Gorth

It's not like Russia doesn't have fuel to burn... export being a bit problematic at the moment 😝

Most for my fellow Aussies... the upcoming state election in NSW

🤣 True. I forgot JoJo (and Dio).... as well as Gleipnir and Fire Force. I even watched a second season of the latter. But I think these were more than a year ago (if not, then close to a year).

I started on a number of animes, but realised already 15 minutes in of the first episode it wasn't "my kind" of stuff. Saving myself a lot of pain (I think), I only pursue those that really catch my interest at first sight so to speak. Life's too short (especially when you're old) to force yourself to watch something that doesn't immediately interest you. That usually only happen if something comes recommended with the disclaimer that it starts slow/boring/uninteresting whatever. I do watch a lot of youtube trailers before deciding on giving something a chance. Doesn't mean I hit the best animes around, just a good chance of watching something I would enjoy for several episodes. Edit: It's not I've watched a lot of anime the last 12 months... Tensura Nikki and Dropkick my Devil iirc. both of which I enjoyed tremendously. There was a third one, whose name completely escapes my brain at the moment, but it may or may not have been withing the last 12 months (one where a bartender is a judge in the afterlife, forcing deceased souls to play games to decide whether they get reincarnation or oblivion) Edit2: I remember watching Blood-C which started as a very interesting mystery and completely let me down towards the end. Elfen Lied and Ergo Proxy, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed

Finished episode 10 of Tomo-chan is a girl. Waiting for more episodes to get released 😖 It's been a blast so far. Really enjoyed the humour 🤣 From episode 5:

Explain that to Scott Morrison... heck, even the French subs were a fraction of the price. Of course, they wouldn't buy Australia membership of AUKUS which I personally believe it was all about.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/14/aukus-nuclear-submarines-australia-commits-substantial-funds-into-expanding-us-shipbuilding-capacity Fancy toys don't come cheap ($368bn) when you have no existing infrastructure to deal with new challenges, technological or otherwise. Edit: I.e. the cost of ownership is not just acquisition, it's the construction of facilities for service and maintenance of the vessels, training of crew and mechanics etc.

I hate to bring this to you... but there is a difference between nuclear powered submarines and nuclear armed submarines. Shivering at the thought of the next Scott Morrison having access to nuclear arms 😱 The only things special about nuclear powered submarines are their range and their price tag (about 0.1 of Australia's GDP the next 30 years)

How I imagine an Australian submarine fleet...

Yeah, a long part about the inherent discrimination in the financial policies, but she summed up my own thoughts pretty well in the first couple of minutes. "Nobody went to jail", which is where they all went wrong. All those bank CEO's, executives and members of Board of Directors that just got their sorry asses bailed out (at tax payers expense, and it's mostly the poor who pay tax in this world) and a handsome bonus for a job well done instead of 10 years behind bars. Edit: Never mind the complete unwillingness to learn any lessons from an even very recent past. Makes you wonder what kind of lobbying it takes to make those who otherwise had the power to stop them, just ignore the issues and sometimes even help facilitate them. A college spot for your third kid?

I'm not normally a fan of PvP and generally avoid it in games... but I do have a blast playing the large scale "PvP" in Guild Wars 2. Just something fascinating by scores of people fighting, sometimes hundreds around a truly contested objective like "Stone Mist Castle" 😂 It's a game mode called WvW (World vs. World) and pits servers against each other on a set of maps where 3 teams fight it out in a all vs. all (i.e. team vs. team) kind of way. Featuring sieges with catapults, mortars, ballistae etc. trying to break down walls (or repair them), fighting over supply lines, outposts, castles and sometimes citadels. Much bloodshed and much violence. Unlike the PvP arena where you have a limited selection of gear and skills (to ensure fair fights on a small scale), on the large scale fights, anything goes for your build and your gear. Structured groups are well organized with the role assignment for buff, heals, area denials etc.

