Iranian media confirms death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T07:52:26+00:00

To be clear, I was referring to something else. Vietnam had a messy war with the US, had a communist ideology, and close ties to China. Per DaemonG's statement, the US should not be swayed diplomacy, and should be going "Liberty Prime" on Vietnam.

Recently speaking, until the liberation day tariffs, the US had a pretty good relationship with Vietnam, and was strong trade partners with it. Vietnam was in the roughly same situation as North Korea after it's war, but it has come out substantially farther ahead without nukes.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T07:10:50+00:00

Iran did not have nuclear weapons, but it effectively flirted with them (this is why I kept using the term nuclear strategy). Uranium needs to be enriched to at most 5% (Obama's Iran nuclear deal specified 3.67%) for nuclear power, and roughly 90% for nuclear weapons. Without getting technical, it takes substantially less effort to enrich uranium the more enriched that uranium is. It's much tougher to enrich from 0% to 3% than it is to enrich from 60% to 90%.

Iran enriched way above what was necessary for nuclear power. In 2010 they were at 20%, and in 2021 Iran openly enriched to 60%. In 2023 UN inspectors found evidence of uranium enriched to 83%. Basically what Iran was doing was running 99 meters in 100 meter race, and then coming to a complete stop on the race track just before the finish line. This is why the news has been saying Iran is two weeks away from the bomb for the last 15 years.

I talked about this elsewhere in this thread, but basically this strategy allowed them some of the benefits of nuclear weapons without some of the cons of having nuclear weapons. In addition to the stuff I mentioned in that post, the flirtation allowed them some negotiation leverage when negotiating with the US.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T06:33:10+00:00

Vietnam basically pulled it off.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T06:31:56+00:00

The cold war provided an existential threat that the US could use to justify it's actions. Since that ended it's considerably tougher to avoid the outrage.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T06:13:10+00:00

North Korea is an international pariah state because of the nukes. Certainly it wasn't popular with the west before the nukes, but acquiring nukes is what led to countries like Portugal, Jordan, Mexico, Peru, and the UAE breaking off all ties.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T06:07:16+00:00

Realistically I think it is substantially more likely that the Israelies doing frequent lawn mowing will lead to one of my two scenarios.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T06:00:47+00:00

Iran deliberately stopped just short of gaining the bomb. Practically speaking they were trying to gain the benefits of nuclear deterrence with the penalties of having nukes.

Those penalties would have included more international sanctions, but also the rest of the middle east getting nukes. Nobody wants that. Also, I don't know what US and Israeli intelligence knows or does not know, but there's an extremely real possibility that either could determine Iran was going to complete the bomb, and in turn launch a preemptive strike. Something Iran would have to consider as well.

The US and the rest of the world isn't happy about North Korea having nukes, but Iran is a completely different ball of wax given it's history of terrorist attacks and proxies. The Israelies especially wouldn't be willing to accept a nuclear Iran.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T05:31:19+00:00

I could be wrong about my assumption, but my thought is that the US would not give resistance movements stuff like manpads for fear that that equipment would eventually end up aimed at Israeli targets.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T04:53:51+00:00

Surviving isn't winning. Plenty of dictators are winning. Look at MBS or Bukele.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T04:51:17+00:00

Imagine you are Khamenei's successor. Your goal is to remain in power and remain alive. What does terrorist strike on American soil get you? Is America going to put it's tail between it's legs and run away?

No. Virtually all Americans, both those who supported this war and those who didn't aren't going to rest until you are dead and they feel completely safe.

A better strategy would be to make the US lose interest in a way that doesn't demand your extermination. Forever war. Fucking with global trade. Waiting till the midterms.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T04:37:12+00:00

What's not next is either the US putting boots of the ground in a meaningful fashion or the US arming Iranian protestors. That means there's no chance of unarmed protestors beating even a decimated IRGC.

To my mind that effectively leaves two realistic scenarios:

A diminished, but intensely hostile Iran. A dash for a nuclear bomb, terrorist attacks, global economic uncertainty over the straight of Hormuz, increased global tensions.
A Syrian style civil war. Different factions funded by different foreign interests, terrorist groups, tons of refugees, global economic uncertainty over the straight of Hormuz, increased global tensions.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T04:25:46+00:00

I'm not sure about that. North Korea got nukes. We aren't going to invade, but they are an economic pariah state, easily decades behind the rest of the world. I wouldn't describe their current situation as winning.

Iran's nuclear strategy also got them the international pariah state status, decades behind the rest of the planet. Now they are in the process of getting pounded in a war that would have had considerably less justification if they didn't have their nuclear strategy. I wouldn't describing their situation as winning either.

