KapteinB's recent activity

  1. Comment on Russian losses hit two grim milestones ahead of Ukraine war anniversary in ~news

  2. Comment on Russian losses hit two grim milestones ahead of Ukraine war anniversary in ~news

    KapteinB
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    Russia drowning in unsold oil as sanctions and Ukrainian strikes hit hard (The New Voice of Ukraine) Anyone know any details about these sanctions? It seems odd to me that it was this easy to...

    Russia drowning in unsold oil as sanctions and Ukrainian strikes hit hard (The New Voice of Ukraine)

    Russian oil companies are facing forced production cuts as they struggle to sell millions of barrels of oil following the so-called "farewell" sanctions imposed by the Biden administration in January, U.S. News reported on Feb. 12.

    The sanctions, which targeted Gazprom Neft, Surgutneftegaz, and 180 shadow fleet tankers, have created a surplus of oil in Russia that cannot be exported abroad.

    Anyone know any details about these sanctions? It seems odd to me that it was this easy to target the shadow fleet, and yet we waited this long.

    5 votes
  3. Comment on What are your favourite time-loop based books, movies and video games? in ~talk

    KapteinB
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    The Holy Gosh Darn is a comedy video game where you are given time travel powers to save Heaven from blowing up. I played through it last year, and had a blast!

    The Holy Gosh Darn is a comedy video game where you are given time travel powers to save Heaven from blowing up. I played through it last year, and had a blast!

  4. Comment on Google Maps now shows the 'Gulf of America' for US users in ~tech

  5. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    KapteinB
    (edited )
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    Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Xbox Series S) I wrote about it a bit a while back. Now I've finished it. For the most part, I loved it, but the final battle is one of the most frustrating...

    Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Xbox Series S)

    I wrote about it a bit a while back. Now I've finished it. For the most part, I loved it, but the final battle is one of the most frustrating video game experiences I've ever had. That and the truly terrible platforming sequence I've mentioned before.

    OK, enough negative thoughts. Let's focus on the good stuff. The game captures the feel of the movies very well, and makes me feel like Indy. Much helped by the excellent music, voice acting, and overall sound design. Every tense moment is expertly punctuated by an appropriate musical cue. And even the music playing over the end credits is amazing.

    edit:

    Oh, one more thing about sound design: Indy groans! When you whip-swing across a pit, Indy will groan in pain as he slams against the wall on the other side, and again from the effort of pulling himself up the ledge. It a small touch of game design, which helps ground the whole thing and make the protagonist feel more human. (Which again is slightly undercut when the game gets cartoonishly over the top at some points.)

    3 votes
  6. Comment on Russian losses hit two grim milestones ahead of Ukraine war anniversary in ~news

    KapteinB
    Link Parent
    From the article:

    From the article:

    One British military adviser cited on February 5 figures putting Russian main battle tank losses at "over 3,700," plus more than 8,000 armored vehicles. The British Defense Ministry had said in mid-December that main battle tank losses for Russia stood at roughly 3,600.

    In February 2024, the British think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said Russia had lost a total of more than 3,000 tanks in two years of war, including 1,120 in 2023.

    Dutch investigative outlet Oryx, which catalogues visually-verified losses, said that Moscow had lost at least 3,734 tanks in just shy of three years. Of this number, 2,666 tanks were destroyed, with 157 damaged and 534 captured, according to the outlet.

    16 votes
  7. Comment on Trans men media recommendations? in ~lgbt

    KapteinB
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    The Umbrella Academy TV show stars Elliot Page, and his character starts identifying as male during the show (early in season 3, if I recall correctly). The Eye of the Dragon is a Norwegian comic...

    The Umbrella Academy TV show stars Elliot Page, and his character starts identifying as male during the show (early in season 3, if I recall correctly).

    The Eye of the Dragon is a Norwegian comic where the main character a non-binary dark elf mage. It might be hard to get a hold of outside Scandinavia, but I believe at least the first two books have been translated to English.

