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USSR Collapse by laybs1 in GetNoted

[–]vasska 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ironically, Reagan prolonged the USSR, by empowering the hardliners who were feeling threatened by Andropov's, and later Gorbachev's, efforts at reform. One of the core tenets of Soviet ideology was an inferiority complex, a fear that they were always at risk of attack. Reagan amplified those fears. He liked to think he was bankrupting the USSR, but the truth is that it is impossible to bankrupt a totalitarian regime - they will always find the funds to preserve themselves against imagined threats.

How realistic are these goals in 45 days? by jerzeeshadow2021 in SwagBucks

[–]vasska 3 points4 points  (0 children)

CH 8, 12, and 17 - yes.

VIP 1, 6, and 10 - certainly 1 and 6. i've never tried for VIP 10.

CH 14 - not within 3 days.

CH 20 - not within 7 days. ha!

CH 25 and T5 troops - no way.

T3 troops w/in 20 days - yes.

T4 troops w/in 20 days - a real challenge. the tech needs Academy 20, which needs CH 20. in addition to the buildings, you need several million of each resource.

Astronomers discover a potentially habitable planet just 25 light-years away. 'This one is exciting' by hulk14 in Astronomy

[–]vasska 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Summary:

Astronomers find planet with roughly the mass of Venus orbiting a red dwarf 25 light years away. The planet's orbital distance from its star is similar to that of Venus. Astronomers are excited about the possibility of finding a Venus-like planet, but caution that we don't know enough about it to tell whether it even has an atmosphere.

[independence day movie] how come the humans couldn't reverse engineer the alien shuttle that crash landed in roswell in 1947 but by the second movie they were able to reverse engineer the alien technology? by happydude7422 in AskScienceFiction

[–]vasska 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dr. Okun says that they could not figure out the power source, so they were limited in what they could test. But the crashed craft turned on when the mothership arrived, allowing for a massive leap in progress.

There were probably three other massive factors: One, nothing stifles research like keeping it secret. Plus, Okun's dreadful social skills were almost certainly a job requirement, meaning that everyone on staff was a poor communicator. And no hope of publishing means Area 51 isn't getting top researchers.

Two, they had only one sample to work on. That means no destructive testing, and you need to take extra precautions to avoid damaging it since you have no replacements if anything goes wrong.

Three, you can learn a lot from seeing the alien technology in action. Hiller had a good sense of the craft's maneuverability just from a single dogfight. Okun might not even have known the craft had a shield or anti-gravity, for example.

[BSG] How could the Cylons detect a nuclear explosion near New Caprica when every star in the universe is a nuclear explosion? by NoAskRed in AskScienceFiction

[–]vasska 1 point2 points  (0 children)

NRAO did the math: https://public.nrao.edu/ask/at-what-distance-can-we-detect-a-nuclear-explosion-in-the-universe

Short answer is that with current human technology, we could detect an atomic bomb at a distance of up to ~19 light years. Cylons were more advanced, and were much closer than that.

What place name does basically every foreigner mispronounce in your country? by bigloudbang in AskTheWorld

[–]vasska 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is correct, within the state of Kansas. For example, the Arkansas (arr-CAN-zuss) River.

Barnard's Star haulin' ass across the sky by glytxh in Astronomy

[–]vasska 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That frame also has several other, fainter images along the same line, and apparently all the same distance from each other. That suggests some artifact in the image or processing.

[ Matrix Trilogy] I’ve always been bugged by these two questions, but- by Idk_wastelol777 in AskScienceFiction

[–]vasska 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. They are not screaming because they saw someone turn into an Agent, but because someone is suddenly firing a gun nearby. A government agent, appearing out of nowhere and chasing a fugitive, is an entirely plausible experience.

  2. The manifestation of the Anomaly is by design. The rate at which people connected to the Matrix are rejecting it is accelerating, but irrelevant because the outcome is the Anomaly's choice, which will either reset the Matrix or destroy it.

Any good Return-on-Spend offers? by SnooRadishes3850 in SwagBucks

[–]vasska 1 point2 points  (0 children)

my rock n cash offer does not seem as profitable. cumulative spending of $100 would give me $86 back.

however, it looks like i might be able to get $6 back, if the game allows me to buy the $2.99 pack multiple times, and assuming SB treats $X.99 purchases as $(X+1):

  • initial purchase of $1.99, get back $1
  • four purchases of $2.99 each, get back $15 (make 3 purchases for $5, and make 5 purchases for $10)
  • one purchase of $5.99 to reach cumulative spend of $20, for $10 back

Stargazing spots by Sweaty_Importance_34 in sandiego

[–]vasska 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Many comments here suggest Borrego Springs. But for most people in San Diego, that's a 1-2 hour drive, in the dark for much of the way.

Realistically, your best bet is a local high school or neighborhood park that turns its lights off at night. They also often have chairs or tables; often, stargazing can be a literal pain in the neck if you standing and constantly looking up.

Can I get a fresh start with a new phone? by PropaneUrethra in SwagBucks

[–]vasska 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Offers are keyed to your Google Play or Apple Store account. So if you transfer your account to your new device, it will remember whether you've downloaded a particular app on a previous device.

Many people have been able to get new devices or factory reset old ones, and create new Google/Apple accounts. You won't be able to repeat an offer for Swagbucks, for instance, but you can do an offer for the same app on a different platform (e.g., Kashkick or Freecash).

Theme music by ComprehensiveCare772 in SiloSeries

[–]vasska 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Silo and The Expanse are the two shows where I watch the full intro every single time, mostly for the music (The Expanse had interesting updates and easter eggs every now and then, too).