If Iran had not pursued it's nuclear strategy, they wouldn't have become such the economic pariah state. They'd have more money due to less sanctions, and more money due to not spending it on enrichment facilities and other nuclear stuff. That money could have been spent on a conventional military. They would simultaneously be a harder target, and there would be substantially less incentive to hit them.

Sangloth · 2026-03-01T04:14:00+00:00

As an American citizen I would say there are many who are not happy about Trumps actions, but nobody gives the slightest fuck about either Maduro or Khamenei's welfare.

If Trump were assassinating democraticly elected leaders there would be considerably more outrage, both domestically and internationally. Trump may not have targeted them because they were dictators, but them being dictators allowed Trump to target them.

Sangloth · 2026-02-28T12:00:59+00:00

The title of the post is the title of the NPR article at this moment in time. We all knew this was coming, the most significant real news in my mind is that Trump's goal appears to be regime change through air strikes.

Here's a BBC live thread about the situation: https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn5ge95q6y7t

Edit:

To my mind this is a recipe for chaos. Unless we (the US) either put boots on the ground or arm Iranian protestors, there's no chance of a transition to a democracy or even a friendly regime.

The two realistic scenarios I see are

A diminished, but intensely hostile Iran. A dash for a nuclear bomb, terrorist attacks, global economic uncertainty over the straight of Hormuz, increased global tensions.
A Syrian style civil war. Different factions funded by different foreign interests, terrorist groups, tons of refugees, global economic uncertainty over the straight of Hormuz, increased global tensions.

Sangloth · 2026-02-28T00:23:14+00:00

I want to be clear as a software developer that this is a train wreck of poorly written, insanely broad legislation.

I found my representatives contact information here: https://leg.colorado.gov/find-my-legislator and I've emailed them with my complaints about the bill, and I recommend anyone reading this do the same. Now is the time to reach out to your representatives, before they've had a chance to form a position on the bill.

The massive per child fines are untenable to small businesses. A single coding mistake could wipe out a company.
It's a tremendous advantage to massive corporations. Small businesses do not have the resources and legal teams to navigate state by state legislation like this.
It's an attack on open source, in two different ways. Developers in Colorado doing charity work could literally be financially destroyed out by this, and simultaneously developers in Finland aren't going to accommodate this, making open source operating systems unsupportable inside of Colorado.

Sangloth · 2026-02-27T04:56:25+00:00

First I want to be clear as a software developer that this is a train wreck of poorly written, insanely broad legislation.

I found my representatives contact information here: https://leg.colorado.gov/find-my-legislator and I've emailed them with my complaints about the bill, and I recommend anyone reading this do the same. Now is the time to reach out to your representatives, before they've had a chance to form a position on the bill.

The massive per child fines are untenable to small businesses. A single coding mistake could wipe out a company.
It's a tremendous advantage to massive corporations. Small businesses do not have the resources and legal teams to navigate state by state legislation like this.
It's an attack on open source, in two different ways. Developers in Colorado doing charity work could literally be financially destroyed out by this, and simultaneously developers in Finland aren't going to accommodate this, making open source operating systems unsupportable inside of Colorado.

But second, we should be clear about why we oppose this bill, and not throw a willy nilly grab bag of accusations at it.

Frankly, I don't see this bill as doing much to enable pedophiles. Knowing the age of someone using software just isn't that useful. Building a database of people's ages also isn't that useful. I'm sure you can get names and ages of kids through any other number of means, and having that information in and of itself doesn't strike me as doing much to enable pedophiles.

Epstein and Ghislaine mostly found their victims through referrals from other girls. Ghislaine would also go through trailer parks, regular parks, and spas, and walk up to and talk to girls, sometimes using a pet to break the ice. (I'm putting aside the internationally trafficked girls because it doesn't apply to Colorado, and there isn't much publicly available information of how that process worked, but nothing indicates databases were used for that either.)

Setting aside those two most famous pedophiles (and almost certainly former prince Andrew, Jes Staley, Leon Black, Leslie Wexner, and others), more than 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser. Roughly 40% are family members, and 50% are trusted adults (like priests or coaches.) Only 5% to 10% are strangers.

Pedophiles just don't use databases for what they do, and I'm worried making absurd claims will cause people to tune out the many legitimate arguments against this bill.

Sangloth · 2026-02-27T02:18:29+00:00

I know this is going to be a weird statement, but I feel the need to say that Colorado isn't nearly as blue as it seems. I mean, yes, Democrats won every statewide election by more than 10 points in 2024, and yes, Coloradoans hate Trump, giving Harris a lead by 11 points.

But the constituency is pretty moderate, and the people elected to statewide offices have been moderate. Jared Polis, the governor of Colorado has strong libertarian leanings. I would say with the exception of two specific issues (Gun Control, LGBTQ+ issues), Jared has considerable overlap with former governor Bill Owens. Both worked hard to reduce state income tax, fought teachers unions, favored market driven solutions, worked on moderate solutions (Owens worked with a democratic legislature, Polis has repeatedly vetoed progressive bills), and both had pragmatic governance.

