Category Archives: Finance

May 22, 2026 · 04:28

Questioning my mindset

That is the question, so this is not about IP, or even about hardware. This is a software question, my software. It becomes the setting, am I a delusional paranoid, or a paranoid delusional? You might think this is fun, but I woke up at 03:30 when thoughts hit me and I looked online to seek some kind of verification (I really believe in verification, because that leads to validation) So I found CNBC (at https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/21/iran-war-us-peace-talks-trump-hormuz.html) where we see ‘Iran reviews U.S. peace proposal as Trump says he’s willing to wait ‘a few days’’ and my first question was “He is willing to wait a few days?” The article where we see “Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the Islamic Republic had received the views of the American side “and are reviewing them,” according to the state-run agency Nour News.” The article was all neat and shiny (particularly the shiny part) and it merely increased the tensions within me. And I wonder if it is just me, or are there sides that others had picked up on? There is no blame to the media here, they merely reported on items and they did that. I think there is no oversight on their part, unless they all look at the complete picture from March 1st this year. Where some might see “President Trump used the phrase “bomb them back to the Stone Ages” in an April 2026 primetime address regarding the U.S. war with Iran. In the speech, he threatened to hit Iranian infrastructure “extremely hard” to force Tehran into negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.” Yet the second article gives us (at https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/iran-us-talks-trump-tehran-gaps-nuclear-deal-pakistan-war-rcna346258) where we see ‘Iran-U.S. diplomacy intensifies as Trump seeks ‘right answers,’ Tehran signals gaps ‘reduced’’ and as I see it, President Trump never waited for right answers, you can look up his responses right back to the start of the 51st states mentions. The man talks before his brain kicks into motion. And the byline “A visit by Pakistan’s army chief Thursday was aimed at “reaching the point of officially announcing acceptance of the memorandum of understanding,” Iran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.” Might have been the settler of it all. It comes with “Tehran was responding to Washington’s latest proposal, which had “reduced the gaps to some extent” between the two sides, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported early Thursday. It said that a visit by Pakistan’s army chief was “aimed at reducing these gaps and reaching the point of officially announcing acceptance of the memorandum of understanding.”” The seed in me evolved and it blossomed right into a Castor Bean plant in my brain. The thought that had evolved was “Was this war about destabilizing the Middle East?” The attacks on the UAE was another part, the attacks on Saudi Arabia and Qatar seemed to be supporting this all. The entire setting is a sort of death jerk by the United States to stop the decrease of what is overwhelming them, as to reduce the damage that seems to be coming for them. The successes that the UAE got in Tourism and to some effect Saudi Arabia too, President Trump sees the lack of tourism that is coming for them and Canada exasperated that notion. The numbers aren’t adding up and why? Why are at least 3 government installations in the United States cooking the books? (Or at least that is what it looks like to me) and my mind around 02:00 this morning hammered me awake with this notion. The United States are destabilizing the Middle East to avoid total disaster before 2027. I don’t think they will, but the underlying setting then becomes is Iran in on this? They might like to destabilize Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well, and they are willing to play their part. I have no idea where Israel is in this and they might merely like the idea of bombing Iran, they have been their target for long enough.

So the question becomes “Am I merely a paranoid delusional individual or am I also a delusional paranoid?” It is a fair question to ask myself, and the answer could go either way, but I don’t believe that anyone has a clear answer. Perhaps the media has, but they are likely to busy chasing digital dollars. And the media answers are tainted to say the least. And as I see it Google Gemini (yes, I confronted a second source in this) gives us: “Middle East destabilization is currently driven by the active Iran war that began on February 28, 2026, when US and Israeli forces launched preemptive airstrikes. The resulting regional escalation—including retaliatory strikes on Gulf states and threats to global shipping—has shattered the pre-existing geopolitical balance and triggered severe diplomatic and humanitarian crises”, as such I don’t think I am entirely wrong. It might be flawed as the notion is subjective and that tends to come with data gaps, but the thoughts are there. 

So, as I put this to printed paper, perhaps my mind will relax and I might still get around 150 minutes of ZZZZZ time. Have a great day.

