Tootfinder

Some thoughts from Claude about military use of AI in targeting.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYIHIM6ihVJ/?igsh=cmM1ZmdjaDl3bzJ5

At a time when their is war on the european continent, our former ally the US does this... Putin will be pleased.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/world/europe/us-nato-cuts-drawdown-jets.html?un…

U.S. Plan Is Said to Pull a Third of Fighter Jets It Provides NATO for Europe
The plan, outlined by officials and in a written document, provides rare clarity about the extent to which the Trump administration intends to reduce its commitment to NATO.

Talks between the US and Iran appeared to have concluded for now,
Following several hours of talks in Pakistan that are aimed at ending the weeks-long war between Washington and Tehran.
Different Iranian media outlets, including Fars news agency and Tasnim news agency,
are reporting that “serious disagreements” remain
but at the suggestion of Pakistan, another round of talks will be held on Sunday morning.

"... that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us …"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/11/pope-leo-us-israel-iran-war?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Pope says ‘enough of war’ and decries ‘delusion of omnipotence’ at peace vigil
Leo’s comments did not directly mention war in Iran but read as his strongest condemnation of the conflict yet

My pitch if I ran a TV production company would be something like:
Twelve episodes a year of 3-episode serials: That keeps the number of sets you have to construct down. It gives each story the complexity of a movie and time to breath without the frantic pace. You can have one every season of the year.
You gotta remember to focus on the companion. This isn't really a story about The Doctor, it's about the companions asking the question, Doctor Who?
Episodes should generally start with a companion's face or escapade coz they're the ones we're identifying with as we figure out who the doctor is.
At some point in 2027 you'll cast and announce a new doctor.
This is when you call Billie Piper in to film and release a webisode which is just the regeneration into Billie so far: her going "Oh, hello?" Then shaking her head and saying "oh hell no" and shaking harder until she shakes the face off into the new man or woman you picked who says "Oh, that was close".
That change into the Bad Wolf Doctor was just bad without a capstone xmas episode. So a one minute tik-tokable short to announce the newbie frees you of it.
Then you can start ep1 filming and released nearly a year later on the 65th anniversary with a story that focuses on the companion getting into trouble and meeting The Doctor.
Cast nobody famous. The production is about making stars not finding them I don't want anyone having preconceived notions about the character from seeing the actor in that other show even it it was a really good one and they're great.
Earthbound cross-time time-travel story for serial one to pick up new companion, intervene in an aliens vs aliens space-war in serial two, go screw up history and fix it for the third and aliens endangering companion's family for the fourth.
When they're 3-episode serials you only need four a year. Different writer for each.
Cliff-hangers between episodes in each serial of course, with stories about the nature of time and space and getting along with other cultures and running up and down corridors and scary monsters and of course the question "who is The Doctor and how can they fix this without guns or violence with just a screwdriver and two hearts worth of compassion".
The Doctor is some weird looking older dude, more importantly vivid and strange and scholarly than handsome. He has a big coat and no question marks. Then he can change clothes but with the same coat always have the same look. He needs to be able to do a good arrogant rant at himself while he thinks.
The companion is curious and brave and young enough to be naive and surprised and energetic. Doesn't do what she's told. Wonders off against orders. Maybe sometimes bombs things.
Obviously you keep the blue box and the tune and make a new style screwdriver.
You need to do the behind the scenes shows too. Not sure if they make or cost money but they are brilliant for the geeky fandom. That may be why it came back last time.
Anyway. Sadly I don't own a production company.
I cancelled the TV license in the mean time. Give the money to Big Finish instead. These audio things are expensive. I've bought bundles before. Anyone have favorites? I lose track of which one's I've heard.
#doctorWho

Lebanon Is Teetering at the Abyss of a New Civil War (Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/lebanon-civil-war-cb8f63e1?st=dgE4Xi&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
http://www.memeorandum.com/260609/p17#a260609p17

Time to read or watch Persepolis again...
"Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian-French author whose graphic novel series “Persepolis” introduced millions of readers to the struggles of ordinary Iranians during the turbulent years around the Islamic Revolution, has died at 56."
(The film is visible on various streaming - such as Amazon and Apple for a couple of $$ - well worth it.)

