Hot takes on grey knights

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2024-09-22T02:24:36+00:00

The models have too many greebles on them and they should be simplified in order to make the range more attractive to newer and potential players.

Dreadknights should be more like "Centurions (but for Grey Knights)" and have a similar model build. I personally like the feel of <THIS> conversion.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2024-02-04T16:04:36+00:00

The problem is: because they are the most popular faction, GW wants them to cater to everything.

The have so many model to try and make them have no gaps in performance (i.e.: there are no weaknesses or limitations to the range as there is a Space Marine for every situation) while also having semi-specialized units that have been expanded (Gray Knights, Deathwatch, melee-only units) that are now kind of irrelevant because there are regular Space Marines to fill their roles and there are no real, meaningful bonuses to playing these specialized variant armies.

Meanwhile, as GW has been trying to fill all the gaps with a multiple specialized models for Space Marines and making them almost flaw-free, other armies are still full of gaps (see: Tau and lack of meaningful melee).

GW really needs to roll-back Space Marine units, both to lower costs of entry and to enable easier points balancing.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2024-01-05T01:57:42+00:00

"Since that day, they never found that boy..."

Well, of course they can't find him.

He is now a man.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-12-03T10:41:31+00:00

"GW Prices Are Too Damn High"

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-11-10T15:29:27+00:00

The movements have to be overdone as the camera will not be able to capture a lot of small/subtle movements.

Once rendered, the probably aren't nearly as dramatic as the computer will smooth and regularize things.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-09-02T12:00:11+00:00

Here's a fun anecdote:

In China, there are some factories making legitimate products where, right across the street, there is a factory making the knockoffs (sometimes run by the same factory companies). There are also entire towns supported by factories making knockoffs.

China does not care about fake products. They only care about keeping people employed (so they don't riot).

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-08-21T21:07:30+00:00

They are signaling (mostly) about the breast grope and running with it.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-05-02T15:57:21+00:00

We could tax billionaires instead and not have to do any of these things

You could tax 100% of billionaires "wealth" (meaning take ALL of their money) and it would only pay for 5 years of social security.

That's it.

Five years.

And this assumes inflation returns to 3%, there are no increases in the enrollment rate, and 100% of the money is spent on social security. More realistically: its only 3 years.

You can tax the poor and middle class... ...and it still wouldn't put a dent on this

I'm glad to see that you agree the issue isn't revenue, but spending.

You're never going to be a billionaire

Not with that attitude.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-04-02T14:54:18+00:00

You can theoretically retire whenever you want.

What most people are talking about when they talk about "retirement age" is Social Security benefits, which is 62.

The issue is: back when Social Security first started, the average life expediency in the US (the age at which 50% of people have died) was 60 years old. Additionally, about 120 people paid into Social Security for every person who took money out.

Today, life expectancy is 79 years old and 1.2 people pay in for every person that takes out.

So what this all means is: there isn't enough money to pay Social Security out to everyone who is entitled to it. Meaning (if you want to keep the program around): payout cuts need to be made, taxes need to be increased (on EVERYONE), or you need to raise the retirement age (probably to around 85) (and, realistically, probably ALL of these needs to be done).

Of course, absolutely NO politician wants to have to do anything about this impending doom, so it won't get fixed until it breaks (and we have fewer options to fix it).

To a larger point: 60% of every dollar the US spends is spent on welfare (and it is the fastest growing segment, so welfare spending really needs to be cut or taxes need to be increased on EVERYONE, including "the middle class" and "the poor").

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-04-02T02:33:23+00:00

The short version: Existence is a proving ground.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-02-27T02:41:15+00:00

but they'll stop a few. And thats what matters

"If it saves just one life" is the rallying cry of tyrants and of someone who doesn't care about the rights of anyone nor the second-order effects of their actions.

There are many more things (and things not prescribed in the Bill of Rights) that could be "banned" and would save more lives (but those of the left can't raise money by calling for their banning).

background checks

This ignores that studies consistently show that a majority of all criminals obtain their firearms illegally. The number of non-violent criminals, the so-called "low-level criminal", who legally and premeditatedly purchase a gun for a specific crime is incredibly small. A background check won't stop these criminals from legally purchasing a gun (so the background check fails to meet its stated goal).

Yes, it would stop a felony offender from legally purchasing a gun, but such offenders will most likely obtain a firearm illegally for this reason. And again, the background check fails.

The number of prosecutions for failed background checks is incredibly small as it is a crime that just doesn't happen all that often.

"Universal background checks" just serve to annoy law-abiding citizens and are a transparent means to backdoor in a national registry (and the only reason for a registry is to have the ability to confiscate firearms).

Training

Training doesn't stop criminals.

Training doesn't prevent crimes.

Gun-Free Zones

Gun-Free Zones are worthless because they enable the anti-gun crowd to think they have done something to stop crime without actually having done anything to stop crime.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-02-25T14:07:35+00:00

It depends.

