ChingShih's recent activity

  1. Comment on 2 January is National Science Fiction Day (in the US)! What are some sci-fi films you feel are particularly memorable or that you return to regularly? in ~movies

    ChingShih
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    Lots of great sci-fi here from Three Body Problem to Patlabor to Trigun -- even if Trigun spends at least half the episodes trying to be a comedy western. Evangelion is my favorite sci-fi anime by...

    Lots of great sci-fi here from Three Body Problem to Patlabor to Trigun -- even if Trigun spends at least half the episodes trying to be a comedy western. Evangelion is my favorite sci-fi anime by far, but Outlaw Star holds a very special place for me as well.

    The one season of west world

    What a shame they never made more! Guess you can't improve on perfection! Certainly wouldn't ever get the team together again to make an adjacent-ish series and then never finish it!

    4 votes
  2. Comment on Russia-Ukraine war megathread - End of 2024 news, updates, and recaps in ~news

    ChingShih
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    In December, Perun released a video which quotes material about Ukraine's intelligence support of Syrian opposition forces that I hadn't heard before. At the 49:00 mark he says that Ukraine...

    In December, Perun released a video which quotes material about Ukraine's intelligence support of Syrian opposition forces that I hadn't heard before. At the 49:00 mark he says that Ukraine provided essential information (and basics) to Syrian rebel forces on drone usage, 3D printer schematics, and release mechanisms. Here's an imgur link to the report's summary that was posted to X/Twitter.

    5 votes
  3. Comment on What contemporary books do you think will still be widely read 100 years from now? in ~books

    ChingShih
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    I agree, I think The Martian could be the "From the Earth to the Moon" of the next 50 years, or something like that. Though I don't think it eclipses Verne's work, per se, just sits closeby. It's...

    I agree, I think The Martian could be the "From the Earth to the Moon" of the next 50 years, or something like that. Though I don't think it eclipses Verne's work, per se, just sits closeby. It's inspiring in many ways and fun to think about and read, until it eventually happens. Then the books written about that event will eclipse our current fascination with Shackleton's exploration of Antarctica as well as other people from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

    2 votes
  4. Comment on What contemporary books do you think will still be widely read 100 years from now? in ~books

    ChingShih
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    Yeah, I definitely think this is the case. We're more aware of what there was mass exposure to back then and things that stayed relevant for one reason or another. We're less aware of books like...

    Yeah, I definitely think this is the case. We're more aware of what there was mass exposure to back then and things that stayed relevant for one reason or another. We're less aware of books like Lucile, which was so poorly received in its time that the author had to keep paying publishers to print copies, and jumping around between publishers, simply because it had a reputation for not even being worth the trouble of printing it upfront.

    On the other hand, we might experience a "pop-culture favorites" that perseveres simply as a result of inertia from BookTok influencers selling books they haven't even read, claim are underrated, or that pop-culture is making its way back around to, rather than books that legitimately sold well for years and years and stayed relevant. Those pop-culture favorites might persist better through the next 100 years simiply because there's more media dedicated to them in non-book formats that convinces people to pick up a book.

    4 votes
  5. Comment on Russia-Ukraine war megathread - End of 2024 news, updates, and recaps in ~news

    ChingShih
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    Zelenskyy gave a New Year's Eve address to Ukraine, there are some excerpts here. The ISW has a year-end report that's referenced in that article. It has a lot more detail about events, but here...

    Zelenskyy gave a New Year's Eve address to Ukraine, there are some excerpts here.

    The ISW has a year-end report that's referenced in that article. It has a lot more detail about events, but here are just a few excerpts that are easy to parse.

    Russian forces gained 4,168 square kilometers [1,609 square miles], largely comprised of fields and small settlements in Ukraine and Kursk Oblast, at a reported cost of over 420,000 casualties in 2024.
    ...
    Russian forces made 56.5 percent of their 2024 territorial gains during the September through November 2024 period.
    ...
    Russian advances have slowed in December 2024, however. ISW has observed geolocated evidence to assess that Russian forces gained 593 square kilometers or 18.1 square kilometers per day in December 2024 ...

