bro, do you even lase? (13. 833)

Recently gifted a hologram-making kit, our trusty AI wrangler Janelle Shane (previously) has turned their attention to lasers and minerals lately, with super intelligence turning a touch problematic and more prone to making a death ray that will destroy us all. We really enjoyed the gems of science series, the argon ion effects of Clash of the Titans and though we were not familiar with the characters of the Steven Universe universe until now—being named for obscure semi-precious stones—this ranking of heroes from the series in terms of optical amplification proved to be pretty educational and edifying for getting a grasp on concepts like coherence and spectrum. The above verb is a back-formation and the acronym (now mostly an anacronym, like scuba and radar) is from Gordon Gould’s 1959 conference paper for light amplification by stimulation emission of radiation, though in retrospect LOSER, for light oscillation by stimulation emission of radiation, would have been more scientifically accurate.

the revolution will not be biennalised (13. 832)

Although somewhat evocative of the mural of Dresden’s Kulturpalast and Soviet-era Realism, we agree that Germany’s pavilion at the sixty-first Venice international cultural exhibition does ring a bit hollow and is unreflective regarding the country’s present political realities, a safe-space nearly as insular as the installation from the US in its splendid isolation and wanton ignorance of the negative impacts it has visited on the world entire and the arts themselves, with the same mindset that would demolish their own national stage in the Kennedy Centre out of spite. In a follow-up piece, Hyperalleric’s Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian and critic Aruna D’Souza tour the grounds and offer their opinions, critiques and condemnations of such pavilions that miss the mark and fall flat.

synchronoptica

one year ago: haiku headlines (with synchronoptica) plus Skaterdater (1965)

two years ago: new Nazca lines revealed, the study of street art plus assorted links to revisit 

three years ago: harmless AI hallucinations, tarot-inspired motifs from Leonora Carrington, gravity as a governing factor plus the restoration of a Streamline Moderne observatory associated with Albert Einstein 

four year ago: Knight Rider (1982) plus an asteroid deflection test

five years ago: the Free City of Christiana (1971), Biosphere 2 (1991), more McMansion Hell, an AI names supermarkets plus Germany votes

six years ago: more links to enjoy plus the photography of Robert Bechtle

seven years ago: Trump’s “perfect call,” communal housing in the capital of Greenland plus the science vessel formerly known as Boaty McBoatface

eight years ago: World War III narrowly averted (1983), Trump at the UN General Assembly, the Afrofuturist art of Bodys Isek Kingelez, more on the Hyperloop project plus Gilligan’s Island (1964)

 

day two hundred two (13. 830)

Tusk offers financial incentives to Trump to expand American military presence in Poland. Pezeshkian offers to dilute its stockpiles of enriched uranium and allow international inspectors into Iran if the US returns to the conditions of the MoU, Tehran presenting a seven-day roadmap to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Clashes continue between the Saudis and Houthis. Israel bulldozes more villages in southern Lebanon. The US continues to mull an export ban on diesel fuel. German Bundestag agrees to cut fuel taxes.

10x10 (13. 829)

danse macabre: a detailed and comprehensive exploration of the allegorical art genre—see previously—via Web Curios 

taos hum: the transcendental art of Emil Bisstram was a lure to attract nuclear scientists to Los Alamos—see also 

háskólabíó: Iceland mourns the loss of another beloved glacier—see ptreviously  

glimpse 17775: JWST studies mysterious red dots seeding the early Cosmos, suggesting that they were “black hole stars” 

singularity syllabus: a helpful round-up of recent developments on the AI front 

💂‍♀️: an in depth explainer regarding the controversy over the UK royal guards’ bear-skin hats and their ursine origins  

summa lacticinorum: an 1477 treatise on cheese and dairy—via Strange Company  

they’re all good boys: the canine portraiture of Paolo Veronese that ultimately put him on the wrong side of the Inquisition 

infrasound: the source of the ultra-low frequency global hum that has baffled scientists may be the crashing of waves—see also  

νεῶν κατάλογος: an interactive site of the Achaean fleet epically described in Homer’s Iliad—via Kottke—see also

u2 (13. 828)

On this day in 1976, young drummer Larry Mullen, Jr, then fourteen years old, posted a note seeking bandmates on the notice board of the Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin he was attending. Mullen was joined by vocalist fellow pupils Paul David Hewson, better known by the stage name Bono, and brothers David (The Edge) and Dik Evans and Adam Clayton. They initially called themselves “Feedback” and then “The Hype” before settling on the name suggested by punk singer, promoter and graphic artist Steve Averill (a friend of Clayton’s) in 1978, one of six options, liking its visual strength on posters and theoretical record cover art and the choice they disliked least. Within four years, the band had signed with a regional record label were playing large venues, releasing their debut studio album Boy, lead single below.

