A hole in the Pan-American Highway, CIA lost a nuclear device, and the rest is history.

Darien Gap

Do you watch Pluribus? If not, you definitely should. It's a TV series by Vince Gilligan who used all his reputation from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul to create a beautiful sci-fi show that actually breathes.

In the last episodes, one of the characters is crossing the Darien Gap. This is the only hole in the entire Pan-American Highway that connects Alaska to Argentina. The gap is a dense rainforest area between Panama and Colombia.

How Did the C.I.A. Lose a Nuclear Device?

You know me, I like the stories about lost nuclear devices (and explosions) more than anyone else.

The CIA lost a plutonium-powered spy generator on Nanda Devi in 1965. It was never recovered. Why did they bring it there? To eavesdrop on Chinese missile tests.

A blizzard forced climbers to stash the device in the snow and abandon the summit. When they returned next spring, the entire ledge had sheared off so it had vanished, likely sinking into the glacier’s depths.

Ukraine is covered in fiber optic

In France, there are areas designated as zone rouge that were isolated since WW1. The areas are saturated with unexploded shells, grenades, and ammunition. Soils were polluted by lead, mercury, chlorine, arsenic, various dangerous gases, acids, and human and animal remains.

"Completely devastated. Damage to properties: 100%. Damage to Agriculture: 100%. Impossible to clean. Human life impossible".

We will probably see something similar in Ukraine. But the war has changed and its resulting landscape will be different as well. Due to constant electronic warfare you can't control drones remotely, so they're connected physically with fiber cable that just remains in place.

Atelier Missor

When I first discovered these French dudes, I was sure it was generated by AI. Now I don't feel so sure anymore.

Of course, it's a post-art, where the message they say openly is more important than the art itself, which is just a very direct descendant of the Greek sculpture tradition. But clearly, there's demand for this.

The Rest is British Soft Power

I listed to too many podcasts already but as any man in his thirties I was getting more into the Roman Empire and WW2, so I wanted to find a good podcast on history. It was surprisingly difficult!

But the Rest is History is clearly the best one, highly recommend it. They record short runs on specific chapters or characters in history, so you never really get bored and end up waiting for the next part.