the haves and have yachts (12. 089)

Via tmn, we are directed to a brief chronology of the superyacht (its definition and the more exclusive class of gigayacht) and how that history corresponds with the larger world of oligarchy and status, beginning with (of course with acknowledged antecedents) shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis’ Christina O, a surplus Canadian anti-submarine frigate purchased in 1954 and outfitted with swimming pool that could be converted into a dance floor an appointed with furnishing crafted from the leather of whale foreskin and pornographic scenes from the Odyssey carved in whale teeth. Only keeping it for three years, the Trump Princess is flipped to another Saudi prince in 1991 after one of the previous owner’s casinos went bankrupt. A boasted new yacht, the Trump Princess II, which will be “something in excess of four hundred feet long—closer to five hundred feet” fails to materialise. There are dozens of other data points and anecdotes to consider on how that unattainable lifestyle informs the everyday reality of us all.

not my name (12. 088)

Via the always interesting quantum of sollazzo data newsletter, we are directed towards a fascinating project exploring the complexity of Chinese personal and family names and the challenges of Pinyin romanisation (see previously), which whilst creating name recognition for a global audience, creates ambiguities in the simplification, leaving out tonal qualities and how multiple characters can share the same transliteration. Over thirteen million individuals have Ma as a surname but it sourced from either 马, 吗 or less commonly 麻 (others have dozens of possibility occurring in the population) depending on stress, intonation and of course carry deeper meaning and associations—etymological and familial—than what can be conveyed in the Pinyin and comparable systems. Explore more on onomastics and naming conventions at the links above and hear examples of pronunciation that can vary widely and are quite distinct.

synchronoptica

one year ago: On the Beach (1959) with synchronoptica

seven years ago: youthquake plus molten salt reactors

eight years ago: Ottoman fairy tales, assorted links worth revisiting, railway competition, a lesson on euphemisms plus signs of the year

nine years ago: more links to enjoy, a special Jedi holiday service plus comparative cinematography 

ten years ago: biological burps on Mars, the Becker of St Hedwig plus Christmas Colorforms

l’ultima cena nell’arte (12. 087)

Fellow internet caretake and accomplished docent, Weird Universe, treats us to a grand tour of a museum in the border town of Douglas, Arizona that showcases collection of its curator of works inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic masterpiece, The Last Supper (see also). With interpretations ranging from the devotional to the irreverent, skewing to sci-fi and pop cultural with an array of items in place of Jesus and the apostles, it looks like a fun exhibition to visit. We liked this more traditional depiction from a different perspective showing a sleeping dog on the floor. Much more at the links above.

11x11 (12. 086)

top fifty: a review of the biggest literary stories of 2024—including the Brontë sisters getting their diaeresēs 

we all live in the ruins of the rot economy: a long-read about the abusive and exploitative ways that the tech industry treats people at scale—see previously  

bottle episode: the amazing dioramas of folk artist Carl Worner—via Messy Nessy Chic 

emporia: Kottke’s 2024 gift guide  

chirality: scientists warn strongly against research into synthetic biology and “mirror life”—compare to the handedness of thalidomide

do not obey in advance: in agreeing to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump, the network is courting further nuisance claims over critical coverage, forgetting the first lesson of On Tyranny 

body-horror: an AI-generated impossible gymnastic routine 

velben goods: premium and surge-pricing 

sovereign citizens brigade: group in England claiming extrajudicial standing tried to kidnap county coroner, accusing the officer of the Crown of necromancy   

the network effect: social media fire-exits 

home box office: the cable network’s December 1982 previews

an irwin allen production (12. 085)

Premiering on this day in 1974, the disaster film (see previously) directed by John Guillermin (King Kong, The Bridge at Remagen) and featuring the all-star ensemble cast including Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Dabney Coleman, Richard Chamberlain and OJ Simpson had the highest grossing domestic box-office of the year and would go on to win numerous awards, among them the Academy Award for Best Music, scored by John Williams with the Oscar going to duo Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn for “We May Never Love Like This Again” who also collaborated for “The Morning After”—see above. The plot involves the return of a prize-winning architect to over see the dedication of the mixed-used skyscraper—at just over five hundred metres, the world’s tallest—in San Francisco. Concerns over potentially dangerous inadequacies in the electrical work by a subcontractor are ignored and the gala continues in the building’s Promenade Room, one hundred thirty five storeys above street level. As the male leads all wanted top-billing (see also), credits were staggered for posters and promotional material.