    6 votes
  6. Comment on 2 January is National Science Fiction Day (in the US)! What are some sci-fi films you feel are particularly memorable or that you return to regularly? in ~movies

    ChingShih
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    I'll have to give this a watch, I hadn't heard of it. Thanks! It came out the same year as The Matrix, too. Crazy. Speaking of Matrix cash-ins ... have you seen Equilibrium with Christian Bale? It...

    The Thirteenth Floor

    I'll have to give this a watch, I hadn't heard of it. Thanks! It came out the same year as The Matrix, too. Crazy.

    Speaking of Matrix cash-ins ... have you seen Equilibrium with Christian Bale? It borrows The Matrix/Reloaded wardrobe and guns, but is more derivative of other sci-fi movies like Minority Report, from what I vaguely remember.

    4 votes
  7. Comment on 2 January is National Science Fiction Day (in the US)! What are some sci-fi films you feel are particularly memorable or that you return to regularly? in ~movies

    ChingShih
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    I watched Johnny Mnemonic the other day and it got me thinking about this topic. Today turns out to be National Science Fiction Day, so that's serendipitous. While I don't think I could watch...

    I watched Johnny Mnemonic the other day and it got me thinking about this topic. Today turns out to be National Science Fiction Day, so that's serendipitous.

    While I don't think I could watch Johnny Mnemonic with exactly the same regularity that I watched The Matrix (annually), it does blend well into the internet-sci-fi genre like The Matrix and Ghost in the Shell that I like and some of the 90s/post-Bladerunner sci-fi themes that I enjoy. I also think it would be fun to have Keanu Reeves and Dolph Lundgren reprise their roles in a remake that would be largely the same film, but maybe with the special effects redone (1995 CGI aged poorly). If the budget was really there it would be interesting to see more than just a Director's Cut, but a Director's Remake with all the changes that a bigger budget and newer technology might allow.

    I'm a big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy. I think The Last Starfighter had an odd impact on me as a result because Luke Skywalker was clearly the pilot to idolize, but The Last Starfighter was much more "real" and accessible. Maybe it was a mechanism for air force recruitment like Top Gun, I don't know. But I liked the concepts behind The Last Starfighter and it was always a movie to watch when visiting relatives when I was a kid.

    Also, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Starship Troopers or Total Recall yet. :D

    6 votes
  8. Comment on One state tried eighth grade algebra for all. It hasn’t gone well. in ~society

    ChingShih
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    After walking around a bit and having dinner, I've decided the question irks me and I want to come back to this thread to posit that this isn't a fair question at all. First, it's set up like the...

    After walking around a bit and having dinner, I've decided the question irks me and I want to come back to this thread to posit that this isn't a fair question at all. First, it's set up like the "two trains leave the station..." problem, which in its most basic form I believe was just a "solve for X" kind of basic algebra situation.

    This isn't that. This question then does two things that are meant to trick the reader. The first is that the only Arabic numerals used in the question are either 30 or 60. But there's another number that's expressly stated, but at least in English is obscured by being written out in a specific way. The other thing the question does is mostly talk about distance, miles, which is fortunately the sole unit of distance measurement, but then it also says mph. The tricky part about mph is that a lot of people think of it as a unit of measurement (it's the speed to match on the highway), but it's really two measurements and not one. Distance over time.

    The number 1 is used throughout the question, but it's not notated in Arabic numerals, so that's a bit tricky and I think there's a phenomena where the human brain discounts the importance of non-numeral quantities or something. Combined with the "mph" part, and you never see the number one. You just see "per hour" all over. But it means 60/1 or 30/1.

    This question would be much easier to mentally balance, and to parse mathematically, if it were written out like (30 miles/1 hour) and (60 miles/1 hour). In my head I want to express this question in the form of Stoichiometry and doing it that way it immediately becomes clear that there's a solve for X situation where there shouldn't be because the equation (info you have to work with) is imbalanced. You end up with a situation where you have something like (60 miles/1 hour) -> (X miles/0 hours remaining) and you have to divide by zero.