*    *    *    *    *

synchronoptica

one year ago: a new metric proposed for US government spending (with synchronoptica), on the brink of another American federal shutdown, Everybody Rides the Carousel (1976) plus more US military purges

two years ago: JFK’s Sword of Damocles speech to the UN, aggressive cuteness plus Those Were the Days 

three years ago: two decades plus of Everlasting Blört plus a Mario-Eminem mashup

four years ago: assorted links to revisit, the JWST eyes Neptune, more luxury bunkers plus exploring the inaccessible with elementary particles

five years ago: a Scissor Sisters’ hit, a Wagner classic, sneakers patterned off of vintage VHS packaging plus a visit to Gemünden am Main

six years ago: the first radio-controlled robot (1906), Facebook modelled itself off Big Tobacco plus something expressed in gesture alone

seven years ago: the first newspaper in the Americas, the downfall of Thomas Cook plus the US constitution’s Bill of Rights

eight years ago: Looney Tunes’ propaganda, the Rubik’s Cube plus misheard lyrics of a Star Wars anthem

 

day two hundred one (13. 827)

France pledges to send fighters to Saudi Arabia to help repel Houthi rebels as other members of the alliance, Türkiye and Pakistan, join for an emergency military planning meeting . US sanctions on the entire industry force Iran to cancel some international flights. Tehran’s hardliners express anger and disappointment with Araqchi over meeting directly with Witkoff to layout terms for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz while Pezeshkian says Iran wants America to return to the MoU before the midterm elections. Thousands of demonstrators protest the arrival of Netanyahu and the Israeli delegation in New York, calling for his arrest as a war criminal, causing the prime minister to fly home directly after his short speech to the UN. A judge orders that banned news outlets’ access to the White House to be restored as Trump hosts Xi for a lavish state dinner with tech CEOs.

kill the wabbit (13. 826)

Via Kottke, we are directed towards an engaging essay on the enduring Merrie Melodies classic, a collaboration directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese, with the voice talents of Mel Blanc and Arthur Q Bryant as Bunny and Fudd respectively. Released in theatres in July of 1957, What’s Opera, Doc? still registers among the greatest cartoon of all time nearly seven decades on and in addition to its deserved reputation as introducing generations to classical music, Bugs pursued by Elmer through Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, Der Fliegende Holländer and Tännhauser, the project was exponentially more ambitious than the usual Warner Brothers’ fare. Those involved in its production, whilst denying that they were aiming to create a masterpiece, spent more than six times the budget and overtime, hidden by shaving hours and outlays from other assignments and retained the talents of background artist Maurice Nobel (see also here and here) to storyboard the narrative with over five hundred sketches, abstract and offset which became the signature of Looney Tunes going forth, his surrealistic and absurdist style rejected by Disney’s Silly Symphonies—his previous employer, whom worked on Fantasia and may have seen this film as his rebuke of suppression of his creative license. The title tags the Walkürenritt (Ride of the Valkyries) of the last act of the fourth epic from the Ring Cycle, the leitmotif of the figures who guide the souls of the dead to Valhalla (incidentally also the name of the North Hollywood cemetery where Bryant is buried—Blanc was lain to rest in Hollywood Forever grounds on the backlot of Paramount). This short was the last of three in which Elmer wins but shows regret and remorse this time for his adversary.

they thought he was a goner (13. 825)

We enjoyed this short film retrospective (plus a preview of coming attractions) of the works of Winnipeg animator Cordell Barker, showcasing his Oscar-nominated 1988 piece that was screened along with Who Framed Roger Rabbit? in Canadian theatres. Based on the Tin Pan Alley song of the same name written by Harry S Miller in 1893 about an indestructible cat, Barker’s version is a bit less violent with injury and carnage visited only on Old Mr Johnson, the little yellow cat returning increasingly destructive after each failed and manic attempt to get rid of it. More from the NFB blog, the filmmaker a creative consultant retained by the National Film Board for animation projects.