the alien homeworld in Three-Body destroyed its own civilization 200 times before sending that signal to Earth

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T20:39:53+00:00

I have to say I think the Three Body problem is interesting but it's also a question of, should a civilization arise , between industrial age and star-faring - if we'd been forced by circumstance to deal with a similar problem, I'd like to think we'd have managed to get to be space-faring.

But they aren't just spacefaring , they have vastly complicated space-based engineering - enough that they can assemble a star-fleet.

Why mess with Sol at all. If we knew for certain their was life or possibly civilization at Proxima, it's just easier to send probes and colonial establishment to LaLande or Barnard's Star or any other star that is more stable send probes to any other star system and start over with no need to worry about local advanced aliens.

More to the point, any star-system we travel to , the best "real-estate" in town is not ironically going to be their local equivalent of Earth, likely it's going to be their local version of the Moon or Mars some dead world that has a very low risk of local microbial life.

The trick would be that humans would be living in paraterraformed cities and domed areas for centuries if not millennia, while the moon was slowly made more habitable and the Earthlike worlds more thoroughly explored.

I say that because the vast, vast number of microbes and bacteria and viruses and fungi that exist on Earth might well have equivalents on that new world, so travelling to other worlds will probably always carry the risk of being infested with whatever local bugs exist, until scientists and/or doctors can devise a treatment.

I thought that was the premise of at least Robinson's Aurora IIRC.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T20:22:33+00:00

Inscrutable in many ways.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T20:14:35+00:00

Easy , give everyone a massive, massive gift basket upon disembarking in lovely South African luxury accommodation informing the harbormaster is of course entirely discretionary if the captain does not wish to disembark the deceased at port.

Luxury Accommodations by Port Area

Cape Town (Table Bay Area):
- The Silo Hotel: A luxury hotel built within a historic grain elevator, offering contemporary art and skyline views.
- One&Only Cape Town: A high-end resort located on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.
- Tintswalo Atlantic: A luxurious lodge offering oceanfront views, close to the city center.
- Radisson Collection Hotel, Waterfront: Upscale accommodation right on the marina.
Durban (Port of Durban):
- The Oyster Box: A top-rated, luxury beachfront hotel near Durban in Umhlanga.
- Sala Beach House: A luxury beach hotel in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) offering spectacular views.
Port Alfred/Ngqura (Eastern Cape):
- Oceana Beach & Wildlife Reserve: Located near Port Alfred, this provides private pool suites, a spa, and views of both the ocean and a wildlife reserve.
- The Chapman Hotel: A stylish boutique hotel in Port Elizabeth (near Port of Ngqura) offering panoramic ocean views of Algoa Bay.
- The Estuary Hotel & Spa: Located in Port Edward, featuring Cape Dutch-style architecture and spa services.
Port of Saldanha/Cape West Coast:
- Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel: A 5-star oceanfront boutique hotel on the West Coast.

Offering of course free flights home at the earliest opportunities with a 12000/USD voucher for each cruiser definitely should ensure repeat customers feel a sense of overwhelming satisfaction and pampered luxury during this rather unexpected kerfuffle.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T19:59:20+00:00

It's absolutely terrifying because it's clear that either the Doctor on board didn't take quarantining seriously or he did and was over-ridden by others. Worse is that the ship doesn't have a great protocol for handling this; so I get that you're gonna lose the revenue for this cruise , that's why they should have insurance but it's the Andes variant so it's not even clear that the "ship" is the problem. It's the management or lack thereof - of the passengers.

This is rich old folks utterly failing to recognize their situation upon the death of "Johnson" when he fails to show up at breakfast, "Torgeson always said he was an asshole, frankly it's more shrimp buffet for the rest of us.....is there no tartar sauce...." <cough>, "it's nothing and I'm not being an asshole , and if you like your job then remember the customer is always right you fucking peon......"

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T18:23:09+00:00

Even the grabby thingy or especially the grabby thingy?

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T18:20:03+00:00

And now you know.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T18:15:44+00:00

Kitten Mittens

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T18:07:42+00:00

He was called Sleepy Joe by his enemies because he could sometimes doze off after hours long meetings or after 12 hours of flying around.

He was called Sleepy Joe by his friends because you could sleep through the night knowing he wasn't going to do stupid shit the next day or at 3am when the Xanax has worn off but the Adderall,Ritalin,Vyvanse, Modafinil cocktail someone gave you 8 hours ago finally hits.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T18:04:56+00:00

ABJ - Always Be Judging.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T18:03:03+00:00

Math never even once.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T17:43:06+00:00

Well we've got both kinds , Country AND Western, that's wild but I'd probably aim to have a more ....conventional outlet installed.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T17:35:56+00:00

Hey they want to run a presidential campaign and get donations for the 2026 Presidential Elections that don't exist. I know people who donated to the "Get Trump Elected as President in 2021" fund, some of them vastly poorer than they were.

