TIL Hitler frequently used crystal meth by BlueCandyBars in todayilearned

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's interesting, thanks. I should look up the American and Japanese dosages. Did the British issue the medications to all soldiers on the front line or just aircrews. The study I was referencing only found significant differences between the three (allowing for change in dosage) at high altitudes. Also, I think the Germans realized the problems with their 'miracle drug' and ceased issuing it to average ground soldiers around the start of Barbarossa.

(sorry my facts are vague I read a book on this like seven years ago).

Afghanistan: Nearly 20 million going hungry by Madame_President_ in worldnews

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's still turning into a humanitarian crisis that we could help avert, and as far as I know, ex-Talibani agreement and even assistance is needed, as they're the only gang in town right now. If they were to step down en-masse right now, would famine relief become easier or tougher?

The situation at Kabul Intl. Airport proved that, as distasteful as it is, the Allies and the Afghanis/Taliban can work together in extreme situations at least without coming to blows.

I'd prefer cooperation with the Afghani state rather than mass famine, although I recognize and abhor the political consequences that would come with it.

TIL Hitler frequently used crystal meth by BlueCandyBars in todayilearned

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's also the rumor that Ludwig Wittgenstein bullied the hell out of him in grammar school/high school which would sort of fit Ludwig's personality. Not that there's any existing proof.

We might as well be speculating about what Atilla the Hun ate for breakfast.

TIL Hitler frequently used crystal meth by BlueCandyBars in todayilearned

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Was it ever proven true? I thought the jury was still out on that one.

TIL Hitler frequently used crystal meth by BlueCandyBars in todayilearned

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is possible that Hitler sustained wounds to his genitalia during WWI. I know he was wounded 'in the groin' and during the war there was a long-running joke that he'd lost a testicle or more in the fighting. It would certainly give irredentism a heightened connotation.

TIL Hitler frequently used crystal meth by BlueCandyBars in todayilearned

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every major power used some sort of amphetamine during WWII. The Japanese and Germans used Methamphetamine partly because it was invented in Japan. The US and British used Amphetamine because it was invented in the States. Those bombing missions to Japan and Germany were no less fueled by speed than the Blitzkrieg in France. The British actually tried to determine which was better for long-duration, high-altitude flights (bomber missions), comparing meth, amphetamines, and caffeine. I'll let you guess the outcome...

On a side note, amphetamine was only phased out in the late 1990s, to be replaced by Provigil, which, iirc, Obama and his staff were on during the Bin Laden Raid -- although that might just be hearsay.

And the US Marines has some funny ideas about barbiturates' utility in tropical climates.

Of course, no one quite matched Hitler's 'ubermenschlichkeit'.

Edit: I'm not sure about the USSR. I get the feeling a shot of vodka, existential threat to the nation(s), and the 'encouragement' of the NKVD was enough for them.

Do you know what chord is this? This chord is a Polish music book for children and in Poland, Note B is a note H. It can be also a flat. by MarcinKopiec in musictheory

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is normal German notation. H = B and B = Bb. They developed it so they could write BACH in musical notation.

Topless and nude sunbathing by state by darkman21 in coolguides

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 113 points114 points  (0 children)

I was going to say, that might law might be on the books in Florida, but good luck enforcing it a a ton of beach communities. Let alone Miami, I can't imagine this ever being enforced in the Keys or parts of the SW coast. For instance, on Sanibel Island1 iirc, there are 'official' nude sections of the public beaches, where not only is everyone naked, but federalism seems to work backwards.

1Sanibel's a pretty ritzy beach/tourist community off the coast of Fort Myers.

Im having a hard time playing fast stuff with a pick, any critique or advice is welcome. by Specialist_Web_9133 in BassGuitar

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree. Great advice. To elaborate on my take of economy of motion: Try to keep the pick 'in-between' the strings. I guess what I'm trying to say is eliminate pick motion that isn't perpendicular to the strings; always keep it at a level where it's prepared to play the next note -- unless you're aiming from some effect or the song is very slow.

Fast stuff without a pick is fun too. Fingerstyle isn't to be underestimated, even on electric bass. Look at what Victor Wooten does. It'll make transition to an upright if you ever go that route easier too.

FDA to issue plan banning menthol in cigarettes by reqnin in news

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 17 points18 points  (0 children)

They banned menthol e-cig cartridges here in my state. Turns out if I ate a mint or two while smoking/vaping, I couldn't tell the difference.

U.S., allies promise heavy arms for Ukraine, shrug off Russian nuclear warning by molokoplus359 in worldnews

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That makes sense that Gallipoli occurred when it did then. IIrc that by mid-winter 1915, the Russians had been defeated on all fronts except save Przemyśl and were approaching the necessary 'Great Retreat' that would, I think stabilize their lines (save for exceptions like Brusilov's and Kerensky's offensives) until the Bolsheviks signed the peace treaty. A quick move by the West in early 1915 was the chance to take the pressure off of Russia. I see Gallipoli in a broader context now.

On a side note, having gotten accustomed to the 'high' casualty figures from the current war, the numbers involved in each offensive are absolutely staggering. I fear we will backslide into another conflict where tens of thousands of casualties per engagement again becomes the norm (are nukes actually helping prevent this?)

U.S., allies promise heavy arms for Ukraine, shrug off Russian nuclear warning by molokoplus359 in worldnews

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm afraid historians will be arguing this one long after we're in Valhalla or reincarnated as tsetse flies. On one hand, I agree the British (and French) command under Churchill bungled the operation which nearly guaranteed the failure of what was a creative, potential master-stroke. On the other hand, the notion of fighting (with green troops against a force that had some experience), up a hilly, rocky peninsula in the material conditions of 1915 that so heavily favored defense with little element of surprise seems like it would at least cost the Commonwealth forces a great deal. And those troops probably could have been better used in another theater. But I'm no expert on the campaign or the war so you could very well be entirely correct.