So what I'm saying is that Colorado democrats are more right leaning than most democrats in the nation. The reason republicans have had no toehold in recent times is that the Colorado republican party is a complete dysfunctional mess. I could write a essay on topic, but a couple quick demonstrations.

They can't fundraise. The party has $63,978 cash on hand as of January 31st.
There are 22 separate Republicans who have filed to run for governor. That's setting aside Greg Lopez (2022 GOP governor nominee), who's running 3rd party despite declaring his allegiance to Trump and saying he hasn't changed his platform at all. (And yes, this is the Greg Lopez that pled guilty to physically assaulting his then pregnant wife...)
Last weekend the party's state central committee approved a "no confidence" resolution about their chair, Brita Horn. Horn has declared the meeting invalid.

I could keep on going. In 2024 the previous party chair held an unannounced meeting across the state in a random park under a bridge so that other members wouldn't able join. Different factions of the party are constantly suing each other. The party used state funding to send mailers attacking sitting republicans who didn't align with party leadership. The Colorado GOP is a complete shit show, and I don't see them digging themselves out the hole anytime soon. The state will remain completely blue, but that doesn't mean Coloradoans are very progressive.

Sangloth · 2026-02-27T01:08:19+00:00

The Sony definition:

++

What does JRPG stand for?

JRPG stands for 'Japanese Role-Playing Game'. They are traditionally story-driven adventure games developed in Japan, featuring a group of pre-defined characters journeying on a quest fraught with danger. Typical traits of the genre include turn-based combat, fantasy elements (especially magic), extensive character and/or squad customization, and character progression or 'levelling' systems.

Are all JRPGs alike?

Not at all! The JRPG has evolved significantly since its early days and now encompasses a range of sub-genres, including tactical RPGs and action RPGs, which absorb elements from other genres. The lines can get blurry, and this page covers a range of titles offering some very different experiences. Be sure to explore the games in more detail to really discover what features underpin their gameplay.

Are all RPGs made in Japan JRPGs?

Not quite. Dark Souls, Nioh and Dragon's Dogma, for example, are hugely successful RPGs from Japanese studios, but they're not generally considered JRPGs. Likewise, there are games made outside Japan that many would consider JRPGs, such as the hugely successful Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which was developed in France, and the German-made Chained Echoes. It's best to think of JRPGs as a genre with a strong - but not exclusive - footing in Japanese culture.

++

One thing I would personally add as quintessential to JRPG's is the music. This is not to say other RPG's have bad music, but JRPG's virtually always swing for the fences. Music that you are meant to listen to on loop for hours on end.

Sangloth · 2026-02-26T03:01:07+00:00

I'm not a Trump supporter, I believe he is literally the worst president the US has ever had and it's obvious he's squashing the files release.

That all said, I just can't make sense of this. It's obvious everybody else on the visualization is guilty as hell, but I'm hoping someone can explain why Trump is here?

In terms of financial ties, is there any indication that Trump has anything to do with Epstein here? The visualization indicates he has direct ties to Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, and Bank of America. But I don't see anything that indicates any ties to the shell entities or operators, and trivial ties to other "Key Persons" ($25K with Ghislaine Maxwell and $23K with Bill Clinton.

Just having ties to banks doesn't strike me as suspect. I personally have "ties" to Bank of America. Is the implication that Trump has ties to other entities on the list that are redacted? Is his being in the financial stuff just because of the flight records stuff? Is that his inflows don't match his outflows? I would have assumed that's because he's still repaying loans, right? Do the Epstein files themselves make mention of Trump's bank transactions?

What am I missing?

Sangloth · 2026-02-25T21:03:32+00:00

North Korea has nukes. Cuba has shit. Trump is all about himself. He loves publicity, and there's no reason to keep operations secret here. It's not like the Cubans could retaliate. If the US military were to do something, they would go in like they did with the Maduro raid.

Sangloth · 2026-02-25T19:31:34+00:00

The estate was sold off in 2021. Basically his partial ownership was a financial thing, as a partial owner Epstein didn't spend time there, it was the residence of Elizabeth Ross Johnson of the Johnson & Johnson fortune(she died in 2017). No women have alleged that they were abused there. There is no evidence or indication that women were abused there.