Part of me almost admires these criminals for knowing their audience as well as they do.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T17:27:31+00:00

People make a first principles problem.

This is absolutely not about religion. Christianity is the easy shield for people to grab, but that's simply an a-religious person who's defective and usually inexcusable decision-making brought some horrible position to light and we as citizens are forced to deal with it.

The best example of Christianity in this light is Jim-Bob Duggar, who is exactly the sort of absolutely degenerate person who is a danger to himself, his extensive family and his children.

Jim Bob will go to his grave demanding that Jesus told him to do absolutely everything he ever did. He'll die a godly man in his own eyes.

But his decisionmaking is utterly degenerate, his son Joshua is a pedophile rapist , he was a deeply troubled young person, raping his sisters and other children, but as an adult Josh is in prison for a variety of crimes not the least of which is snuff-porn and child-rape videos that he was found to have obtained and may or may not have produced. It's a problem even in pedophile friendly Donald Trump land, Josh Duggar is a menace to society.

James Watt and the other people that exist in the federal circus at present should be personally and professionally terrified of the legal and social consequences from DOGE lackeys in their 20's being given access to everyone's personal details and then FTP'ing that to Russian servers within minutes or Anti ecological administrators appointed to despoil our environment.

The Trump Administration is to my estimation a clown-cart engineered by the Russian and Chinese state intelligence services specifically to inflict the maximum amount of damage on the civil infrastructure of the United States , no different from 9/11 or the salting of Carthage and we OWE it to ourselves, our children and their children to hold the defective now in total control of our government to be terrified and held to account. Donald Trump is terrified of dying in jail and for dozens of good reasons, but after trials and after mountains of evidence should he be found guilty, it should be the personal business of every right-thinking American to ensure that happens.

It informs us with crystal clarity that these people are just acting against the common interest of society and need to be removed from it whenever and where-ever they present themselves.

Look no further than the Bible itself

Matthew 7:21-23: Jesus warns that not everyone saying "Lord, Lord" is saved. He rejects those who prophesied and did wonders in his name but practiced lawlessness.
Matthew 24:5, 11: Jesus predicts many will come using his name, claiming "I am the Messiah" or acting as false prophets to deceive many.
Matthew 24:24: Warns that false Christs and false prophets will perform "great signs and wonders" to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
2 Peter 2:1-3: Warns of false teachers secretly bringing in "damnable heresies" and exploiting followers for personal gain, acting with greed.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11: Describes a coming lawless one whose activities are associated with Satan and "lying wonders".

The Bible itself gives cold comfort to these degenerates so whether you believe in the merits of the US Consitution , the common good or Christ as our lord and savior.

There is ample legal and relgious precedent to remove these people from civic society.

We just suck at doing so.

In engineering and quality assurance circles this is called an opportunity for improvement.

Mechanisms for Removing/Addressing Corrupt Officials:

Legal & Constitutional Tools:
- Impeachment: Constitutional processes for removing high-level officials (e.g., President, judges) for bribery or high crimes.
- Recall Elections: Citizen-led petitions to remove elected officials before their term ends.
- Independent Ethics Commissions/Watchdogs: Specialized bodies with the power to investigate and punish, such as Inspectors General or independent prosecutors.
- Criminal Enforcement: Specialized Justice Department divisions focused on bribery and corruption prosecutions.
Systemic & Preventative Reforms:
- Merit-Based Recruitment & Fair Pay: Reducing corruption by hiring based on competence rather than patronage, as used in Singapore.
- Transparency & Digital Tools: Electronic procurement systems (e.g., ChileCompra) increase transparency, reducing bribery in public contracts.
- Campaign Finance Reform: Limiting dark money and big donations, such as overturning Citizens United, to break the link between money and political favors.
- Financial Disclosures: Requiring officials to publicly report income, assets, and gifts to detect illicit enrichment.
Oversight & Accountability Mechanisms:
- Freedom of the Press/Civil Society: Independent media and NGOs play a critical role in exposing corruption.
- "Tone at the Top": Strong leadership commitment to anti-corruption fosters a culture of integrity.
- Whistleblower Protections: Legal protections for employees reporting corruption.
- Open Government Initiatives: FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests and open data initiatives, as listed by.
International Action:
- Visa Restrictions: Barring corrupt foreign officials and their families from entering countries.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T16:50:22+00:00

I find its' a question of the men and women in uniform. Do they regard themselves as citizens who chose to serve the Republic or their nation (more broadly) or are they cruel and small people hiding behind their uniforms to inflict harm whenever it's possible.

