9x9 (13. 563)

pennsylvania dutch: an ethnographic profile of the Deitsch speaking Amish—see also  

it’s 1100 pm—do you know where your ai agent is: Janelle Shane (previously) on agentic artificial intelligence, vibe-coding and the need for guardrails  

hunshandake sandy land: battling creeping desertification with an army of chickens 

ethnic cleansing: US supreme court rules that the country can refuse asylum-seekers at the border and can begin the deportation of Syrian and Haitian refugees under temporary protected status        

⚙️⚙️⚙️🦑⚙️⚙️⚙️: manoeuvre your marine mollusc through an environment resembling dungeon levels from Zelda with Bubble Bobble type puzzles—via MetaFilter  

rainbow plaques: an alternative to Blue historical markers appear across London, honouring LGTBQ+  personages

final descent: the iconic airliner, the Boeing 747, is being phased out 

jerry’s world: a map of an imaginary land limned over decades using a deck of cards for procedural generation—see also  

despicable me: the influence of Minionese on the slang of Gen Alpha—see previously

vague de chaleur (13. 558)

Reminiscent of the restrictions placed on the tradition of shooting off fireworks in Germany for New Year’s during the height of the COVID pandemic in order to not put more pressure on already overburdened hospitals, Paris has imposed a temporary ban on the sale of off-license (take-away) alcohol and public consumption as the country swelters under an unprecedented heat wave as emergency services is being overwhelmed by heat-related incidents. The weekend’s prohibition does not apply to restaurants and cafés but may be extended as the forecast for France and the rest of the continent bodes of more stifling temperatures.

synchronoptica

one year ago: Uncleftish Beholding (with synchronoptica) plus oyster-culture

two years ago: visiting Carmine and Cannobio

three years ago: assorted links to enjoy plus the Pied-Piper

four years ago: the end of the Soviet calendar plus mermaiding

five years ago: a Frank Gehry twisted tower plus a morphine substitute (1896)

six years ago: more links to revisit, the first UPC code plus a protest anthem

7x7 (13. 402)

national character: photographer John Sanderson captures shifting social demographics in the US—via Nag on the Lake  

c-64: chiptune Depeche Mode—see previously  

db: revisiting the measurement of loudness and the decibel scale, meant to replace the older unit of miles of standard cable to measure loss of fidelity—via Quantum of Sollazzo  

filmaffisch: early to mid-century movie posters by prolific graphic artist Eric Rohman  

stranded assets: the economic concept of demand destruction, emerging from peak oil and pivot to energy alternatives  

beast in the basement: the musical stylings of organist Leon Berry, who also recorded a cover version of “Misirlou”  

blind patriotism: Banksy (previously) confirms that guerrilla installation in central London is his work

8x8 (13. 372)

first flush: Shizoka region’s campaign to reclaim its status as the world’s number one tea producer

tippy the turtle and cubby the bear: the long history of drawing short-cuts before AI  

portraits of population: in 1971 and 1981, the Indian government conducted a people’s census with accompanying illustrated volumes to explain the motivation for collecting data—via Quantum of Sollazzo 

top of the hour: programming schedules and regular segments for a veteran blogger influenced by a career in radio  

the books are open: following a distressed shoe company’s pivot to LLMs, pasta sauce maker Prego releases a table top device to record family dinner conversations to cherish for all time—via Super Punch  

extrapolated futures: a reverse look-up archive of speculative fiction to explore how science-fiction authors of the past assay a real world scenario of the present—via Kottke  

the edge of sentience: the theory of mind, our history of underestimating the internality of others and how we might be diminishing the conscience of the machine  

hanami: Kyoto gets a new caretaker for the records of cherry tree blooms (see previously) that goes back to the ninth century, one of the oldest, continuous archives of climate data in the world

10x10 (13. 316)

carry on patriots: US secretary of war Hegseth nullifies probe into unauthorised helicopter fly-by and salute of Kid Rock  

feiqian: centuries old networks of underground banking provide the freedom from government oversight and privacy that crypto has failed to deliver  

road-trip: after a two year hiatus, Tom Scott returns to YouTube  

der orchideengarten: the first horror and sci-fi magazine—see previously 

the c-word: US scientists are speaking in code, the so-called “climate hushing” to continue their research 

general ledger accounting codes: an appreciation of Excel and how the spreadsheet reshaped business  

laudatio canis: a late fifteenth century testimonial about the virtues of dog-ownership—see previously  

mergers and acquisitions: Larry Ellison’s Oracle lays of thirty thousand workers in a cold-call dismissal after Paramount takeover of Warner Brothers leaves parent company in debt and without backers  

påskekrim: the Norwegian tradition of settling back with crime novels over the Easter holidays  

send in the flying monkeys: a music video with elements of Monty Python and Hieronymus Bosch that addresses the current US state of the union

ghgs (13. 168)