Not politics per se, yet... the results of the inflation fueled interest rate raises. An interesting take on why major banks have started failing (again) for lay people like me

Good to see you again @Guard Dog... I suppose that is what happens when you move from warm to arctic climates 😝 Just kidding, whatever it is, get well soon 👍 Edit: I'll even light a candle for you and pray to Nurgle *) for your health ☣️ *) Nurgle may have additional terms and conditions to be revealed to you at a later date

Wanna bet, those people were born after 1968?

Fun thought experiment... name a country that both China, Iran and Saudi Arabia hates

Interesting... so the Saudi's and the Ayatollahs may have decided they have common enemy it's worth uniting against?

Don't worry, it only gets worse after the "dreaded Half Century" mark... enjoy the ride towards it 😂

Up to ninth episode of Tomo-chan is a girl. Most fun I've had in a long time. Carol (a friend of Tomo and Jun) is the proverbial "dumb blonde", that really is anything but dumb... at least when it comes to human relations. If the guy Carol has her eyes (a guy named Misaki) on is interested in Tomo, it's time to pitch in and give Jun a forceful shove (with a sledge hammer) in the right direction (figuring that if Jun and Tomo hook up with each other, her own intended boyfriend will stop looking up to Tomo).

Speaking of old films... I think I need to go looking for two Charlie Chaplin films that I remember from a long time ago and could use watching again. The Great Dictator and Monsieur Verdoux. The latter being a very "atypical" Chaplin movie (he plays a serial killer, justifying his actions as being just a small scale version of what national leaders do).

Heya... just a heads up, that this looks like the kind of issue best handled by the official support channels (these are the "unofficial" ones, where it's more often than not users sharing tips and work arounds) The official support for Outer Worlds is handled by Private Division https://support.privatedivision.com/hc/en-us/requests/new In the first drop down box, select the Outer World DLC and fill in the rest as required. You are more likely to get help this way.

Sounds similar to a certain Bioware SW MMO... except it was Bioware executives making the call as they hadn't been acquired by EA at the time.

I remember playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl when it came out (although it was about 20 years after the disaster, it was somehow still "fresh in the memory") Loved the game. Was a bit on the hard side I remember. Used a cheat mod to beat the game eventually (immune to radiation and enemy bullets), getting a bit frustrated and impatient towards the end. Just wanted to see at least one of the endings

Oh, I know. I always wondered about this old story about the constitution only being for white, male land owners. Well, it is based a bit on a true story, even if not written explicitly in the constitution. It just turned out to be a convenient tool to enforce that (i.e. only white, male land owners could vote) From The Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/elections/right-to-vote/the-founders-and-the-vote/ Eventually, the framers of the Constitution left details of voting to the states. In Article I Section 4, the Constitution says: The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations. Unfortunately, leaving election control to individual states led to unfair voting practices in the U.S. At first, white men with property were the only Americans routinely permitted to vote. President Andrew Jackson, champion of frontiersmen, helped advance the political rights of those who did not own property. By about 1860, most white men without property were enfranchised. But African Americans, women, Native Americans, non-English speakers, and citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 had to fight for the right to vote in this country. I.e. I still think it was a country founded on in part racism (slave based agricultural economy in parts of it) and in part lack of equality (very narrow and unequal selection of citizens who had a say in the running of the country).

Guys... lets move the general politics discussion to the general politics thread... (going to move some posts) Edit: I think the bulk of stuff not related to Ukraine and/or Russia is moved to the politics thread now

Are you saying it wasn't? Last time I checked, such basics as a constitution that protects all people living in your country and give them a vote (this includes women btw) is part of a society based on equality. Institutional slavery as part of the economy and the lack of civil rights for the female half of the population in my book justifies saying it was in part (because absolutes are bad) based on racism and inequality. And in before the expected "but slaves weren't citizens, of course they shouldn't vote", the slaves weren't in the country voluntarily. But they weren't offered a choice of leaving until 186...something when Lincoln made a proclamation on the subject). Not allowed to leave, not allowed to vote, no constitutional protection, I call that inequality (which was in place when the country got founded). Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote in 1869, a few followed soon after. The majority of the country didn't allow the female half of the population to vote until the early 1900's. That isn't "founded on equality". They got better since, sure, but from a historical perspective, no.