Fal's recent activity

  1. Comment on Jet Lag Season 17: Taiwan Rail Rush | Trailer in ~hobbies

    Fal
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    I did notice that, the linear loop-ness of it all makes me think that it'll play more like the New Zealand season, with each team going in a different direction around the loop. The strategy there...

    I did notice that, the linear loop-ness of it all makes me think that it'll play more like the New Zealand season, with each team going in a different direction around the loop. The strategy there then is deciding how to defend your holdings once you pass them I suppose.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on Jet Lag Season 17: Taiwan Rail Rush | Trailer in ~hobbies

    Fal
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    Oh no, its the Au$tralia season on steroids. Also congrats to the Youtube channel for reaching 1 million subscribers!

    Oh no, its the Au$tralia season on steroids.

    Also congrats to the Youtube channel for reaching 1 million subscribers!

    4 votes

  4. Comment on China passes new ethnic minority law, prioritises use of Mandarin language in ~society

    Fal
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    China passed a law on a "shared" national identity among the country's 55 ethnic ‌minority groups on Thursday, a move critics say will further erode the identity of people who are not majority Han Chinese and risk making anyone challenging that "unity" a separatist punishable by law.

    Called "Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress", the ethnic minority law aims to forge national unity and advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with the ​Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at its core, a draft copy of the law showed.

    7 votes

  6. Comment on Chile turns right: José Antonio Kast inaugurated as nation's most conservative leader since Augusto Pinochet in ~society

    Fal
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    José Antonio Kast has been inaugurated as Chile's new president today at a ceremony in the coastal city of Valparaíso. The far-right politician built his career railing against liberal values from the fringes of Chilean politics.

    Kast won a resounding victory over his leftist rival in a runoff in December, taking over 58% of the vote with his hardline approach to public security and illegal immigration.

    His ascent to the presidency marks an abrupt departure from the progressive agenda of leftist Gabriel Boric, whose four-year term ended today.

    5 votes

  8. Comment on Reducing Europe's nuclear energy sector was 'strategic mistake', EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says in ~society

    Fal
    Link Parent
    Its worth noting that EU countries such as Poland, Czechia, and Denmark have untapped uranium reserves. Further, countries that are likely to remain at least friendly in the foreseeable future...

    Its worth noting that EU countries such as Poland, Czechia, and Denmark have untapped uranium reserves. Further, countries that are likely to remain at least friendly in the foreseeable future such as Australia and Canada are number 1 and 3 respectively on the list of reserves (with Australia having twice as many reserves as the number 2 Kazakhstan). While the EU's own reserves are relatively small, as I understand it uranium isn't burned through at the same rates as fossil fuels and shouldn't need the same level of constant input.

    Not to say that the EU shouldn't be aiming for renewables, but I don't think uranium production is quite as big of a strategic issue as you've made out.

    19 votes

  10. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 2 in ~society

  11. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of March 2 in ~society

    Fal
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    @Deimos by the way, this weekly thread is linked in the ~news sidebar, but not the ~society sidebar where the thread currently lives. Maybe it could be linked in both?

    @Deimos by the way, this weekly thread is linked in the ~news sidebar, but not the ~society sidebar where the thread currently lives. Maybe it could be linked in both?

  12. Comment on GQ interview with Louis Theroux on his upcoming documentary about the manosphere in ~life.men

    Fal
    Link Parent
    I agree with the other replies to your comment, so I won't jump on the pile on that front, but I wanted to question your usage of statistics. Given that the 'loneliness epidemic' is widely...

    I agree with the other replies to your comment, so I won't jump on the pile on that front, but I wanted to question your usage of statistics.

    The use of anecdotal evidence I could forgive if the narrative of escalating misogyny and cultural danger it pushes reflected reality, but available data contradicts this alarmism: Statistics indicate a general decline in domestic violence since the early 1990s.

    Given that the 'loneliness epidemic' is widely discussed as a major issue facing men, is domestic violence really the best indicator of escalating misogyny? Not that domestic violence is a particularly good indicator for a society-wide topic such as misogyny, which would probably be better estimated with an indexed statistic (which may include domestic violence, among other statistics).

    13 votes

  14. Comment on South Korea's birthrate, the world's lowest, rises again amid signs of easing demographic crisis in ~society

    Fal
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    South Korea's birthrate rose for a second straight year in 2025, government data showed on Wednesday, in a further sign that a country facing a demographic crisis for nearly a decade may be starting to turn a corner.

    South Korea's total fertility rate, the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life, stood at 0.80 in 2025, up from 0.75 in 2024, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Rob Jetten becomes Netherlands' youngest ever PM in ~society

    Fal
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    Rob Jetten has become the youngest and first openly gay prime minister of the Netherlands after his minority government was sworn in.

    The 38-year-old claimed victory in October's election with his Democrats 66 party (D66) narrowly beating anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders in a nail-biting election.

    Jetten formed a centre-right minority government with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Christian Democratic Alliance (CDA).

    It is a minority cabinet, meaning every major reform in the coalition deal - from an extra €19bn (£16.6bn) for defence to painful cuts in healthcare and benefits - will have to be negotiated vote by vote in the Netherlands' two parliamentary houses.

    The coalition also wants fewer asylum seekers, with refugees having to apply for asylum outside Europe, not after they arrive.

    Asylum migration has been a particularly sensitive issue in Dutch politics, contributing to the downfall of the country's last two coalition governments.

    5 votes

  18. Comment on Tell me about your favourite web-based logic puzzles! in ~games

    Fal
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    Big fan of flagdoku Quite honestly this seems like a good place to drop the Northernlion dles thread

    Big fan of flagdoku

    Quite honestly this seems like a good place to drop the Northernlion dles thread

    1 vote

  19. Comment on A Japanese toilet maker and seasoning giant are unlikely winners of the AI boom in ~tech

    Fal
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    Personally, would recommend Ajinomoto MSG.

    Toilet maker Toto, famous for its high-tech bidets and heated seats, has drawn investor attention. The company makes electrostatic chucks, which are critical components used in the production of NAND memory chips.

    It's not just Toto. Japanese food giant Ajinomoto, better known for its umami seasonings and soup bases, has become an unlikely AI infrastructure play. The company produces an insulating material used in advanced semiconductor packaging.

    Personally, would recommend Ajinomoto MSG.

    10 votes