The culmination of a decade and a half concerted effort by lawyers and lobbyists realised through the Trump presidency, the US Environmental Protection Agency will repeal the 2009 EPA Endangerment Finding, meaning that the organisation can no longer regulate green house gases as pollutants and harmful to human health or the climate. The foundation of much of America’s laws pertaining to emissions, this move is regarded as the most aggressive action yet against initiatives to contain or curb global warming, though the country, historically the largest contributor to the anthropic climate change has been on a trajectory of relinquishing responsibility and the mantle of concern or progress steadily for some time, the rescission was based on the testimony of motivated skeptics. And whilst some jurisdictions and environmental advocacy groups (including some in the industrial sector having pivoted to greener models) are fighting back, it is feared that US outsized influence for a planetary problem that is not contained by borders will reverse what progress has been made (part of the commissioned pseudo-scientific study that brought about this repeal was premised on government overreach and hyperbolic forecasts—which, yes, the worst as not occurred as predicted back in 2007, as with the averted y2k disaster, because of global cooperation and action) and engender despair and resignation as the Earth continues to stew and bake. One legal remedy is for the US congress to authorise the EPA the specific mandate to regulate green house gases, rather than the implication under the Clean Air Act, but that won’t happen under this administration, hoping that the delay and legal battles will be long enough to forestall reversal and made binding by the supreme court.

eighty-five seconds to midnight (13. 121)

The Washington DC based Bulletin of the Atomic Sciences advanced their Doomsday Clock four seconds forward, announced in a press release citing failure of global leadership to contain or reverse an array of existential threats including record-breaking climate trends, rogue AI, reframed nuclear pacts and bald dereliction when it comes to disease control and prevention. Inaction and lack of a cooperative framework signal that time is fast running out, though the organisation still maintains that the clock can be turned back in their annual assessment, although collapse of hard-won progress into more tribalism and nationalistic posturing does not seem very reassuring. More from the board at the link up top.

jardin del edén (13. 093)

Via tmn, we are taken on a tour of the groves of the Todolí foundation on the east coast of Valcencia, which produces over five hundred varieties of uncommon citrus, the largest collection in the world, fostering a natural refuge for endemic frogs, birds and pollinators—whilst supplying markets and gourmet restaurants, promoting biodiversity and conducting research to bear these usual fruits through the changing climate and to come out on the other side with more harmonious and sustainable farm to table strategies. Humans are the only primates that have lost the ability to produce vitamin C internally and need to supplement their diet accordingly. There are twelve groupings: citrons, pummelos, mandarins, papaya, sweet and bitter oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, kumquats and trifoliate with exotic examples of the latter in the Buddha’s Hand and exquisite finger limes. Much more on the wide spectrum of citrus at the links above.

9x9 (13. 043)

the unforgivable sin of ms rachel: Tedium’s Online Video Awards and the problems with platforms 

grunt work: AI has the potential to destroy career ladders—via Damn Interesting  

grove press: the Mid-Century Modern covers and jackets of Roy Kuhlman  

turbo moka: a thermodynamic redesign of the classic Italian coffee pot—see previously  

gânditorul de la hamangia: reflections on a palaeolithic pair of artefacts  

ieee spectrum: top climate tech stories of 2025—including atmospheric ammonia harvesting 

i dislike dune with some intensity: JRR Tolkien was not a fan of Frank Herbert’s work  

the imperfect homework machine: students’ experience with AI mirrors a Shel Silverstein poem 

 the year in search: more of Miss Cellania’s annual superlatives

10x10 (12. 899)

linguistic fossils: an exercise in autocomplete, eight English words only used for very specific circumstances 

elevated concerns: locations in Greater London above sea level and how those heights compare to countries existentially threatened by rising waters 

new meme format just dropped: the surprisingly cordial meeting between Trump and new New York City mayor Mamdani—“go ahead and call me a fascist—it’s easier, it’s easier than explaining—I don’t mind”  

the long game: US federal judge rules that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp are not anticompetitive 

terra firma: a few modest proposals to rename our home planet  

squirearchy: the economy and governance of Hobbiton, which seems fifty-percent dependent on upper-class failsons—via Super Punch  

petsmart: Shanghai-based domestic animal supply store will close all physical stores after a year-long retail experiment 

home of the gnomes: a charming, anachronistic “Hansel and Gretel” cottage in New York City—via Strange Company  

houndsditch: Gustave Doré’s illustrations of the East End crocodile tears: the origin and spread of the oft-detested response “no worries”

synchronoptica

one year ago: high concept art (with synchronopticæ) plus assorted links to enjoy

twelve years ago: neuter and neutral plus limits on executive pay in Switzerland

thirteen years ago: talking turkey plus WWI day-by-day  

fourteen years ago: an insulation upgrade 

sixteen years ago: droid flu 

chthulucene (12. 874)

