9x9 (13. 382)

aegis: a unique monumental statue of Athena uncovered in western Türkiye (ancient Laodicea) whose breastplate is follows the description of Book VIII of Virgil’s Aeneid  

alien abduction: conspiracy theorists connect spate of missing US nuclear scientists to UFOs—see more  

big tree stories: a hunt for the world’s tallest firs and imagining prehistoric forests studded with such giants—via MetaFilter  

₂he: although the second most abundant element in the Cosmos, the noble gas is hard to come by on Earth—via Web Curios  

frozen conflict: like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Trump’s war of choice likely to be a simmering, unresolved stalemate 

wishful hinking: an 1987 edition of the Collins Dictionary contains a trap word (see also), presumably to counter plagiarism 

paper theatre: home entertainment flourished during the Regency Period for lack of sufficient live venues  

νεῶν κατάλογος: golden tongued (so they can speak in the afterlife) Roman era mummies found in Egypt’s Minya governorate, whose tomb contains a manuscript of Book II of Homer’s Iliad, the Catalogue of Ships—via Kottke

that’s so maven (13. 381)

Reprising a classic post with updates for 2026 when kill-bots have entered the chat with the US military integrating AI into its tactical decisions with Project Maven and the push for algorithmic warfare, Nancy Friedman takes a fascinating look at the once obscure Yiddish term—originally from the Hebrew mēbin (מֵבִין) as an expert, a knowledgeable person and echoing the rabbinical kaon, “he who understands will understand” (ha-mevin yavin)—but also with derogatory connotations of a know-it-all and a soi-disant authority. Like chutzpah and kvetching, the word was confined to certain circles before garnering acceptance in common-parlance, beginning in the 1960s, promoted to a large extent by an advertising campaign for canned herring, voiced by actor Allen Swift, as the self-proclaimed fish maven, and vocal talent behind Mighty Mouse and other cartoon characters. The following decades saw authors including William Safire take up the mantle, former speech writer for Richard Nixon and also a propellant for the term pundit, and cemented into mainstream language with Malcolm Gladwell’s 2000 The Tipping Point as a linguist lacuna that prefigured influencer as a career choice and our social betters. Much more from Fritinancy at the link up top.

day fifty-seven (13. 380)

For some time we’ve been dealing with Schrödinger’s Strait, is it open or is it closed, and the on-again, off-again peace talks—which Tehran denies requesting and remains insistent that there will be no direct negotiations under duress, the blockade of the blockade. 

The Trump administration is sending Kushner and Witkoff without Vance to Pakistan, whilst the latest situation report from the US secretary of war says that limited transit is occurring through the Strait of Hormuz but at risk due to Iran’s threatening of vessels and the uncertainty of the sea mines, reiterating that American force are poised to resume their air campaign at a moment’s notice.  US secretary of state is drafting more sanctions against Iranian economic interest, and meanwhile, though other European leaders are not bought in and call the proposal premature, Chancellor Merz has suggested the easing of the overall embargo as a peace offering (see previous post). 

Switzerland reopens its embassy—which has served to represent American interests since 1979 when relations were broken off—in Tehran in anticipation of supporting renewed diplomatic initiatives. Despite there being no mechanism for giving demerits to members of the transatlantic defensive alliance, a leaked memorandum is exploring ways to kick Spain out of NATO for refusing to allow the US to use its bases to prosecute its war of choice and disparages other members generally. The memo also attacks the UK for its lack of enthusiasm and again brings up its decision on Diego Garcia. Claiming to have killed six terrorist fighters in southern Lebanon, Israel is accusing Hezbollah of sabotaging the fragile truce.

synchronoptica

one year ago: US products get a tariff label in Canadian markets (with synchronopticæ), celebrities in cars plus artificial intelligence literacy

fifteen years ago: post-war Trümmelbergen plus foot mittens

ecstacy (13. 379)

Whilst having visited the topic of the granularity of the words for feelings, nuances that the English language does not have in both real and constructed speech, many of these terms were familiar already—like saudade, mono no aware, sisu, Vorfreude, grok, gigil and hygge—nonetheless the expression is not dulled and we enjoyed exploring this polyglotinous mood grid and sentimental wheel courtesy of Web Curios. The vibe of vibe coding was not lost on us, the puttiness of the page, once pointed out, but if assembled with care and not slapdash with inaccuracies, it is still a heuristic starting point to explore more and get in touch with one’s feelings. We enjoyed being introduced to the Greek term clinomania, “I should have stood in bed,” dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing, and Drachenfutter, a peace offering or tribute (dragon food) brought home with hopes of placating an angry partner. The rich vocabulary of intrusive thoughts is particularly engaging. Much more at the links above.