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, Media, Politics, Tourism

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 21, 2026 · 00:00

I took offense

This happens, it happens to you and me and there is nothing wrong with that. In this case it was an article in the Middle East Eye (written by Andreas Krieg), Dr Andreas Krieg is a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, Royal College of Defence Studies and fellow at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies. He has spent more than ten years living, studying and working across the MENA region. As such he knows a lot more about defense than I am likely to ever will. But still I took offense. It was (at https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/how-iran-war-broke-ambitions-little-sparta) were we see ‘How the Iran war broke the ambitions of ‘Little Sparta’’ and we are given “The UAE must abandon the illusion of strategic exceptionalism, and rebuild its autonomy through a collective Gulf security order” it is a decent setting, all whilst at present we see “Countries like the UAE and Qatar are moving away from pursuing purely independent, exceptionalist foreign policies, recognizing that isolated states are highly vulnerable in modern multi-front conflicts” this is seen as the “Small State” Dilemma. I am on the fence here as I am a little out of my frame of mind. Whilst we are given “The past three months have exposed the friction between Abu Dhabi’s ambitions and geopolitical realities. Iran’s attacks on Gulf infrastructure have confronted Abu Dhabi with the dissonance between its self-perception as a middle power, and its structural vulnerability as a small state.” It is one view to have and I cannot say whether it correct or not. As such we are given that “Presidential adviser Anwar Gargash recently lashed out at neighbours and partners, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “The friend has turned into a mediator instead of being a steadfast ally and supporter.”” Whist the added “His post captures the frustration in Abu Dhabi over the state’s inability to use its leverage to rally neighbours and partners around a more aggressive stance towards Iran. In an article last month, Emirati commentator Tareq al-Otaiba denounced Arab solidarity and multilateralism for its inability to collectively deter Iranian aggression. A month earlier, his older brother, the UAE’s ambassador to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, announced in an op-ed Abu Dhabi’s readiness to join an “international initiative” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the UAE prepared to share the operational burden.” And these truths are that, they are truths, nothing more. You might say that this is all and you would be correct but when we see “Despite the UAE luring Russian money and oligarchs to its jurisdiction, Moscow did not come to Abu Dhabi’s defence. Beijing issued the familiar language of concern and stability. Washington reassured, but delivered very little in terms of deterrence.” It is here my offense started. Moscow is whatever Moscow wants to be and is in it for themselves, nothing new, then we get Beijing. I reckon that it is shy from any actions because it might cut itself in the fingers if they come out, but it is Washington and optionally Europe and the Commonwealth as well (these last two parties are my speculative addition) they all delivered very little as deterrence and that shows what friends the UAE has, it has none. Even though Washington was eager to claim the billions and throw it all aside for fake AI, no action are seen. As such I took offense and whilst I took actions the only way I know (as I have no military or diplomatic powers), I created optional IP and after I showed an idea for a canal, which is now surpassed by a pipeline and that might be the better option. Still, after the massive attacks from Iran, I handed my IP to the UAE, the first one was created in January 2019 in ‘The impact of insanity’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2019/01/20/the-impact-of-insanity/) where the IP would sink ships in the breakwater, closing harbours off for days, if not weeks or even months. The idea came from a Dutch bank robber who operated in the 70’s. As such I gave his idea new life. The one element I did not see was the time it would take for the ship to sink and if in case there was an inner hull I added a ring of C4, like a ribbon of prima cord (like off shore uses) and even if it would not open a hole, there would be several place where the inner hull would be punctured and the water would be coming in at a speed of several gallons per second. Then I went on creating IP to take out the rails of Iran, this would always be possible, but my way which I discussed in ‘With Ice please’ which I discussed (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2026/03/10/with-ice-please/) where I showed the idea to blow away the Rail Clips, holding the rails down. It can be done with little effort and the small explosives will do nothing to harm the rails, what happens is that the elements  holding down the rails will be removed with liquid nitrogen and a small explosion that would shatter these clips, do it in a corner, the train will not see anything wrong initially and as the rail gives way, the train will go bouncy bouncy down the hill and off the rails. It done correctly, several cargo trains will see this happening, reducing commerce for Iran and reducing the efficiency of their infrastructure. The elements that give offense was the fact that Andreas Krieg gave us that the UAE needs to be seen as a little Sparta. But as I see it, others that take offense of non-commitment and I for one created the IP that would enable the UAE to strike back. And I saw Iran as the danger that need not be around and I started to create options as early as 2019. I even had an idea to make their nuclear reactors useless, I did something, against apparently Moscow, Beijing, Washington and London that are all in it for themselves (as one would expect) but they had no problems selling fake AI settings for billions and I take offense to that, so I gave them optional solutions. And a I see it, it is a lot more than they are doing. I even crested the idea that one person could lead a massive drone attack, which came through the Iranian attack on Aramco, as such I gave the UAE (Saudi Arabia too) ‘Droning right along’ which I wrote on June 14th 2025, almost a year ago (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/06/14/droning-right-along/) I saw Iran as the danger it is and I created something for that, will it work? As I see it the China’s Chongqing drone show proves me right. My show will not be seen by a lot of people, but a dozen drones could be piloted by one person and the massive consequence for Iran is that they could lose refineries, airports and a few other places. And if you have half a dozen pilots, you could hit them all at once. Iran could say goodbye to whatever they hold on a near instant setting, it might take longer to make some instant noodles. As such whatever Andreas Krieg states, it merely creates offense as he says “All Iran needs to do to weaken the UAE strategically is to remind investors, insurers, shipping companies and expatriates that the Emirates is not an exception to the Gulf’s insecurity.” All I had to do is get even one of my IP to work correctly and it is goodbye Iran and I am willing to hand all this IP over to the UAE so that they can make it work. As such: “All I have to do, Is take away whatever Iran thinks they have. I cannot make the false claims President Trump does, because my ideas are not based on ‘beautiful big balls’ they are merely adaptations that were out there all along. They are all adaptations on ideas from WW2, with modern technology adaptations. Iran could lose it all and no billions are spent (Washington states that the Pentagon had an  estimated $29 billion directly), at best a billion is used to test the ideas and adapt the fabrication of these weapons, but the drones are already available, they merely need some programming adaption and then these drones are fitted with claymores, or a variation of them and that comes down to about $25K for the drones and the ‘packaging’ no billions were required. The package is dropped about 10 kilometer from the refinery and off they go. There are a few ways to go about it, but I am still considering that a MQ-9 Reaper could drop 2 packages with a abundant amount of cheap drones, as such tow refineries might be hit at the same time. As such, these investors might want to consider to bet against the UAE, there is every reason to consider that I could come up with a few more ideas to make Iran regret that they ever attacked the UAE, but as I see it and as I suspect that Andreas Krieg is seemingly aware of the strategy behind all the attacks on the gulf states, but I might be wrong in my assessment too, so there is that too. What I do know is that I have done more than any ‘proclaimer to be an UAE ally’ and I did it free of charge. So there!