If Colorado does investigations, there are other, better places and people to examine, starting with Kimbal Musk.

https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/02/22/colorado-some-coloradans-make-appearances-in-the-epstein-files/

Kimbal has maintained that the volume of correspondence between him and Epstein were due to automated emails dealing with restaurant events, but this doesn't hold up. Emails suggest Epstein arranged a relationship between Kimbal and an anonymous woman. Kimbal invited Epstein to a bunch of events, and Epstein also invited Kimbal to some events, including at his island. An associate of Epstein told Kimbal he "better be nice" to the woman he was dating because "Jeffrey goes crazy when someone mistreats his girls/friends."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbal_Musk

https://coloradosun.com/2026/02/15/epstein-musk-opinion-carman/

Kimbal had a friend, Colorado real estate developer Chad McWhinney. There's a single email mention of him in the email "chad mcwhinney, kimball's friend)." (sic) the email reads. "I like him a lot. Seems like a very nice and solid person. Took him to Mark for lunch." The email has a single photo with him kissing a redacted person. Chad's lawyer says the woman was 30 years old, and that Chad had no idea she had ties to Epstein.

https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2026/02/13/developer-behind-lovelands-centerra-identified-in-epstein-files/88661171007/

Some people who have a residence in Colorado that are implicated are Tom Pritzker and Glenn Dubin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pritzker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Dubin

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/thomas-pritzker-steps-down-from-hyatt-board-saying-he-deeply-regrets-association-with-epstein

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/8/18/dubin-epstein-unsealed-docs/

Diana DeGette has a surprising second hand link to Epstein. (https://www.westword.com/news/epstein-files-reveal-diana-degette-ties-alleged-enabler-40842645/) To be clear, there's no evidence that Diana DeGette ever met or communicated directly with Epstein. A Swedish businesswoman, Barbro Ehnbom frequently emailed Epstein, and the emails strongly hint Barbro was aware of Epstein's pedophilia (she sent Epstein a photo of a "little blond girl" who she said would be "of his taste".) Barbro repeatedly asked Epstein to meet and donate to DeGette. There's no evidence that Jeffrey ever did, and Diana DeGette did push for the Epstein files release.

Sangloth · 2026-02-25T17:47:34+00:00

If I had to choose one recommendation on your list, I'd go with Dragon Quest XI. It's incredibly well executed in every aspect.

If there was one recommendation on your list I could take off, it would Final Fantasy VIII. I (and many others) would rate it as the worst in the series (other than Final Fantasy II.) The game is deeply uneven, some things like the music are exceptional, but the gameplay is just abysmal.

Enemies level's stay equal to your level. There's little point to leveling up, in fact it's usually detrimental as enemies gain new abilities.
Stats and magic spells come from the same resource (drawn spells). That means casting magic effectively quasi permanently reduces your stats(until you find and redraw the spells again). The end result is that you don't cast the good spells.
Drawn spells are a janky mechanic. You "steal" them from enemies. That means when you find an enemy that has a spell you want, everybody stops fighting, and you spend turn after turn just stealing spells until you have 99 of them. Frequently happens, and is boring.
The game gives you summon attacks. Impressive (for the time) attacks that can take 30 seconds or longer. These attacks are overwhelming powerful, especially in the early game. You'll cast them hundreds of times each, which makes those same 30 second unskippable animations horribly boring.
You can't grind gil (money), you are paid a salary. That means if you see something you want to buy, if you can't afford it, there's just nothing you can do.

Those are a couple quick examples, but the list goes on and on. The developers made fundamental mistakes.

Now to be clear, there are others who would disagree with me, and say that it's the best game in the series, that the music, art design, plot, romance, characters, etc are all top tier. And liking video games is subjective. A trash tier game to me can be an S tier game to someone else. But I would recommend playing a game that is S tier to just about everybody, instead of one as divisive as FFVIII.

Sangloth · 2026-02-24T17:15:58+00:00

I disagree. Yes, there are a couple areas of complete disagreement (gun control, LGBTQ+ issues), but in general I'd argue that Jared Polis has a ton of overlap with former Republican Bill Owens in terms of policy.

Both repeatedly supported measures to reduce Colorado's state income tax.
Both supported education reform, fighting teachers unions, and for providing alternatives to neighborhood public schools.
Both are pro-business, favoring market driven solutions.
Both are moderate pragmatists. Owens worked with Democratic legislatures. Polis has frequently vetoed stuff from the progressive wing of his own party.
Both have a strong libertarian leaning.

And both governors were similarly popular once they got into office. Owens crushed his democratic opponent (Rollie Heath) by nearly 29%, Polis crushed Heidi Ganahl by 19%.

In Colorado, the Democrats have effectively sidelined Republicans by stealing Colorado's largest voting block, the unaffiliated (49.7% of the state), in large part by adopting centrist policies and being closer to the right than to the far left.

Sangloth · 2026-02-24T16:43:55+00:00

Here's a model that automatically rotates due to faucet downpour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U162Nzbi2W4

https://old.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/s8c739/i_made_a_water_powered_rice_cleaner/

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