    4 votes
  9. Comment on 2 January is National Science Fiction Day (in the US)! What are some sci-fi films you feel are particularly memorable or that you return to regularly? in ~movies

    ChingShih
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    Same here! I rewatch the entire trilogy annually just for fun. While Reloaded can't be my favorite because it's such a direct sequel, I really do enjoy it a lot. I do think that the second and...

    Same here! I rewatch the entire trilogy annually just for fun. While Reloaded can't be my favorite because it's such a direct sequel, I really do enjoy it a lot. I do think that the second and third films could probably be fan-edited down to a single, more action-oriented film that would be more appealing to casual sci-fi/action viewers, but it wouldn't be the story that was meant to be told.

    Of course, I also think that it might almost be possible to fan-edit the whole series to tell the ascent of Neo solely from the perspective of Trinity (downplaying the importance of other characters and the proselytizing Zionist that is Morpheus), just to make the whole thing look like a moody action-tragedy with Trinity cultivating Neo into the ideal Savior, yet failing to achieve the love she's really after, despite all her personal sacrifices in and out of the Matrix and her convictions that Neo is The One and everything will fall into place with the right amount of work. (Her trust in Morpheus' leadership/knowledge is really emblematic of the fact that she's always the steadfast, quiet follower of The Plantm. Morpheus is a bigger, but in a true Zionist view unimportant, cog in the apparatus of ex machina. Neo is the only one that's important and viewing that from Trinity's perspective would be a fun change of pace.)

    1 vote
  10. 2 January is National Science Fiction Day (in the US)! What are some sci-fi films you feel are particularly memorable or that you return to regularly?

    Today is Isaac Asimov's official day of birth, according to Wikipedia. Apparently it has been made National Science Fiction Day in the US. So what are some of your favorite films you return to...

    Today is Isaac Asimov's official day of birth, according to Wikipedia. Apparently it has been made National Science Fiction Day in the US.

    So what are some of your favorite films you return to from time to time and what are some films that made a strong impact on you as an adult or when you were growing up? I wasn't sure about starting another thread just for TV shows, we could include sci-fi TV shows here as well.

    29 votes
  11. Comment on Twenty years after his death, Gary Webb’s truth is still dangerous in ~news

    ChingShih
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    Gary Webb's book, Dark Alliance (on GoodReads), is a good read. Also works well as an audiobook. It's worth reading, whether you go into it skeptically or with the usual grain of salt, because it...

    Gary Webb's book, Dark Alliance (on GoodReads), is a good read. Also works well as an audiobook. It's worth reading, whether you go into it skeptically or with the usual grain of salt, because it helps to round out the picture of the US covert involvement in South America and the drug trade that many other voices have spoken to from a variety of levels of involvement.

    5 votes
  12. Comment on Exit Generation Alpha, enter Generation Beta in ~life

    ChingShih
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    Maybe this is a good time and place to ask this. Why are generations being described/defined as 15 years in length? I was just looking at the Wikipedia chart on [western] generations and, while...

    Maybe this is a good time and place to ask this. Why are generations being described/defined as 15 years in length? I was just looking at the Wikipedia chart on [western] generations and, while the timelines don't match up exactly with the article(s) linked, it also shows a new generation beginning every 15 years.

    I always grew up with this definition, knowing that there was some wiggle-room (20-35 years):

    The average amount of time needed for children to grow up and have children of their own, generally considered to be a period of around thirty years, used as a measure of time.

    Growing up, I remember my parents saying that my cohort was on the cusp of Gen X. The chart above puts me solidly in the middle of Gen Y. Crazy. It seems like the whole generational chart on Wiki is aligned to 15-year stints beginning with the birth year of 1927 being the last year for the generation that could have served in WWII (1927 + 18 = 1945, the year that all remaining Axis powers capitulated). If one were to take today as the actual start of Gen β (which is going to be such a toxic term in today's internet, lmao), then you'd have to walk Gen GI back 3 whole years, so the last of that cohort would be 1924? It doesn't make sense.