day fifty-six (13. 378)

Unprompted, Trump pledges not to use atomic weapons in Iran to end the war with no resolution in sight, unable to resume negotiations, whilst directing Israel to extend the ceasefire in Lebanon another three weeks to his indefinite but tenuous truce with Tehran, despite constant near breaches with the Revolutionary Guards taking tankers and the administration threatening to attack mobile gunboats “Caribbean style,” referring to the deadly attacks on supposed drug-runners off the Venezuelan coast. Trump clarified that the leadership shakeup in the navy was over the dismissed head of operations reluctance to revive domestic ship-building coinciding with the assessment it would take half a year to conduct mine-sweeping in the Strait of Hormuz to widen narrow safe corridor through the waterway. US secretary of state announced that America has no objections to the Iranian national team participating in the upcoming World Cup this summer. Global stock markets tumbled as hope for relief and stability evaporates. 

 

synchronoptica

one year ago: a classic from Del Shannon (with synchronopticæ) plus Goethe was here

 

thirteen years ago: the Wiesbadener Programme 

 

fourteen years ago: sustaining the hope of the Arab Spring 

 

sixteen years ago: exonyms and endonyms 

6x6 (13. 377)

mail-order magic: cheaper printing techniques and a robust postal system helped occultism to flourish in the United States at the turn of the last century—and still thrives  

no contest: sentences delivered in bear-suit insurance fraud case 

floating currency: the US$ index is a deceptive relic  

garum: the fascinating history of fish sauce—via MetaFilter  

van helsing: the curious case of Old Thiess and the benevolent werewolves of Livonia  

domestics: a peek inside the world’s first servant robot mail order startup

day fifty-five (13. 376)

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized two cargo ships attempting to bypass their control of the Strait of Hormuz, releasing cinematic footage of their capture—marking the first such detainments since the start of the war at the end of February. The White House did not consider the action to be a violation of the ceasefire, indefinitely extended due to the stalemate in arranging peace talks—the major sticking point being the US blockade of the Persian Gulf—as they were not American or Israeli flagged vessels. The administration expressed satisfaction with the maritime embargo as the US secretary of the navy abruptly resigned, effective immediately, without explanation. The acting under-secretary is Hung Cao, a MAGA loyalist who ran two unsuccessful campaigns for a seat in Virginia on an extreme Christian nationalist platform. Türkiye says that the prolonged war is significantly weakening the EU, as with Hungarian opposition removed with the defeat of Orban the ninety billion euro aid package for Ukraine is approved by the bloc. Lebanese officials are requesting an extension of their ceasefire with Israel.

synchronoptica

one year ago: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (with synchronopticæ), assorted links to revisit plus more on The Peculiar Manicule

thirteen years ago: the fight for digital liberties 

fourteen years ago: Saint George 

fifteen years ago: German Beer Day 

sixteen years ago: voluntary electronic surveillance 

unsg (13. 375)

With auditions for the leadership role only governed by custom and consensus and not specifically enshrined by charter, rotating by region after each five-year term (though the length is also discretionary and upheld by the office-holder, subject to renewal) with Latin America due for the turn and reserved for the middle-powers, by tradition members from the Security Council excluded, few have this session have put themselves forward for the job of United Nations secretary-general, only four candidates compared with the thirteen contenders under consideration during the selection process of 2016. At a time when norms have been proven insufficient to contain imperial ambitions, particularly with the US allowing a magisterial presidency, record numbers of veteran senators and congressional representatives retiring—which whilst not a universal condition, the home-grown breach in ceremony is an export—in response to that power imbalance, the influence of the UN ill-equipped to mediate the divide between world powers, blocked by permanent members who have vetoed stopping the fighting in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran (whom also reserve the right to overturn a nomination by the general assembly for leader), the position appears rather thankless. The frontrunner, Michelle Bachelet, former Chilean president and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is already facing opposition from the American delegation over her gender and purported extremist agenda.