    9 votes
  8. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 3 in ~society

    KapteinB
    Link Parent
    Also, this whole thread feels like a good excuse to post this 1986 anti-apartheid classic: Spitting Image - I've Never Met a Nice South African Sadly I can't find the original music video on...

    Also, this whole thread feels like a good excuse to post this 1986 anti-apartheid classic:

    Spitting Image - I've Never Met a Nice South African

    Sadly I can't find the original music video on YouTube. Probably copyright shenanigans.

  9. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 3 in ~society

  10. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 3 in ~society

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

    KapteinB
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    HIMARS Strike 'Eliminated' Entire Russian Command Post in Ukraine: Video (Newsweek)

    HIMARS Strike 'Eliminated' Entire Russian Command Post in Ukraine: Video (Newsweek)

    A Russian military headquarters in the Donetsk region was targeted by Ukrainian forces in a strike which killed a large number of commanders, it has been reported.

    Undated and unverified drone footage showed the purported strike on a building in the Russian-occupied city of Selydove which hosted the 35th separate guards motorized rifle brigade, from the 41st Combined Arms Army of Russia's Central Military District.

    2 votes
  12. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 3 in ~society

    KapteinB
    Link Parent
    So are there actually any white South African refugees, or is this pure virtue signalling? There's a linked article with some more information about the law.

    So are there actually any white South African refugees, or is this pure virtue signalling? There's a linked article with some more information about the law.

    5 votes
  13. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 3 in ~society

    KapteinB
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    Trump orders U.S. to prioritize refugee resettlement of South Africans of European descent

    Trump orders U.S. to prioritize refugee resettlement of South Africans of European descent

    President Trump on Friday directed government officials to prioritize the resettlement of South Africans of European descent through the U.S. refugee program, which he suspended during his first day in office.

    In an executive order, Mr. Trump accused the South African government of discriminating against Afrikaners, an ethnic group in South Africa made up of descendants of European colonists, mostly from the Netherlands, who first arrived there in the 1600s.

    4 votes
  14. Comment on Donald Trump won’t rule out deploying US troops to support rebuilding Gaza, sees ‘long-term’ US ownership in ~society

    KapteinB
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    Isn't the problem that they need 60 Democratic senators to make DC and Puerto Rico states, and they can't get 60 Democratic senators without DC and Puerto Rico as states?

    Isn't the problem that they need 60 Democratic senators to make DC and Puerto Rico states, and they can't get 60 Democratic senators without DC and Puerto Rico as states?

    1 vote
  15. Comment on Donald Trump won’t rule out deploying US troops to support rebuilding Gaza, sees ‘long-term’ US ownership in ~society

    KapteinB
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    So he wants to resettle them elsewhere, then invite them back? I'm as confused as these poor journalists who have to report on this lunacy. Also you'd think the US would have learned a thing or...

    Trump said the U.S. would redevelop the territory after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and turn the territory into a place where the “world’s people”— including Palestinians — would live.

    So he wants to resettle them elsewhere, then invite them back? I'm as confused as these poor journalists who have to report on this lunacy.

    Also you'd think the US would have learned a thing or two about nation building in hostile environments after the whole Afghanistan fiasco. I'm sure it will go better this time. Give the radical Islamists sunbeds and umbrella drinks, and I'm sure they'll be more chill.

    I'm truly worried that Trump's main goal for the next four years is to expand the territory of the US. The whole world is in for (at least) four very bad years.

    15 votes
  16. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of February 3 in ~society

    KapteinB
    Link Parent
    Not his worst idea, I suppose. Tariffs, for all their faults, do raise a lot of money, and putting that money into a sovereign wealth fund may be a better idea than pumping it directly into the...

    Trump orders creation of US sovereign wealth fund, says it could buy TikTok

    Not his worst idea, I suppose. Tariffs, for all their faults, do raise a lot of money, and putting that money into a sovereign wealth fund may be a better idea than pumping it directly into the budget.

    But there may be better uses for the money, like bailing out or subsidising businesses that suffer under the tariffs, or just paying off national debt.

    5 votes