As I see it, I might have made Anwar Gargash proud that there was at least one party willing to assist the UAE, even if that one was a mere tourist at best. And I do understand that even if I took offense, Andreas Krieg did nothing wrong. He did his job, but the article that he wrote came over massively wrong with me and perhaps that was his intent all along (even though he possibly tried to get someone more important to take notice of what he wrote). So have a great day all, I will try to create a few more obstacles for Iran if possible.

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, Law, Media, Military, Politics, Science

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 19, 2026 · 19:21

A new dawn

Quantum Insider gives us less than an hour ago ‘Aramco And Pasqal Launch Saudi Arabia’s First Quantum Computer And Middle East’s First Commercial QCaaS Platform’ (at https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/05/19/aramco-and-pasqal-launch-saudi-arabias-first-quantum-computer-and-middle-easts-first-commercial-qcaas-platform/) as such, Saudi Arabia is adding a notch to their services belt, non oil services belt. As such we are given “Aramco and Pasqal officially inaugurated Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer and launched the Middle East’s first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service platform, expanding regional access to quantum computing infrastructure and applications.” As such the Arab population will be Abel to tap into a new “The 200-qubit neutral-atom quantum processing unit, located at Aramco’s data center in Dhahran, enables remote cloud-based access for enterprises, universities and research institutions to develop quantum-enhanced solutions for industrial challenges such as logistics, CO₂ storage optimization and supply chain management.” In that setting Ahmad O. Al Khowaiter, Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation gives us “This quantum milestone belongs to our Saudi researchers, engineers and scientists. By investing in joint training and research, we are building world class quantum expertise right here in the Kingdom—an expertise that will power the next generation of energy solutions, accelerate lower carbon fuel development, and enhance reservoir and supply chain optimization. Let this achievement be the catalyst for an innovation driven economy, creating high impact, future ready jobs for our youth and advancing Saudi Vision 2030.” At present the consumer can access IBM Quantum, Amazon Braket (not Bracket?) And Azure Quantum as such you can still count the consumer quantum profiteers on one hand as Aramco Quantum is added to the global settings of quantum computing and as I see it, it is more than “Aramco is not just waiting for quantum computing, it is helping to shape it as a global leader. This inauguration is evidence that the most demanding industrial challenges in the world are now being tackled with Pasqal’s quantum processors, software and specific solutions. For Pasqal, deploying our system for use in Aramco’s business-critical operations, while also being available to the region’s enterprises and research community, is a part of our core mission: to enable practical and secure quantum computing at scale today.” These are words by Wasiq Bokhari, Pasqal CEO to live by. In this age and setting that anything Americas are rejected more and more, merely the fact that this is Saudi setting and not an American setting might be appreciated by a large cluster setting of 1.7 million corporations comprising largely out of the 2 billion Muslims and they are fiercely offended by some of the western settings and the one Islamic providers is now offering their services. The fact that this gap is now appearing seems to set Saudi Arabia and Aramco as a quantum provider might give Saudi Arabia a few more options down the road. As I see it, the timing couldn’t be better for them. The article ends with “Under the terms of the partnership, Aramco will progress a roadmap of use cases on a production-ready QPU as a foundational customer, accelerating development of quantum-hybrid solutions for its programs across energy, materials and industrial operations. Other external organizations, including research institutions, universities, and enterprises, can use Pasqal’s cloud platform to access one of the few quantum computers in the world. Aramco’s domestic venture capital arm, Wa’ed Ventures, initially invested in Pasqal in January 2023, reinforcing efforts to localize advanced quantum technologies and accelerate the development of the regional quantum ecosystem. Since then, Aramco and Pasqal have built a structured quantum program targeting high-value operational challenges across multiple work-streams, where quantum-hybrid approaches unlock capabilities beyond classical computing. These Aramco work-streams include port logistics optimization, CO₂ storage optimization, well placement, rig scheduling, building the Kingdom’s quantum workforce, and making quantum computing available throughout the region.”

As I see it, it will become a brand new day in Quantum providers and I reckon that the other might have to downgrade their prices as one in three is now seemingly becoming one in four. The other three might have seen under ‘American pricing’ but Aramco is a different kettle of fish and as I see it, they are the only non American alternative out in the field and in this political climate there is the option for Aramco to attract a few other clients as well, who? I have no idea as there is to the best of my knowledge no data on a setting like this. It has never happened before and that is a nice setting for my old nogging (or so they say). It is another service that Aramco will be offering its clientele and it is one that is not easily found on the planet a whole new doorway to revenue is opening to Aramco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Have a great day this Tuesday, Wednesday is still 5 hour away from me and New Zealand gets there in two hours.

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, IT, Media, Science

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 19, 2026 · 00:08

Right out of the left field

I had a mind blast a few hours ago and I don’t know what got me to this. Well I kinda do, but I was not giving it much thought. So as I was enjoying a few moments (a moment is an hour) on YouTube, I saw a video about the Epic Universe, which until President Trump decided to go the way of the Dodo, it was my ultimate intent to spend a vacation in Epic Universe, but as things are, there is no way I am going there in the next decade (optionally the rest of my life). Now my mind is set to the theme park world of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. So as I saw the YouTube video I suddenly had an idea. This is not something I can do, but after all the idiocy settings of HR people relying on AI settings. It struck to me that these people could use a ‘simulator’ several settings from stores to amusement parks. 

