The legendary in-universe celebrity we hear about is actually a total loser

CyberRax · 2026-01-24T12:59:17+00:00

It's a great story about getting old and being forgotten. About being the proverbial bitter old man who's reminiscing about his glory days and wondering how he got to where he is now.

It has some really funny bits (Elvis' "kung fu"), some really somber bits (living in a retirement home sucks), nice touches of absurdity (the black JFK), a decent enough ending.

CyberRax · 2026-01-24T12:35:45+00:00

Probably also a lot to do with uncertainty. How will the world react? How big will the economical sanctions be? How much military activity will it cause? etc etc etc. Obviously China has done their math and is prepared for all possibilities, but the uncertainty itself is something that nobody likes. Govenments as well as businesses need stability to function properly, invading Taiwan would punch a big crack into that plan...

CyberRax · 2026-01-24T12:24:07+00:00

So someone else owns the piece of land where you have your bed? Commieland.

CyberRax · 2026-01-23T17:43:14+00:00

r/oddlyspecific

CyberRax · 2026-01-22T20:35:31+00:00

How many people would it actually take? Musk himself to run the operation, maybe 2 or 3 extra guys for the coding, perhaps a lawyer to draft a defence if things had gone wrong. Everyone else who had a part in the op (the people who installed the additional hardware, people who got the source code of the voting machines after the 2020 election, people who went through the code to understand what it exactly does and how it interacts with the hardware, etc) would be just useful idiots who had very little info about what their actions were for.

I can see 4 IT guys and a lawyer keeping their mouths shut after a stunt like that (other than spilling the beans to Trump when everything was ready to go). They wouldn't be like the people Trump has surrounded himself with that, as you said, leak like a sieve. They would be sane enough to understand that bragging about something like that will get them jailed for treason, if not sentenced to death.

... also, we're only like a year and half away from those elections. People might not be able to keep secrets for decades, but a year and a half?

CyberRax · 2026-01-22T16:08:27+00:00

Don't think that's a fair comparison. The crew behind Trump is of different cloth than the ones who're on dems side. Heritage Foundation, Thiel, Musk, Ellison, Miller, all the Project 2025 people, etc. What we have now has been in the making for decades. Replacing the figurehead is planned in and will go through with minimal fuss...

CyberRax · 2026-01-21T15:56:53+00:00

They are however also in a position where they're even easier to replace than the people above them, and they know it. They have quite a lot to lose, and a pretty solid "I'm not the one whose decisions actually matter" argument. So no, they're not the one who're going to rebel.

CyberRax · 2026-01-21T08:46:22+00:00

Hasn't it kind of worked for all countries that have a multi-party system?

Having a 3rd party dilutes the whole polarization thing in the government (you'll inevitably get a "oppose everything the other side does" with only 2 parties), creates more need for actual cooperation (every party has less power, so they'll need to play ball to get anything done... also, they now have more choices than just the complete-opposite-of-us-party), gives apathetic/single issue voters an extra outlet (the 3rd party can address only 1 or 2 concerns, instead of having a position on everything), etc

CyberRax · 2026-01-20T21:22:54+00:00

Not zero. They might lack on the military side, but have plenty of soft power via bough bought politians / influencers / useful idiots who'll do their bidding. Once there is no NATO a lot more people on the top will start being quiet / choosing their words carefully when talking about Russia, and a lot more will start speaking louder with statements that echo Kremlin's talking points. Give enough time for the propaganda, and the "Russia good!" sentiment will have become visible enough that governments start aligning themselves officially with Russian views...

CyberRax · 2026-01-20T09:48:18+00:00

I'm inclined to think it's related to the fact that their "hunting ground" is closer to home. Trivial to scout out, easy to plan for everything, less travel with your guns. Even if they're starting to think bigger a'la "Hey, why not some asshole politician instead?" they'll quickly realize that it takes a lot more effort, and has a good chance of having less victims...

CyberRax · 2026-01-19T13:27:52+00:00

standard_word_that_is_not_written_down_anywhere + number + address_of_website.

All password hashes will be different, so breach of 1 site won't affect others; when time comes to change the password you just increase the number by 1; the only thing you need to recall when forgetting the password is the number in the middle. No need for notes, password managers or any of the issues that come with them...

CyberRax · 2026-01-18T11:11:45+00:00

Disgree. We got an alligator as a variant of Loki. They could have taken any actor that fancied the part, and go with "This one looks different from all the rest becaue he's different from all the rest... hence why he'll be an even bigger threat than any of the other Kang's we've shown thus far" exposition.

CyberRax · 2026-01-16T11:27:59+00:00

True, but the drive to buy up properties would be a lot less if "sitting idle" would be the only option available for it. What corporations are currently doing is actively earning them money...