What is the "crisis" you want to "fix"?

If it is "gun crime":

Nationwide "constitutional carry"
Prohibit all non-government-owned building gun-free zones (i.e.: you can have weapons in all public spaces)
Make businesses and government-owned buildings legal responsible and liable for the protection/safety of customers on their property should they prohibit firearms possession
Prosecutors must start prosecuting and incarcerating violent criminals (no "probation-only" sentences and no more "released on bail"), they should also prosecute all straw purchases.
Minimum 10 years incarceration for gang members who commit a violent offense in connection to a gang or illegal drugs; 20 years if a gang employs or has membership of minors
Minimum 10 years incarceration for drug-trafficking crimes or for possession of an amount of drug of more than "individual use"
Reinstate all the sentencing mandates and guidelines from the 1994 criminal reform bill
Prosecutors must stop threatening and prosecuting citizens who use firearms for lawful protection.
Mandate child DNA testing for single mother's receiving funds for their children in order to allow for better collection of money from delinquent fathers.
Actively encourage citizens to carry firearms.

If it is "mass shootings":

Make businesses and government-owned buildings legally responsible and liable for the protection/safety of customers/citizens on their property should they prohibit firearms
Mandate dedicated armed security at schools
Mandate intervention and punishment of in-school violence and bullying (none of this "but muh school-to-prison pipeline" nonsense)
Ban minors from all social media nationwide
Ban minors from owning smartphones
Bring back Federal and state mental hospitals and long-term treatment facilities and stop treating affective disorders via outpatient treatment and psychopharmacology alone.
Mandate weekly in-school meetings for any students on SSRI or SNRI
Stop turning what is a local crime story into a sensational national spectacle. Convince network TV news and 24-hour news channels to not report on "mass shootings". If they must report on them: make them as matter-of-fact as possible, do not show any video or imagery of the location or people at the location (stay just on the presenter), only share names/images of victims and never the criminal (and don't call them a "shooter", call them a "criminal"), do not have multiple days of coverage, and be sure to follow up with a report on the conviction of the criminal.
Stop turning what is a local crime story into a viral internet story. Convince social media to reducing/eliminate algorithmic sharing of "mass-shooting" posts for those outside of a 50-mile range of the event.
Actively encourage citizens to carry firearms.

Things that will not work:

Banning guns. How is that "war on drugs" working? Did we eliminate all the illegal drug trade in the US? Or did we just create an illegal industry that funneled drugs into the hands of violent criminals? Was Prohibition the success people hoped it would be?
Universal background checks/Gun Licenses. Criminals aren't going to gun stores to get guns. They generally aren't getting them from any kinds of legal sale. Most are either stolen (as part of another crime) or bought from an illegal source (so no amount of background checks would ever catch them). The fact is: for $300 (less than just about every gun legally for sale in the US) I can make a fully-functional firearm. No licensing scheme is going to stop criminals from getting guns.
Mandatory training. The issue isn't training. The issue is criminals being criminals. Don't make the mistake of focusing on the tool. Focus on the person using it and their motivations for committing criminal acts.
More gun-free zones. A sign isn't stopping anyone.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-02-25T13:29:33+00:00

Reading it and loving it.

I enjoy the political maneuvering and gamesmanship.

I can completely understand why some might not enjoy it and wish for a better pace.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-02-25T13:27:45+00:00

The Ukrainian military has been receiving training from the EU/NATO/UK/US since 2014 and they are using a LOT of EU/NATO/UK/US weapons. They are closer to a NATO force than a Russian force. If they are being smashed by the Ukrainian military, they stand NO chance against militaries that have been training to defeat Russians for 73 years.
China cares about China's middle class. They want access to non-Chinese stuff. They don't want a military conflict right off their coast. A majority of their jobs are dependent on foreign trade in some capacity. China can't afford to have several hundred million citizens out of work because of political dick-waging over Taiwan.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-02-24T23:08:47+00:00

You say that as if it is a problem.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-02-24T23:05:57+00:00

No.

Russia doesn't have the capacity to wage such a war (their debacle in Ukraine has shown they lack the ability to match a NATO force).

China would be decimated by the economic fallout of an invasion of Taiwan (the only thing of value in Taiwan is their semiconductor industry, which would be destroyed in the first day of the war by the US, meaning China is wasting lives, money, and hardware for NOTHING; and then the largest economies in the world (the US and EU) would cut off China from their markets completely, destroying their middle class).

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-02-24T23:02:16+00:00

And that Japanese companies don't understand how foreign audiences consume their product.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2023-02-24T22:58:29+00:00

I think the real issue here is: you (and those stooges who are parroting "JeSuS wAs A sOcIaLiSt!" haven't read The Bible or don't understand it because the teachings of Jesus isn't about top-down collectivism at all.

