Trump travels to the APEC summit in Shenzhen, expecting to discuss ending the Iran war and denuclearisation with Putin and Xi, as foreign minister Araghchi presents a two-day proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, contingent on Washington honouring the original agreement of the MoU.
Europeans are again sidelined as Trump is seen to negotiate a new security order with Moscow for the continent without their involvment for his “big, beautiful” Russia-Ukraine deal. The American president says he sees no reason to escalate the war with renewed attacks. A drone strike on a gas field in Kurdish Iraq causes a massive blackout. Heavy rains collapse sandbanks in Gaza. Houthis continue to launch ballistics into Saudi territory, hitting Aramco headquarters.
Sunday, 8 November 2026
day two hundred forty five (13. 957)
๐คฌ (13. 956)
This is a fascinating reveal of not necessarily censorship, for which we guess are not degrees other than to prevent immediate harm, spread panic or defame, but rather a not so subtle nudge away from certain verboten phrases—that in retrospect we’ve experienced in passing we realise, not that we would text words but I think it is across the whole suite of Apple autocomplete and have noticed a disconnect when typing in Notes for a blog post—via Nag on the Lake’s latest batch of Sunday Links.
Of course this index of prohibitions that will never be suggested but are rather swipeblocked, either through predictive text that never offers the phrase though its the most natural next pairing, offering an implausible one and sometimes even changing words already entered, which covers slurs, public figures, sex and drugs, political slogans and conspiracy, is not published. These protocols, which also are deployed against vulgarities may dissuade to a certain extent, washing our mouths out with soap and being the scold that we all at times deserve—or just engender exasperation, but are no antidote to the algorithms of search engines that feed one more of the same sanewashing and lead down dangerous rabbitholes.
synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronoptica), about town plus artist Lynd Ward
two years ago: Trump’s transition team plus more links to enjoy
three years ago: Frankenstein’s monster’s book club plus the Enterprise encounters Daran V
four years ago: Take My Breath Away (1986), The Cher Variety Hour, assorted links to revisit plus an orchestra recreates Berlin’s soundscape
five years ago: the Tree of Tรฉnรฉrรฉ, the history of Sanctuary Cities plus even more links to enjoy
six years ago: a false-friend, more minimalist movie posters, hyper-realistic art, the first internet murder plus an audio recording of a sadly extinct, unique dialect
seven years ago: assorted links worth the revisit
eight years ago: Trump’s Attorney General resigns, Leipzig by street car, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, attempts to suppress the Church Committee on intelligence abuses plus the Beer Hall Coup (1938)
Saturday, 7 November 2026
day two hundred forty four (13. 956)
The US announces plans to expand its month long naval blockade of Iranian ports to overland supply routes called Task Force Iron Gate. Qatari mediators reach a compromise with Iran, allowing inspection of nuclear facilities in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The COP31 climate summit begins in Antalya, informed by the prospect of demand destruction for petroleum and America’s retreat from commitments. 
Israeli president Herzog tasks Gadi Eisenkot with the first round of forming a government, seen to possibly heal rifts with US and the West relations as public opposition mounts in the UK and Germany over sales of arms and demolition equipment—with the American suspension of military aid, which apparently Tel Aviv saying that they didn’t need it and Trump eliminating the talking point, conversely to stopping the vote on comprehensive immigration going through during his interregnum so as not to deprive the GOP of a campaign position. France braces for fresh waves of protests, Mouvement des gilets jaunes joining student demonstrations.
8x8 (13. 955)
highland refusal: an open letter to the NYT crossword editor about Orkney Scots, the canonical home of Groundskeeper Willie, and the problem of other dialectical misappropriation—via Web Curios
sweet are the uses of adversity: Trump’s downfall through the lens of Shakespeare’s As You Like It
stay in your lane: a bizarre 1970 animated short about how daily routines strip us of our individuality
grands magasins dufayel: monumental Parisian department (the Palace of Novelty, the first offering consumer credit) store hidden in premium office space
taking it in stride: the mechanics of walking are working against shoe-laces with every step—see also
pivot table: Maria Tomazou made a “pointless” film in MS Excel—see previously here and here—via Waxy
the ugly car that sucks has died: Elon Musk, following his half a billion wasted interfering with Texas politics, announced the discontinuation of Cybertruck production—see previously, see also
banderole: audio, video, disco means I here, I see, I learn in Latin—a nice personal motto (from “mutter”) or slogan (from the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm for “battle cry”—which comes at the top of a heraldic achievement whilst a motto goes at the bottom)
rout of office replies are turned on (13. 954)
Our friend folk-singer Jesse Welles, previously—courtesy of Nag on the Lake, has some thoughts on the US midterm elections now that we’ve had some time to collectively reflect on the implications of this flip in the political landscape in America unseen since the aftermath of Watergate, too big to deny—even for Trump. “Who would’ve ever thought Iran would go and change out our regime?”