Having recently revisited the designation of the Anthropocene Age in the midst of the COP30 climate summit and we enjoyed this alternate heuristic, courtesy of Clive Thompson’s latest Linkfest, for not only understanding the era in which we live but also as way to put into perspective an appreciation for the concept of deep time (see also here and here) that underpins geology and evolution and even our accelerated moment of anthropogenic climate change. Though premised and predicated on gradual change over aeons which outlives any observer, thinkers like Charles Darwin and contemporaries failed to grasp the timescales that they were invoking and not much better equipped to fully comprehend its enormity and depth than us who deal with far cruder and protracted cycles. Not the Elder Gods of H P Lovecraft (the sudden-death round of links below features another allegorical Lovecraftian entity in the shoggoth, a meme to describe the unknowable and formless horror when AI becomes unhinged and reveals its true nature) but rather in the sense of chthonic powers—earthly forces of volcanos and seismic quakes and tidal waves deified in a host of underworld heroes and horrors unleashed by Mother Earth through our own prospecting and extraction.

synchronoptica

one year ago: from 2016 SNL mourns Leonard Cohen, Trump victory (with synchronopticæ), a national treasure of rare, modest and enduring interest plus more the Frankfurt Model Kitchen

thirteen years ago: thrift shops and overconsumption 

fourteen years ago: myth and monetary policy 

fifteen years ago: Esszett now an allowable character in domain names 

9x9 (12. 872)

climate change is no longer a threat of the future—it is a tragedy of the present: COP30 opens in Belém at the edge of the Amazon rainforest  

splice: following resignations, Trump threatens to sue BBC for one billion dollars over January Sixth documentary  

french windows: the animation of Ian Emes that defined Pink Floyd’s signature visual style 

epoch and era: geologists reject the Anthropocene age but it is still a valuable lens for understanding our present and future  

industrial organisation: the perpetuated belief that vertical monopolies and monopsonies are good for the consumer  

victory is mine again trebek: a clip reel of a Jeopardy! category  

so you’ve been bitten by a radioactive spider: a survival guide for the Marvel universe 

punt: anything other than a clear CR, US senate concludes debate and return the bill to congress for passage to reopen the federal government—including provisions for members to seek half-a-million dollars in compensation for having their phones searched for the January Sixth investigation (plus more pardons) and a ban on hemp  

money talks: Bill Gates apparently reverses stance on near-term emission reduction goals

synchronoptica

one year ago: AI espionage (with synchronopticæ), RFK Jr’s future role in Trump’s cabinet plus the lead narrows in the US congress

thirteen years ago: toothpaste for dinner, the architecture of choice plus making an animated gif

fourteen years ago: double-eleven 

sixteen years ago: new wheels 

the machine stops (12. 858)

Expanding on the E M Forester dystopian novella, which first revealed its resonance to many during the COVID pandemic and lockdown when most were confined to a hexagonal cell with creature comforts and on-demand entertainment provided much like the main characters, we appreciated the chance to revisit the story and its litany of predictions courtesy of Better Living Through Beowulf. Written as a rebuttal to HG Wells more utopian and slightly paternalistic vision of the future, Forester wants to emphasise the authoritarian nature of rapid technological advance set in a future then very near to its publication. Most of the human population has gone subterranean after extreme climate change and toxic air has made the Earth’s surface uninhabitable. A benevolent omnipotent, super-intelligence caterers to its kept humans’ every need who in physical isolation only engage in the activity of posting on social media, texting and Zoom calls. Travel is permitted but deemed unnecessary and the super-intelligence, simply the Machine, is worshiped as a god—with orthodoxy reenforced by social creditworthiness. When the Machines begins to malfunction, people accept defects and hallucinations as the whims of omniscient providence until the disruptions become intolerable but unfixable as knowledge of how to affect repairs has become lost, if it was ever understood in the first place. After a catastrophic collapse of its circuits, people slowly reemerge and begin to rebuild civilisation.