Marjane Satrapi, the Author of ‘Persepolis,’ Dies at 56
Her popular graphic novel series, published in the early 2000s, followed an Iranian girl through the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War.

A reminder that the the world is a very complex system, and "simple & obvious" solutions are rare. Even if they work very well for capital (at least for a while).
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/06/us-china-trump-trade…

A reminder that the the world is a very complex system, and "simple & obvious" solutions are rare. Even if they work very well for capital (at least for a while).
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/06/us-china-trump-trade…

We are at war.
Gas prices are climbing above $5 per gallon across much of the country.
The political apparatus of the country is rife with division, infighting, and bureaucratic chaos that threatens to further upset 250 years of historical precedent. 
But look at Marco Rubio over there, getting his groove on.
DJ at a wedding! What a lovely time.
The secretary of state was pictured this weekend behind the turntables at a family wedding queuing up Calvin Harris’ …

Trump and His Cronies Are Partying as the World Burns
Donald Trump hosted a golf tournament at his private club and Marco Rubio played music and fist-pumped over the weekend amid the Iran war.

Just read this really well-informed perspective on the differences between the US and Ukraine. Lots of interesting comparisons that should be an eye-opener for a lot of "Maga" Americans (at least if they were open to changing their minds, haha).
The direction the US is taking right now feels like the fall of the Roman empire, which had everything and didn't know how to deal with that (please note I am really not a historian and this might be completely wrong)

As a Ukrainian journalist, I’ve covered the US for 20 years. I find it increasingly shocking
The long read: My country has been under occupation, dogged by corruption and war. Yet even I’ve been bewildered by the way the US seems to be fracturing

"The best war oratory is not actually about war. It is about peace. People hear it and think not merely of the lives that might be lost, but of a way of life that might be: they fear for culture, for democracy, for decency. You weep at good oratory because you fear not just a lost war but a lost world. Yet when you watch the White House videos, you weep for a lost world anyway. "
🎁
The rhetoric of war has changed. Not for the better
https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/04/23/the-rhetoric-of-war-has-changed-not-for-the-better?giftId=ZTk0ZjgzMDEtMDk0YS00MGUxLWI3ZWUtMTU4NWE5MTFhNDEy&utm_campaign=gifted_article

"The flu killed 15,849 U.S. soldiers in France and another 30,000 in stateside camps. That’s 45,849 killed by the flu versus 26,277 killed at Meuse-Argonne — documenting that the flu was by far our most deadly battle.
More civilians (over 50 million) died from the flu than from both World Wars and the Holocaust combined. Another 500 million civilians were incapacitated by the flu."

Sad news that Marjane Satrapi of Persepolis passed away. Very strange that the NYT did not mention that she died of sadness after her husband's death. Why?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/world/middleeast/marjane-satrapi-dead.html vs

Marjane Satrapi, the Author of ‘Persepolis,’ Dies at 56
Her popular graphic novel series, published in the early 2000s, followed an Iranian girl through the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War.

The United States “can certainly do more damage to the Iranian economy,
but they have withstood more pressure than any other economy in history,
and that hasn’t produced the collapse of the regime or more reasonable positions,”
said Suzanne Maloney, an Iran specialist and director of the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution.
Iran is such an authoritarian state that the kind of political drivers that might push compromise don’t exist, she said,
wit…

Trump Looks for a Silver Bullet to End the Iran War. There May Be None.
The president is trying to ratchet up the economic pressure on Tehran, but Iran’s government is unlikely to make a deal without a big, face-saving compromise.

