limitness

Every excess masks an absence.

Author

Micael Balioni
June 26, 2025

THE MUSTS

World

things are getting heated… (and I’m not talking about global warming)

Trump orders historic offensive against Iran

I know you've heard about this, but I thought it was important to explain it properly. Last Saturday, the United States launched the largest military offensive against Iran since 1979.

  • Operation Midnight Hammer mobilized 125 aircraft, including 7 B-2 stealth bombers, as well as submarines and fighter jets in support.

The target: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, pillars of Iran's atomic program, which concentrate the country's uranium enrichment program. At Fordow, the presence of radioactive material with a purity of 83.7% has already been proven - close to the 90% needed to produce a nuclear bomb.

  • The attack began when two groups of B-2s took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Part of the aircraft headed in the opposite direction, towards Guam Air Force Base in the Pacific - a deliberate strategy to serve as a decoy, confusing Iran's intelligence and defense systems.

  • Meanwhile, the real group crossed the Atlantic in absolute silence, with minimal communications and refueling in the air, in a 37-hour non-stop journey - all as if it were a real-life Top Gun Maverick (or so I imagine, since I’ve never watched that movie).

At around 6.40pm on Saturday (US time), GBU-57 anti-bunker bombs - capable of penetrating up to 60 meters of concrete or 200 meters of earth - were dropped on Fordow, Iran's most protected facility. See a more detailed explanation here.

Almost simultaneously, Tomahawk missiles fired from submarines hit targets in Isfahan, while other bombers targeted Natanz.

Satellite images reveal gigantic craters, collapsed structures and entrances blocked by tons of rubble. There is still no clarity on the internal damage, but the US considered the operation a success.

Trump's and the US government's words

Hours after announcing the attack on his social networks, the US president classified the action as “a precision, necessary and surgical strike”, saying that the aim was to “neutralize Iran's nuclear capability and stop its escalation into terrorism”.

❝

"Either there will be peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran. Today was the most difficult day, perhaps the most lethal. But if peace doesn't come soon, we will keep attacking."

Donald Trump

What really matters here?

The entry of the United States into the war confirms an alliance that had already been foreseen, but had not yet been made official - just like when someone deletes grindr and two weeks later appears engaged.

  • By attacking Iran, Trump is sending a message to the world that Israel is not alone, putting its military force at the disposal of the conflict, and this is especially reverberating in two of Iran's allies: China and Russia.

Understand that: China is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil and Russia sees the country as a useful partner in the region to weaken the presence of the US and NATO. It's almost an alliance against American “Western domination”. If you mess with one, you mess with all - which is exactly why you may have heard of World War III.

Okay, but how does that affect my life now? Your physical integrity hasn't been compromised yet, but that of the Americans has. State TV announced that “every American citizen or military person in the region is now a legitimate target”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi declared that the US had “crossed an unprecedented red line”. New York and Los Angeles are already on alert for attacks.

The first Iranian retaliation will be to close the Strait of Hormuz, which holds 30% of all the oil traded in the world (!!!). Oil has already risen by around 2% to US$ 78-80/barrel, its highest level in five months.

If this channel is blocked, we could be facing a global recession almost immediately. yey!

Finally, how has the world reacted to the attack? 🌍

  • United Kingdom: Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared support for the attack, but called for restraint. He said that Iran's nuclear programme “represents a global threat”, but advocated “an urgent diplomatic solution to stabilize the region”.

  • Russia: Putin called the attack a “violation of international law” and warned that “some countries are willing to supply Iran with nuclear weapons”, in an unprecedented escalation of rhetoric.

  • China: The Asian country condemned the action, calling it a “serious violation of Iranian sovereignty”. Chinese diplomacy has called for an immediate ceasefire and called on the parties to go to the UN.

  • European Union: Foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas made a dramatic plea for restraint: "We are one step away from an all-out war in the Middle East. Get back to the negotiating table immediately."


    Update: Iran and Israel have confirmed the end of the war in the Middle East, one day after Trump's announcement on social media. The conflict, which lasted 12 days and left at least 610 dead in Iran and 28 in Israel, involved direct attacks between the two countries - something unheard of until then. Even so, I’ve spend a lot of time preparing this text - so you better read it 😉 

 

Economy & Business

ownership è essere sempre reperibile?

