In deference to the silver anniversary of the Peter Benchley and Steven Spielberg and Peter Benchly collaboration—which agreedly holds up and worth a rewatch—Clive Thompson’s Linkfest (lots more great stuff there) directs us to a text-based adventure game inspired by the film authored by programmer and designer Matt Round, that follows the plot pretty faithfully scene by scene but from the point of view of the titular shark with some pretty compelling internal monologue (see also).
Saturday, 12 July 2025
Thursday, 8 May 2025
6x6 (12. 441)
ฮฑฮฝฯฮฏฮดฯฯฮฟฮฝ: 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

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
Sunday, 27 April 2025
millennial saint (12. 415)
Beatified and with the confirmation of a second miracle attributed to his intercession, the canonisation of blessed Carlo Acutis, a teenager and avid gamer (though imposing limits on himself to an hourly weekly as an ascetic) and burgeoning influence (whose bandwidth is increased in the repose of the saints, noted for his devotion to the Eucharist, hitting when the time is ripe for inculcating into trad- and pious ways which appeal to many), was originally scheduled to be canonised on this day but the death of Pope Francis means the matter is left to his predecessor. I wonder who played the devil’s advocate for this hearing. Sadly succumbing aged fifteen to leukaemia, Acutis had created several websites for local parishes for outreach and volunteer engagement and another prize-winning project that documented all miracles, guardian angels and Marian apparitions, demonstrating from a young age a keen interest in hagiography, particularly the life of St Francis of Assisi, where he was eventually entombed in the Sanctuary of the Spoliation of Santa Maria Maggiore, his funeral and memorial mass attended lapsed Catholics, especially young people that had abandoned the Church. It is not yet determined what Acutis’ patronage will be exactly but one can make educated guesses. His relics and body on display exhibit the incorruptibility of the holy—some of which is owing to an expert embalming job.
synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronoptica), the Hobby Computer Club of Leiden plus Lego Lost at Sea
seven years ago: the Japanese domestic automarket, nightingale floors, North and South Korea accords, a unique bicycle design, America’s balloon lobby plus typographer Herb Lubalin
eight years ago: der Kuss, AI safeguards, an AI outfitter, the skies of The Scream plus a pop-up recycling facility
nine years ago: longer-lasting batteries plus taxidermied mermaids
ten years ago: the Jonbar Hinge
Wednesday, 23 April 2025
she put the miss in misdemeanour when she stole the beans from lima (12. 404)
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one year ago: the lost mixtape (with synchronoptica) plus assorted links worth revisiting
seven years ago: more links to enjoy, David Bowie’s self-portraits plus Plain People on vacation
eight years ago: more bad flags, more terror attacks in Germany, a concept flying car, Trump dismisses the surgeon general plus Billy Butcher on love power ballads
nine years ago: breathing exercises plus pavement level pedestrian signals
eleven years ago: populist politics plus TTIP and reciprocal tariffs
Thursday, 3 April 2025
10x10 (12. 360)
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
Tuesday, 18 March 2025
9x9 (12. 314)
๐: a “half-swipe” feature that allows recipients to screen messages with them being marked as read is exacerbating dating anxiety amongst teens—via Superpunch
rabbithole: global styles of curiosity survey as revealed by Wikipedia app usage—via Clive Thompson’s Linkfest—are you a hunter, dancer or busybody?
