ālea iacta est

According to Roman historian Suetonius, General Gaius Julius Caesar led one legion to ford the Rubicon (perhaps) on this day in 49 BC and cross into the home province of Italia (previously) in contravention to the conventions of imperium and would launch the civil war (Bello Civili) that transformed the Roman Republic into an empire governed by an absolute monarchy.
In modern parlance a metaphor for committing an irrevocable act and breaching the point of no return, it is said that Caesar, having contemplated his advance and its repercussions before going forward, proclaimed the above—that the die had been cast as he led his army. As the boundaries of Caesar’s bailiwick, his military command were subsequently redrawn when his predecessor Octavian merged the province of Cisalpine Gaul (see also) with Italia and the river presently bearing the name is in Ravenna, historians are not sure exactly what watercourse was the original Rubicon but given how intensified agriculture and associated landscaping during the high Middle Ages harnessed and turned many rivers, it could well be one and the same.

warp and weave

Tantalisingly, Kottke gives us a tour of the prototype settlement, Woven City, that Toyota will be building at the base of Mount Fuji beginning in early 2021—which is interlaced with a network of three types of lanes, one for faster vehicles, a mixed-used land and meandering garden paths for pedestrians to enjoy. The fabric of this zero-impact, sustainable experiment includes hydroponic agricultural as well as photo-voltaic cells integrated throughout, with machine and anticipatory-intelligences a fully developed and articulate infrastructure to enhance the lives of residents and their relationship with their broader home. More to explore and brainstorm at the links above.

the poseidon-whisper or i am elmer j fudd, millionaire, i own a mansion and a yacht

Via Super Punch, we are introduced to the Danish consultant named Christian Due Hammershøy, whose services are in high demand by the yacht-set for his talent in naming ocean-going vessels. Putting aside the problematic nature of celebrating a maiden voyage or the attributed feminine wiles of boats, this interview with the former shipbuilder whom also helps clients with obtaining said yacht before its christened is an interesting look into the lore and superstitions surrounding baptism and how names are drawn and decided upon. Us peasants only get to give our WiFi routers such punny or provocative names. Especially groan-worthy was the some five thousand yachts registered under “Carpe Diem,” sometimes translated as Seas the Day.

resolution 678

On this day in 1991 Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz and US Secretary of State James Baker held a conference in Geneva lasting some seven hours to try to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the invasion and annexation of Kuwait (August 1990).
Though the dialogue was overshadowed by the respective parties’ messaging, that George HW Bush was willing to continue talks and privileged peace and regional stability over any exercise of power—and that Saddam Hussain would not agree to an unconditional withdrawal, arguing that the region was put in turmoil over Palestine issue well before the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and targeting their advances with the backing of the UN and the US-backed coalition was hypocrisy and an injustice. Both sides lost their leverage and no progress was made in finding a mutually acceptable solution, and the failure of the Geneva Peace Conference precipitated Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

7x7

franking privileges: Royal Mail (see previously) will issue postage stamp sets based on classic arcade games—via Boing Boing

cajun court: a resplendent Louis XV tower sequestered in the heart of Louisiana—via Messy Nessy Chic

cosmodrome: the busiest space ports in the world charted out—via Maps Mania

conurbation: the world’s largest megalopoli tracked on a bar-chart race

yugo.logo: a growing visual archive of brand enblems from Yugoslavia

team rodent: an intricate link diagram illustrating the connections between Disney properties and merchandising from 1967

tomorrow’s on fire: Australia needs our help and needs us to heed this stark warning—via Waxy

the ballad of rocket robin hood: a Canadian animated children’s show that aired from 1966 to 1969 featuring a team of Merry Men living in the “astonishing year 3000” and committed to protecting the poor and innocent from exploitation by Prince John and the Sheriff of NOTT (National Outer-Space Terrestrial Territories)

ポスター

We enjoyed reviewing this gallery of the official posters created for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games (previously here, here, here and here), the committee inviting prominent artist to contribute works promoting cultural understanding through sportsmanship and a celebration of friendly competition. We especially liked the piece entitled “Olympic Cloud” by graphic designer Taku Satoh and the vintage aesthetic it evokes. Be sure to visit the Guardian (see also) at the link up top to peruse all twenty and to learn more about the artists and studios behind them.

the last of the beothuk

Kidnapped during a raid on her encampment over some allegedly stolen fishing equipment that resulted in the deaths of her family and sent away to live with a priest in a parish house in the capital of Newfoundland who christened her Mary March (for the Mother of God and surname in deference to the month she was abducted in), Demasduit died day in 1820 (*circa 1796) from tuberculous contracted during a failed attempt to repatriate her with her tribe.

While in St. John’s, the governor’s wife Lady Henrietta Hamilton painted Demasduit’s portrait, the people of the city and broader Notre Dame Bay raising funds for her journey home. Having expired aboard the ship as it crossed Red Indian Lake, her coffin was deposited on the shore with members of the Beothuk—only some thirty left at this point reunited her body with the grave of her husband Chief Nonosbawsut and her infant child. Demasduit’s niece who died a decade later, called Shanawdithit (“Nancy April”), also from tuberculosis, is regarded as the last of her tribe.

nolle prosequi

Via the inestimable Kottke, we’re directed to a profile of illustrator and court reporter (see previously here and here) Wendy MacNaughton and her time visually documenting the 9/11 military tribunal held at the US detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba September of last year. MacNaughton’s experience of her journalistic commitment clashing with the strictures of censorship and a rather byzantine vetting process overshadows (but hopefully foreshadows the rigour overall) the arraignment and peremptory pleas.