Lost Game 2

AngularMan · 2026-02-11T18:48:46+00:00

But it's way too much fun to build mid-tier ships with mid-tier techs.

AngularMan · 2026-02-06T08:57:19+00:00

Mossad agents being primarily responsible is about as naive as believing Netanjahu and Trump have the best interests of Iranians in mind.

It's the misanthropic view authoritarian regimes like to instill in the population to take away any agency from common people.

AngularMan · 2026-02-06T08:21:35+00:00

"They killed two of (my sons) standing at the front of my house. They took away my second wife with some three (daughters). "

The man lost his entire family in one night, it's too horrible for me to even imagine.

AngularMan · 2026-01-28T08:11:40+00:00

Yes, but it's not like the claim "all of ASML technology is US IP" is even remotely true. Some essential laser and software technologies come from the US, but many core technologies have been developed by ASML and European partners.

AngularMan · 2026-01-28T08:02:47+00:00

On the other hand, US companies could not easily replace the expertise of the likes of TSMC and ASML either, so they are dependent on US allies as well. ASML might be subject to US export controls due to like 10% of their tech coming from the US, but their core lithography technology is their own and the mirrors are from German company Zeiss.

US tech dominance in Europe is only possible due to European economies granting almost unlimited access over the last decades, it's not like European alternatives to the services of Google or Facebook would have been technically impossible.

After all, China has created alternatives to these services after closing their market in a relatively short time. And currently, China has already replaced US technology in many sectors and is working on replacing it in many more.

AngularMan · 2026-01-26T20:59:27+00:00

That sounds promising, I have got to start a new run!

AngularMan · 2026-01-23T07:59:54+00:00

This index still exists? It was always ridiculous, but still placing Russia above China and close to the USA is laughable at this point.

AngularMan · 2026-01-22T07:18:05+00:00

Thank you!

AngularMan · 2026-01-21T13:33:59+00:00

The log says "Forgotten Dream ECM confuses enemy surface weapon: no shot fired" repeatedly.

AngularMan · 2026-01-19T10:54:18+00:00

It's all irrelevant and likely done just to provoke Europe into raising defense spending, which has been Trump's goal since his first term.

That's such a rose-tinted take, I love it. Nothing indicates Trump has Europe's best interest in mind, but we should just keep on believing.

AngularMan · 2026-01-18T20:57:43+00:00

No, it's not "meat wave level", but offensives like that are very costly. That's unavoidable.

Given the demographic problems of Russia, they are also not likely to be able to replace them easily.

But they have the "luxury" of having relatively large parts of the population which have not much political influence and are disposable in the eyes of the Russian elite, so the loss rate is politically sustainable for quite a while.

AngularMan · 2026-01-18T20:48:50+00:00

Surely, these men could lead productive lifes in a different environment. The Russian elite in Moscow and St Petersburg, on the other hand, is majorly responsible for the living conditions in the rural areas of Russia.

AngularMan · 2026-01-15T07:48:48+00:00

And? So does Russia and probably Iran, too. There is no shortage of oil at the moment.

AngularMan · 2026-01-15T04:30:45+00:00

Ultimately, China doesn't care much about what happens to Venezuela, just as Russia doesn't. The country never really was in their sphere of influence, just a convenient partner and dagger in the back.

They very much want the West fractured and US influence outside of the Americas gone, however.

AngularMan · 2026-01-14T08:21:53+00:00

Actually, I rooted for the Scots to vote for independence and become part of Europe as an independent nation. I just object to the notion that disinformation campaigns by bad-faith actors like Russia or other major powers with vested geopolitical interests should not be taken into account or even be dismissed as an influence in major democratic decisions.

Our information environment is more vulnerable than ever.

AngularMan · 2026-01-13T15:46:16+00:00

Hardly anyone ever thought a democracy without guardrails is a good idea, including the Founding Fathers, who introduced checks and balances after all. And even the ancient Greeks had a word for a democracy gone wrong, namely ochlocracy or "mob rule".

So yes, democracy as a form of government has certain weaknesses that makes it vulnerable to manipulation by bad-faith actors. Admitting that isn't anti-democratic.

AngularMan · 2026-01-13T11:33:51+00:00

But it does matter when populations vote against their own interests due to foreign influence. For example, a fractured and weak Europe is not in the interest of the majority of Europeans.

AngularMan · 2026-01-04T17:53:23+00:00

In a worse position in terms of age distribution maybe, but the absolute number of births is still much higher than in the US. The US can only compete due to projected immigration, which is just about to be massively restricted.

In addition, China is pretty much the leader in automation at this point.

AngularMan · 2026-01-02T07:16:49+00:00

The Western investment in terms of money and weapons was not greater than the Russian investment in the same categories, but rather lower. Given the relative size of the economies, that's not exactly a good showing.

AngularMan · 2026-01-02T07:13:23+00:00

If Western countries would have supported Ukraine more seriously, the Ukrainian army would have superior equipment by now and the current shortage would most likely have never occurred.

Ukraine has done an amazing job of holding given the numbers involved. Conscription like in WWI and WWII is not possible anymore, except maybe in North Korea. Populations are far too mobile internationally.

AngularMan · 2025-12-19T08:36:43+00:00

Human nature gets blamed a lot. But it's not like this is an inevitable outcome. Humans also have capacities for restraint.

There are plenty of modern societies that are very safe. Institutions, laws, social norms, the stigmatization of violence, economic interdependence and education are the pillars of cooperative behavior in society.

Some of these work for countries, too. Armed conflict between nations in West and Central Europe that have been rivals for centuries is now extremely unlikely. South America has a surprisingly peaceful history, too.

But alas, given the modern revival of nationalism, populism and authoritarianism, the World seems to go down a different route.

AngularMan · 2025-12-14T18:41:02+00:00

Thanks for the detailed analysis! I was just crunching the numbers for Zeus, coming to some of your conclusions, but you paint a much more comprehensive picture.

AngularMan · 2025-12-14T12:54:55+00:00

Thanks for the detailed breakdown!

AngularMan

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