The rebuke was driven not just by the hostility towards Black and Brown people, the disdain for the electorate and America’s allies, the corruption and self-enrichment, the monuments to his ego, the dismantling of the administrative state, the affordability crisis exacerbated by tariffs and an unconscionable war of choice, a slate of awful candidates the president supported but also the disillusionment many sobered up to in the MAGA movement. Though their power is limited in a divided government, we hope the Democrats can deliver on a mandate that goes beyond negative partisanship (voting against rather than for) and are not just saddled with taking the blame for the messes that GOP created and perpetuate the cycle of hard swings back to the right. The US is starting to get this sorted and should be proud to have corrected course (to relief of everyone, except perhaps the puppet-masters and parasites who hang their hopes on useful idiots) but for now they are still on probation.
synchronoptica
one year ago: a dystopian novella from E M Forester (with synchronoptica), flight safety and the US government shutdown, more AI blind-spots plus a compendium of English nonce words
two years ago: Germany’s coalition government faces collapse, an archive of military uniforms, America’s first Red Scare plus assorted links worth the revisit
three years ago: Operation Able Archer (1983), Ukraine to change the date on which Christmas is observed plus a gallery of bad Jane Austen book covers
five years ago: a documentary on picking the wrong venue, a bombing in the US capitol plus the Riace bronzes
six years ago: your daily demon: Bifrons, awaiting US election results, the collection point for cataloguing art looted by the Nazis plus the first female US vice-presidential candidate announced
seven years ago: an unused deck of tarot cards by Salvatore Dalรญ
eight years ago: assorted links to revisit, Nixon’s concession speech (1962) plus more from the Center for American Politics and Design
Friday, 6 November 2026
day two hundred forty two (13. 953)
Qatari Sheikh Al Thani urges Tehran and Washington to reach a peace deal immediately and not wait for the perfect moment as more US ballistics strike Qeshm island. Following Israel’s inconclusive elections, president Isaac Herzog faces decision on which camp gets to make the opening attempt to form a government, Netanyahu or opposition leader Eisenkot. The unconvincing narrative on the Iran war costing his party control of congress, Trump claims that the military intervention saved Israel from imminent destruction. 
Ghoul Stephen Miller replaces departing Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff. Torrential rains flood displaced persons camps in Gaza. Saudi forces narrowly intercept a Houthi launched cruise missile over Riyadh. De-sanctioned diesel tankers from Russia have been diverted and are apparently no longer heading to US ports and are perhaps going to Havana to break the American embargo on the fuel-starved county. Moscow supplies Iran with ninety helicopter missile launchers. Buoyed up solely by irrational exuberance over Trump’s Super Intelligence, a major sell-off in the markets of AI stock sublimates trillions in valuations as tech companies foresee more regulations under a Democratic government in the US. A spate of bomb threats disrupt flights across Europe.
martini & rossi asti spumante (13. 952)
Our gratitude to Web Curios for encouraging us to delve deeper into de facto and de jure and de jour superficial topic of dilettantism to find it very resonant and feeling seen, in the same vein as I am a proud soi-disant vaguely Jesus-y bon vivant—a phrase I’ve apparently deployed several times—flaneur and how amateurish ought to be spared derision as something pure. Whilst at first glance as spectator in spectacle and ranked beneath experts and influencer underwritters, we weren’t sure than the term for a non-professional interest, though derived from the Latin for to take delight in, could be redeemed in a specialised, hyper-focused world, the dabbler’s fixation and curation is presented as an anti-hero, liberated, and the sort needed to buck preference and privilege from pigeon-holing to the pluralistic.
four years ago: assorted links to revisit, a Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes classic plus Gustavus Adolphus Day
five years ago: a classic from Cher plus more links to enjoy
six years ago: clashes in the Gutenberg workshop plus even more links worth revisiting
seven years ago: the geometrical art of Lorentz Stรถer
eight years ago: low-angle satellite imagery, Meet the Press, recreating the Old Dutch Masters with packaging material plus an illustrated Roman iterarium
Thursday, 5 November 2026
day two hundred forty one (13. 951)
Tehran, through Qatari intermediaries, reportedly sends a nuclear compromise to Washington for review whilst awaiting the seven original conditions as agreed in the MoU to be satisfied. The American president says that the rest of Iran may be destroyed with rebuilding taking a quarter of a century. 
Civil defence chief Gholamreza Jalali formulates an emergency economic plan in case of renewed Israeli-US aggression. The Revolutionary Guard asserts that any country helping or hosting American forces is a legitimate target. Midterm election results present a new calculus for the Knesset to build a coalition government, informing negotiations. Trump issues a reminder that he is still in charge, whilst Secretary of War Hegseth announces he is unimpeachable.
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