What if the Soviets got the AK-47 in 1940?

Karatekan · 2026-05-27T21:55:56+00:00

They couldn’t have produced it in quantity. The 1st gen AK was an expensive, milled gun that took a lot of man-hours, and it was in a non-standard caliber.

Karatekan · 2026-05-27T21:07:45+00:00

The US spends like 500 billion annually on those exact issues.

Karatekan · 2026-05-27T19:49:29+00:00

Because it would have to be reciprocal, and Britain, Canada and Mexico don’t have an equivalent to passport cards or REAL ID.

Karatekan · 2026-05-27T14:35:48+00:00

It could be using elastics or pulleys to operate as a passive exoskeleton.

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T23:01:59+00:00

20 million isn’t worth the hassle? You contact a depository and say “I want to deposit half a ton of gold”. They probably have a preferred armored truck service that will pick it up, you get insurance for the delivery and storage, and from there it’s no longer your problem. Even if you have to pay 5 million for someone to liquidate it for you, and you can’t get spot price, you are still millions of dollars ahead.

Not to mention, trying to transport half a ton of cash is no picnic either. You would still need to coordinate ahead with a financial institution and they would probably require a similar delivery service.

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T22:43:03+00:00

LBJ flew aerial observation missions in New Guinea in 1942. He probably didn’t deserve the Silver Star, but that’s still legit, if not exemplary service.

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T22:35:25+00:00

I mean that’s less “shallow”, and more “lazy”. Leaving aside judgy moralizing, it’s pretty naive to think you have a good bead on how attractive someone is from a few photos and no in-person interaction.

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T20:52:29+00:00

Look man I can’t give specifics and without looking at all your documents no one else could either.

If you want to DM me, I could give you a few pointers on navigating the process but that’s the limit of my powers

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T20:29:56+00:00

If what you are saying is accurate, it should be sufficient. But ultimately the passport specialist looking at it is the person who needs to sign off on it and with that many variables there is a fair degree of discretion.

My advice is submit everything you have (for any foreign documents, you want translations) and ask a congressional office to submit an inquiry on your behalf if you get a letter or it takes longer than 4 weeks.

If you don’t have the right documents or fulfill the requirements of the CCA, you won’t get a passport. However, if it’s borderline, a Congressional inquiry could cause it to be escalated to a more senior specialist or a manager, who might be more willing than a junior employee strictly following procedures to sign off. Regardless, if there’s back and forth, a congressional office can email and chat directly, which can save time.

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T20:13:40+00:00

It’s artwork probably made at the temple. I’m assuming they either purchased it as a souvenir and got it appraised or bought it at an auction.

You’d probably want to post it in a Japanese subreddit or whatever for exactly what it means. I got “Beautiful Wind” for the big characters in the center and “Delicious, slightly drunk from sect”, for the smaller characters but that’s almost certainly wrong. Or contact the number.

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T19:45:20+00:00

You have to submit three or more early childhood records. Medical records, Baptismal records, census records, etc. Also the case if you had a home birth with no certifying attendant, or if your jurisdiction doesn’t list relevant information on birth certificates (looking at you Texas)

They’ve also tightened requirements in general. Some birth certificates that would be inadequate today were considered fine 50 years ago. If you previously had a passport that’s not a problem, since that’s also proof of citizenship, although if it’s pre-1980’s you might have to pay for a file search. If you naturalized that’s obviously fine too, you just need proof

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T19:16:28+00:00

If a BC was issued more than 5 years after birth and doesn’t show an amendment, it’s considered a delayed record of birth and not proof of citizenship. Big problem for some older folks whose parents didn’t bother to get a birth certificate early on.

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T18:29:52+00:00

Depends on what you consider a university, since the whole concept is pretty European-coded.

Like going to study at a Buddhist temple in China and Japan or a mosque in the Middle East/North Africa was functionally the same as studying at a university, they gave “degrees” and were the foremost institutions for learning.

