adam_kadmon's recent activity
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Comment on Russia loses almost 46,000 troops, over $3 billion worth of military equipment in November, Defense Ministry says in ~news
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Comment on Russia loses almost 46,000 troops, over $3 billion worth of military equipment in November, Defense Ministry says in ~news
adam_kadmon Link ParentMen being taken to the front while going to the store or driving delivery trucks, and electricity being not available for large parts of the day sounds worse than being on a back foot.Men being taken to the front while going to the store or driving delivery trucks, and electricity being not available for large parts of the day sounds worse than being on a back foot.
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Comment on Russia loses almost 46,000 troops, over $3 billion worth of military equipment in November, Defense Ministry says in ~news
adam_kadmon Link ParentI agree with your points, but for a diplomatic solution to actually work you have to have both sides agreeing on it. Putin will not accept Ukraine joining NATO as part of a peace deal, unless...I agree with your points, but for a diplomatic solution to actually work you have to have both sides agreeing on it. Putin will not accept Ukraine joining NATO as part of a peace deal, unless circumstances of the war change dramatically in Ukraine's favor. Frankly, even then I'd be more prone to believe in Ukraine's conventional military victory than Russia agreeing to have NATO forces in a few hours drive from Moscow.
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Comment on Russia loses almost 46,000 troops, over $3 billion worth of military equipment in November, Defense Ministry says in ~news
adam_kadmon Link ParentThe large part of the original reasoning for invasion on Putin's part was Ukrainian initiative to join NATO in the first place. I doubt that's a thing which will be on the table for any potential...The large part of the original reasoning for invasion on Putin's part was Ukrainian initiative to join NATO in the first place. I doubt that's a thing which will be on the table for any potential diplomatic solution.
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Comment on Russia loses almost 46,000 troops, over $3 billion worth of military equipment in November, Defense Ministry says in ~news
adam_kadmon Link ParentSince the war started I've been living in Rostov-on-Don, which you can, I guess, call a big western city, but I've work-traveled quite a bit too (mostly closer to the front). But yes, it's...Since the war started I've been living in Rostov-on-Don, which you can, I guess, call a big western city, but I've work-traveled quite a bit too (mostly closer to the front). But yes, it's undeniable the demographics of the invasion force would skew strongly to the eastern racial minorities and lower economical classes. You also can't forget about a rather big campaign of mass conscription from the prisons (effects of which are now being felt with ex-convicts returning to civilian life after amnesties, I have some horror stories about THAT).
I do strongly believe that, if the war's result will be determined by the troop numbers, Ukraine will have to fold first. There is nowhere in Russia the conscription is on par with current Ukrainian one.
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Comment on Russia loses almost 46,000 troops, over $3 billion worth of military equipment in November, Defense Ministry says in ~news
adam_kadmon Link ParentEven if it's 1/10th I'd assume a more noticeable impact on population. My first instinct is to multiply Russian losses by two if it's Russian source, and divide it by two if it's Ukrainian.Even if it's 1/10th I'd assume a more noticeable impact on population. My first instinct is to multiply Russian losses by two if it's Russian source, and divide it by two if it's Ukrainian.
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Comment on Russia loses almost 46,000 troops, over $3 billion worth of military equipment in November, Defense Ministry says in ~news
adam_kadmon LinkI am incredibly skeptical about this number, especially since it goes along completely preposterous "As of the morning of Dec. 1, the Russian army had lost about 742,130 soldiers", which is more...I am incredibly skeptical about this number, especially since it goes along completely preposterous "As of the morning of Dec. 1, the Russian army had lost about 742,130 soldiers", which is more than half of Russian active military (and, likely, more than were actually deployed).
This amount of losses would lead to a complete front (and economical) collapse, if it were to actually occur.
Source: anecdotal, so take everything I said with a grain of salt.
I currently live in Russia and a conscription age able-bodied man, as most of my friends. None of the people I know personally were mobilized or decided to sign a contract. I imagine if there was this level of losses I'd be digging trenches, but for this past years the war was felt mostly from my wife's family side, who live in Ukraine.
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Comment on Moana 2 | Teaser trailer in ~movies
adam_kadmon Link ParentThe line should always be creative intent. The series which is meant to be multi-part work, or a franchise to which an author wants to return to because he has something more to say, are...The line should always be creative intent. The series which is meant to be multi-part work, or a franchise to which an author wants to return to because he has something more to say, are fundamentally different from cash-grab market-projected boardroom decision style of sequels modern media giants produce nowadays.
This is not a sequel problem, original movies suffer from the same symptoms. For examples, look at Wish.
