthumous compositions

origami mouse: a pointing device that folds flat when not in use—via Clive Thompson’s Linkfest—along with a few more fun items on arcade classics