So consider that HR is set to a skill level as it tends to be, but how do you hire? What triggers are you considering? That is the stage of the simulator. You are given a pool of people and the DML/LLM of that system creates the letters, the person goes through them and selects their top 5 or top 10. Then the interview and from there you get 2-3 that go through the final round. Just like your average job setting. So, as you go through the settings of HR, the simulator gives you a rank, but more importantly it shows HR what staff needs additional training. So this would be an actual simulator to improve the HR setting of a company. 

And believe me, I have seen my shares of flaky scammers (so, not HR), HR that flatly deny you, and those who seem to believe that a new starter requires 5-10 years of expertise. There are all kinds of HR and as I see it, when the AI bubble bursts, whomever will be unable to hire the right people, will go under in that AI bubble and they will not be heard of again. The setting is that the truth of the matter is that any firm will need the right people. Who that is tends to be up to HR, but how to get them seems to be unclear. As such my mind came up with the simulator setting. Based on a pool of people with DML/LLM letters so to get a mingle of types as the simulator expands into construction, retail, consultancy we will see a while range of options and there is no immediate release. To add the styles and settings will take time, but consider that the United States has approximately 36.2 million businesses and the European Union has approximately 33.5 million active enterprises across its business economy. That is a pool of almost 70 million potential customers, the retail sector is still a lot less, but it is a start and when the simulator gets the power it needs to get, the simulator gets the finance and attention to grow into something serious. So, it was just an idea and if a dedicated IT HR programmer is out there, this idea is for you. I am not getting involved in a work I have seemingly no clue about.

Anyway, that was the idea I had today, I reckon that it could use the setting of localization down the road, especially with over a billion people in India, but as I see it, the USA and EU are a decent first bet. Have a great day.

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, Gaming, IT

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 18, 2026 · 08:27

The new presiding solution

The mess we inherited is not one we asked for, whilst the dumbo’s of the World (all sitting in Washington DC) give us through the BBC (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0p4y9y48xo) ‘Trump warns ‘clock is ticking’ for Iran as peace progress stalls’ with the ‘threatening’ setting we are given through “They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” We are also given that Iran is attacking Saudi Arabia and the UAE again and the Middle East Monitor (at https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260517-saudi-arabia-is-pulling-europe-toward-a-gulf-helsinki-deal-with-iran-because-washington-failed/) ‘Saudi Arabia is pulling Europe toward a “Gulf Helsinki” deal with Iran — because Washington failed’ where we see the words of Tamer Ajrami giving us “I said clearly that Gulf states “have nothing but to talk to Iran now”. That was not idealism or goodwill. It was hard security math: the old formula is eroding. Bases do not protect the way people assumed, and guarantees shrink the moment they face a real test. Today, this is no longer an argument. It is a reality driven by markets before politics.” In an article that gives us “According to Western reporting, Saudi Arabia is floating something close to a “Gulf Helsinki Act” arrangement with Iran—modeled on the Helsinki process of the mid-1970s during the Cold War. It would not be just a Saudi–Iran deal. It would extend to the Gulf and the European Union, aiming to lock in non-aggression, structured economic normalization, and monitoring and implementation mechanisms.” So, as I personally see it, whilst President Trump is acting like the pussy he likes to grab. He made that statement in September 2005 on some tour. So whilst America is kept holding the bag, the entire economic and political setting comes in the hands of Europe and it is based on a proposed regional non-aggression and security framework initiated by Saudi Arabia, drawing inspiration from the 1975 Cold War-era Helsinki Accords. So this example is half a century old and still what would some call the stuff of legends and others will refer to it as an example that the United States could have used to further their own needs. But instead they pissed off the Persian bully and facing an American bully they both did what they do best (read: shout incriminations and attack the people around them). I am happy that I gave my solution to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE (to destroy their infrastructure without resorting to heavy bombings, but the effect would have been equally devastating. A presented a recap in ‘In Summary’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2026/03/23/in-summary/) giving the total view (to some extent) where Iran’s infrastructure goes ‘Bye bye’.

