synchronoptica
one year ago: ransomware shutters a library (with synchronoptica) plus assorted links to revisit
seven years ago: an exhibition on knots plus more links to enjoy
eight years ago: more needful words from The Meaning of Liff
ten years ago: gut flora, the history of chess plus an unreleased parody of North Korea
eleven years ago: the grammar of comic strips
The first purpose-built communications satellite, abbreviation fore Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment) was launched on this day in 1958 atop an Atlas rocket and provided a follow up demonstration to broadcasts from space. Regarded as an advancement that brought the American space programme on par with the Soviet accomplishments of Sputnik I and Sputnik II, showing that messages could be transmitted through the upper atmosphere across multiple round stations. Albeit pre-recorded, Project SCOPE also delivered a Christmas greeting from US president Eisenhower (see previously), the first voice from space, capturing global attention. Like the signal from Sputnik, it could be picked up by sufficiently sensitive radios worldwide but most heard the message on news re-broadcasts. After circling the Earth twelve times, the orbit degraded and the satellite burned up on re-entry.
The Japanese Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation has announced their character of the year as kin, meaning gold or money, to capture the state of the world, and as in past years stretching back to 1995 with the proficiency society with the popular choice writ large by the head priest at the Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto on Kanji Day (12 December—see previously), the testing-body also an examine on twelve levels to assess one’s general literacy.
Sixth Tone has announced its Chinese language buzzwords that defined this past year (see previously) with the above dominating question, translating, “city or not”—cosmopolitan, sophisticated, the viral 
phenomenon illustrated below, which demonstrates how seamlessly loan words can be incorporated into the language’s structure. Other shortlisted neologisms include yรฌng kรฒng (็กฌๆง, pinned in place) borrowed from stalemate and the gaming world as an arresting rubber-necking and the inescapable allure of trending items, bฤn wรจi (็ญๅณ, office stench) to address that lingering malaise that comes from toil at a job that is not ideal, tลu gฤn (ๅทๆ, thief vibes) used to describe an individual whose definition of oversharing is different from their cadre and introduced as a shorthand for the preoccupation with MBTI personality profiles (see previously here and here), ๆทกไบบ vs ๆตไบบ (dร n rรฉn and nรณng rรฉn, introverted versus extroverted)—also expressed with ๐/๐. More at the links above.
synchronoptica
one year ago: Pope decrees that blessings can be given to same-sex couples (with synchroptica), machine embodiment plus a special deck of playing cards
seven years ago: the Status Quo Ladder plus elevator operators are not extinct careerwise
eight years ago: gemstone batteries plus Spain reconsiders the siesta
nine years ago: emergency lights, weird antique Christmas greetings plus assorted links worth revisiting
ten years ago: Christmas markets past plus the paternalistic nature of the Internet of Things
Two weeks ahead of the introduction of the new currency, the mints of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union began on this day in 2001 to distribute starter kits of coinage in Greece, Portugal and Germany in order to familiarise citizens and cashiers in 
advance of their upcoming €-Day (see previously, see also). With a face value of 10,23 or 20 DM, five thousand drachma or two thousand escudo, around fifty-four million sealed plastic sachets were given out through local banks. Having moved to Germany just after the transition that took place on New Year’s 2002, I remember it being a strange time with the sentiment that prices had doubled overnight—or one’s worth suddenly halved—and many retail outlets were still in the process of changing over, accepting both Mark and US dollars at parity.
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.
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 ้ฉฌ, ๅ or less commonly ้บป (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
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.