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Comment on YouTube seems to once again be rolling out its widely hated new web redesign in ~tech
adam_kadmon Link ParentFreeTube is great and a must-have for me. Having the option to have different profiles with different subscriptions is such a no-brainer feature I don't understand why actual Youtube didn't...FreeTube is great and a must-have for me. Having the option to have different profiles with different subscriptions is such a no-brainer feature I don't understand why actual Youtube didn't implement it yet.
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Comment on Moana 2 | Teaser trailer in ~movies
adam_kadmon Link ParentThe fact that kids, basically the lowest common denominator of entertainment, don't mind, doesn't mean this is healthy for the overall quality of industry. People don't realize that another sequel...The fact that kids, basically the lowest common denominator of entertainment, don't mind, doesn't mean this is healthy for the overall quality of industry. People don't realize that another sequel in production means some original project didn't get the funding, some idea got choked out, some creative vision is going to be unrealized.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - GG no re (End of an era) in ~games
adam_kadmon Link ParentMaybe at least consider running a poll to gauge interest? I see your point, but I think player retention is easier if people have a definitive stuff to strive for, and on server focused on...Maybe at least consider running a poll to gauge interest? I see your point, but I think player retention is easier if people have a definitive stuff to strive for, and on server focused on building first mods can really prolong it's lifespan, as opposed to something like pvp/faction wars/roleplay-focused servers there you really can expand your goals organically without intervention.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - GG no re (End of an era) in ~games
adam_kadmon LinkI know current server is still alive and there is no definitive visions for the next iteration if it'll happen, but, after reading this thread and walking around the server map, I want to through...I know current server is still alive and there is no definitive visions for the next iteration if it'll happen, but, after reading this thread and walking around the server map, I want to through an idea of making next server use Create-based modpack.
I think features which Create provides will work well with the developed server culture - large scale community builds and interconnected design. Actual working trains, windmills and true movable blocks from Create seem like a good fit, automated farms look very cool, and, more importantly, Create also looks good, which isn't something you can usually say about tech mods. It also has addons for almost every mod under the sun, meaning you can tailor the modpack to any taste and expand it easily without regressing into disconnected unfocused kitchensink type of experience.
It being available for Fabric is a bonus, since you can get performance benefits from all the optimization mods for it, hopefully to offset the cost of running heavy mods like Create.If people are interested, I can throw a custom pack to playtest for a week or two, although I can't host.
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Comment on Gazans bombarded by Israel have no hope and no escape in ~news
adam_kadmon Link ParentThere has never been any confirmation, video proof or elaboration on this. It was said by a live reporter on Israeli television as something one of the soldiers told her, and then Israeli military...In a single village they have deliberately slaughtered 40 kids along with their parents. Babies with their heads cut off.
There has never been any confirmation, video proof or elaboration on this. It was said by a live reporter on Israeli television as something one of the soldiers told her, and then Israeli military straight up told that they don't have any reports of 40 beheaded babies. But it sure does make a nice headline.
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Comment on Starfield - what are your thoughts? in ~games
adam_kadmon Link ParentI don't understand how this point of view can exist at all. Fallout 4, with all it's drawbacks, is a handmade experience, start to finish. It's packed. Locations are handmade, paths between...I don't understand how this point of view can exist at all. Fallout 4, with all it's drawbacks, is a handmade experience, start to finish. It's packed. Locations are handmade, paths between locations are handmade, Fallout 4 is dense to the point there maybe it shouldn't be, but it's still a designed experience, straightforward and continuous experience. Starfield is anything but continuous, it's jugged, separated and, honestly, empty. The only things in common between Starfield and Fallout 4 is gun-based combat. And junk.
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Comment on Starfield - what are your thoughts? in ~games
adam_kadmon LinkIt's honestly the worst Bethesda game I've ever played, and the most worrying thing - it's the worst Bethesda game at the one thing Bethesda usually does right - exploration. There's none of that....It's honestly the worst Bethesda game I've ever played, and the most worrying thing - it's the worst Bethesda game at the one thing Bethesda usually does right - exploration. There's none of that.
Here's how travel works in this space exploration videogame:
- You climb into the cabin of your ship and hold a button.
- You watch a cutscene of a ship taking of from the planet. You can't actually fly in the atmosphere, this is just a loading screen.
- You load into near orbit of the planet. This part of the game serves zero purpose. You can't fly fast enough to travel between planets, or even around the planet you're orbiting to land on the other side.
- You open the map, and then painfully slowly zoom out a couple of times to the galaxy view, then zoom into whatever star system you need to go into, pick a planet a hold a button.