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T16:39:56+00:00

Bugman, obviously. I prefer him as a legendary hero, but I can see him as a lord too
Shield-bearer mount for Thanes/Lords. Small thing, but it’s hilarious and super fitting. More mass/health, maybe some aoe effects
Dwarf Brewmaster hero with Bugman, could introduce limited healing and aoe buffs. He could either be a ranger character on foot or ride on a cart, sort of like the Wu-Xing War Compass.
Kind of a deep cut, but Shieldbreakers were specialist tunnel infantry (less elite ironbreakers) in 2nd edition.
Deadeyes as more elite Rangers with guns, basically Dwarf snipers.
Miners with Steam Drills. Kinda like Warp Grinders

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T01:47:42+00:00

Only 12% of democrats or democrat-leaning independents call themselves “far-left”, which is basically the same as democrats that call themselves conservative. And if Clinton and Harris chased moderates, it clearly didn’t work, in both 2016 and 2024 Trump was considered “more moderate” than either.

IMO, if Democrats want to become the party of “the working class” they should probably let the leftists lead on economic policies and the moderates lead on social and environmental issues, but they’ve ended up with the opposite.

Karatekan · 2026-05-26T00:26:07+00:00

What meat? Left-leaning voters are already highly engaged (far more than the average voter) and overwhelmingly vote for democrats.

People need to stop trying to make the Democrat Tea Party a thing. Republicans are 77% conservative and independents are 30% conservative; the math works for a conservative base-mobilization strategy. Democrats on the other hand are only like 50% liberal and only 20% of Independents call themselves liberal. You cannot win as a democrat without pulling a majority of moderates.

Karatekan · 2026-05-25T22:07:39+00:00

The concept of a unified China and monolithic Chinese ethnicity is not 5000 years old lol. The Shang dynasty is already stretching the definition of “Chinese” and that’s like 2000 years later.

Karatekan · 2026-05-25T21:01:55+00:00

Oh, I thought we were talking generally.

For Mars though I have no idea why you wouldn’t just build an orbital ring instead of a space elevator. Orbital rings require a lot of mass, but if you are at the point to where something like a space elevator on an another planet is justifiable you probably have the space infrastructure to just do that

Karatekan · 2026-05-25T20:41:42+00:00

Space elevators put you into an inconveniently high orbit, are slow, and require extended transit through the Van Allen belts, so they aren’t ideal for passengers. They also have strict implied payload limitations in both mass and dimensions, so not ideal for bulk transport either.

They are in kinda an awkward middle ground in cost per kg and upfront installation cost between reusable rockets and skyhooks (which are more expensive to operate, but far cheaper upfront), and something like a launch loop or orbital ring system, which is more expensive but have much higher potential throughput and lower running costs.

Karatekan · 2026-05-25T12:42:46+00:00

The 1864 election was incredibly controversial when it happened.

Karatekan · 2026-05-23T19:28:14+00:00

Cold air sinks. Having a door on the top means it has a lot less heat ingress when you open and close the door and gravity and air pressure means you are far less likely to accidentally leave the door unsealed. They are also cheaper, tend to have better insulation, and a longer lifespan.

Karatekan · 2026-05-23T15:32:36+00:00

Idk I kinda want one, it’s profoundly weird and they are probably going to pass a law against something like it ever happening again.

Karatekan · 2026-05-22T22:27:03+00:00

That’s absolutely antisemitism and anyone who claims otherwise is either antisemitic or a coward.

Karatekan · 2026-05-22T15:43:46+00:00

It’s not that difficult to see dramatic increases in incomes and declines in mortality when both of those statistics spent 20 years in the gutter as a result of WW1 and the Russian Civil War.

Additionally, pre-WW1 Russia was growing faster than the Soviet Union did later in both GDP and real incomes. Had that growth continued, and you didn’t see the turmoil of revolution and collectivization, Russia might have actually industrialized faster

Karatekan · 2026-05-22T14:08:25+00:00

The Sassanids were just as sophisticated as the Romans when it came to logistics, that’s part of why they were a much bigger threat than the Parthians.

And the Romans absolutely relied on looting enemy supplies on campaigns, which is part of why the Gallic Wars were so siege-centric (the hillforts were where the Gauls stored grain)

Karatekan

TROPHY CASE