Film: Odyssey

Version 1: Fri, Sep 4, 2026

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By Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Head of Odysseus wearing a pileus depicted on a 3rd-century BC coin from Ithaca / Thunderbolt within wreath, 300-191 BC. Æ 18mm (3.48 g).

LLM: The First Agent Problem

Version 1: Fri, Aug 28, 2026

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By Zirguezi - Own work, CC0, Link

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Prompt:

Consider a small European country, with a highly educated prime minister. Nothing lasts forever as they say, so the PM plans for his future when he at some point loses power. So he adopts policies that do not necessarily help his country but increase his profile with international organizations such the European Union, WEF, various think tanks, or UN-related agencies. Would that be a case of the so called “First Agent Problem”?

LLM: Land and expand by Palantir and Oracle in UK

Version 1: Thu, Aug 13, 2026

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By Łukasz Nurczyński - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

A model of Roman fort Deva Victrix (c. 3rd century CE) at the Grosvenor Museum, Chester.

The Roman army was if not the originator, clearly an early adopter of the “land and expand” military strategy.

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Continuing our exploration of American big tech’s influence in European economy and politics. This time taking a closer look at the “land and expand” business strategy applied in UK with the help of two LLMs, one from US, the other from China.

Techno Update: i2 v. Palantir

Version 1: Fri, Aug 7, 2026

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By Palantir - https://www.palantir.com/, Public Domain, Link

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In a recent post I speculated that Palantir may be involved in industrial espionage and that is one of the reasons that may explain the Spanish government’s decision.

Techno Update - Palantir Problems in Spain

Version 1: Thu, July 30, 2026

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Official portrait of Pedro Sánchez in February 2026 - By Ministry of the Presidency. Government of Spain, Attribution, Link

Earlier this year the government of Spain directed a number of companies backed by SEPI, a state-owned holding company, not to sign new contracts with Palantir.

Among the companies involved the following have significant present in Latin America:

Country	Business Activity
Telefonica	Brazil
Navantia	Brazil, Chile
Indra	Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Colombia

The decision by the government in Spain follows similar decisions in France, Germany and as we have posted recently in Switzerland.

East Med Update - Pivot to Israel

Version 2: Thu, Jun 23, 2026

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Benjamin Netanyahu and George Papandreou on a cruise near the isle of Poros, 17 August 2010, photo via Flickr CC - Source: besacenter.org

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Must read recent article on The Cradle: (Athanasiadis 2026) on the evolving Greek and Israeli foreign relationship and the repercussions for the whole region.

What follows is additional information and my occasionally suggestive comments.

Techno Update - Palantir's Swiss Rebuff

Version 1: Fri, Jul 10, 2026

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By Palantir - https://www.palantir.com/, Public Domain, Link

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The Republik-WAV investigation

Online magaazine and the WAV research collective invetigated for about a year the Palantir efforts to get a contract in Switzerland.