Trump approval sinks to new low (34%) as war with Iran drives cost-of-living concerns - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-approval-sinks-record-low-war-with-iran-drives-cost-of-living-concerns-2026-04-28/

Another day, another hairpin turn in the world of Donald Trump’s foreign policy.
The weekend was all about war,
and Trump insisting Iran had not yet “paid a big enough price”.
Tuesday was Project Freedom,
styled as a grand “humanitarian gesture” to allow trapped ships and their crews to escape the Gulf,
but also aimed at weakening Iran’s chokehold on the strait of Hormuz.
By the early hours of Wednesday we were back to peace.
The president announced:…

Now in Iran:
Beside the coffin of the assassinated former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei at a packed prayer hall in Tehran on Sunday there were calls for the killing of Donald Trump.
Iran is staging a week of mass funeral processions ⁠for Khamenei, who was killed along with other members of his family on the first day of the US and Israeli war on 28 February. The funeral was delayed because of the war.

Calls for killing of Trump at funeral of Iran supreme leader Ali Khamenei
New supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei still absent from public view as his three brothers stand beside father’s coffin

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has argued for Ukraine to be allowed to join Nato at its annual summit
– saying it would be wrong to exclude a country that had built up strong defences in its long struggle against the Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian president said his country had developed almost all the weapons it needed,
and now only required European help in developing an alternative to the US Patriots to protect against ballistic missile attack.
“I have a question for you.

Nato should let Ukraine join to ‘make all of us stronger’, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine’s president argues defensive capabilities built up in war with Russia mean it shouldn’t be excluded

Speaking at the Nato summit,
Trump says the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iranis “over”
because
“I do not want to deal with them any more,
they are scum”.
They are sick people, they are vicious, violent people.”
He then adds:
As far as I am concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them.
They are liars. …
There is something wrong with them. They are cuckoo. As far as I am concerned, it is over.”
Investors are spooked …

Middle East crisis live: Trump threatens US will hit Iran ‘hard again tonight’ after saying truce is over
Iranian foreign ministry said earlier US and Israeli attacks had rendered interim accord to end war ‘ineffective’

Darth #Trump, the dangerous jerk, is on the verge of losing his war against #Iran. His mad mindset will drive him to destroy whatever he declares as a military target on his withdrawal.
At the moment, Trump is the most dangerous risk for the world.
He did not make America great, he destroyed US America…

There have always been reasons to criticise US foreign policy.
Yet in the past, many of us still looked with a certain envy at the strength of the country’s institutions,
the independence of its media,
and the willingness of its citizens to engage in democratic life.
Today, as Ukraine fights a war to defend its democracy
– to preserve a state where institutions serve the people rather than dictators,
where the press remains independent,
and where ci…

A depot on World War II’s infamous “Death Railway” has resurfaced from beneath a reservoir
where the site has remained underwater for decades,
prompting researchers to race to western Thailand to survey the remnants of Nithe Station.
Thousands of Allied prisoners of war and Asian laborers toiled and died building the railway, a supply route through mainland Southeast Asia for the occupying Japanese forces.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand recently draine…

World War II 'Death Railway' train station resurfaces in Thailand
A depot on World War II’s infamous “Death Railway” has resurfaced from beneath a reservoir where the site has remained underwater for decades. Researchers have raced to western Thailand for the unique opportunity to survey the remnants of Nithe Station. The reservoir was drained for maintenance at a hydropower dam in Kanchanaburi province. But time is limited as the reservoir may begin to refill in August. Thousands of Allied prisoners of war and Asian laborers died while building the rai…

There is little doubt that Putin is entering the most challenging period of his long rule.
Interviews with several people in the orbit of the Russian leader, as well as sources in the Russian business world and western intelligence officials, paint a picture of
an isolated leader surrounded by an elite that is becoming rapidly disillusioned,
both with the faltering war in Ukraine and the economic downturn at home.
“There’s definitely been a shift in mood among the el…

The attack on a girl’s elementary school in the Iranian town of Minab was one of the US military’s deadliest civilian bombings in decades.
But nearly four months on, the Pentagon has produced no answers about why the military fired a Tomahawk cruise missile into a school on the first day of the war,
killing at least 175 people,
mostly children.
Some critics doubt that the Pentagon ever will, or will bury the results under classifications to keep the worst mistakes se…

