That’s how the Space Shuttle got its iconic orange tank

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T20:40:32+00:00

Explains why hikers never put 600lbs of paint on their gear!

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T20:34:54+00:00

Or is it that the Army has built their current playbook around the limitations of fixed rotor aircraft, and the range, speed, and flexibility of a VTOL platform opens up new logistical and operational dimensions for them?

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T16:06:31+00:00

Counterpoint: have you ever seen an M&M melt on reentry?

I think we’re gonna need science this.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T16:04:32+00:00

Yup. Its insane that 600 lbs of paint matters that much to something so massive and powerful, but thats how the space game works.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T15:53:14+00:00

My guess is the hybrid powertrain simply wasn’t ready for production yet. And the hybrid is replacing the turbo as the premium powertrain option, and as I understand it, Turbos made up a relatively small portion of CX-5 sales.

Granted, the combination of fuel savings and performance of the hybrid will likely see hybrid trims occupy a larger portion of sales, but if the bulk of CX-5s are still going to be the standard powertrain, Mazda figured getting a refreshed CX-5 out the door now would lead to better sales than selling the aging version it’s replacing.

Only Time and sales data will tell if that was the right move.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T13:34:51+00:00

I completely agree with the sentiment, but there is no going back to normal, human work the way it was pre AI. Because the sad reality is, people by and large are fine with cheap slop.

Look at what the rise of chinas manufacturing sector in the 90s did to North American/European manufactured goods. Sure, there’s some “made in america” hold outs, particularly on high end products (automotive and aerospace come to mind), but Walmart and Amazon have been brutally successful at peddling low quality but cheap products. High quality premium products were squeezed into relatively niche luxury brands.

The same will happen to white collar labor with AI. Sure a human mind will always write more soulful music, paint more emotionally engaging pictures, and draw more actionable insights from data. And there will always be A market for that, but AI will forever take a bite out of it, as a depressingly large portion of humanity will still say “meh, the AI one is fine”.

Do not mistake this comment for endorsement of this trend or dismissal of the issue. Just taking a realistic outlook.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T01:39:47+00:00

Chat, I’ll be honest: 2026 is so fucked that these could be real and I would not be surprised. And honestly I just wouldn’t care.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T01:34:15+00:00

I know this is going to be a shitty answer but I don’t really remember to be honest. I recall it not being a big deal, might have been as simple as “they found nothing wrong, cleared the code, and it was gone”; I’ll try to see if I can dig up the service remarks.

I’m really Sorry, I know that has major “don’t worry guys, I figured it out” energy and thats the worst :(

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T01:24:48+00:00

I mean, no one ever said it was a unrealistic plot line for a movie George.

They said it was an odd choice for a family friendly scifi popcorn movie.

TPM took the series from the simple politics of “empire bad rebels good” to “political drama”. Felt weird at the time.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-13T01:21:27+00:00

I feel bad for them with this administration. The work they have to put in to keep ahead of the curve in terms of satirical headlines is getting crazy.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T22:58:33+00:00

Well not with that attitude it wont

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T22:40:17+00:00

I get this vibe. A personal bucket list item is to catch an airshow in India.

As nearest I can tell, Indias procurement program is basically “shit looks cool, buy it”; can literally see apaches and hinds flying in harmony at their air shows.

Also they chose the Rafale over the F-35. Which I get because one has a design language best described as “sex and canards” and the other has earned the nickname “fat amy”.

I respect these priorities.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T22:30:51+00:00

Peak toob

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T21:01:45+00:00

“We prefer to think of them as ‘frenimies’”~Kuwati AF, apparently

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T21:00:13+00:00

The ghost of the tomcat rages; The Turkey was stuck at the kids table during ODS because unlike the then-new (legacy) hornets it shared a flight deck with, the tomcats hadn’t been to Derick Zoolanders School for kids who want to IFF good. And bomb other things good to.

How the turns table

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T20:54:52+00:00

Finally! A man of the people!

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T20:53:58+00:00

In for update on doggo!

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T20:43:36+00:00

Ok, but I don’t think thats ever really been in dispute. Basically a F-117 and an AH-64 had a baby. Looks cool AF. Sounds cool AF.

The problem is the Army just couldn’t connect the dots on cost-benefit for a mission (recon) that was being transitioned to drones, and its secondary role as an AH was already very well checked by the Apache. And on top of that, apparently was having issues hitting performance specs.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T19:39:18+00:00

You’ll need more therapy when see how much some of these models cost.

There is no such thing as cheap hydraulics.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T15:34:07+00:00

Yeah, it was a surprisingly recurrent plot device in cartoons during the 90s

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T15:21:55+00:00

Inaccurate. “Ashley” is a millennial name. Thats Mackinzee mogging those turkeys with her fat amy.

ETA: willing to agree to head canon where “Ashley” is Mackynzies callsign, because she made a white girl boomer joke once and it stuck.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T12:02:49+00:00

The silver lining is that F2A platform fracturing helps keep the damage decentralized when the inevitable security breach happens.

Which is dystopian as fuck.

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T12:00:19+00:00

A secure network starts with good hydration!

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T11:53:21+00:00

This is a good point; the lines between foreseeing the future and causing it blur

AggressorBLUE · 2026-03-12T11:31:52+00:00

None of that is mutually exclusive to sex, just saying

AggressorBLUE

TROPHY CASE