    I feel like this has jumped the shark. Much like how people were celebrating Y2K as the beginning of the new millennia.

    4 votes
  13. Comment on All main Disney animated canon films are going to be destroyed and you can save five, which five do you pick? in ~movies

    ChingShih
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    I appreciate that you would readily frisbee-toss a copy of Bambi II, Tarzan, or even Peter Pan -- skillfully deflecting even one single copy of Cool Runnings from accidentally being tossed into...

    I appreciate that you would readily frisbee-toss a copy of Bambi II, Tarzan, or even Peter Pan -- skillfully deflecting even one single copy of Cool Runnings from accidentally being tossed into the burn-pile. Even though it's not an animated film, and therefore not in contention for destruction, it's a level of dedication I can appreciate!

    Similarly, I would also protect the Chuck Jones' short film of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (with Orson Welles!) from being threatened by the fiery-burny danger and it's not even a Disney production!

    4 votes
  14. Comment on Half-Life 3 playtests begin and 2025 reveal “quite possible,” says Valve insider in ~games

    ChingShih
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    I was just thinking about that documentary the other day, I'd like to revisit it. I sort of hope it's this 100+ minute NoClip docu, but at the same time I hope I can find it within the chapters...

    I was just thinking about that documentary the other day, I'd like to revisit it. I sort of hope it's this 100+ minute NoClip docu, but at the same time I hope I can find it within the chapters faster than that.

    2 votes
  15. Comment on China to build world's largest hydropower dam in Tibet in ~enviro

    ChingShih
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    I wanted to also share this somewhat related and very recent article from the US Energy Information Administration (US EIA) about China's in-country pumped storage capacity. The map towards the...

    I wanted to also share this somewhat related and very recent article from the US Energy Information Administration (US EIA) about China's in-country pumped storage capacity. The map towards the bottom of the article is kinda mind-blowing. That's a lot of future capacity that not only translates into environmentally friendly energy on-demand, but also energy security and independence.

    2 votes
  16. Comment on China to build world's largest hydropower dam in Tibet in ~enviro

    ChingShih
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    It's interesting how China is still pushing ahead with huge hydroelectric power projects for South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, predominantly those along the Mekong and Irrawaddy river...

    It's interesting how China is still pushing ahead with huge hydroelectric power projects for South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, predominantly those along the Mekong and Irrawaddy river basins. Because China has played an outsized role for nearly 2 decades in financing these megaprojects, they can also take the credit for helping to improve the quality of life for the people across large swathes of Southeast Asia and providing electricity to industrialized areas which improves manufacturing output.

    That said, I view China's initiatives as a severe case of "debt-trap diplomacy," along with its Silk Road initiative. China is becoming the sole financier for so many projects across East Africa and southern Asia that they can claim to be doing it for the betterment of developing nations around it, but they aren't really doing it for altruistic reasons. And China stands to gain the most from pulling these countries into its sole sphere of influence and holding them there as a source of cheap labor and manufacturing for its own economic ascent.

    Interestingly, one of China's own recent hydroelectric power facilities uses GE Vernova equipment. So the US or European nations could be supporting similar initiatives, but I suspect that traditional dams for hydroelectric are falling out of favor in the west due to red tape and more awareness of the severe environmental impacts that dams have that are difficult to quantify as being a net positive or net negative. Dams can have a negative short-term and long-term impacts on fish populations, habitat, and biodiversity, while also changing or even encouraging rapid evolution in some fish species' behaviors and environmental adaptations with the right dam types and locations selected. This of course also has a knock-on effect for fishermen and people immediately dependent on the food security the river previously provided, what fish species are capable of inhabiting post-dam waterways (both upstream and downstream), and so on. On the other hand, the dam can aid in meeting the needs of reservoirs for drinking water and irrigation for distant farmlands, which can dramatically improve food security. But as the article mentions these benefits can be claimed for the upstream country and not the downstream country, causing energy insecurity as well as political turmoil within a region. We've seen political hand-wringing from Mekong river nations for years about exactly that.