But in all this Tamer Ajrami gives us “A Gulf–EU–Iran non-aggression arrangement without the United States creates a dangerous gap: the Gulf and Europe commit to non-aggression, Iran commits too, but Washington and Israel still retain the ability to strike Iran. What does the agreement do then? Does it become a nice document that collapses at the first air raid?” There is a simple (or simpler) setting. You see, Iran merely needs to leave the Gulf States alone, if it still attacks Europe would be faced to escalate actions against Iran and perhaps that would also shut down any Russian escalations we se towards Europe, because if it sees the damaging outcome of even one European strike Russia hopes to be wearing brown pants, instead of red pants hiding blood and wounds. But I still like the approach that the UAE had, but Iran made sure that they are not willing to talk peace now that the Barakah nuclear power plant has faced the attack of drones. I reckon that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have had it with Iran, there might no longer be an option to talk. I had the idea on December 14, 2021 when I wrote ‘Keeping my promise, part 1.’ It was a way to meltdown an Iranian nuclear react from the inside (At https://lawlordtobe.com/2021/12/14/keeping-my-promise-part-1/). It came to me as there are two certainties. One it was based on a Russian design and they want it to be implemented ‘exactly’ (for obvious reasons) and the fact that all engineers are struck with laziness, even when innovation might be called for. As such I created this untested solution, I am, after all not a nuclear physicist. Now that Iran attacked a nuclear power plant, I see no restriction to hand Saudi Arabia and the UAE access to this innovative strike in me and when a rector melts down it will be unavailable for work for decades to come. The design came with some warnings as three issues can only be resolved by a nuclear physicist, but its a freebee, so live with it. The setting of all this is that the world tires of Iran and there are over 2 billion people to wish they were somewhere else (not in this world). The time for talks and keeping nice is over. The Barakah attack clearly sets this out. But still  gives us another setting and we see this with “Gulf states and Europe “bypass Washington” in practice. That would mean refusing the use of their airspace and territorial waters for any military or intelligence activity against Iran. And maybe refusing to enforce sanctions that destabilize the region and recreate the Hormuz shock. This is not a small move. It would be a strategic shift.” And as I see it, that strategic shift might be essential as this president is leaving his post (in the very near future) a nation that is about to become insolvent and it will not be able to afford even a Changli Freeman to replace the jeep required to move a general from points A to B. They will not be able to enforce anything, not without the money required for such an action. As I see it, they merely have the annexation of Iran to look forward to (well their bank managers see that as an option). 

So whilst we are given (in the BBC article) “Trump’s message echoed his threat that a “whole civilisation” would die unless Iran agreed to a deal to end the war, shortly before the ceasefire was announced in early April. The president warned earlier this week that truce was on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s demands, labelling them “totally unacceptable”.” It is my view that this will never happen, two bullies agreeing on a thing? I severely doubt it. As such the Gulf–EU–Iran non-aggression arrangement might be the only way out for Iran and at that point the United States and Israel has to halt its actions as well. They would face the larger consequences of both the Commonwealth and Europe if they don’t and I reckon that we will see a light show in Washington DC to keep people looking away from an ex-president running for his life, because that is the setting that comes with insolvency. Their will be no red carpet exit and with his (allegedly) 37% approval rating which seemingly comes through a 100% disapproval rating by Democrats and at least a 50% disapproval rating of Republicans no other option will be left to him and at that point it will take over a decade to mend the bridges President Trump burned between January 20, 2025 and May 1st 2026, that is the impact of what needs fixing and it will take decades to get it fixed, anyone thinking that this will be a done deal in one or two high placed meetings is delusional. 

As I see it, it comes with a new stage, but this is top of mind thinking, there is no data or clear evidence in this. This has never happened before, but a new stage might be forming. It will be a stage where the new power table is set to Commonwealth, Europe and Gulf States. I reckon that the gulf states invited to that table are Saudi Arabia and the UAE. But as I see it, it will be a non-option to both China and Russia, we might not care what Russia thinks in this matter, but China is a different stage. It might not like that new power block to be in place. But that is a though I am merely having. 

To all a great day and my breakfast is now 1800 seconds and 1000 steps away.

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, Law, Media, Military, Politics, Science

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 16, 2026 · 04:54

Applied Directive Never Offering Concern

Nice and mystical, but it is al in the title. The guardian gives us (at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/15/uae-oil-pipeline-strait-of-hormuz-by-2027) ‘UAE to complete second oil pipeline bypassing strait of Hormuz by 2027’ as such, with a year the problem with the strait of Hormuz and posing a setting for Iran, it is taken out of the equation. I admit that it is simpler than digging a trench from Sharjah to the east coast of the UAE, it is simpler and as such I love the idea. We are given “Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, has directed the UAE state oil company to fast-track the previously undisclosed project so that the pipeline can begin carrying oil from the emirates to the port of Fujairah by 2027. The new pipeline is expected to double the UAE’s export capacity via the existing Habshan-Fujairah pipeline which can carry up to 1.8m barrels a day to the port on the Gulf of Oman.” I am considering the idea that optionally expanding that port would give way to a fleet of tankers parking (5-8 ships). It would enable additional options as well, but it is straight out of mind thinking and I have no idea what there is now. There is the setting that these ships might require overhauls, but that is because I have seen the needs of takers in my youth in Rotterdam (predominantly Europoort & Maasvlakte) and I think that similar conditions might be required. So whilst we accept that “The UAE and Saudi Arabia are the only Gulf producers with pipelines that export crude outside the narrow waterway running between Iranian and Omani territory.” The fact that the UAE deleted itself from OPEC opens up other settings, they would have no limits to go though which they apparently had in the past, as such they could release close to their own maximum settings overriding what was previously allowed through OPEC. So, as I see it “Leaving the oil cartel was expected to allow the UAE, the group’s third-largest oil producer, to pump more oil than the group’s future production quotas may allow once the conflict ends and normal trade through the strait of Hormuz resumes.”

There is the idea that this might (I am completely uncertain about this) be paid back in mere months after which that new pipeline will bring in a pretty penny and restores the old prices of oil by 2028/2029. It would be nice to see Iran lose another setting, which they will oppose, but it is out of the waters of Iran, so they don’t get to have a word on this. And as Iran made it a case to bomb the UAE for all it could, it is nice to see them come in last in a race with limited players. 