we have urinated in our beds—there was no chamber pot: a survey of the graffiti of Ancient Rome that’s very much like a contemporary comments section

quotidiano: Italian news paper prints all-AI edition
derezz: local club hosts a TRON party during a gaming developers’ conference as a history lesson
gulf-stream: a mesmerising overview of the world’s ocean currents and eddies
let your fingers do the walking: the typography of the telephone directory, the Yellow Pages, and its antecedents
patrimonialism: running a state as one’s family business
forbidden unlawful representation of roleplaying in education: legislation in Texas would outlaw students presenting as other than human, check out the acronyms of the bill, including fursonรฆ
synchronoptica
one year ago: the science behind sippy-birds (with synchronoptica), another 3D rendering challenge plus assorted links worth revisiting
seven years ago: the allure of old books, The Gods of Japan (1943), more links to enjoy plus artist Grant Wood
eight years ago: the architecture of choice, Trump defunds agencies plus Trump’s foreign policy
nine years ago: more on state fossils plus collected quotations
ten years ago: the new EU central bank headquarters, job redundancy, even more links, animals on trial plus local galleries
Friday, 7 March 2025
10x10 (12. 283)
subwoof: opening of Star Trek: The Next Generation but with the theme coming from the ship
sudoku: unsolvable sliding fourteen-fifteen wooden puzzles
frame-by-frame: experimenting with 3D printing to achieve a stop-motion animation effect
anglish: English without the influence of Romance languages
dead letter office: Denmark’s postal service to end delivery of letters, citing a ninety percent decline in volume
oddly compelling: underground comics and Kitchen Sink Press
rebel with a clause: the self-styled den mother of grammarians sets up a table for language advice
edelweiรpiraten: a look at the loosely organised youth group that opposed Nazi Germany—via Strange Company
๐➡️: revisiting an appreciation of how Flash influenced gaming history—via Boing Boing
cue ro laren drop: a library of audio sweeps, intros, outros and transitions for podcasters—via Web Curios
Wednesday, 5 March 2025
homebrew computer club (12. 278)
Meeting for the first time in the garage of founder and organiser Gordon French in Menlo Park California on this day in 1975, this informal association of electronic and programming enthusiasts was chartered as a forum for hobbyists to exchange ideas and create DIY personal computing devices to make the emerging technologies more accessible to everyone. Present for this inaugural gathering, Steve Wozniak (previously here and here) credited the demonstration and reverse-engineering of an Altair 8800 microcomputer as inspiration for designing the Apple I. Running regular meetings through 1986, Steve Jobs, John Draper (former phone phreak), Paul Terrell (proprietor of Byte Shop, the first hardware retail outlet), Jerry Lawson (creator of the first cartridge-based video game system, the Fairchild Channel F) and Liza Loop (who saw the potential to supplement classroom and distance learning and opened the first public-access computer labs) were also members.
Sunday, 16 February 2025
12x12 (12. 237)
little sisyphus: a challenging NES-style side-scrolling game—see previously—via Waxy
behind every robot that turns evil there’s an engineer that installed red diodes in its eyes in anticipation: Meta wants to create AI powered robots to do your chores
quipu: the largest known superstructure in the Cosmos, named for the corded knot accounting of the ancient Inca culture—via Strange Company
parataxis: storytelling loves a list
i will say this only once: John J Hoare responds to a video take-down notice for reposting an old clip—that suggests that YouTube is focused on hate speech against Nazis

pump and dump: nothing to see here, just another perfectly normal president pulling the rug out from under his country with a memecoin
return to forever: Chick Corea and friends at the forty-third Jazzaldia festival
stairwell of the quarter: more on the design efficiency of alternating tread stairs
nanook of the north: Robert J Falherty’s 1922 documentary on the Inuit
how many department of government efficiency employees does it take to screw in a lightbulb: a look at DOGE at work—via Nag on the Lake
windows, icons, menus, pointers: a cursor dance party—via Pasa Bon!
Friday, 14 February 2025
arrow key (12. 232)
Via Web Curios and in the tradition of line-rider sequences, we are informed that there are playable versions of video clips on YouTube in a range of genres from DOOM, Guitar Hero to chess from the channel Firerama capitalising on native features to allow on to dodge and advance or retreat. We liked the timed concept and could play them for a hot minute, though agreeably the the draw of the challenge was not wholly compelling but is still a promising and inventive idea and an improvement on the choose-your-own-adventure narratives and labour-intensive side-quests of streaming services.