Employees are imprisoned in an ‘infinite workday’

Workdays once had a defined beginning and end. But, much like a bad first date or a boring card game at a party, workdays are increasingly stretching on forever, per the latest data from Microsoft’s Work Trend Index Special Report.

The “infinite workday,” as Microsoft calls it, began as an anomaly with the rise of remote work during the pandemic but has since become the norm for many who are unable to disconnect completely. Microsoft made the observation after parsing “trillions” of data points across its Microsoft 365 products.

Brace for the soul-crushing numbers:

  • Early mornings: Microsoft used telemetry to determine that 40% of people online at 6am are checking work email instead of hitting the snooze. Meanwhile, Teams becomes the primary communication platform within the Microsoft environment by 8am, with workers receiving an average of 153 messages per weekday.

  • Midday: Half of meetings take place between 9am and 11am and 1pm and 3pm, right when people are at their most productive (due to circadian rhythms). And 57% of meetings occur without a calendar invite, while 1 in 10 are booked last minute.

  • Evenings/weekends: Meetings after 8pm are up 16% over last year, and the average employee sends or receives more than 50 emails outside of regular business hours. On weekends, ~20% of employees check work email before noon.

Got a minute? This might be the most staggering detail from the report: Employees using Microsoft 365 are interrupted by a meeting, email, or notification every two minutes during “core business hours,” and that doesn’t even include your coworker swinging by your desk to tell you about their fantasy football team.

AI could help (and also hurt). The report concludes that using AI for menial tasks will free humans to focus on more important aspects of their jobs. But as Forbes notes, if AI is only freeing people for more assignments, a healthy work-life balance will remain out of reach.

What else is on:

  • Either die an ad-free hero or live long enough to see yourself become like Instagram: Meta is bringing paid advertising and subscriptions to the world’s most popular messaging platform, Whatsapp. (Read)

  • Detachment 201: The nerds go to war. Some of Silicon Valley's top CTOs were invited bt the Pentagon to create a kind of Executive Innovation Army and bring the expertise of the private sector to the Armed Forces. (Read)

  • Bitcoin has become an institutional collector's item. Bitcoin seems to be turning into gold - and the big players want to secure their piece before it runs out. A recent study showed that by 2026, 20% of all Bitcoin in the world should be in the hands of institutional investors. (Read)

 

Technology & Science

Alpha - omega - beta

A school has replaced all its teachers with AI

Gone are the days of trying to flirt with our teachers (or was it just me?). Alpha School, a private school in Texas, has decided to create a new teaching model, with AI tutors.

How it works: Each student has lessons with an artificial intelligence that acts as a personal tutor. Depending on each student's performance, the program creates a personalized study plan, suggesting content and exercises in real time.

  • The result? Its students were among the 2% with the best academic performance in the United States, with scores above the state and national averages on the SAT.

The practice is already spreading to other countries... In the United Arab Emirates, the use of AI in the classroom is already compulsory, as it is in China.

On the other hand: Critics say that the use of artificial intelligence can steal data and collect information, and that many teachers are afraid of losing their place in the job market.

Personal Opinion: I find it truly fascinating that while humanity has advanced so significantly in countless fields, our educational model has remained largely unchanged for centuries. The structure of schools, the subjects we teach, and the methods we use to learn are still rooted in an outdated system. Exploring more personalized approaches that adapt to each student’s individual performance could offer a meaningful solution. Of course, no AI will ever replace the irreplaceable role of a teacher — not only as an educator, but as a guide in values, empathy, and social development.

Zoom out: Last year, the EdTech market was valued at US$ 163 billion, and is expected to reach almost US$ 550 billion by 2033.

