Long lazy meandering answer.

My degree is in geophysics, so I’m somewhat professionally connected to the world of resources. So that’s where I get that angle.

Physics, as a degree, is somewhat of the universal bullshit detector, since you learn to take what people say and run back-of-napkin math to figure out what is or isn’t realistic. “Now hang on, that doesn’t sound right… let me check…”

Aside from that, I’m also a fan of historical fiction, geopolitical games (EU4, etc.), and my spare time pursuits tend to send me down research rabbit holes, disentangling the fiction from reality. Largely for my own amusement. But it comes in handy on trivia night if the topic is the Teutonic Knights or something.

In grad school I’d hang out with the philosophers, geographers, and others that were asking large questions with beer in hand. “I’ll buy you a beer if you can convince me the electron is real.” was not a pickup line, but the start to several hours of liquored debate.

I’ve been known to be mildly politically active, and sort of on top of the pulse. But never an activist or anything. Observing and predicting is fun.

Today I was in Google Earth just looking at the continent of North America, looking at it as though I were the US playing a strategy game. The major areas of contention right now for the US are: Greenland, Panama, Mexico, and Canada. It’s like he is establishing future boundaries at the edges of the continent – like it is an affront that borders exist on it. Upon further contemplation, Canada is fucked if this is what they’re doing. So I created [email protected] to start organizing – maybe the space will grow organically.

But, no, I don’t subscribe to higher end geopolitical info sources. That doesn’t mean I eschew them either (ISW was particularly interesting at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine). I just integrate or search for info when questions are interesting.

You’re not wrong. I just like to point out the actual logical folly now and again so that people in the middle (if any are left) can see the folly.

And my axis?

And Kim

Not a bad take.

The problem here is that the US doesn’t need Ukraine for any of those things. They have their own deposits. The problem is that the US or Ukraine and everyone else does not have any significant capacity to process these minerals – China does. You’re not building a rare-earths refinery in Ukraine during a war or occupation – too easy of a target. So unless the US builds such a beast at home, it’s entirely irrelevant what Ukraine has or otherwise.

Furthermore, as a nervous Canadian, I worry about the same stupid rhetoric being used on us. We don’t produce rare earths, because we don’t process rare earths. But damn do we have a lot of potential deposits. Trump only sees the value of the potential deposit and not the actual produced products. It’s boneheaded but they don’t care.

I’ll believe it when I see code written for it solving a real problem

Or jerk off into it like in that documentary, Fight Club

Won’t happen. It was a pump and dump from the beginning and anyone who lost money paid the idiot tax.

Grass finds a way

Why I oughta

Nope. But whatever is on in the background cannot have lyrics or voice.

Ambient chillout techno while reading sci fi makes me believe I’m in the future :)

Reverse rickrolling. Only works if rickrolling is still a thing, otherwise people will just click the link ;)

Mad scientist hat on: engineer some gut bacteria to produce cellulase and we can eat grass.

Oh wait. You mean cannibalism. Okay. That works too.

A good contrast is something like Outer Worlds, where there is usually multiple possible outcomes. I think it comes from their Fallout lessons learned and GURPS background. Love the game design. (Dislike the combat, but that is a separate thing.)

In related news: My local group totally doesn’t have an accent. Everyone else does!

Actually kind of an amazing read. I suspect it shall live another life on 3-axis router tables and such for a while. The mechanic is single stroke lettering remain the same

You took down a housecat? Wow! What fishing lure did you use?

Mine does this too. The combo of the noise of the coffee maker and the smell probably reinforces the routine.

Canada wouldn’t be allowed to vote, presuming elections still existed. It’s just expansionism at the end of the Republic.

Just use wine on windows ;)