synchronoptica
one year ago: the Beautiful Blue Danube (with synchronoptica)
seven years ago: assorted links to revisit, the animation of Pablo Lozano, renaming historic artwork to give the models a backstory plus Canadian Flag Day
eight years ago: food artist Dan Bannino
nine years ago: moustachioed sea birds, soup and sandwiches plus brutalist Paris
eleven years ago: policing the police state plus to google in different languages
US Vice President and tortured man-child JD Vance opened the Munich Security Conference with a scorching assault on European partners, reframing their attempts to uphold the democratic order by cordoning off extreme nationalist elements (indeed the firewall is for MAGA too) as the true commination to freedom and liberty and accusing their governments of 
censorship, suppressing free speech—nullifying election results and condoning dangerous and illegal immigration. Citing the threat from within—and questioning whether the US and Europe had any shared values, Vance deviated from the expected topics of Ukraine and the overall security agenda to awkwardly to lecture politicians and policy makers he characterised as running scared from their electorate and paralysed be political correctness and elitism—deputising Trump as the “new sheriff” and that democratic institutions would indeed fail if the people’s issues were deemed invalid. The hall was in shock and did not appreciate the undeniable deflection as being labeled authoritarian regimes, recognising the ill-judged sermon (whose jokes did not land) as aimed for domestic consumption only, at best, and election interference for upcoming voting in Germany at worst.
Via Web Curios and in the tradition of line-rider sequences, we are informed that there are playable versions of video clips on YouTube in a range of genres from DOOM, Guitar Hero to chess from the channel Firerama capitalising on native features to allow on to dodge and advance or retreat. We liked the timed concept and could play them for a hot minute, though agreeably the the draw of the challenge was not wholly compelling but is still a promising and inventive idea and an improvement on the choose-your-own-adventure narratives and labour-intensive side-quests of streaming services.
shiroposuto: the last of Japan’s discrete adult reading material disposal boxes
reinfection: bovine testing for bird flu virus suggests that the H5N1 is spreading silently—see previously
with guns as my retirement and war as mistress: more protest anthems from Jessie Welles
in the meantime, i am seriously considering cultivating stupidity, to the exclusion of everything else, as a way of life: the correspondence of Edward Gorey and Tom Fitzharris
remember the giver: an assortment of Valentine’s Day letters
tipping point: how things change slowly—then all at once, as illustrated by Kiki and Bouba
morbidity and mortality weekly report: US Centres For Disease Control see research and outreach efforts hampered by Trump’s assault on the agency—see previously, see also
enmusubi: the gathering of eight million gods play matchmaker for human relationships in this seaside prefecture
synchronoptica
one year ago: 1924’s Die Niebelungen (with synchronoptica), the endless news cycle plus assorted links to revisit
seven years ago: photographing a single atom, the illustrations of Giovanni Fontana, retro social media platforms plus street name diplomacy
eight years ago: more links to enjoy plus Germany votes
nine years ago: developing the .jpeg format, contention over US Presidents’ Day plus holograms to discourage non-disabled drivers taking handicapped parking spots
eleven years ago: forensics and biometrics plus pop culture Ottoman miniatures
Enron, the energy and commodities company whose business model was based on internal fraud and 
perpetrated one of the biggest bankruptcies at that time has been cannibalised, zombified—the now scandalised logo created by Paul Rand (previously), the last he designed—has been somewhat resurrected with its long lifeless website reanimated and under new management taking ownership of its past transgressions and breaches of trust and promising sustainable growth going forward. Rolling out its first new suite of products (surely there are bundled) in twenty years, it is introducing the Enron Egg, a micro nuclear reactor that can power a home for a decade—and the crypto token $ENRON, which after reaching a market cap of seven hundred million has already gone through one pump-and-dump cycle. More at the links above.
Disney, amid a board shift in DEI posture among American corporations, having already relented with a fifteen million dollar settlement plus profuse apologies for character defamation when an anchor said the 
garbage sex-pest had been found liable for rape rather than abuse, we learn via JWZ has reverted from the more thoughtful content warning introduced in October of 2020 for its vintage catalogue: This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe—to its previous terse disclaimer for classics that haven’t aged well, “This programme is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions.”
Ahead of the weekend’s Munich Security Conference, NATO defence ministers came together in Brussels to express frustration following Trump’s announcement that after an hour and a half-long phone conversation with Vladimir Putin that he was ready to negotiate peace, completely sidelining Ukraine and European partner nations in the preamble to talks. 
US secretary of defence Hegseth defended the call to his counterparts, describing it as part of the pledge of the president to end the war in twenty-four hours and “certainly not a betrayal” of Kyiv, just days after telling the same group that Europe was no longer an American priority, upping their membership fees and Trump’s demand for a half-a-billion dollars worth of mining rights for rare earth elements in exchange for continued support, as a protective shield. Ukraine and Europe both refused to accept the outcome of bi-lateral negotiations for which they as stakeholders have no seat at the table. Though unclear if concessions to Russia were made, ancillary statements suggesting that the conflict would be frozen, with Russia retaining its captured territories, the restoration to pre-2014 borders seen as “unrealistic” as well as Ukraine’s ambition to join the pact. These details will possibly be expanded upon during the summit, marking nearly three years since the start of the invasion. Putin has also extended to Trump an invitation to come to Moscow in late Spring, some speculating to watch the 9 May Victory Day parade.
synchronoptica
one year ago: allegories of love (with synchronoptica) plus assorted links worth revisiting
seven years ago: more links to enjoy, reforesting efforts, unpublished Foucault plus the Whitechapel Fatberg
eight years ago: US customs and border control can request passengers’ social media credentials, the alt-White House plus Apple’s internet cafรฉ concept
nine years ago: Roman valentines, campus protests, piled pastures plus aggregate fruits
eleven years ago: an Autobahn bridge zoned for housing
patch barracks: military families boo and heckle defence secretary during a whistle-stop visit in Stuttgart en route to the Munich Security Conference
stakes, novelty, anger, retention and fear: the SNARF model of viral content yrjรถ kukkapuro: a tribute to the pre-eminent Finnish furniture designer
crossing a line: Timothy Snyder on hurtling towards authoritarianism—via Kottke
agnotology: an encore episode on the study of wilful ignorance
mรฅke califรธrnia great รฆgain: US imperial aspirations prompt counter offers ranging from the serious to satirical
ใถ: the nuances of definite article in article-less and uninflected Japanese language
cultural moments: under pressure from anti-DEI diktats, Google removing Black History Month and Pride from its calendars—though the decision will not impact the daily Doodle
