it’s a big enough umbrella, but it’s always me who ends up getting wet (13. 976)

Topping the UK charts on this day in 1981, the lead single from the fourth studio album, Ghost in the Machine (other tracks including “Spirits in the Material World,” “Secret Journey”and “Invisible Sun”), the song was composed by Sting originally in 1977, before the formation of the band and ostensibly about the tryst with his West London neighbour on current spouse Trudie Styler over his then new wife, actor Frances Tomelty, but his move to the capital writing of the lyrics coincided with the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. and may have been informed by a unrequited affection for the Queen—inspired for bigger aspirations after the Queen Mother waved at him as a dockworker and eventually elevated to a Knight Commander during the monarch’s birthday honours in 2003 for his service to the music industry. Putting finishing touches on the chorus, Sting was searching for another word that rhymed with magic—besides tragic—and could only come up with pelagic, which did not make it to the finished demo, recording between Quebec and Monserrat.

9x9 (13. 975)

drampa: the etymological comparison of Pokémon characters’ names in the nine languages that the games are published in—see previously, see also—via Language Hat  

la chivichana: the homemade skateboards of Havana  

housefishing: estate agents cross a line with AI enhancement of properties on the market—via Damn Interesting  

everyday chemistry: an individual purports to have been given a cassette tape of a Beatles’ album by an inter-dimensional traveller from a reality in which the band never disbanded—see also, via Web Curios  

dimension 9: an exercise in finite but expansive AI world-building informed by the creepypasta Backrooms motif—via ibīdem  

tarantella: the Italian dancing cure for spider bites—see previously 

amoc amok: the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation that powers the Gulf Stream is breaking down—see previously   

the surma boys of afghanistan: a unique fashion subculture that developed organically without outside influence 

invidia: Jensen Huang named his company after the cardinal sin of envy 

synchronoptica

one year ago: a five course curriculum on how to use the internet (with synchronoptica), the musical stylings of Ecca Vandal plus Epstein’s business records

two years ago: movie title drops, the Onion to purchase Infowars plus the Polish-German border 

three years ago: assorted links worth the revisit 

four years ago: The New Musical Express (1952), more Scopitone fun, more on English adjectival order plus more links to enjoy

five years ago: the Oort cloud, the Landshut Wedding (1475), more McMansion Hell plus a tale of guided chess

six years ago: the centenary of the BBC, the 2008 G20, paleomixology plus another MST3K classic

seven years ago: even more links 

eight years ago: Yale admits women (1968), Nellie Bly’s trip around the world, more on land-use plus social media platforms reimagined on outdated technology

 

day two hundred forty nine (13. 974)

Nearly two million passengers are stranded after a temporary shutdown of US airspace blamed on outdated air traffic control systems. Happening simultaneously with the national weather service reporting a loss of radar connectivity, the failures follow Microsoft’s dismissal of sixty thousand technicians and IT experts, replacing them AI, which coincides with a huge network outage over its enterprise. Officials, late to respond as chaos and confusion fill airport with the public and pilots not knowing what is going on and fearing a terror attack, decline to link the disruptions and hurl blame at congress for not rehauling aging infrastructure, despite holding the power for the past two years. More super tankers, transmitting through the Strait of Hormuz under the cover of darkness with American naval escort and their transponders switched off to avoid detection, strike sea mines and are set ablaze. Petroleum flows through the Persian Gulf are returning to pre-war levels but at a high and unsustainable cost, particularly with the American military acting as chaperons for each passing ship, and is not translating to lower prices for petrol, diesel or heating oil. Diplomatic efforts again stalled, Trump declares that he does not need to make a deal with Iran. German intelligence services are granted sweeping new powers by the Bundestag to respond to hacking with counter-cyberattacks.

fly-over country (13. 973)

Via Web Curios, and we too were a bit reluctant to give credence to some site ginned-up by AI and vibe-coded and laden with opportunity to spy on one more and wonder how the dynamic of the vanity of being seen is informing hate-posting of the slapdash and outright dismissal of an earnest project fine-tuned and machined that has quite some utility and not wanting to be judgmental of the presumably human architects behind this venture, watched.earth (it really has the nouveau-riche trappings of upbuilding, optimisation and bespokeness that points to suspicion) with the Betteridge’s byline that something watched you this week. For any address on Earth, one can review the publicised satellite imagery (see previously) for that location, albeit mostly harmonised weather telemetry but prioritising the closest looks and clearest looks, for the past seven days with the highest resolution that is deemed for sharing and information on the passing satellite that captured the glimpse. We are indeed in a Dark Sky patch but it placed us in the wrong state, just over the border.  One can also summon up a more general picture of the preceding decade for a look at how an area has changed.