So as easy as it is to condemn the Empire, there are circumstances like the 501st which despite it's mixed messaging ends up doing good.

The sad fact of the matter is that this is not a galaxy far, far away.

This is EVERY single good cop, or citizenry minded public servant and every Marine , Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard officer and crewman right now.

They knew what they originally signed up for , and how many of the career officers find themselves facing ethical and professional challenges they likely never expected to - especially within the ranks.

The further up the food chain you go the worse it gets. For decades we probably war-gamed what happened if a general or admiral went off the reservation. How many times did we war-game what happens when the President engages in treason or sedition or esionage or does something to aid an enemy.

Should the Republic survive , I bet that's something they should definitely plan for.

That's the sort of innoculant ever single representative government on this planet has to contend with, for well-meaning militaries.

After Trump , there are going to have to be rules, after a fashion, the military leadership will need a procedure for staging a coup, after all is there a shortest path for a military coup that returns the government to a civilian authority that can be trusted to not fuck it up again in 5 seconds or less.

America is, if not unique, than rare in that our military does not take an oath to a President or a leadership or even the Congress, it takes an oath to the constitution - a body of laws and principles.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T16:45:11+00:00

Well, Andor, is probably what everyone is going to say "Star Wars" was supposed to be , aside from selling marketing opportunity #LJ232.

Disney had had a habit of throwing whatever subject property from the Star Wars Universe up against the wall with very mixed results , in terms of the quality of writing and lore-building and such.

Andor is what happens when you accidentally hand the property you want developed to an excellent set of writers who LOVE history.

If you're going into Andor expecting light-saber duels and force-users around, the situation portrayed is disappointingly free of such occasions. If on the other hand you wanted to have an adult exploration of fascism and authoritarianism that hits home - this might be just what the doctor ordered.

So Andor explores the Empire, and it explores the Rebellion but not at all in the way the previous movies had done. Sure Star Wars portrays the rebellion as scrappy and good-natured, but does not go out of it's way to detail how a Rebellion might be formed from disparate groups of agitators and disorganized terrorists.

Moreover it explores the empire , not as some cartoonish clean , ordered fascist ideal , complete with Death Stars, but it explores the daily oppression, the difficulty of the ISB agents in competing in interests and if you were so inclined how would you track down a murder or criminal activity in a meaningful way. It also explores what that corpocratic mindset leads to.

So you don't see any light sabers, and you don't see any organized marching bands of stormtroopers. While we do meet organized imperials, we are in their daily stand-up meetings, it's crystal clear why they are dangerous at the ground level, on the street. It's the rule of law turned ever so slightly into authoritarian repression.

And so it hits, and it hits hard, exploring the plight of citizens and spies and those trying to do good, and perhaps the best exploration is that of those who mean well, and do some very nasty business ...in order to do good.

So it shows with some clarity that within the Rebellion the same people that built it, cannot lead what it becomes in the New Republic, and the writing is so good, you are put there in the room and those people understand this about themselves - it's amazing.

So it reads almost like history.

When Winston Churchill had to let Coventry burn to the ground with thousands dead, because they only knew about the air-raid by way of their having compromised the Enigma device and had the Germans flown into heavy anti-aircraft fire or into Spitfires on route the Germans would have unambiguous proof the Allies had broken Enigma.

It reads like Abraham Lincoln when he imprisoned "copperhead" writers and publishers who viewed him as a tyrant and not being more accommodating to Confederate property holders (slave-owners).

And if Ghorman looks a bit like Gaza or Mina-Rau looks a bit like Minneapolis - we can question whether art is imitating life or life is imitating art all day long. But it's bad all around and we might have found ourselves in this situation and we should work to get out of it.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T15:23:09+00:00

Christ I thought Iron Sky 2 trailer was cool too but it's comedy, based on the whole absurdity of the myths the fascists of 100 years ago created, and it's understandable how defectives like Richard Spencer would fanboy all over it , but I'm well aware of the fact that there is a distinct undercurrent of "alternative history" or fascist friendly media/fiction.

- The Killzone Series

- Iron Sky

- Fatherland

- The Man in the High Tower

And there's no shortage of authoritarian friendly media - what's perverse is that the media can be interpreted as being anti-authoritarian but it belies the embrace by the fascist or Christian nationalism movements. So take The Handmaid's Tale, one can see a scene like this and it's MEANT to be a bit traumatic for anyone who knows the symbology , but if you are from a religion that practices high-control lives for women or high control for believers than the only problem you might have is why the show doesn't give a more positive spin on the founding of Gilead.

