Popcorn Creativity

 For the new sequel of Dune, they are giving out special popcorn containers shaped like the mouth of a fictional sandworm.

I like the idea.

I am happy: It is worse in San Francisco

This New York Times article allows me to compare the working conditions of San Francisco California, with my own environment in Israel. There it takes 523 days on average to receive a first tentative approval and then another 605 to receive the building permit (= היתר בנייה).

On average, in Israel, it takes 50% less time,  although there are famous cases where it took ten years and the desperate architect was sent to jail on suspicion of bribing the bureaucrats to advance the project. 

War on open sea

CAIRO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthis said on Wednesday that they targeted a number of U.S. warships with ballistic missiles in the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab while they were protecting two U.S. commercial vessels.

The "clash" led to a U.S. warship being directly hit and forced the two commercial vessels "to withdraw and return," the Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement.

This attack seems to me very important. A direct attack on an American warship in open sea.  Another war. We have entered a new era where every barefooted famished religious fanatic can provoke a world power.

Big MIss

 Apparently, I have a meeting in Gadera today but I was not aware of it and am not going. End of a good client relationship. I slept too much yesterday and am dazed.

New project

 

I have much work waiting to be done. 

Flying Spider Catches Drones

 

An innovative defense flying robot spreads out a net to catch enemy drones. It is being used by the IDF. Seems a good idea. 

The Long War

 Rainy and cold outside. I have the flu and slept till midday. Trying to do some urgent work but my mind is not clear and "לא בא לי " as Gefen said yesterday. ICL is down and The Marker explains its problems: Russian and Bielorussian competition, flooding the markets, and the Yemeni pirates, endangering the maritime route to the markets. In addition, it appears that Israel's credit rating will be downgraded, damaging the economy as a whole. This Gaza war is depressing, and there is no happy end in view.