synchronoptica

one year ago: Germany’s coalition government faces collapse (with synchronopticæ), an archive of military uniforms, America’s first Red Scare plus assorted links worth the revisit

your county is going to fail, and i’m really good at predicting things (12. 752)

Speaking second after his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, one of the few world leaders standing up to his bombast and bullying—who pointedly referenced extrajudicial strikes on supposed Argentinian drug-runners in international waters and lamented how the Palestinian delegation had no representation at the General Assembly, the host nation having denied entry visas, the first such barring since 1998 when PLO head Yasser Arafat was blocked from attending an the United Nations held the plenary meeting in Geneva instead, the forum having seen quite a few displays, particularly during the Cold War with Khrushchev removing his shoe to bang it on the podium, to the exclusion and sidelining of none—Trump took to the stage with no sense of self-awareness or sympathy for the crowd of co-equals and moral and mental betters to evangelise (painfully embarrassing like before in 2017 and 2018 and not memorable like the above breach of protocol by the Soviet head of state) well over his allotted fifteen minutes on the rostrum. Perhaps insinuating sabotage, the US president joked about the out-of-order escalator and broken teleprompter, then proceeding to give a lengthy outline of his successes, unbidden, beginning with his historic trade deals, the seven wars he claims to have ended in his second term alone, expanding further in foreign affairs, claiming that the US was developing a AI verification system to counter bio-weapons, and then blaming the UN for failing to promote peace and that its policies of immigration and open-boarders were consigning Western nations to hell. The last outrage was Trump again airing his denialism of the climate catastrophe, calling it a hoax, a con job and clean energy a “green scam”—drawing audible gasps in the chamber. The mood was far from collegial with all criticism launched towards traditional allies and little reserved for adversaries of the post-war world order, the body gathered to mark its eightieth anniversary. No American president’s remarks was over time and Trump’s disgusting tirade comes in third to Arafat’s 1974 address and the epic five-hour filibuster by Fidel Castro in 1960.

tal und berg, time and temperature (12. 688)

Running some errands back in the Geratal region, we took a stroll through the village above the valley called Geraberg, higher up on the slope of the Arlesberg on the northern edge of the Thüringer Wald. Though first mentioned in a deed of gift to the Henneberg knights for its vineyards in the eleventh century, the area was more famous of its traditions of mining and forestry, fuelling the smelting of iron ore. The cadet industries of glass-making and porcelain manufacturer developed in the nineteenth century and taking advantage of one by-product of mining operations, mercury, Geraberg became a centre of technical expertise for the making of clinical thermometers (that’s one in the main traffic circle) and other glass medical instruments, beginning in 1873 and lasting until 1990, employing some two-thousand individuals. There was also a museum dedicated to the village’s association with the device, along with the broader technological advancements from contact to digital thermometers and thermostats, closed Mondays but looks worth checking out on a return trip.

synchronoptica

one year ago: a pivotal moment in the Star Trek timeline (with synchronopticæ), aspiring travel-writers, assorted links worth revisiting, a trip to Schwickershausen plus the largest aerospace exhibition

thirteen years ago: Saxon castles plus selbst gebackt biscotti

fourteen years ago: holding the UN for ransom 

fifteen years ago: more ado about Glühbirne plus conceptual Star Wars posters

diesel and dust (12. 662)

Released on this day in 1987, the sixth studio album from Midnight Oil is a concept record on the themes of environmental degradation and the struggles of Indigenous Australians, critically acclaimed and ranked amongst the best compilations of the 80s since its premiere. Drawing their inspiration from several months of touring the outback and playing in venues for remote Aboriginal communities—criticised by some as a one-off publicity stunt rather than a genuine effort to highlight lack of opportunity and low living standards leading to poor outcomes, the band decided to redouble their efforts to champion recognition and reconciliation. The chart topping single below is an indictment about how populations were subject to forced-removal and sparked a global discussion about land-rights and reframing narratives—with colonisers not the only one who get to write history, reprised several times with the expanded message of the impending climate catastrophe.