⛔️Are fuel-related flight cancellations happening at the last minute?
In most cases, no.
At least for now, fuel-related cuts are often being made days or weeks in advance.
Lufthansa Group, for example, said this week it is cutting 20,000 short-haul flights across its network through October.
That gives you more time to adjust plans than you’d typically get with weather-related disruptions, which tend to trigger last-minute cancellations.
🆘 My flight was canceled.…

Flight canceled amid jet fuel shock? What travelers should know
Airlines around the world are canceling flights as the war in the Middle East squeezes global jet fuel supplies and pushes up prices. But experts say the real challenge for travelers goes beyond the disruptions. Passenger rights vary widely depending on where you fly. The European Union and United Kingdom have some of the strongest protections for air travelers. The U.S. and Canada have consumer protection rules in place, but they tend to be more limited. Across the Asia-Pacific region, protect…

The White House declined to estimate the cost of the war with Iran at a congressional hearing on Thursday,
prompting some Senate Democrats to criticize the Trump administration for its lack of transparency.
In a second appearance on Capitol Hill this week, Russell T. Vought, the White House budget director, sidestepped questions about the price tag of the U.S.- and Israel-led conflict.
He said the “fluctuating” nature of the war made it hard to calculate either the expense…

White House Declines to Offer Congress an Estimate of Iran War Cost
Russell T. Vought, the White House budget director, said the fluctuating nature of the U.S.-Israeli war made it difficult to pinpoint expenses.

It would be hard to find a human on Earth unaffected by the US-Israel war against Iran.
Several thousand have been killed.
Millions more are paying each day in steeper food prices or at the petrol pump,
and as inflation eats away at the value of their earnings.
For many, the final bill has not yet come, but it will eventually.
They will pay for the long-term damage caused by the biggest threat of all to the global economy:
uncertainty.
Uncertainty …

Wallpaper at Fraunces Tavern Museum in NYC depicting General Washington arriving in Boston. The full 49-foot, 32-panel, 360-color "Views of the American War of Independence" is still produced by Zuber & Cie (est. 1797) in Rixheim, France, using 2,300 (!) wood blocks carved between 1834 and 1852. It takes a full year to print and is likely the world's most expensive wallpaper ($100,000?). The blocks themselves are classified as Historic Monuments by the French Ministry of Culture. #france #history #art #nyc #newyork #museum #wallpaper #woodblock #boston #war #independence #250th

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to pause attacks targeting Hezbollah
-- but said Israeli troops would not withdraw.
The truce, set to start at 5 p.m. Eastern time, could ease efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/…

Iran War Live Updates: Trump Announces Lebanon-Israel Cease-Fire
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to pause attacks targeting Hezbollah but said Israeli troops would not withdraw. The truce, set to start at 5 p.m. Eastern time, could ease efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Yup, the man is #desperate for a "birthday present" for himself and crow about it to sycophants and acolytes at the stupid #UFC event.
#Iran #agreement #birthday

Trump announced on Thursday that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon had agreed to begin a 10-day cease-fire at 5 p.m. Eastern time.
If it indeed takes effect, the cease-fire could remove a major hurdle to the broader peace talks with Iran.
https://www.nytimes.com/live…

Iran War Live Updates: Trump Announces Lebanon-Israel Cease-Fire
Lebanon’s prime minister said he welcomed the pause in Israel’s hostilities against Hezbollah, expected to start at 5 p.m. Eastern time, though Israel and Hezbollah did not immediately respond.

Pope Leo XIV has said that the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” who spend billions on war
“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain,
dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,”
Leo told a gathering at Saint Joseph Cathedral in western Cameroon.
“They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation,
yet the resources need…

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has come into effect,
-- pausing fighting in the devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 2,100 Lebanese people and displaced over 2.1 million.
The agreement was announced earlier by Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, and invited both leaders “for meaningful talks” at the White House.
Both leaders welcome…