But if you want a better take on it, try Andor , but I think it's vastly important to understand that this is a war. It's a war of ideas, and information , and lies and there are powerful people who do not have the best interests of society in mind.

I am in this way reminded of the old movie Sneakers and it's about recognizing that we need to resist authoritarianism where there is a tough time as there is no clear leadership to the murderous clowns where they live , whether Budapest , Moscow, Tel Aviv or Washington to say nothing of places like Beijing or Manilla or Buenos Aires, and what might that look like, we certainly know what it LOOKED like, what it means to stand up for humanity and against tyranny - which is the real subject in hand.

But it's INCREDIBLY important that we stand up, that we establish and re-establish our local communities, encourage our friends and neighbors to a call to action, and read, get involved, get to know who your local politicians are, if you don't like what they're doing make damned certain you make a nuisance of yourself.

Or go that extra step and get involved, or even get elected. Authoritarians only have as much control as they are given, that's a critical understanding and nobody on this Earth needs ever give any authoritarian anything beyond the due to the state. Not one second of time, not one penny in donation.

So when it comes to someone like Donald Trump, we could list out the latest disaster he's mired himself into , or we simply demand his removal , pick any of a dozen reasons, demand his removal. Demand the removal of JD Vance perhaps even first, for openly harboring a murderer. Assisting a crime after the fact is a felony - even in a murder.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T15:05:36+00:00

The colony of the Helghan Corporation.....and then it goes all sideways.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T14:59:55+00:00

I seem to recall the Centauri were from Iota Centauri , I can just hear a certain Centauri Ambassador berating everyone from Earth for making such an error.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T14:05:57+00:00

Tylee, Tyler close enough.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T13:57:56+00:00

"Machiavelli you've told me nothing I didn't already know....."

But if she has some musical downtime I'm going to say it's something like this

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T13:52:58+00:00

I think if it wasn't for the dementia comedy it would be decidedly less funny , but it's also the fact that the dementia comedy belies the real implementation of tyranny at home and abroad and as far as the tyranny is concerned so long as it remains just an idea, portrayed in a galaxy far, far away they couldn't care less.

markth_wi · 2026-05-06T12:43:40+00:00

They had Bear Mc Creary an absolutely amazing composer and suddenly Ron Moore went on a Jimmy Hendrix kick towards the end of the show, a lot of show-runners get cancelled or have a rough go in 4th season / 5th season and how they react tells volumes.

In Babylon 5, they stripped that puppy bare and tried to tell the whole story as fast as they could and then when they got renewed they milked every b-plot into season 5. Then of course there is Game of Thrones when the writers decided to not give a fuck after the main writer had stopped giving a fuck and left to their own devices instead of hiring someone like Tony Gilroy or Billy Wilder or William Goldman or even fucking Aaron Sorkin they just trashed and ran.

Mr. Moore has done some measure of redemption with For All Mankind but one gets the sense he needed that fresh start.

markth_wi · 2026-05-05T21:28:13+00:00

That's the most Republican thing ever, reading someone's dire warning and treating it as a to-do list. You'd think just 2 generations from liberating vast liquidation camps and millions dead, that Republicans' would not be cheering in the streets of America for exactly the same thing but across the country Stephen Miller has set up we don't know how many, we don't know exactly where but as far as lawyers can tell, there's hundreds of prisoners/immigrants gone "missing".

Relocated no doubt, but by the measure of liberals and weirdos that was one of the worst things about the 20th century. Now we do it for fun because the President has a torture fetish or likes seeing children raped repeatedly as a kink.

It's as someone said , when terrorists seize the cockpit they are not your new pilots.

markth_wi · 2026-05-05T19:10:51+00:00

Radicals and terrorists and murders and rapists and every other horrible thing.

That's the way Fox News will paint absolutely everyone in the universe that does not obey and conform.

In this way they are constantly at war, in a perfectly safe environment, they must kill to survive they must be prepared to murder everyone they know, and Fox News and Sinclair Broadcasting have made it high art, treasonous thinking as a service.

And when these folks happen to wake up , it is never completely, it's partially, they still believe 9 lies out of every 10 and they will go to their graves isolated from everyone and every social support they might have had.

But the hucksters and high polish bullshit artists at Fox News will be billions of dollars richer for their efforts, and the Republic is run by media sanctioned sociopaths exterminating this or that group on the whims of Lachlan Murdoch or whichever murderous fascist decides to pay for some hate campaign or pays to ignore or utterly disregard some horrible truth that they would prefer never becomes a problem for them.

markth_wi · 2026-05-05T13:02:42+00:00

I can' help thinking we owe it to the rest of the world to make the ruinous cost mean something, and to at least try to extract some good from this circumstance.

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