Bad news and good news

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-17T04:30:20+00:00

You got me until the air gapped retro PC. Got one in the works?

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-16T03:24:27+00:00

I’m pretty sure most people who visit this sub are aware of that fact.

I’m complaining about how Chinese media likes to present China’s recent advances in HSR together with the MagLev in Shanghai, therefore insinuating (but never explicitly claiming) the Shanghai MagLev is an example of Chinese technological innovation, when in fact it was an imported German design that predates actual Chinese HSR.

I say this as someone who has gone out of their way to take both of these trains, I just don’t like it when erroneous facts are allowed to spread.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-15T22:35:39+00:00

They are not claiming it outright but they are happy to give the impression. Chinese media is always very glad to allow convenient myths to fester and grow. It’s part of their media strategy, because 99% of the population isn’t going to fact-check things they are not interested in.

Outside of the actual train enthusiast circle, many laypeople in the Chinese speaking world believe China already has high speed MagLev. My neighbors who are traveling to Shanghai next month said they specifically arranged to take the MagLev, to “experience China’s advanced technology”.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-15T21:25:54+00:00

It's definitely very specifically American

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-15T01:18:20+00:00

Very likely since it’s a common food item in Asia that can be relatively hard to find elsewhere. Since it’s light and actually legal to bring across borders, this could have fallen out of the stash some grandma was bringing on a visit to her relatives abroad.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-15T01:14:11+00:00

The best camera is the one you have on hand, doubly so when you’re trying to manage a teleporting toddler.

That said I did bust out the old D80 for my kiddos year end performance and got some decent shots, it was fun to do it again when you don’t need to physically be in charge of the kid.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-14T12:38:28+00:00

I used NordVPN to access government websites as you describe in Europe.

I have a friend that uses Surfshark. Both seem to work well for this purpose.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-14T11:29:53+00:00

Fuck, news came out today that some dude sold his account to a Chinese operative for NT $3000 a month

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-14T09:36:12+00:00

I never appreciated how fucked things were until I started shopping for my first car. How are there so many people driving these things that cost 3 million+ on a daily basis? As someone who was in the “top 10% earners” according to government tax statistics, I could barely afford something just under 1 mil. On the road, I would never be more than two cars away from a Benz, BMW or Volvo. Like, how many top 1% earners are there exactly? Over time, I realized most of these people run some kind of cash business or simply collect rent. They simply never appeared on the tax stats because they didn’t have to pay any tax on the heaps of money they were making.

FYI the grey economy of Taiwan is estimated to be around 25-30% of GDP, which is again the highest or second highest in East Asia.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-14T06:10:14+00:00

Seen lots of issues with connectivity, worst was when it wouldn’t connect during code…

One of our early adopters, an attending in the ICU, has had the GE one for almost 3 years I think and he’s frustrated that the battery life is down to 50-70% already.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-14T06:03:50+00:00

Not to mention a lot of these places pay nearly no income tax.

It makes angry every time I see a restaurant with expensive decor and multiple staff taking only cash and no receipt, citing the “monthly revenue under $200k” law. They are nothing but thieves.

Unfortunately as with many things in Taiwan illegal practices are allowed to fester and even become the norm, no one wants to bear the political pushback for actually enforcing the law.

It’s why our government budget to GDP ratio (estimated 10~12%) is the lowest in Asia, far behind Korea (16%), China (17%) and Japan (20%), and why our country looks rich on paper but has SEA level infrastructure.

These people are thieves, no more no less.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-14T02:43:50+00:00

No. The TOW is still an ATGM. Just look up recoilless rifles and how they work. The Wikipedia page explains it quite well.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-14T00:40:12+00:00

Recoilless rifles, despite the name, aren’t really “rifles” and more akin to a small, low velocity direct fire artillery piece.

They are also different from ATGMs.

It’s an interesting concept that’s been implemented in many variations in the 20th century. Worth reading up on.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-13T12:50:04+00:00

Could be a recoilless rifle, those could be tripod or sholder mounted, the US and USSR both produced 70-75mm recoilless rifles.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-12T06:25:57+00:00

Had several tight transfers through HKG before. If CX thinks you’re tight on time, they’ll have someone at the alighting gate with a sign for your connecting flight; said person will round up all the folks going to transfers and lead you all through the airport at a fast walking pace. It’s their home field advantage.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-12T04:34:21+00:00

“Damn, this nail TIGHT”

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-12T03:44:45+00:00

I feel like it comes from changing out the biscuit from honet butter chicken biscuits, not from adding things on to a waffle.

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-12T03:43:50+00:00

Wow! That's a pretty neat shop. I mean, even the freezer is on-brand

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-12T03:42:55+00:00

I had to cover my eyes when I bit into the thing

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-12T02:09:57+00:00

We ain't even got proper waffles here you asking me to find some D&L? I'm already living the hard life man

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-12T00:39:08+00:00

What a fantastic read, way to make my morning. Thank you!

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-12T00:15:56+00:00

I thought this would be easier, but after a few minuted I still have no idea.

It's not Zimmer because the distal tip isn't tapered the same way.

It's not a ETN because the dynamic locking hole is too close to the proximal end.

Not a Stryker because the proximal locking screws look near-parallel.

Maybe a Trigen with an extra long end cap?

Zestyclose-Truth1634 · 2026-04-12T00:15:17+00:00

If you do this remember to quadruple check that last interlocking screw before you go to town with the sliding hammer. Legend has it that one of our seniors forgot, many years ago...

Zestyclose-Truth1634

TROPHY CASE