dpb

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• Commented on Made of lies (and more lies)
  Forgot to add the /s there, but it is generally less demanding....
• Commented on Made of lies (and more lies)
  I was thinking more of "real" stories. Financial news just requires numbers....
• Commented on Made of lies (and more lies)
  Already happening. I've seen a few links to low effort "news" sites full of articles obviously written by ChatGPT with a few prompts....
• Commented on Made of lies (and more lies)
  Following chatbot instructions to synthesise explosives or drugs seems like a reliable way to shorten one's life. Even worse than the anarchists cookbook....
• Commented on We're sorry we created the Torment Nexus
  I think it depends on the nature of the succession. If Putin has to retire due to age catching up with him or drops dead then I suspect there's a good chance of it continuing....
• Commented on We're sorry we created the Torment Nexus
  You know, it isn't hard to read the text of the treaty....
• Commented on We're sorry we created the Torment Nexus
  Why did UK not invoke Article 5 back in 1982? Because it didn't apply. Article 6 For the purpose of Article 5, an armed attack on one or more of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack: on...
• Commented on We're sorry we created the Torment Nexus
  Studying the bottom of beer glasses is still studying......
• Commented on We're sorry we created the Torment Nexus
  Considering that we are in fact living in the Torment Nexus I predict that Braverman will be PM before summer....
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  I am posting this from an analytical engine....
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  Complexity and servicing costs did come up in the conversation but I didn't think of tiltrotors. I agree that would be an obvious thing to do....
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  I know people who are doing serious research in the field of electrically powered aircraft. Nobody is seriously talking about battery powered airliners but there are some theoretical efficiency advantages to a hybrid power train. You get one gas turbine...
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  Not online Not necessary to buy from steam either. I think it's responsible for teaching a generation of teenagers about orbital mechanics....
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  But that will still require a LOT of tankers with complicated plumbing getting to Mars and being on station for a long time with their fuel load intact. It works in Kerbal Space Program......
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  On the other hand, wish granting magical entities are notorious for interpreting requests in the least helpful manner possible....
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  If you want a boring middle of the road laser printer with inexpensive toner then kyocera are also worth considering. I've had one by my desk for 5 years without issues....
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  The real news is that a DeLorean managed to do 977 miles '-)...
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  I would recommend "the codex of alchemical engineering" but I had a look and it's flash, and flash is dead. There was a much more polished derivative for the PC called "Opus Magnum", which is excellent but not free or...
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  I'm glad of the ban TBH. That particular subject can instantly turn any thread or forum into a shitshow at the best of times. I think we can all agree that this is not the best of times. @whitroth I...
• Commented on I should blog more, but ...
  Off topic, but given the subject of con men and given your well documented "love" of Bitcoin I thought I would recommend "Number Go Up" by Zeke Faux. He was lucky enough to be researching a book about the crypto...
• Commented on Pushing it back
  I have never been convinced that Milankovitch Cycles are real and not just a curve fitting artifact with noisy input data. NB I am not stating that they are not real, just that I'm pretty sure I could take the...
• Commented on Pushing it back
  You can use it to condition the blades of gas turbines....
• Commented on Pushing it back
  If we are allowed high tech dinosaurs then we can't forget "The Adventures of Dr. McNinja"....
• Commented on Do my Laundry
  "I knew it would be booby trapped, but nobody said it was all booby traps all the way down!" Their fault for not asking the right questions. No sympathy....
• Commented on Do my Laundry
  Again, not specc'd out -- the USA is not the focus of these stories! True, but success of the black chamber/cthulhu cult plan would probably be enough to end the series....
• Commented on A fistful of tropes
  If we are playing that game, what are your qualifications?...
• Commented on A fistful of tropes
  Frankly the article is impressively poor. Boils down to "I call you a nasty name if you disagree with me about anything". For the record I have been very much opposed to many things the "empire" has done. Stopping another...
• Commented on A fistful of tropes
  I simp for the empire because I like green lasers and red lightsabers....
• Commented on A fistful of tropes
  I once worked with someone who wrote a spreadsheet in postscript. Apparently the CPU in their shiny new office printer sufficiently outclassed the ancient desktop machines that it was "worthwhile". Sounded like an excuse to me....
• Commented on A fistful of tropes
  Using all the features and writing your own macros it the path of madness. The equation typesetting subset is pretty capable and straightforward though. A number of mathematically inclined blogs just support that bit. Not suggesting you do. I never...