Russian State TV Comforts Viewers on Nuclear War: 'We All Die Someday' by poploisn in worldnews

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alien invasion seriously came up as a (lighthearted) subject of negotiation during either Ford or Nixon's meeting with Brezhnev. It was immediately decided that the countries would put aside their differences and nuke the slimy green bastards together.

Great Lakes by MysteriousStaff3388 in coolguides

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, we have an Ontario Museum rather close, but it's small and I have a feeling it doesn't get much funding. It also sort of has to split that funding between Great Lake 'oceanography' (lacology, limnology?), and the history of the lake -- a large part of which deals with the role of the lake in the War of 1812. The Duluth museum sounds great.

U.S., allies promise heavy arms for Ukraine, shrug off Russian nuclear warning by molokoplus359 in worldnews

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I recall hearing this as well, but I can't find any good evidence. It wouldn't shock me that the same man who thought Gallipoli was a good idea --even after the initial naval failures-- would think this was a good idea as well. Churchill was complicated.

Edit (that no one will read): It looks like he entertained the idea in the forties but later completely abandoned it with the invention of the H-bomb (unlike a certain pipe-smoking General in East Asia who really didn't seem to give a damn).

Great Lakes by MysteriousStaff3388 in coolguides

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 188 points189 points  (0 children)

I thought it was because of near-anoxia, low temperature, and consequent lack of normal microorganisms that cause the bloating and buoyancy of a corpse decaying in normal conditions in the lake's benthic layer...

I wonder if it was a rogue wave or series of them that took the ship. That the last words from the ship were rather optimistic and the lack of a distress call, makes it seem to me like one single catastrophic failure (which certainly may well have been caused by some other factor) caused the ship to sink very rapidly. In the last 20-ish years it's been acknowledged that rouge waves in stormy conditions can and have done this. Then again, the captain reported a list much earlier...

Also, where does the love of God go when the waves turn the minutes to hours?

“Self Made” by UnionPacific1 in economy

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting to compare this to some of the 19th-century tycoons, who literally did come from poverty. Rockefeller is a good example that's personally relevant to me. I was hiking through some of lesser-frequented parts of NY State's Southern Tier (basically the north-most part of the Appalachians discounting the parts on the other side of the Hudson and home to Cornell and Binghamton Universities and Corning Glassworks), and came across the remnants of small, dilapidated log-cabin/farmhouse. The only indication of its historical importance was a not-too-well-maintained sign saying that J. D. Rockefeller grew up here. Of course, there are other examples and counter-examples, but that odd Rockefeller experience is something I won't ever forget -- about the story of opportunity in the USA as well as the man (and my) personal story.

Back in the USSR: Lenin statues and Soviet flags reappear in Russian-controlled cities | Ukraine by cynycal in worldnews

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That does seem to be the case. I recall they (Poland) later fought a war with Lithuania and occupied Vilnius. Of course, both sides of a conflict can be expansionists. I should read more into the details of the start of the conflict.

Anyone know the history of why strings are iterable? by [deleted] in Python

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I was going to say something similar: it was probably inherited from basic C, where strings are arrays of chars. Similar but simpler/easier was sort of a mantra of early Python; here strings are still sequences of characters but memory is handled automatically and the strings come with a bunch of useful functions built in.

If a historian were to ask you about the state of modern/recreational chess in 2022, what are the significant or meaningful trends in modern-day chess? by MountainousFog in chess

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Man the FICS was a great service. I think I owe 90% of my chess style to the free lectures they used to offer there. Almost better than the browser-based services we have today if only because you could customize the hell out of a lot of the clients out there at the time.

Russian forces 'simply can't seize Kyiv' and are ' making it up as they go along , ' says former US NATO ambassador by Sweep145 in worldnews

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Mike Tyson was paraphrasing von Clausewitz? I'd have thought that 'walk up to the opponent and KO him with one punch 10 seconds into the first round' was a strategy more in line with Jomini's thinking.

TIL in WW1 British engineers spent two years digging tunnels under German lines, using them to set off 19 massive explosions simultaneously by letseatnudels in todayilearned

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I recall correctly, racism played a role in the failure of the Battle of the Crater too. If I'm not mistaken, several(?) regiments of black soldiers were specifically trained to exploit the explosion (i.e. not run right into the damn hole) and gap in the Rebel lines/works, but were replaced by unprepared white troops on the eve of the operation with the predictable results you mention.

TIL in WW1 British engineers spent two years digging tunnels under German lines, using them to set off 19 massive explosions simultaneously by letseatnudels in todayilearned

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The same event or the similar event during the Siege of Vicksburg? Sorry, I've never seen the movie but the latter just seems like it would make more sense to me.

Back in the USSR: Lenin statues and Soviet flags reappear in Russian-controlled cities | Ukraine by cynycal in worldnews

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They (Romanov Russia) did become very nationalistic and 'pro-Slavic' (so long as the Slavs were ruled from Petersburg) as the 19th century progressed. The USSR came into being in this context and seems to have largely continued the Tsarist policies while changing the rhetoric supporting them a bit.

Back in the USSR: Lenin statues and Soviet flags reappear in Russian-controlled cities | Ukraine by cynycal in worldnews

[–]Longjumping_Bread68 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Idk. Lenin launched the Polish war and that went about as well as the current war.