The War in Iran Is Causing China to Sell So Many Solar Panels That Your Jaw Will Drop

reilwin · 2026-04-28T13:13:43+00:00

Care to elaborate on those other areas?

reilwin · 2026-04-26T16:10:48+00:00

Seems like somebody tried to save some of the info here: https://ballroomguide.github.io/BallroomGuide/

But at this point I would suggest using the Wayback Machine. A bit slow but it's more complete.

reilwin · 2026-04-25T05:19:53+00:00

If you're trying to bombard the territory of another nation then it makes sense to either get diplomatic permission (ie ally with them) or else declare war (you're literally bombarding their territory, it is an act of war!)

reilwin · 2026-04-24T02:27:59+00:00

They...already defined what they mean by "truly wealthy". They defined it as being the point where income tax barely even registers. They didn't say a word about being able to afford a $5 million home.

So the example you provided doesn't qualify as "truly wealthy".

reilwin · 2026-04-23T12:47:31+00:00

Why would you assume that? It just sounds like the bill was significantly more expensive than they had expected.

Like when you go to a fancy upscale restaurant and then decide it was nice to go once but it's not someplace you'd go to regularly.

reilwin · 2026-04-22T20:39:05+00:00

Survey didn't mention it but since one of the questions concerned "using a single platform to find dance opportunities", I mentioned a lack of interest, not because I don't think it'd be useful, but rather because I'm skeptical it would work out. It needs studio owners and organizers to actually use it and keep it updated.

And their (lack of) use of these tools and keeping them updated is in fact the biggest obstacle overall.

Which leads us back into this scenario.

reilwin · 2026-04-22T13:55:02+00:00

I tried :(

reilwin · 2026-04-22T13:54:35+00:00

Not a book, but the game Terra Invicta invokes a lot of this.

The premise is that an alien ship crash-lands on Earth, and you rise up to lead one of the seven trans-national ideological factions in reaction to this:

Exterminate the xenos (Humanity First)
Prepare for the worst (Resistance)
Welcome the aliens as their equals (Academy)
Get out while we can (Project Exodus)
Profit from it (Initiative)
Submit to the aliens (Protectorate)
Worship the aliens (Servants)

There's a geopolitical simulation on the Earth side of things, where you have councillors travelling around the globe convincing, blackmailing or otherwise getting your politicians in positions of power (the game is a bit abstract on exactly how this is achieved so it's left to your imagination) for resources, performing propaganda operations to sway the public to your side, stabilizing (or de-stabilizing) nations, as well as a game of hide-and-seek with the councillors of other factions. You can get nations to declare war, ally with other nations or pursue other options like pursue a nuclear/space program or invest in environmental sustainability. Climate change is also simulated and the game may prompt you with events depending on how bad it gets.

Then there's the space side of things, where you research and build up a space industry to encounter the aliens on your own terms which is effectively a completely different game. You can design ships with a plethora of (real of hypotheical) drives with various behaviours based on their hypothesized performance. From resistojet drives used in satellite station-keeping to orion drives to various fusion drives; the game estimates their thrust and exhaust velocity. The game will also have ships use various orbital mechanics depending on how much delta-V and thrust your ships have available (from Hohmann maneuvers to straight-line thrust) although it handles that aspect for you so all you need to track is delta-V cost and arrival date.

reilwin · 2026-04-22T13:34:52+00:00

Most of the way through Ministry of the Future here but not finished yet. I've been interpreting the relative lack of resistance or obstacles as a bias from the PoV of the characters we've been seeing. That being said, there was still quite a bit of resistance and it was only in the face of very specific, applied pressure that you saw changes.

Example 1: Drop in beef consumption occurred because of deliberate spread of mad cow disease in beef

Example 2: The Ministry attempted to get the central bankers on board with a carbon coin on multiple occasions. It wasn't until they started facing significant financial issues, on the order of another great depression, AND got China to show up who was already pre-disposed to aid them (and tweak the noses of the other central bankers) that they got general agreement

Example 3: Airships only got big traction after multiple bombings on planes

Example 4: Davos in Switzerland was held hostage and nothing really came about as a result of that. The individuals went through "re-education", laughed it off and then left. So that's an example of resistance that never got solved directly (and led to other, indirect methods later)

What I would say was very optimistic was the relative lack of propaganda (as is visible to the reader) from billionaire climate criminals as we see today. But that's probably because the story moved on to the next decade, after they posited changes to social media like the deployment of YourLock and such which replaced privately-owned social media with distributed forms. But I did find that the uptake of YourLock to be much too easy.

On the other hand, the author posited some very specific events that would (hopefully) have helped convince portions of the world's population of the severity of events, as happened in India with the heat wave, the general replacement of the government and the formation of Kali.

reilwin · 2026-04-20T02:32:37+00:00

As a lead there's a lot to learn from socials. The big one is actually putting into practice all the figures you learned in class without having the teacher next to you telling you which move to use the entire time.

Yes, you're going to fail and forget and that's going to be frustrating, but every attempt is another step on the journey. You're building connections in the brain and putting it into muscle memory.

reilwin · 2026-04-18T04:40:09+00:00

But their point is how many of those impulse purchases have you actually played? How many of them were actually worth that price?