Monday, 10 February 2025
7x7 (12. 222)
vandalising purposes—in this economy: one hundred thousand eggs are stolen in Pennsylvania
we stand on guard: a ten year old graphic novel about a US invasion of Canada is surging in popularity
narrow meaning: a love poem revealed by holding the page level with the eyes, foreshortening the characters—see previously here and here
sandbox game: an omnibus appreciation of The Sims on their twenty-fifth anniversary—via MissCellania
antipodes: an exploration of obscure islands
read-ahead: a pre-summit release from the Munich Security Conference (previously) suggests that due to its imperial aspirations, the US no longer a trusted partner
the price of eggs in china: inflation and rationing in America
Friday, 31 January 2025
12x12 (12. 196)
happy to be hard core: a sampling of the genre produced on Amiga computers—via Web Curios
biodiesel: grassroots efforts opposing plans to transform Hungary into an EV battery manufacturing hub—see previously
pc gamer: vintage scans of computer and arcade hobbyists’ magazines
eureka moment: the account of the rediscovery of one of Archimedes’ lost manuscripts—see previously
signature block: as part of Trump’s attempt to redefine gender as a sexual binary and “defend women,” US federal workers are directed to remove preferred pronouns from their emails
the cruel kids’ table: a look at the resurgent fratocracy of Americans under thirty, as witnessed at Trump’s inaugural parties
hexaflexagons: fun with paper models—via MetFilter
m23: Rwandan-backed rebel forces take provincial capital of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, possibly with designs on annexing the eastern region
hold the line: the new legal council of the US Office of Personnel Management (previously and under new management) is a soi-disant “raging mysogynist”
clu clu land: the Video Game History Foundation opens its archives to the public—via Ars Technica
doggerland: archeological exploration of the submerged North Sea region
mixolydian mode: compose chords and compare output in a range of dozens of scales—see previously—via ibฤซdem
synchronoptica
one year ago: a film by Rosa von Praunheim (with synchronoptica), assorted links to revisit plus another banger from ABBA
seven years ago: telepresence, more links to enjoy, credit for the discovery of x-rays plus an executive order from the desk of Richard Nixon
eight years ago: film-strip leader ladies
nine years ago: even more links plus perspectives in price-lists
ten years ago: chance decision-making, the mad monk plus electromagnetic moats
Thursday, 9 January 2025
8x8 (12. 159)
a stranger quest: an award-winning documentary about map collector David Rumsey (previously) available in full online
stimulation clicker: a new distraction from Neal Agarwal—see previously—see also
studio city: deadly, life-altering wildfires continue to rage through Los Angeles, reaching Hollywood and threatening landmarks
lemon8: TikTok ushers US users to sister-site in anticipation of ban
show bible: a rare copy of the storyboard for Alejandro Jodorowshky’s unmade adaptation of Dune recently sold at auction—see previously
hangman: a Wordle variant called Phrazle
camp century: revisiting the Greenland military installation and the US Army Corps of Engineers’ failed Project Iceworm to build a nuclear launch site
datastorm: a synthesiser with presets from the 1981 arcade game Defender sound-effects—via Pasa Bon!
not to scale: an illustration of how polar flare and distortions of Mercator projections affect perception—see previously
Thursday, 2 January 2025
dk’tronics (12. 137)
Although the only promotional tie-in video game that I can recall playing was Kool-Aid Man for Intellivision—a strange concept indeed where two waifish children search a haunted house to make a batch of Kool-Aid to summon the exorcist and stop the thirsty ghosts, “Oh yeah!”—we really enjoyed this review of early 8-bit licensed games based on British television programmes. Most of these ventures were slapdash, modular affairs that bore little resemblance to the actual show and game play was probably confusing—though through emulators, one can give all these and more a try without waiting for them to load—like this screen-grab for one based on the sitcom about four very different college students rooming together. The game-makers were not able to secure right to the series’ theme (see also) but composed a nice chip-tune alternate. Much more from Curious British Telly at the link up top.
Saturday, 28 December 2024
11x11 (12. 118)
nuclear dawn: a 1984 mural in Brixton, part of the Londonist tour of great public art in the city
winterval: a spot on take of the week between Christmas and New Year’s
tedium’s tedium awards: celebrating the protest songs of Jesse Welles, beating Tetris and more
omnibus: more year end lists from Miss Cellania—this one focussing on science
designated checkpoint: document-free travel being trialled, the passport replaced by one’s phone biometrics
holiday helper: repurposing classic cocktails for the festive season
encomnia: remembering the celebrities and artists lost in 2024
pizza day: recreating a school cafeteria staple with pourable crust—via Boing Boing
h-1b visas: requested immigration carved-outs for the tech sector pit Musk against MAGA
post-holiday blues: anticipating returning to work can evaporate that time off peace of mind
our century hasn’t been as free with words of wisdom as some others: Kurt Vonnegut Jr’s 1988 address to people living a hundred years later
