rjshae

Now that Lex Imperialis is out, I'm going in for a replay of Rogue Trader. I was going to hold off until the hot fix patch storm eased up a bit, but what the hey? The mass of special abilities are still as obtuse as ever, making me wonder how much of those have they actually verified.

This is what you get.

The situation isn't directly comparable. During the Cold War, the US and Germany had a powerful opponent in common. At present, that may no longer be the case. The change in interests can (and probably will) lead to a divergence of political motivations.

You can still blame colonialism for establishing borders that cause conflicts.

German now plans to build the largest armed forces in Europe by 2031. When was the last time that happened? 1933. Thanks Trumpf.

Defense Department will stop providing crucial satellite weather data So, yeah, that's an actual thing now. I have no idea why they would do that. The Defense Department doesn't want to defend the country from Hurricanes? I suppose it could be related to some sort of climate change issue.

The Bond films can be fun popcorn movies, although most are politically dated at this point. As spy films though, they are too over the top. Except, perhaps, for Casino Royale.

Well a swift kick in the nether regions for implying the need for violence.

Yes I did enjoy Mr. Robot and Fargo. Although I'm not fond of crime series, non-procedural detective series can be fun to watch. In the case of X-Files, I only watched it long after the series had run its course, so for me it feels more recent. Shogun was excellent, but I'm not sure I'd watch it again. Another series I just remembered was Legion, which I'll add to my list.

I decided to put together a list of my favorite series over the last decade or so to see what else might fall into the same pot. In no particular order: Fringe The X Files Firefly Picard* Psycho-Pass* Cowboy Bebop Person of Interest Dollhouse Orphan Black Handmaid's Tale Andor* The Walking Dead The Good Wife ER Deadwood Hell on Wheels *Recently watched or still watching. For some reason I seem to like female protagonists, usually in some mix of sci-fi, western, or medical drama. I no longer enjoy procedurals, crime shows, or musicals. Any suggestions for future viewing?

New York city just implemented a ranked choice voting system. Hurray! Meanwhile, via ranked choice, the Democratic party appears to have selected their NY mayoral candidate: Zohran Mamdani, beating out Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani's a muslim socialist Indian American. The MAGA party is freaking out. This ought to be "interesting".

To quote Mad Magazine, "What, me worry?" His mental health issues drive him to get attention, which he gains through persistent outrageous behavior. At this point I think it's a mistake to expect more logical, less foolish thinking; that just isn't in his mental state.

It's entirely possible that the sites were engineered with these deep penetrating weapons in mind, and we don't know the engineering that went into their interiors. Yes, DJT says a lot of foolish things. If it weren't so serious, he'd be entertaining. Like a class clown looking for attention.

Another 4th dimensional chess move, no doubt. 🙄

Iran hasn't played its trump card of shutting down the Straits of Hormuz yet, so I don't think they're desperate. If they still retain their 60% enriched uranium and most of their centrifuges, then it's possible they could build up to 5-8 nukes in as little as a year. Presumably that's why Israel went after their nuclear scientists; to try and prevent that outcome. Iran's Nuclear Timetable: The Weapon Potential (2025)

I'm skeptical that the USA accomplished Trump's goals with Iran. Yes we bombed some underground facilities. Did we eliminate the enriched materials or their stock of centrifuges? There's no way to know without on-site inspection. At best we probably delayed them for a period of time, but the threat hasn't been eliminated. Now Iran is incentivized to proceed with the assembly of more than one nuclear weapon. I suppose we'll find out the truth during their first live test.

I've been enjoying the cyberpunk series Psycho-Pass. The theme reminds me of Minority Report, although the method of detecting latent criminals is thus far unspecified. It might even make for a decent live-action series. But the cost would probably be too high.

Military conflict tends to unify the country (USA), but I'm not sure that's possible under this President. I suppose it depends on how Iran retaliates.

Future holiday proposals: National pizza day -- celebrating Italian immigrants National donut day -- celebrating Home Simpson National taco day -- celebrating Latin immigrants National fish and chips day -- celebrating Anglican immigrants National French bread day -- bon jour

Trump speaks after US strikes Iranian nuclear sites Looks like it's not taco time. I guess now we wait to see how Iran retaliates.

I think if we end up with a single source that supplies only what you want to watch, then we'll then have to worry about monopolistic tendencies from the supplier. I.e. sure we can watch anything, but at a higher cost. Also, with a monopoly, there's less incentive to release quality programming. I don't think there will be a net benefit for the consumer.

I thought it was embarrassing for both parties. But then again I don't really check either party for reliable information.

Streaming has the big advantage that you can play a selection right now, rather than waiting to record it. That also permits binge watching.

This: List of countries by number of public holidays shows he's talking nonsense, of course. Americans tend to take fewer vacation days than, say, their European counterparts, so I'd say we need more holidays.