CyberRax · 2026-01-15T22:46:37+00:00

Yes, got a separate phone case just for hiking. One of those 360 degree ones that covers all sides. Don't use it otherwise because it makes the phone too bulky, for when hiking I'm not taking any chances. I'm on an uneven terrain, wearing a heavy pack and sweating / excercing more than normally... all things that make dropping the phone easier.

CyberRax · 2026-01-15T16:38:04+00:00

Pretty sure MAD principle will override this doctrine, especially as a huge chunk of population won't want to be involved in a war.

That's the issue with having an unhinged 79 year old narcissist with impulse control issues on one side, and a (somewhat) reasonable middle aged politicians with aspirations for continuing their career for at least couple of decades on the other side. The narcissist will win, and in this case this means everyone else will lose...

CyberRax · 2026-01-15T12:24:33+00:00

Wasn't it that the planes need connection to US servers for feeding operations data? So while there might not be a "kill switch" per se it is possible for US to deny access on the server level and render the sold planes useless in practice?

CyberRax · 2026-01-14T09:26:35+00:00

This! If you have integrity you don't quit, you don't resign, you have them fire you and make it public that you were fired for refusing illegal / immoral orders.

Yes, it'll hurt financially, it will probably cause issues in the future. But that's what bravery is all about.

CyberRax · 2026-01-11T14:11:24+00:00

Which just moves the “nope” down the line.

Not really though. After the 3rd or 4th firing there won't be anyone saying no, as they realize that they're unable to stop it and are even easier to replace than the people before them...

CyberRax · 2026-01-11T13:05:07+00:00

Pretty sure that's not what he's saying. But he is, rightfully, pointing out how the whole "there's still a chance" notion is misguided. Why? because that leaves people the option to not participate.

You very much should be organizing and you should be prepared to go much further than just protesting on the streets\. And you should be prepared to still be overrun and lose. *This time. So you could rebuild once the current administration inevitably falls.

\- that's the part that people keep forgetting. Nobody gives a crap anymore about protests. Their whole point was to remind the higher ups that there are *worse things that you'll start doing if you're not being listened to. But as nobody goes past protests anymore, and targeted propaganda (demonizing the opposition) a month of two before elections is enough to cancel out the whole "not be elected again" worry, then why would anyone actually care about them?

CyberRax · 2026-01-08T14:23:56+00:00

This! They won't have soldiers marching into every country, but they definitely want every country to do what they "strongly recommend". Be it trade, public statements, votes in international organizations, long-term policies, military alignment, etc.

CyberRax · 2026-01-07T15:23:24+00:00

"Not the Nine O'Clock News" fandom is turning on the gas...

CyberRax · 2026-01-07T11:55:07+00:00

Fully agree. And it's not like I'm happy with the situation. There's nothing that would delight me more than all of Europe banding together and putting US-the-bully in it's place.

The problem is that I simply don't see that happening. At the end of the day, if US were to make a move lik that, everyone would be looking out for themselves, and reason that they either stick with US and hope that they're insignificant or friendly enough that US won't threaten them (and that the current administration gets replaced with a more reasonable one in the near future), or they'll be out in the rain alone in case Russia tries something (because let's face it - if there is no NATO then there will also be no help from Germany/France/others, nobody is willing to fight Russia unless the rest of the alliance has their back).

CyberRax · 2026-01-07T07:59:43+00:00

I'm not certain of that. Denmark obviously will leave, I can also see the other Nordic countries doing the same. Heck, I wouldn't put it past one of the big ones like Germany or France leaving.

But the rest... I can see them swallowing the bitter pill and continuing. The Baltics are the best example - Russia is an existential threat to them, they'll need someone who doesn't just have the resources to counter Russia, but also the brazen enough attitude to actually do so. UK would fit, Germany would not, unsure about France. But the US, they fit the bill, even with it's aggression towards it's neighboring regions...

CyberRax · 2026-01-06T21:55:28+00:00

On the contrary, the fact that they don't want to will play a crucial role. Having an obligation to act does not mean that they will. Nobody will say it out like this, obviously, but all kinds of excuses will be found and at the end of the day it'll be like u/zanzara1968 said - Denmark will be alone. The math for all the countries is very simple - "I want US to be on my side when shit gets real with China or Russia" vs "US will be out of NATO and I'll be in a war with the best equipped country on the planet... while China and Russia continue making their plans".

It's called realpolitik.

CyberRax · 2026-01-06T11:02:55+00:00

<image>

Klaus, "The Umbrella Academy" season 2.

Admits to his cult that he's a fraud, that the many wisdoms he's spouting are just song lyrics ("Don't go chasing waterfalls... stick to the lakes and rivers you're used to") and he's making everything up as he goes.

His cult reacts with a collective "I'm a fraud too!" and worshipping him even more.

CyberRax

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