    Edit: The Reuters article doesn't mention the estimated cost of this dam, just saying it would be more than the Three Gorges dam. The BBC cites a cost of "a trillion yuan ($127bn; £109.3bn) according to estimates by the Chongyi Water Resources bureau."

    6 votes
  17. Comment on Jimmy Carter, longest-lived US president, dies aged 100 in ~society

    ChingShih
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    I hope that if his family chooses to have a state funeral. It will be a fitting send off of a great person and a good time for reflection. I appreciate this quote from the article:

    I hope that if his family chooses to have a state funeral. It will be a fitting send off of a great person and a good time for reflection. I appreciate this quote from the article:

    In a 1979 speech, [Carter] spoke semi-spontaneously for half an hour about a “crisis of confidence” – “a fundamental threat to American democracy … nearly invisible in ordinary ways”. Americans had fallen into a worship of “self-indulgence and consumption”, he said, only to learn “that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose”.

    9 votes
  18. Comment on ‘Sonic’ and ‘Mufasa’ brawl over no. 1; ‘Nosferatu’ feasts $40m+; ‘A Complete Unknown’ rockin’ $23m+ five-day in ~movies

    ChingShih
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    I'm pleased that Nosferatu is doing well. When I first saw the trailer I went through a lot of emotions. First, I was excited about a new Dracula film, and one that immediately reminded me of some...

    I'm pleased that Nosferatu is doing well. When I first saw the trailer I went through a lot of emotions. First, I was excited about a new Dracula film, and one that immediately reminded me of some of the best early scenes of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. The scenes in Nosferatu's TV trailer looked a little rough though, so I got concerned about the quality of the production. But then I saw Eggers was the director and I have full faith in him to do something interesting with this story. And the nice thing about tackling a well-known story is that you can iterate on it in interesting ways that stimulate audience's brains and expectations.

    Anyhow, there's a nice interview with Eggers about his philosophy on vampires and developing the correct folklore roots (note that the initial image is graphic in a semi-NSFW way) and also a review with some spoilers in regards to the setup of the story as well as the aesthetics. But it's the aesthetics that will really sell this, so if you're on the fence maybe give it a skim.

    5 votes
  19. Comment on Finland seizes Russia-linked tanker suspected of cutting vital undersea cables in ~society

    ChingShih
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    It's been kind of crazy how callously Russia has acted here. I always figured that, from the Tom Clancy School of Get'em Before They Get You, the west would cut Russia off from the internet as the...

    It's been kind of crazy how callously Russia has acted here. I always figured that, from the Tom Clancy School of Get'em Before They Get You, the west would cut Russia off from the internet as the final warning before a major conflict. But here is Russia, probably but almost certainly, doing it to the west just as another poke in the eye.

    I do appreciate how fast Sweden has moved on getting NATO to talk this out formally.

    Sweden's Social Democrats want to activate NATO's Article 4 after the cable sabotage in the Baltic Sea

    9 votes
  20. Russia-Ukraine war megathread - End of 2024 news, updates, and recaps

    There have been a few interesting bits of news here and there over the holiday period as well as notable developments, along with the usual political squabbling, that people might be interesting...

    There have been a few interesting bits of news here and there over the holiday period as well as notable developments, along with the usual political squabbling, that people might be interesting in skimming or catching up on. These posts are grouped by topic and in reverse chronological order (except the pledges of support section that reads better chronologically) as best as possible (mods feel free to edit the post itself if needed).

    Also, just today there is news that Finland seizes Russia-linked tanker suspected of cutting vital undersea cables (please take discussion to the Tildes thread) and now Sweden's Social Democrats want to activate NATO's Article 4 after the cable sabotage in the Baltic Sea.

    (Thank you to @KapteinB, @cffabro, @skybrian, and the other people who have helped post many of these links and alternative sources!)

    December 2024:

    Russia and Ukraine swap at least 300 prisoners in exchange deal

    Russia suffered 421,000 casualties in 2024, 'highest price' since start of invasion, Syrskyi says and allegedly ~785,000 Russian troops since the beginning of the invasion in February of 2022.

