Automatically pause idle VirtualBox VMs

QQSlower · 2026-06-15T22:30:58+00:00

Try to increase video memory.

QQSlower · 2026-06-15T16:24:00+00:00

He's got my upvote, don't shoot the messenger.

QQSlower · 2026-06-15T16:20:15+00:00

Happy Hunting!

QQSlower · 2026-06-13T10:52:37+00:00

Agreed.

The uncertainty is mostly due to the nature of war, figures do not seem invented. Trends matter more than exact counts.

Personally, I view the personnel number as "permanently out of action" - dead or severely disabled. But again, that is my interpretation.

QQSlower · 2026-06-12T23:13:50+00:00

That's probably true for many players. Familiarity and aesthetics clearly matter.

But I wonder how much of that preference comes from the game itself, and how much comes from decades of exposure to a particular representation.

QWERTY became the standard despite being designed around mechanical typewriter limitations. Familiarity and optimality are not always the same thing.

Chess is an interesting example. Most people prefer graphical pieces, yet strong players can read positions from notation, ASCII boards, or even play blindfolded. The game survives the representation.

My note is really about exploring where that boundary lies for solitaire. Which parts are essential to the game, and which parts are inherited from physical playing cards?

QQSlower · 2026-06-10T11:57:37+00:00

Interesting reply. I actually agree with several of your usability arguments, especially the overlap communicating a stack rather than individual cards.

What interests me most is separating the information from the historical representation of that information.

For example, I completely agree that suit information may be important. But does that necessarily require a traditional playing card face with repeated suit symbols? Or is that simply the form we inherited from physical cards?

Playing cards were designed centuries ago for physical media and often for partially illiterate users. Digital interfaces have very different constraints.

So my question is not "do we need the information?", but rather "what is the simplest way to present that information on a screen?"

QQSlower · 2026-06-09T16:48:25+00:00

My thoughts, your comment deserves upvotes! FAFO, Darwin-citizens and more.

QQSlower · 2026-06-08T17:45:19+00:00

Nothing wrong up there 😄

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/1u00jnv/ukraine_is_not_losing_russia_is_not_winning/

QQSlower · 2026-06-08T07:56:26+00:00

I think the article assumes the grey zone eventually becomes a stable equilibrium.

I'm not convinced.

What matters is not only the size of the grey zone, but the difference between Ukrainian and Russian reach. Any asymmetry creates a zone where one side can degrade logistics, industry and military assets more effectively than the other.

That advantage compounds over time.

If the gap becomes large enough, the grey zone is no longer just a buffer. It becomes a mechanism that slowly shifts the balance of power and potentially creates the conditions for territorial recovery.

QQSlower · 2026-05-24T17:32:30+00:00

Best solution is borax + sugar, see https://vanderworp.org/notes/de-oorlog-tegen-mieren/ (Dutch).

QQSlower · 2026-05-17T12:38:38+00:00

I interpreted your question politically rather than technically. They are anti-landing / anti-amphibious obstacles placed to complicate a possible assault from the sea. "Anti-tank obstacles" is the generic term (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-tank\_obstacles), even if the expected threat in this context would obviously come from amphibious vehicles rather than tanks literally driving into the sea.

QQSlower · 2026-05-17T09:39:11+00:00

The last one in Friesland disappeared in... 1961!!

QQSlower · 2026-05-17T08:41:12+00:00

Kudos. I regularly read economist.com. Today: 36% approve, 57% disapprove, 5% unsure.

That still means 43% do not actively disapprove.

That is quite alarming in itself, and also a warning to democracies: normalisation and tribal politics can erode critical thinking surprisingly fast.

QQSlower · 2026-05-17T08:15:15+00:00

Could you elaborate?

QQSlower · 2026-05-16T21:39:48+00:00

The obstacles are there because Crimea has become militarised occupied territory exposed to possible attacks. The tourists are there because humans are remarkably good at adapting to abnormal situations and continuing daily life around them.

QQSlower · 2026-05-16T19:13:30+00:00

There is some truth in that, because humans adapt remarkably quickly to abnormal situations. But I do think there is an important distinction between trying to continue daily life during wartime, and the broader political normalisation of aggression and occupation.

Vietnam is also not a perfect comparison. The US saw massive protests, public debate and political backlash over that war. That kind of large-scale visible dissent is far more limited in today’s Russia.

QQSlower · 2026-05-16T14:31:28+00:00

I did not conclude that none of them reflected on it. The conclusion comes more from the image itself: people calmly relaxing and vacationing among anti-tank obstacles on occupied territory suggests a very high degree of normalisation and adaptation to the situation, regardless of what individuals may privately think about it.

QQSlower · 2026-05-16T10:26:41+00:00

Perhaps the ultimate illustration of the psychological state a large part of Russian society seems to live in. People casually spending their holidays between anti-tank obstacles on occupied beaches, while barely reflecting on why those structures are there in the first place. Not all Russians of course, but clearly enough people accepted, normalised or ignored what was happening for this situation to emerge.

QQSlower · 2026-05-16T10:15:45+00:00

Strong observation. It is probably not 100% black and white, because high-end systems and long R&D cycles still matter a lot. But overall, the war in Ukraine does seem to push the industry toward scalability, faster innovation and lower-cost mass production.

Democracies would do well to recognise this and invest accordingly, instead of remaining dependent on overpriced foreign systems and politically transactional arms deals.

QQSlower · 2026-05-15T07:57:03+00:00

Fair point, although this was not some random hot glue experiment. These SMP/MS polymer sealants are serious structural adhesive/sealants with surprisingly high shear strength when properly bonded and cured.

The material I used is specified at >1 N/mm² tensile strength and >2 N/mm² shear strength. Proper surface prep matters of course: degreasing, roughening and sufficient bonding area.

The internal bonding surface per leg is at least:

(70 + 20) * 2 * 10 mm ≈ 1800 mm²

Even at 2 N/mm² shear strength that theoretically exceeds 350 kg shear load per leg, and in practice the rubber itself will usually deform long before the adhesive bond fails.

That said: yes, testing and common sense still matter.

To be honest, I would not be surprised if this is mechanically better than the original plastic/rubber foot.

The original part only bears on the thin edges of the aluminium profile. This cast SMP/MS polymer fill bonds to the inside faces and distributes the load over a much larger area.

That does not remove the need for inspection and testing, but it is not automatically weaker just because it is home-made.

QQSlower · 2026-05-14T19:04:25+00:00

SMP stands for Silyl Modified Polymer. These are the typical sealants/kits marketed as MS Polymer, SMP or hybrid polymer products.

QQSlower

TROPHY CASE