So whilst we see “The UAE’s departure has laid bare the long-running tensions between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, with the Saudis normally favouring strict production quotas to keep oil prices high enough to support their economic agenda. The exact capacity of the new pipeline has not been disclosed but doubling its existing capacity to 3.6m barrels a day would bring the UAE’s pipeline exports closer to that of Saudi Arabia, which can transport roughly 7m barrels a day from its eastern oilfields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, of which 5m barrels are exported.” And with that Iran will have angered the Arabic nations to another level, because it will dig into the Saudi pennies and they will not accept that lying down. If only they have refrained from bombing the Arabic nations, they might not have gotten themselves into this predicament a clear showing of how limiting the Iranian thinking patterns are. A clear setting that pretty much any oil country could have considered and now we see where that is getting them. For the UAE, who got this project started it means that several advances will get green lighted sooner rather than later. 

So have a great day and consider that the UAE got a solution working in weeks and it is more elegant that my solution of making a canal, so the bulk of tankers don’t have to look at Iran at all. Simplicity itself.

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, Politics, Science

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 15, 2026 · 10:49

Two simple points

I was made aware of two events, one less than 2 hours ago. Both by the CBC, the first one (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/u-s-duties-tariffs-canadian-mushrooms-9.7200052) gives us ‘U.S. to slap tariffs on Canadian mushrooms as growers warn of broader risks for agriculture’ with the byline “U.S. pointing to agricultural tax exemptions as justification for countervailing duties” there is a seemingly wrong stance on this. We are also given “A U.S. Commerce Department fact sheet released this week and shared with CBC by the Canadian Mushroom Growers’ Association says that following an investigation, the U.S. government will be hitting Canadian fresh mushrooms with tariffs of between 1.6 and five per cent. Countervailing duties are slapped on imports judged to be unfairly subsidized. Similar U.S. investigations have resulted in duties on Canadian softwood lumber for decades.” So whilst we see that this is unfair, the article does bring out a few parts that might show that American mushroom growers can see that they are unfairly handled. At this point there is a setting that the US government should intervene. It is also clear that this is not due to the growers, but by clever supermarket entrepreneurs who see tax exemptions to get cheaper goods and I get that they do this, but this trap, which was always a hidden trap, might be blowing up in the faces of all. We then get “CBC news asked Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald’s office for a statement regarding the mushroom duties. A spokesperson pointed CBC News to Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office for comment. LeBlanc’s office deferred to Global Affairs Canada, which has yet to offer a statement. The U.S. also launched a separate investigation which could result in further anti-dumping tariffs on mushrooms later this year.” In this case I would hand the reader: “is this anti-dumping or clever supermarket purchase policies?” There are different angles at looking at the dice that some are playing with. And this almost directly relates to the second article (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/sobeys-loblaw-maple-washing-9.7196767) where we see ‘Sobeys, Loblaw under fire for maple washing, as Sobeys ditches maple leaf symbol in stores’ which is accompanied by “Federal regulator has identified 127 cases of maple washing by retailers since the start of 2025”, the conspiracy theorists will blame American intervention, but I am seeing a place where those purchasing for supermarkets that they are on a sliding scale of disaster and they are choosing to level that sliding scale by a lot. So when we see “More than a year after the Buy Canadian movement took root, grocery giants Loblaw and Sobeys are facing increased scrutiny over “maple washing” the practice of promoting imported goods as homegrown.” And it is where we see “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) slapped two Loblaw-owned stores in January with $10,000 fines each for maple washing, and one month later, two other Loblaw-owned stores got formal warnings for the same violation, CBC News has learned. Sobeys is also on the CFIA’s radar. The federal food regulator told CBC it has received multiple complaints about the grocer and maple washing and has wrapped up an investigation into advertising practices overseen by Sobeys head office.” I am thinking that it is time for a change. It is time for the Commonwealth when not producing their own goods, to buy Canadian /Commonwealth. 

A combines sticker with the flags of Canada, UK, Australia, new Zealand, India, Jamaica (full be honest, I am including Jamaica to complete a set of six). When this purchasing setting is invoked there will be several changes. When we prefer our (near) local produce over American produce, there will be a change in several ways and as I see it, the supermarkets can either adapt or go under. Canada did not start this war, but with the help of the Commonwealth it can finish it. And for those having stock in Sobeys and Loblaw can either sell whatever stock they have or lose a massive amount of money. When the bulk of the Canadians walk away from these two brands, these brands will feel the hurt of no sales really quickly. Some will debate that America started all this and as such they should pay and I am not deaf to that premise, but these two providers set the change in motion and that should not be rewarded either. 

As such we have options and I reckon that if the UK, Australia and New Zealand follow Canada in taking American alcohol off the shelves the impact will be seen to a much larger extent. And it benefits the Commonwealth too, Gin from UK, Whiskey from UK and Canada, Rum from Australia, and there are a few combinations that will give the Commonwealth the investment in their own products. I reckon that it will take less than a year for over a 100 brands to fall into receivership. Good idea from this US administration to cry ‘America First’ so when that implode on their plates we can move on towards cars and a few other items. There is great satisfaction in this, but there is another setting. The stage where we see that there is justice in anti-dumping tariffs and the United States has a valid point in protecting its home made produce and these two articles do not bear this out. But that might be my view on the matter. What does matter is that these two articles show that Canada is sailing a narrow margin boat across heavy waves and there will be enough casualties on both sides of the border to consider that there needs to be another way. Because that is seemingly overlooked and perhaps these two points are not as simple as they seem because there are several issues in play.

Have a great day.