    Injured North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine has died, says South Korea

    ‘I thought it was fake news’: secrecy around North Koreans fighting in Kursk

    “We were told in the morning to prepare for a special type of patient,” said one of the medical staff at the hospital who treated North Koreans.

    “We’d heard rumours that North Koreans were fighting there, but I didn’t believe it. No one had actually seen them before,” the medic said.

    More than 1,000 North Korean military casualties in Ukraine war, says South Korea

    Ukraine faces difficult decisions over acute shortage of frontline troops - "Depleted army is increasingly made up of older men, but Zelenskyy is reluctant to lower mobilisation age from 25"

    Kyiv reveals total Ukraine casualties in Putin’s war for first time - "Zelenskyy said 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 370,000 wounded. That compares with 600,000 dead and wounded reported for Russia."

    In December, Perun released a video which quotes material about Ukraine's intelligence support of Syrian opposition forces that I hadn't heard before. At the 49:00 mark he says that Ukraine provided essential information (and basics) to Syrian rebel forces on drone usage, 3D printer schematics, and release mechanisms. Here's an imgur link to the report's summary that was posted to X/Twitter.

    Pledges of support:

    In June it was announced that the Annual allied military aid, [to that point, would be] $60 billion for next four years

    In July 39 tanks, HIMARS and ammunition: Germany covertly hands over huge shipment of weapons to Ukraine

    In late December the Biden administration pledges additional military aid to Ukraine amid Russia war - "... extensive support including a planned delivery of hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets and hundreds of armored vehicles by mid-January."

    Interesting articles and information from 2024:

    ‘The forest will survive’: the volunteers saving Kharkiv's war-charred woodland

    In September, Ukraine strikes two Russian munition depots, says military. This comes after numerous drone strikes on Russian oil facilities in August, July, and January.

    ‘I can do the same job as a man’: Ukraine’s first frontline female commander on war, grief – and her hope for the future - If you only read one article on this page it should be this one. This is a great interview and the person who took that portrait photo knew exactly what they were doing. I want her portrait to be painted and hung in the Louvre!

    Revealed: Russia anticipated [August] Kursk incursion months in advance, seized papers show - As well, Ukraine's Kursk Offensive, launched in August and still holding their ground, has an entire wiki page.

    A night with the drone squad targeting Russian forces in micro battles

    Kyiv's drone suppliers are ramping up production of computer-guided drones that are cheap and can't be electronically jammed

    Frontline report: Ukraine ignites Russian strategic bases, flames span from Crimea to Urals

    New Yorker magazine interview: The Ukrainian President on how to end the war with Russia, the empty rhetoric of Vladimir Putin, and what the U.S. election could mean for the fate of his country

    Interview with Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi: ‘I know we will win – and how’: Ukraine’s top general on turning the tables against Russia

    Reuters interview excerpts: Ukraine President Zelenskiy speaks to Reuters in exclusive interview

    Oleh Sentsov, Ukrainian director turns accidental footage into a film

    In his home near Ukraine's front line with Russia, Yurii makes a stand

    Putin's Unsustainable Spending Spree: How the War in Ukraine Will Overheat the Russian Economy

    Valerii Zaluzhnyi: top Ukraine general who rivals president for popularity: Volodymyr Zelenskiy seems ready to risk firing his armed forces chief in a deepening rift that has shone a light on Kyiv’s frailties

    Previous megathreads:

    I'll update this more in a little while.

    Mid-year 2024 updates and news megathread that covered developments such as announcements of North Korea providing materiel and manpower, changes in NATO leadership, the sacking of several Russian defense ministers, Eastern European security pacts, and changes to Ukrainian defense leadership.

    February 2024 megathread that covers Ukraine's withdrawal from Avdiivka, the shooting down of more than one Russian A-50 AWACS, trade sanctions, and some articles about drone swarming tech.

    To find more posts about these topics, use the 2022 russian invasion of ukraine tag.

    31 votes