*     *     *     *     * 

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronopticæ) 

twelve years ago: Snowden’s time in Hong Kong, Bitcoin and Germany plus cult sites of the Theban Legion 

thirteen years ago: artist Laurtis Andersen Ring 

fourteen years ago: mythical creatures and Addler stones 

no—they got the metric system over there—they call it royale with breeze (12. 629)

Via Kottke and though sadly the crisps that appear in the spot are not an actual product, we applaud alternative energy giant Vattenfall for teaming up with Samuel L Jackson to offer this taste of fossil freedom. This minute-long refutation of Big Oil and its campaign of misinformation and world-destroying legacy not only is a masterpiece for Europe wanting to reduce its dependence on Russia fuel following its invasion of Ukraine, it is also a strong rebuke of Trump’s asymmetrical tariff deal for the EU, demanding the purchase of American energy (previously), which is best undone with renewables, like wind-farming, to shut down a bullying tyrant of a failing petrostate. I’m sorry—did I break your concentration?

*    *    *    *    *

synchronoptica

one year ago: a return to the Frankonian Wine Islands (with synchronopticæ) 

twelve years ago: zebra stripes as dazzle camouflage plus mobile phones as point-of-sale devices

fourteen years ago: austerity in the US 

fifteen years ago: a rainy summer plus take-down notices for Wikipedia, possibly confusing it with Wikileaks

sixteen years ago: rejecting expertise plus political caricatures

endangerment finding (12. 621)

Not only has the world’s biggest polluter under the Trump administration sought to abrogate its responsibilities for damage to the planet that does not respect borders through rolling back of regulations and cancelling vital science programmes that monitor and measure greenhouse, it has undone the underpinnings of the accepted science that conducted during the Obama era that is the foundation of a host laws and environmental regulations. The EPA investigation determined, pursuant to several court cases, that six key greenhouse gases (see previously) threaten both the health and welfare of current and future generations and is the basis for the US Clear Air Act. Industries at the time raised strong objections but most businesses have since made peace with the posture for their image and the public good (see also) and have built in mitigating factors into manufacturing and distribution to lessen their impact. After failing during Trump’s first term, the current EPA administrator rescinded the landmark finding at a truck stop in Indiana to much fanfare, an ideological win for staunch denialists which make up much of the MAGA base that stands in stark contrast to decades of evidence and near global consensus. For its part, the agency charged with protecting the environment and averting the climate catastrophe has resigned its commission, offering that because climate change is not localised, it lacks jurisdiction for enforcement, maintaining that the finding failed to balance adverse impacts on manufacturers and distributors (see negative externalities above), or alternately giving up, saying that no policy could make a dent in the problem anyway. Not yet finalised, the decision is already facing legal challenges.

6x6 (12. 540)

elbows up: on his way to attend the G7 in Canada, Macron visits Greenland, criticising Trump’s repeated overtures to annex the island—see previously  

ethanol orthodoxy: bio-fuel policy has been a net negative for the environment  

ready for prime time: Google text to video service is rolled out despite sloppy results 

c: MI6 appoints its first female spy chief in its one hundred sixteen year history—Dame Judy Dench only played one in the movies  

sidebar: revised injunction restrictions in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill that requires a bond, bribe to judges got even worst—see previously  

dudley do-right: G7 leaders gather in the Canadian Rockies for their economic summit 

synchronoptica

one year ago: a banger from Supertramp (with synchronoptica)

ten years ago: forbidden colours, assorted links to revisit plus cheap printing and chapbooks

twelve years ago: a visit to Wiesbaden-Schierstein plus Snowden’s formative time in Switzerland

fourteen years ago: revitalising a neglected church in Freibourg 

interdisciplinary (12. 475)

On the corner of Broadway and West 112th Street, above the iconic neon-lit Tom’s Diner used as the establishing exterior shot for the sitcom Seinfeld and in the Susan Vega song, NASA research facility, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has occupied the six upper storeys of Armstrong Hall since 1966. Affiliated with Columbia University’s Earth institute, from whom it leases the laboratory space, GISS has embarked on a broad programme of astrophysics and climate dynamics and advanced public understanding of phenomena like El Niño and first synergised ideas such as plate tectonics, quasars and black holes—introducing the terminology to common parlance. The institute also issued a vocal warning regarding global warming’s trajectory and involved with numerous solar system exploration missions dating from Mariner, Pioneer and Voyager to the present. This impressive list of accomplishments and continuing projects, both theoretical and applied, however, is failing to secure the lab’s legacy for the the Trump administration, which has cut overall science funding by half and is sceptical of climate change, and through the auspices of DOGE and the Government Services Administration is terminating the lease effective at the end of the month (or at least pretending to in the name of efficiency as the contract cannot be broken early and the building will sit empty until it expires) and is directing the staff of one hundred thirty to work from home until they can be dismissed or placed within another part of the agency. More from the Guardian at the link above.