What else is on:

  • People demand slower AI development: A new Axios-Harris poll found 77% of Americans want companies to develop AI slowly to get it right, rejecting the tech industry’s rush mentality. Even Gen Z (74%) favors caution over speed from leaders like Google and Meta. (Read)

  • The United Arab Emirates becomes the first country in the world to offer free access to ChatGPT Plus to the entire population. The idea is to democratize the use of AI for students, health professionals, entrepreneurs... everyone with access to the most advanced version of ChatGPT. (Read)

  • Apple tested if AI can truly “reason” — and found a breaking point: While models that mimic step-by-step thinking do better at medium tasks, they collapse under complexity. The harder the puzzle, the less effort the AI puts in — raising big questions about how “intelligent” these systems really are. (Read)

     

     

     

EDITOR’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Music

we go to Lake Como and we take over a chateau

 Princess of Power by Marina: With Princess of Power, Marina steps back into the spotlight as a fully evolved character in her own glitter-soaked narrative — somewhere between high-concept diva and self-aware heroine. After years of a more introspective, minimal pop journey, this album feels like her putting on heels again, blasting disco through a diamond-studded speaker, and choosing joy, power, and a little bit of chaos.

  • From the opening lines of the title track — “I’ve been living life locked up in a tower / But now I’m blooming like a flower” — it’s clear this is a project about reclamation. She’s embracing femininity in all its contradictions: softness and strength, vanity and vulnerability, camp and clarity. And she’s doing it through a vibrant, unapologetically Eurodisco sound that channels ABBA, early Gaga, late Madonna, and Kylie at her most euphoric.

The production is tight and maximalist — think soaring synths, pulsing beats, and glittery textures that feel made for both dancefloors and daydreams.

 “Everybody Knows I’m Sad” and “Adult Girl” offer glimpses into her quieter thoughts — on aging, loneliness, and identity. And it’s this emotional duality that makes Marina, well, Marina. She’s always been an artist who pairs big pop moments with big feelings, and Princess of Power continues that tradition.

Is it her most lyrically profound work? Maybe not. At times, the themes feel more like archetypes than deeply mined truths. But honestly, that seems intentional. This isn’t about being raw — it’s about performance as a kind of honesty.

 More than anything, Princess of Power sounds like an artist genuinely enjoying herself again. And there’s something powerful — and kind of radical — about that. (Rating 8/10)

 

WHAT ABOUT ME?

Micael

quem aqui estudou limite na faculdade?

 

I’ve always had a hard time with the concept of limits. I never liked feeling restricted by anything — physical barriers, geographical distance, financial constraints, or even my own intellectual capacity. In every area of my life, I’ve tried to push past whatever boundary was placed in front of me.

But lately, life keeps reminding me of a simple and unavoidable truth: We are limited beings. Our bodies, our minds, our emotions — they all have thresholds. And when we pretend those limits don’t exist, there’s always a price to pay.

Sure, some people go through life never pushing themselves, staying well within their comfort zones, always doing the bare minimum. This reflection isn’t for you, love. I’m talking to the ones who are always stretching the rope a little further, who don’t know when to stop, who always want to give more — until it’s too much.

For a long time, I saw limits as something negative — walls that kept me from going further. But lately, I’ve started to see that limits are actually what give shape to life. They’re not barriers. They’re structure. And structure protects you. It holds you in place when everything else is moving.

  • When you don’t honor your limits, life starts to feel like it’s swallowing you. You get irritable for no reason, constantly exhausted, and weighed down by that familiar feeling of “nothing I do is ever enough.” That one, I know too well. Your inner battery feels drained no matter how much you sleep or rest.

  • Then there’s the emotional side: the emptiness that creeps in when you’re living on autopilot — something I’ve written about here before.

That’s when the big question shows up: How do you set limits without feeling selfish (when it comes to others) or lazy (when it comes to yourself)? It’s so easy to fall into guilt — for saying “no,” for stepping back, for choosing rest. Or the opposite: to feel shame that maybe you're not giving your all. What I’ve been learning lately is that

❝


Setting limits isn’t an act of rejection — it’s an act of respect.

Respect for yourself, first. And then respect for others. Because when you’re clear about your limits, you’re also clear about your expectations. And that clarity protects everyone. It avoids confusion, resentment, and burnout.

Over time, I’ve started to see that creating space for yourself — to breathe, to pause, to say “not today” — is one of the kindest things you can do. Limits aren’t the enemy of growth. They make sustainable growth possible. They’re a form of self-care. And that’s really the message I wanted to share today.

And when it comes to others: People only take up the space you allow them to. Protect yours.

With love,
Micael.

 

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