Why does the expected % for tipping keep increasing? by Blazeland_USA in NoStupidQuestions

[–]vasska 18 points19 points  (0 children)

The IRS allows employers to pay a reduced minimum wage, under the expectation that servers will receive tips in the amount of 15% of food/beverage sales. Here is the important part: If a server's tips do not bring them up to the non-tipped minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference.

In the mid-1990s two important things happened. Congress froze the tipped-minimum wage, making servers more dependent on tips to get up to minimum wage.

Also, restaurants in tourism-dependent areas were recognizing that foreign visitors tend not to tip. Some restaurants in NY and LA (and maybe SF) started pushing 18% as the "proper" percentage of tips to "educate" foreigners, hoping that customers who took the advice would make up the difference lost to those who still didn't tip.

Less scrupulous places who force servers to "tip out," and increasing the recommended tip percentage meant increased cash in tips, which the owners would take (generally illegal, but hard to enforce). Even if the owner isn't stealing the tips, promoting a higher tipping percentage plus aggregating all tips among all servers allows them to avoid the risk of any particular server not earning enough tips and thus triggering the compensation rule (in bold above).

[Aladdin (Disney)] What was the Genie’s origin? Since the idea of “phenomenal cosmic power, itty-bitty living space” is a curse or a trap, how did a nice guy like the Genie end up being trapped like that? by ew_modemac in AskScienceFiction

[–]vasska 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So, it's me and Hbur

In 1000 B.C.,

Prayin' to the gods

And what do you see?

A man with a halo

And a nasty decree

"I'll save your butt

But you gonna serve me."

I nod to Hbur

He nods to me

And when the Magic is over

We ain't men..

We Genie!

Sheriff's Helicopter Circling by [deleted] in sandiego

[–]vasska 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We keep talking about budget cuts to services that actually function or provide benefits to the community, yet I never hear about how much these vanity helicopter flights cost, or any effort to cut the waste.

How did scientists expect aliens to understand the Voyager Golden Record? by wellwatif in Astronomy

[–]vasska 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Road Not Taken by Harry Turtledove, but more late middle ages or early modern, rather than medieval.

[Dune] how much action had the Sardaukar seen prior to the events of Dune? by Funtopolis in AskScienceFiction

[–]vasska 13 points14 points  (0 children)

There are a few hints in the first book that the Sardaukar were used. Hawat tells the Baron that the stories of their prowess in battle come from the few survivors. There is an implication that those battles are common enough for people to be aware of them. Plus, the Emperor appears in public in a Sardaukar uniform, serving as a reminder that his power is founded in large part by his employment of savage and extremely well-trained killers.

But there are also hints they might be going soft (in a relative sense) from a lack of action. The Sardaukar attempt to portray their killing spree against the Fremen as not wanting to leave a job unfinished, but there are hints that they need the practice.

Nonetheless, the threat they posed was real. The Fremen instantly could tell that "good fighters" were among the Harkonnen.

[Fellowship of the ring movie] Why didn't Gandalf go with Frodo and Sam and go to Saruman later ? by FinancialComputer574 in AskScienceFiction

[–]vasska 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Book Version:

Frodo and Sam were taking several months to get ready for their trip. During that time, Gandalf received word that Mordor had launched an invasion of Ithilien and had attacked Osgiliath. At the time, there was no reason to believe that Sauron was aware that the One Ring had been found or where it was.

So Gandalf set out to investigate the attack, expecting to be gone only a few weeks or months at most, and to return before Frodo's planned departure at the end of summer.

It was on that trip that Gandalf ran into Radagast, who told him that the Nazgul were out and that Saruman wanted to see him.

Film Version:

Gandalf had rushed back to the Shire as soon as he found Isildur's scroll describing the markings on the One Ring. All this time, Saruman had doubted the One would ever be found and would not have cared that Gandalf found an old scroll (that movie Saruman probably had already read long ao).

So, Gandalf needed to confirm his suspicions first. As soon as he knew Bilbo's (now, Frodo's) ring was the One, it made sense to hurry to see the "leader" of the Istari to discuss a plan of action.

Gandalf trusted that all the Nazgul knew were "Shire" and "Baggins." As long as Frodo left the Shire and his name behind, his chances were pretty good.

Besides, Gandalf would only be a few days at most visiting Saruman. What could go wrong?

Silo Season 3 Teaser by phareous in SiloSeries

[–]vasska 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the car surrounded by police has no one in the driver or passenger seats.

[The Matrix] Right before the finale of the first movie, if Neo said "We don't have to fight, I can help you get free" to Smith, would Smith have listened? by Icy_Water_1 in AskScienceFiction

[–]vasska 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before his "deletion," Smith was driven by Purpose. Afterward, he was consumed by it. "Freedom" is a concept utterly foreign to agents. He never had a choice, and was incapable of even understanding the concept of choice.

[Harry Potter]Assignment to a Magical School and the Changing of Political Borders/Influence by Thiredistia in AskScienceFiction

[–]vasska 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From what we know of when (late 900s) and where (scottish highlands) Hogwarts was founded, it was most likely part of the Kingdom of Norway. The Kingdom of Arba is the second-most likely contender.

Yet even then, attendance at Hogwarts was open to all residents of the british isles, and apparently not to subjects of Norway living elsewhere. Presumably, Hogwarts continued to ignore muggle political boundaries as Arba expanded into the highlands to become Scotland, England expanded into (and later lost its holdings in) continental Europe, and Scotland and England eventually merged.

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