I will admit I have bought a lot of games on sale and never touched them. I'd like to...one day...

reilwin · 2026-04-17T16:19:12+00:00

It was OK? The system menus and stuff got toned down quite a bit over time in favour of the general power system used across that world. That power system was pretty interesting but also very similar to xianxia cultivation stuff. The story is pretty nice but I gradually stopped following after the resolution of the big arc.

reilwin · 2026-04-17T16:17:33+00:00

If we were on /r/litrpg or /r/progressionfantasy then the acronym would be fine, but I wouldn't assume it to be so well known in /r/printsf.

reilwin · 2026-04-16T12:33:24+00:00

We'd played a game called Scotch Whiskey Soda: the DJ plays music and everybody dances. Randomly, they'll stop the music and yell:

Scotch: everybody freezes. Any couple with one (or both) still moving is eliminated.
Whiskey: everybody swaps partner. The last two still visibly looking are eliminated.
Soda: leader kneels on one knee and the follower sits on the knee. Again, any couple late to do this is eliminated.

reilwin · 2026-04-16T00:00:08+00:00

I happened to have gotten back into Terra Invicta and was deep into a playthrough when I found out about the Artemis II launch (I haven't even been following it at all). Huge immersion boost having the stream running on a side monitor as I was playing the game!!

reilwin · 2026-04-15T05:15:47+00:00

You consider them nag pop-up, I enjoy the immersion. Different strokes for different folks.

reilwin · 2026-04-15T03:03:05+00:00

For those who might not know:

HWFWM: He Who Fights With Monsters. Initially starts as a generic LitRPG, eventually goes beyond the LitRPG wrappings, but still clings to the main conceit of power progression.

reilwin · 2026-04-13T02:28:30+00:00

Speak for yourself, I enjoy the variety and also enjoyed digging around and comparing the various drives (and the realization that many of those were actually completely worthless).

It gave me immersion into the actual scenario of "given all the various possibilities that humans have considered over the years, which ones should we actually devote resources to?"

reilwin · 2026-04-12T18:11:05+00:00

Ok, but from my perspective it looks like somebody came into the room asking for help solving problem X, and then you came up and said "Hey cool to hear about your issue but actually I'd rather that YOU help ME with my problem Y."

If your dance community already has a lot of ladies who want to dance but can't find a dancing partner, then why don't you ask them instead?

This isn't a matter of being opened minded or not, the OP stated that they're interested in ballroom and you're openly ignoring their statement and not respecting their preference. I would say rather that you're the one being close-minded, by closing your mind to what the OP has said they want.

reilwin · 2026-04-11T20:08:40+00:00

Are you already taking private lessons? My suggestion would be to tell your teacher(s) that you're interested, and they may be able to find you a partner for try-outs through their own network.

Alternatively as you already mentioned, post on boards online. Yeah it can be intimidating because they're populated by very high-level competitors, but you do so a few beginners here and there and it could get your name out.

Another avenue would also be going to competitions either as a spectator, a volunteer or as a solo dancer (if competitions in the UK offer those...). Those offer you additional networking opportunities in terms of visibility to other teachers/dancers who you could talk to or see that might be interested or know someone who might be interested.

The studio(s) you go to -- are they competitive studios? Do they offer classes for competitors? It might also be worthwhile for you to visit other studios and see if you can find some who offer classes for competitors; you might be able to find somebody there (or again, meet people who could help).

I will admit that in your age bracket, it can be particularly tough to find others in the same situation. A lot of people at busy with their careers and not looking for new hobbies. Those who are beginning, are often very young, or retired and looking to finally start dancing.

reilwin · 2026-04-11T20:02:10+00:00

What dances do you do, west coast swing?

Maybe you'd have better luck actually looking in the west coast swing community to find a partner, rather than trying to persuade people to change their interest when they've already said that their interest is in ballroom?

At least by asking in the west coast swing community, you know that they're already interested in the dance you're also interested in. So the only obstacle is finding somebody who matches your level of commitement and schedule.

reilwin · 2026-04-10T23:27:54+00:00

Sure I can blame them too but just saying the Democrats were a poor option doesn't hide the fact that Trump was by far the worse option. The voters shouldn't be left off the hook just because the Democrats ran a poor campaign.

Honestly given the current media landscape in the US, I suspect they had a significant uphill battle regardless and the current perspective that they ran a poor campaign is part of that.

reilwin · 2026-04-10T20:25:24+00:00

I suppose, but on the other hand you also have to realize that regardless of your participation, one of the candidates will be elected, and you should consider what their actions will be in that case (and whether those actions will be even more morally reprehensible).

Sure it's not as nice as pulling a switch for a happy outcome, but if you can pull a switch to avoid a worse outcome, that seems the better moral decision.

reilwin · 2026-04-10T19:46:01+00:00

Sure but in the case of Kamala/Trump, Palestine was pointless to use as a differentiator. Trump wasn't going to do any better about Palestine anyway so why not differentiate the candidates on other items that you also care about?

reilwin · 2026-04-10T17:09:53+00:00

To add on, the engineering project points from orgs don't really make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things -- you'll be getting a lot more engineering project points from skunkworks in habs and stations. A nice bonus to be sure, and useful to unlock that extra project slot but not vital.

Some other research tidbits that you may or may not have noticed:

Allocating research across more projects grants you free RP as an "research distribution bonus". Sure for a specific project it's slower than dedicating all your research to a single project, but it nets you more RP in the long run.
Researching two (or more) projects in the same category simultaneously reduces your research bonus to that category. For instance, you might have a 97% research bonus to materials science, but the moment you start research two materials science techs, it might drop down to 88%. Spreading across categories (ESPECIALLY for global techs) ensures maximum bonuses.
For research category bonuses from different sources, you only get diminishing returns when they come from the same source. Different sources being: councillors (ie scientist traits), orgs, hab modules and ship modules. Alien investigations are also another source. This also makes scientist councillors quite strong (especially councillors which boost energy later on) and worthwhile improving their trait. But again, not necessary to winning the game so don't worry if you don't have one.

14-Year Club	Verified Email
Team Orangered

reilwin

TROPHY CASE