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, Law, Media, Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 13, 2026 · 15:11

A yellow cap

That is the setting and whether you call it a yellow cap or a golden dome is up to you, but beware, a simple top of mind gives this a weird setting. CBC gives us (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/golden-dome-trump-cbo-cost-estimate-9.7196982) ‘Budget office estimates Trump’s proposed Golden Dome will have trillion-dollar price tag over 20-year period’ and I thought that this was another bleak idea (right along the Trump Gold Card, which apparently is a huge failure with one sell, which was allegedly given as a present) and that was it for me, but then the CBC gives me the one line that opens the debate. 

It was “Somewhat inspired by Israeli defences”, so you think that changing the name from Iron to Golden does the trick? Consider the implications. It works for Israel as it is roughly the size of New Jersey. Consider Texas, that state with Netflix issues (see yesterdays blog) is 10 times the size of New Jersey. It could be attacked from the south by Mexico border, the SouthEast amphibious/Cuba, West/North via Cruise missiles and then we get that Israel is mostly like minded, in the United States the threat of Asymmetric/Internal Threats is decently real. And this is merely one state. As I see it, Texas, Florida, California, Washington State, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia sets a new chapter all together. My (massively inaccurate) setting throws the amount between $3 trillion and $5 trillion and that is when the massive write offs happen, an economy that cannot afford anywhere near that amount. As such that $1 trillion over 20 years will need critical investigations. The setting is simple. Consider that the Israel can fit into the United States 465 times (approximately) and now consider that the Iron Dome is set to United States parameters and not made out of gold (pewter is more like it), that equation doesn’t even get close to do its work when we see the impact on what the Iron Dome would need to do in the United States. I think I am merciful when I think it s a mere 3-5 trillion that bill might be significantly larger. So when we see “The U.S. Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground and space-based capabilities able to detect, intercept and stop missiles at all major stages of a potential attack. Congress has already approved roughly $24 billion US for the missile defence initiative through Republicans’ massive tax and spending measure signed into law last summer.” As such the ability to detect might require an upgrade (an idea that the movie a house of dynamite (2025) gave me). And that is merely attacks from missiles. The setting that the United States faces through asymmetric sets these detection methods on lose wheels. That all requires manpower, construction and a few more kinks can show up. The cyber settings will become almost humongous and for the most they cannot predict what is next, some can’t see what is a threat now, but that is a different story. As I see it, Israel has had decades to create the iron dome settings and they did it will, but to apply this to a nation the size of the United States is rather ludicrous, on a side note, Canada would equally be unable to deploy a system like that, the cost alone would cripple the Canadian economy, only so that “The Boss” can sleep safely at night? Good luck with that idea. 

As such I have no idea what gave the Pentagon (or related people) the idea that this is a workable idea? I get that the united States might want to upgrade its defenses, but to throw it at a gimmick that has no foundation on reality is as I personally see it beyond silly. 

So whilst the article ends with “Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, who requested the estimate from the CBO, said in response to the report that the missile defence project is “nothing more than a massive giveaway to defence contractors paid for entirely by working Americans.” Last May, the president said the Golden Dome would cost $175 billion US. The CBO last year estimated that just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost as much as $542 billion US over the next 20 years.” I seem to be on the side of Senator Jeff Merkley because it is as I see it more than a massive giveaway to defence contractors. It requires a lot more and it would requires military technicians and a massive monitoring issue on all these missiles and observation posts, Then you get exclude zones for these places and even as some will be the same, it might require a lot more and that is where the shoes become too uncomfortable to wear. As I see it, it requires a total overhaul of a system that was decent to begin with, which will make it prone to overhaul issues and the cyber nightmare that follows to overhaul it all is merely the beginning. There are a few more issues where I have no knowledge, as such I will not know all the issues but when I look at this from the ground at a distance, there is no way that $1 trillion will cover that and as such someone needs to take a critical look at this and I wonder what pentagon involvement was handed to the CBO in this. Just a thought to entertain. Well that is that from me, I will continue tonight on a better fairy tale, one that will grant Abu Dhabi TV the option to give muslim channels a desire to connect to Abu Dhabi TV channels. I can make fairy tales too, I merely hand them to the audiences to gasp at, no fear needed. Merely good feelings. Have a great day.

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, Media, Military, Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 12, 2026 · 23:56

Who’s watching who

It was initially the BBC who alerted me to this (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c072dvv1rmro) where we see ‘Texas accuses Netflix of spying on users, including children’ and I got curious, because it is not a issue with the United States, it isn’t even global, it is just Texas. The story kicks off with “Netflix has been sued in Texas over claims it collects data belonging to children and adults in the US state without their consent, and uses “addictive” design to keep them hooked. accused the streaming giant of “spying” on citizens saying it “records and monetizes billions” of pieces of information about how users behave on the platform, despite suggesting otherwise.” It gave me a few questions (just a few) and it starts of here with the questions “How does one record and monetise billions?”, as well as “What exactly is “addictive” design?” You see, to the best off my knowledge you sign up and you get Netflix (that is how we do that in Australia) and perhaps there are better ways to do this, but that is what it is and it is still better then Disney+ (in regards to able the watchers). I have never seen the Mandalorian of BlueRay, or several other Disney+ hits. I get that they want to get a lead but Season 1 and 2 cannot be bought in Australia, why not? This is not about Disney+ but Netflix offers several seasons most TV shows on BlueRay, as such it is neither monetizing or creating an addictive design (as I personally see it), but perhaps Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton could clearly elaborate? The story goes into (or towards) “the company also began “leveraging the mountains of data it quietly extracted from the children and families it kept fixated on their screen” – sharing this with commercial data brokers to help raise billions of dollars in revenue.” This leads to another question, “How does one keep others fixated on their screen?”, You pay one amount for monthly subscription, regardless of the time. There is a cheaper option with advertisements. But it beckons the question, how do you keep people fixated? As such the prices are:

  • Standard with Ads: AU$9.99/month
  • Standard: AU$20.99/month


So, the customer has an option to pay $11 more, how is this monetizing? And don’t forget that advertising was added to make it cheaper for some. And then the fixation on the screen? How is that done exactly? 