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synchronoptica

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

seven years ago: façadism plus the art of Patrick Nagel

eight years ago: Sylvester Stallone to head the US National Endowment for the Arts, the microseasons of Japan, the EU’s headquarters plus recreating ancient soundscapes

nine years ago: an appreciation of the Galactic Empire’s bureaucracy

ten years ago: a feature length painted film about van Gogh plus the Witch of Endor

vexing vexillology (12. 084)

Via Web Curios, we very much appreciated, as an enthusiastic vexillophile, the chance to return to a favourite topic of national standards and iconography in this survey and analysis of flag design elements. Compared by colour distribution and proportion, they all can look alike—or by dent of dominate layouts—but what was most fascinating about this project was a chart of tracked-changes, revealing that the US flag had an unrivalled thirty-six
iterations (we suppose that most aren’t updated for incorporated territories) as contrasted with Germany’s ten or the second-place Afghanistan’s twenty-four, flag age (Denmark is the veteran) as a history lesson or this sort of periodic table that shows where unclaimed terra nullius could rise to statehood. Recursively, the above banner with a weaver’s hitch (or/azure) is the flag of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations, from vexillum, a type of square ensign for the Roman calvary which was coined for the study of flags—separate from heraldic scholarship—in 1957 by Whitney Smith, and encyclopaedist and graphic designer who contributed to the Guyana, Aruba and many newly independent, formerly colonial territories as well as a flag for Antarctica.

lame duck session (12. 083)

A host of contributors to a New York Times editorial piece have some good and intriguing suggestions for what US president Joe Biden might do between now and noon 20 January—“this winter of peril and possibility”—including crucial and meaningful stances on the death sentences of federal inmates, which could be commuted, the pardoning of those convicted of non-violent marijuana-related charges and even reclassifying cannabis (presently lumped with far more danger substance like heroine) in a move towards national legalisation and protecting more vulnerable federal lands. The most interesting proposal involves the certification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would enshrine it in the constitution, and could be done under the president’s direction having satisfied the high hurdles for changing the supreme governing guidance. Originally drafted and introduced to congress in December of 1923, the brief and straightforward proposal explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex (believing that the IXX. Amendment guaranteeing universal suffrage was not enough to extend equality to other domains and counter arguments through the decades were based on the premise that men and women were already equal enough) and was eventually approved by both houses of the legislature in 1972. The other requirement to be ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states had inertia throughout the 1970s but waned afterwards, just falling short—only meeting and surpassing the benchmark in 2020 motivated by Trump’s first term and his supreme court appointments. The judiciary blocked its inclusion at the time, arguing spurious that they failed to enact the proposed amendment within the established timeframe, though that expostulation had already been proved false. The passage of the ERA could protect reproductive rights though opposition would be strong and there is an alternative legal framework for its (or any other express value’s) undoing.

synchronoptica

one year ago: terrestrial radio broadcasts silenced to listen to Mars in 1924 (with synchronoptica)

seven years ago: Halcyon days, assorted links worth revisiting, gadgets to match your volume plus an AI names bird species

eight years ago: a meme-based annual, the US electoral college votes plus medieval tableaux found in the church of Stratford-upon-Avon

nine years ago: break-away polities in Ukraine, the real Vitruvian Man plus Albert Kahn photographs the world

ten years ago: guard donkeys, humanising the gods, PEGIDA protests plus a camper trailer for a bicycle

9x9 (12. 082)

blame on the whiskey: DJ Earworm’s 2024 wrapped  

nhtsa: Trump transition team recommends scrapping crash reporting regulations with Tesla among the biggest offender for car-related fatalities—via the New Shelton wet/dry  

swaddling clothes: removal of a keffiyeh from a creche at the Vatican demonstrates how Nativity Scenes are never neutral  

flashpoint: charting possible frontlines on the continent if Russia pushes further on the NATO alliance  

as above, so below: the ensemble of pyramids of the Giza complex have eight sides, visible only during the equinoxes 

theatre of thought: Werner Herzog contemplates the nature of the mind in his latest documentary  

big band: Glenn Miller’s 1944 disappearance without a trace is an enduring aviation mystery, second to Amelia Earhart’s  

ka$h patel: FBI director’s resignation may hinder Trump loyalist’s succession as head of the bureau 

there ain’t no us in the private trust: a folk protest song about the state of American healthcare