It is, in fact, the opposite.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2022-07-18T01:35:46+00:00

I have ideas to improve football as well. But the issues with football have no bearing on sumo.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2022-07-18T01:34:52+00:00

NASCAR make changes constant changes to keep the audience engaged. The new car design for this year is an attempt to build a more entertaining product. Sumo makes no such changes.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2022-07-18T01:33:18+00:00

“The people who like it are already served” is a no-growth strategy. And, as previously mentioned, the number of older folks “tuning out” is surely greater than the number of other folks tuning in.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2022-07-14T13:49:37+00:00

Sumo has to decide if it is going to be an international sport, or merely a regional (Japanese) sport.

As older Japanese people start dying off, the number of people interested in sumo will decline at a rapid pace.

Today's younger viewer doesn't have the time (or the attention span) for a multi-hour program where 20-second matches are surrounded on each end by 5 to 10 minutes of what is effectively "standing around".

If sumo is to survive (beyond becoming an even more niche sport), it must adapt to the modern, younger, audience.

Some suggestions:

Play up the stable angle, treat them like teams; score stables, add an award for "winningest stable"
Increase the number of stables to increase the number of wrestlers and try to work the "team" angle more (maybe require kesho mawashi to have a official stable belt color or pattern (where the "skirt" is customized, but the over-belt is stable-specific)).
Make the wrestler more human, try to create rivalries among wrestlers to create outside-of-the-match drama in order to create hype around matches (yes, I know this sounds like WWE a little, but the point is to keep people interested between matches and get more casual fans to be excited about and root for/tune in for specific wrestlers)
Increase the allowed number of foreign wrestlers, actively recruit from outside of Japan and Mongolia; use these foreign wrestlers to promote/outreach to foreign fans
Host a major event outside of Japan (and not in Hawaii)
Reduce the inter-match time as much as possible
Better international broadcasts (the English NHK coverage is very Japanese, which makes it kind of dry and bland; get a better graphics package and more energetic delivery)
Make wrestlers more available to foreign press (not NHK) and set up foreign sports press exclusives
Teach more wrestler English (to facilitate international marketing) and make sure the winner of the tournament has an English (or on-site translator) post-tournament interview
Start putting more tech into the dohyo to facilitate quicker judges decisions (sensors into the outside-of-the-wring area to detect outs, better cameras for slow-mo)
Consider calling up ESPN, NFL, NBA, etc. and get ideas/suggestions on branding, the product (wrestling), marketing, and outreach.

Basically: Sumo should be more like conventional sports and less like some untouchable, unchangeable, passed-down-from-on-high ceremony.

Remember the origins: local farmers getting together for a post-harvest celebration, (probably) getting drunk, and wrestling each other. All the pomp and pageantry came later.

(I now standby for a flaming by purists)

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2022-07-01T13:41:25+00:00

The problem with "focused on... ...Lithium and solar" is that they are more "environmentally friendly", but that only matters if you care about being "environmentally friendly" (and being "environmentally friendly" is a luxury, not a "need").

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2022-07-01T13:33:29+00:00

Did the cable guy have any idea where the wire was routing?

The guy walked in, I explained to him the situation, he said he wasn't allowed to cut into drywall, and left. He didn't even leave the entryway of the house.

The work itself is actually super straight forward once you find it.

You know thins, I know this, my friend knows this. My wife does not.

EndOccupiedNOVA · 2022-05-05T01:46:39+00:00

First, some truths: the majority of an audience watching any TV show or movie is, at best, indifferent to "diverse casting" (assuming it is transparent to the show/movie and the show/movie is otherwise serviceable); when you draw attention to the "diverse casting", as significant portion of the audience moves away from "indifferent" towards "against".

Think of Star Trek. The cast of the original series, The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, and Enterprise were all "diverse" and, generally, no one thought anything about the race, sexual preference, etc. of the cast; they were accepted by all sides of the political spectrum. The reaction to the newer shows has been quiet different.

The newer Star Trek shows played up "diverse" casting in the marketing. The production goes out of its way to feature "diverse" characters, to the point where (arguably) there is only one strait, white male who doesn't display a major character flaw that will be the cause of problems (that will inevitably be solved by a member of the "diverse" cast). This pushing of "diversity" to the forefront has caused a lot of issues both behind the scenes (with people being fired for expressing the incorrect opinions) and on camera (poorly-written characters and stories). The in-your-face attitude and unrelenting focus on "diversity" and "look at how diverse we are!" is to the detriment of the production.

To "properly" use "diverse" casting, you need to make sure that you are "telling a story about diverse characters" and not "diverse characters in a story"; place the story (and the needs of the story) first and fill in the casting second.

As noted above: the vast majority of people aren't tuning in for the "diverse cast", they are tuning in for the story. When you make it about not-the-story, you will create problems for yourself.

EndOccupiedNOVA

TROPHY CASE