So then we get to Politico who (at https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/11/netflix-sued-by-texas-ag-for-alleged-surveillance-addictive-features-00915029) gives us ‘Netflix sued by Texas AG for alleged surveillance, addictive features’ where we see “It adds that the company tracks and logs viewing habits, location and virtually every interaction on the platform — keyword searches, pausing or fast-forwarding and more — which it then uses to build consumer profiles that earn the company billions.” So, as I see it, a person (me) searches for a title or an actor or actress. Seems pretty common in Netflix settings. I search for Olivia Wilde and see what they have with her in it, same that I look for Dwayne Johnson and see what movies with him are on Netflix. How exactly is this odd, or non trackable? If 275,000 people seek either, there is a chance that Netflix sees what they can add to their stable. This is a movie channel. Perhaps Ken Paxton took offense to the 132 searches for Melania Trump and Netflix sees a reason why not to spend money on it? Although you can watch it on Amazon and it is rated 1.6/10 (over 68000 votes). These two articles are making me wonder what this suit is all about, because as far as I can tell this case has no merit. Perhaps Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton needs the limelight for something, is it election year in Texas? As far as I can see (optionally not a correct view) is that Paxton announced in April 2025 that he would run for the United States Senate in the 2026 election, challenging incumbent senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary and in the runoff. So is he gaining free ‘advertisement’ through Netflix? It is merely a speculation from my side, but the timeline seems to fit. As such we need to see what Ken Paxton does next and if he gives us any clarity on his claims. There is also the fact that it is the subscriber that gives the connection to a household and the subscribers to Netflix must be at least 18 years old. So how does one see what the age of the watcher is in that household? Perhaps he has a setting for profiling? Like only women and oldest daughters watch ‘Sex in the city’? Only children watch Ponyo? Your guess is as good as mine and I am here clueless. But perhaps there are journalists who will ask the hard questions. Have a great day.

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, IT, Law, movies, Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 12, 2026 · 00:23

They have what?

Yes, that is the news we get mere hours ago ‘Aramco and stc to deploy supercomputer in Saudi Arabia’, these puppies do not grow on trees and there aren’t many of them. It’s almost the same as a country is added to the nuclear arsenal. A supercomputer is a big deal and in this case it will increase the computing abilities for over 700%, that is a lot and Aramco is seemingly sharing that ability with the stc (Saudi Telecom Company) and it isn’t entirely unexpected as we were told that this would happen in the end of March. Where we saw “solutions by stc had signed a SAR 1.4 billion (~ US$ 372 million) agreement with Saudi Aramco to provide advanced high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure to support operations in the energy exploration and production sector.” And here we see that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking data exploration in the energy sector very seriously and it would enable growth of this sector could enable this US$ 372 million investment in a return of billions annually. As the expression goes it will have an interesting return on investment and I reckon that this also goes for the Saudi Telecom sector and this could assist the Kingdom in all manners from large to small. It is the benefit of having your own supercomputer and it is apparently not the first one, they already have 7, as such in the ‘rankings’ of these bad boys the Kingdom would increase to a 12th position on the global ranking list. They won’t outdo the United States who allegedly has 171 of these data devourers, but that is still a standing that will help Saudi Arabia to crunch a whole range of numbers and I reckon that it is one of the very few in the energy sector, as such they will likely have a massive advantage, because as they have had a stable partnership with IBM, they will soon have the means to crush decades of data in mere minutes. It also beckons the thought of what benefits it could bring to the stc, as data mining in the telecom groups is pretty novel. Yes, we get that telecom groups (globally) use supercomputers to see how their investment holds, but there aren’t many to have direct access to one. The top500 list doesn’t specify what or how they are used, but with Saudi Arabia soon in 12th position, they likely have a few options they dod not have before and to get the output of data crunches in no more than minutes is the beginning of a few settings that have strategic benefits and as I see it, their exploration of a muslim customer base in the surrounding African nations will reap benefits for stc as well. To get the output of ‘What can we do now’ not set in weeks, or even days but in mere hours (creating the dashboard is likely to most intense part here) is not to be overlooked. I reckon that overseeing the refinery benefits now for Aramco will be the first expected setting, because that is where a mere 4 billion per percentage increase is seen and that system (aka doohickey) will enable this with all the data it has access to in mere minutes. So, the upcoming OPEC Monthly Reports should no later then December 14th this year be showing us all a nice upgrade of the abilities of Aramco. An advantage like that will stir the emotions of places like Wall Street nicely and whilst some will trivialize what this will contain, the setting of decades of IBM data and the computer power that is added leave me with no worry of what Aramco could be achieving in 2026. 

Have a great day, it Tuesday now for me now, so enjoy whatever day you are in (only New Zealand is ahead of me in time). 

Leave a comment

Filed under Finance, IT, Media, Science

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,