synchronoptica
one year ago: a banger from Andrew Bird (with synchronoptica)
seven years ago: the aphorisms of Syrus, vintage London Underground posters plus a compendium of dark magic
eight years ago: celebrating the life and career of Carrie Fisher plus reflections on post-truth
nine years ago: feudalism and engaged citizenry, remote human settlements plus a look back at phony outrage
ten years ago: Pangea with current geopolitical borders, space-time fossils plus a Grumpy Cat Christmas
Wednesday, 11 December 2024
7x7 (12. 074)
watermark: a year in illustrations from Cory Doctorow’s Pluralistic
ๅคงๅนดไธๅ: due to a quirk in the lunisolar calendar, Chinese New Year’s Eve will disappear for the next five years
<div>: web designer demonstrates the virtuosity of cascading style sheets—via Boing Boing
you have died of dysentery: a cinematic adaptation of the Oregon Trail computer game—via Kottke
liquidation: a bankruptcy judge voids the Onion’s purchase of Infowars, arguing there was money left on the table
dalgona challenge: McDonald’s Australia introduces a Squid Game Happy Meal
special perils policy: the brilliant, dynamic typography of the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps—see previously
synchronoptica
one year ago: another MST3K classic (with synchronoptica), DJ Riko’s X-Mas mix, Messiah of Evil (1974) plus a cosmetic automat
seven years ago: the French Revolutionary calendar, curvature blindness plus linguistic eggcorns
eight years ago: IKEA retail therapy, emoluments and self-dealing plus the legacy of Bauhaus design
nine years ago: LEGO Inferno plus assorted links to revisit
eleven years ago: It’s A Wonderful Life
Friday, 8 November 2024
10x10 (11. 983)
chonkus: a cyanobacterium discovered in a underwater volcanic vent gobbles up CO₂ at prodigious levels—see previously
attentat im bรผrgerbrรคukeller: the meticulously planned attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler and other Nazi principals, foiled on this day in 1939—see also here and here
off-course: an Emperor Penguin recovering after a epic trip from Antarctica to Australia

files’s done, goodbye: Elwood Edwards—who voiced AOL’s “You’ve got mail” greeting—passed away, aged 74
bj blazkowicz: Wolfenstein franchise is enjoying a resurgence among those wanting to smash Nazis right now
the tiktok electorate: Facebook got the blame for Trump’s win in 2016 so it follows that P’Nut the Squirrel’s influencer status might be in part responsible for 2024—via tmn
๐ฆ: when the last 747 of Quantas’ fleet departed Australia for retirement, its flight path drew its logo
mauerfall: juxtaposing photos of Berlin then and now thirty-five years after the Wall came down
cells and organelles: thousands of professionally made vector illustrations and icons from the US National Institutes of Health—via Web Curios
Friday, 1 November 2024
supper mario broth (11. 954)
Via ibฤซdem, we are acquainted with the indisputable number one fan of the Nintendo franchise lore, who in gratitude for a kindred community that rallied to their support during trying times that threatened to shut down the whole project produced a primer of some of the very footnoted, well researched deep dives into the mythos, with news, concept art, outtakes, spin-offs, side-quests, cross-overs, biographies and bonus-rounds. Manual and memoir, whether or not of that cadre, certainly worth the visit.
catagories: ๐พ
Sunday, 20 October 2024
amidakuji (11. 918)
A way of establishing 1:1 correspondence with any number of random pairings of equal size—for instance assigning roles to actors or chores to a group of helpers—the lottery game of chance, guaranteeing equal chance and distribution is called the above in Japan (้ฟๅผฅ้็ฑค, after the aspect of the Buddha associated with discernment and perception), in Korean as Sadaritagi (์ฌ๋ค๋ฆฌํ๊ธฐ, ladder climbing) and in Chinese as Guijiaotu (้ฌผ่
ณๅ, a ghost leg diagram). Participants’ names are listed in the row above with vertical lines dropping down to an assignment directly below. Concealing the names and jobs, the lines are hashed with random horizontal detours that must be taken on to the next column until reaching the bottom. Revealing the lines to the players but still keeping the other names and jobs concealed, they choose their path downward, the permutations in the snaking path ensuring all tasks are taken—unlike with drawing lots, flipping a coin. Aside from practical applications, such lottery elements can be found in the bonus rounds in video games to randomise one’s chances of getting the best prize.
Monday, 23 September 2024
7x7 (11. 867)
urban glitch: a series of nostalgic, hyper-detailed paintings from Jeff Bartels
ganz kleine nachtmusik: a previously unknown work by Mozart discovered in a Leipzig library archive
promptographs: Mister Franรงois presents three hundred imaginative “secret car” models with the help of AI—Lamborghini school buses and Ferrari caravanswarchitecture: the language of urbicide was developed to address the wanton destruction of Sarajevo’s build environment and continues in contemporary conflicts—see also
do not show this travel pack to gdr or soviet officials: a 1989 British guide for West Berlin
papyrological discovery: for his birthday in 480 BC, new lines of Euripides’ lost plays Ino and Polyidus uncovered—via Clive Thompson’s Linkfest (much more to explore there)
8-bit garden: dissolving digital artwork from Karol Polak of Gdaลsk