four legs good, two legs bad (13. 972)

Though in my mind I at first conflated the memory with Charlotte’s Web—Templeton is not a character in the adaptation of the Orwell novella, I can recall the animated version striking as not the usual middle school cartoon fare with violent uprisings, political betrayals and a murderous regime become exactly the oppressive elements that they wanted to overthrow. Departing from the original script and with a more hopeful ending, however, we had no idea however that the 1954 production, a collaboration of husband and wife team John Halas and Joy Batchelor picked for their previous work directing documentaries for the Marshall Plan and British Ministry of Information, was secretly funded in large part by the US Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of Policy Coordination, a branch of the CIA that used cultural programming to counter Communism. Distrusting American studios at the time of the Red Scare and the Hollywood blacklist, stakeholders approached British talent. The March of Time newsreel producer Louis de Rochemont was selected as a front organisation for distribution resulting in the first UK feature length animated film to receive a cinematic release—rated “U” for universal audiences, again despite its themes. In theatres, the film was a box office failure, taking fifteen years to recoup its losses, though achieving its objective of becoming a classroom staple that displaced the original work, whose narrative took a more nuanced critique of Soviet leadership and palace intrigue. The role that the CIA played in securing film rights, re-scripting the story to have the porcine politburo overthrown by other animals, and Halas’ and Batchelor’s unwitting involvement (the sensibilities of the social democrat couple would not have liked to have been duped into making propaganda), was not discovered by historians until four decades afterwards. Much more from Richard Metzger for Dangerous Minds at the link above.

the workers have nothing to lose but their chains—they have a world to win (13. 971)

With the same energy as the social justice kittens calendars (new for 2027), we enjoyed these pairings of quotations of Karl Marx with the illustrations from children’s books by Richard Scarry (see previously here and here) from writer and comedian Zach Mander—everyone’s a comedian, after dinner, in Communist society. All the juxtapositions are spot on. Which one is your favourite? Do you have a favourite saying of Marx’? The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it. A whole gallery and more to discover at the links above.

papa-oon-mow-mow (13. 970)

A synthesis of two originally uncredited songs by the doo-wop ground The Rivingtons, The Trashmen, having added the melody to their repertoire for their shows in the Minneapolis region, were persuaded on this day in 1963 to record and release their single Surfin’ Bird, ultimately climbing to number four on the US charts. The track was cemented in collective culture first in 1976 as the theme song for Detroit Tigers’ baseball player Mark Fidrych, nicknamed the “The Bird” over his supposed resemblance to Big Bird from Sesame Street and his antics on the field and later reintroduced through the 2008 Family Guy episode, “I Dream of Jesus.” The Emmy nominated episode where the protagonist remembers his favourite song from his childhood, much to the annoyance of his family, and discovers Christ as a record shop worker who is able to give him a copy of the single.

*    *    *    *    *

synchronoptica

one year ago: more on the Soviet calendar (with synchronoptica) plus assorted links to revisit

two years ago: more links to enjoy plus Matt Gaetz nominated for US attorney general 

three years ago: a medieval large language model,  Predator spiders, a clever dark-sky hack plus a block-print fabric collective

four years ago: even more links worth the revisit, curb-side resistance plus a gallery of bad paperback covers

five years ago: and more links plus Hollywood Horror House (1970)

six years ago: your daily demon, ticket brokers go after medical records, Doctor Mesmer, composer Johann Zach plus US vice-presidential firsts

day two hundred forty eight (13. 969)

After days of counting ballots, the Democratic challenger Scott Colom is declared the winner of a Mississippi senate seat, the first time the office has been held by a Black individual since the Reconstruction Era following the US civil war. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns following revelations of a second affair with a subordinate with stocks of the chipmaker in free-fall. Trump suggests Huang be replaced by recent retiree Tim Apple.  Kyiv reports more disruptions to military Starlink as envoys Kushner and Witkoff meet Putin in Moscow. Trump seemingly removes JD Vance from addressing foreign policy after floating the possibility of direct peace talks and tells the vice president to focus on domestic matters. The Revolutionary Guard threatens severe reprisals for any US hostilities. IDF targets hospital complexes in Gaza, claiming Hamas are using them as human shields as Israel’s caretaker government says it is free to carry out strikes anywhere and does not need to seek the approval of the opposition. Houthis bombard Saudi refineries and pipelines.