- Watch you ship's drive charge, when watch a cutscene. When a loading screen.
- Open map again to pick a point on the planet you want to land at.
- Run around, on foot, a boring procedural landscape, sometimes scanning some stuff you encounter or visiting copypasted "dungeons" with no relevance to the story. Hit the invisible border of the cell. Fast travel back to your ship.
This is repeated forever, because there's a thousand of empty procedural planets for you to explore, and a few handcrafted cities with barely enough in them to compare them to something like Whiterun. Bethesda dipped their toes into procedural generation just enough to not have enough hand placed stuff, but not enough for it to actually be cool like something in No Man's Sky.
People will also tell about how it's "the best gunplay it's ever been", and, yeah, but it's still bad. Guns aren't fun, enemies are VERY dumb and are basically bullet sponges. The quests aren't good either, secondary or main. Here's a few examples:
- You hear the local police force recruits help. You go to the police force guy and tell him you want to help him, an he goes "okay, you're hired".
- He immediately sends you to the local FBI chief. You go to the local FBI chief, and he dumps some exposition on you. Afterwards, he tells you to go to some random bench, get the hidden package, and give it to the police guy.
- You do that.
- There's no twist.
Oh, but there's a bigger one, check this out:
- You hear the local science guy needs help. You go to him, and he asks you to bring him 6 thingies scattered around the city.
- You do that. He tells you "thanks, come back tomorrow".
- You do that.
- He asks you to get some data from the other science guy who hates your science guy.
- The other science guy tells you he will give you data if you delete his work records because he's been naughty. Your options are do that, or persuade him to let you skip game content.
- You go to the empty copypasted apartment floor where you can delete his work record. You delete the first science guy's record too, because you wanna see whether it will do anything(it will not).
- The other science guy gives you data. You give data to the first science guy.
- You come back the next day.
- This goes on longer. It doesn't get better. The "twist" is flavour purely and genuinely doesn't actually affect anything. You're not changed after quest completion. It's all space dust.
Main quests are worse. At some point, someone said "starborn" and I just gave up. It's the most sterile Bethesda game, it's the most sterile sci-fi game, it's just a bad game overall. The only things good about it are some designs of science thingies like ships and guns. The performance is straight up atrocious. It is the most bugfree Bethesda release, I guess, but the rest is so depressing it made me very pessimistic about TES 6.
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Comment on Do you replay video games? in ~games
adam_kadmon LinkUsually I don't, but those few games I do replay I can probably do infinitely. Sit me down in front of first Mass Effect, Witcher or Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines, give me 30 free hours and...Usually I don't, but those few games I do replay I can probably do infinitely. Sit me down in front of first Mass Effect, Witcher or Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines, give me 30 free hours and I won't need to stop for sleep. I don't even change much between playthroughs, on the contrary trying to follow this ideal mindmap I have of how the story should really go, to the point of killing enemies in the correct order in specific encounters, or what quests I should do first.
Strangely enough, it's never newer games, or sequels. I can't really explain, but those are, kinda, too much for me? Too many things, too many systems, to many things.Baldur's Gate 3 seems to be a second game in the decade which I will add to list, first one being Disco Elysium. I guess I have a type.
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Comment on GitHub slated to mandate 2FA in ~comp
adam_kadmon Link ParentCompromised how? Even if github leaks password hashes you'll be fine with your randomly generated 20 symbols long password from password manager of choice.Compromised how? Even if github leaks password hashes you'll be fine with your randomly generated 20 symbols long password from password manager of choice.
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Comment on ‘Ahsoka’ viewing numbers are well below ‘The Mandalorian,’ ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ in ~tv
adam_kadmon Link ParentAndor was practically an original character and people watched his tv-series just fine. The quality just isn't there, especially with the budget they have.Andor was practically an original character and people watched his tv-series just fine. The quality just isn't there, especially with the budget they have.
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Comment on Losing my patience with chess in ~games.tabletop
adam_kadmon LinkIt's hard to give advice without actually knowing how you play. Can you share a few of your games in this thread?It's hard to give advice without actually knowing how you play. Can you share a few of your games in this thread?
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft server launch - Java Edition SMP in ~games
adam_kadmon Link ParentThere's a pretty nice place for a small lighthouse at 650/-180, does anyone mind if build it?There's a pretty nice place for a small lighthouse at 650/-180, does anyone mind if build it?
I honestly don't know.
The closest to it I can imagine is both Russia and Ukraine being tired from war to the extent there third-side military intervention at the new border is agreed upon, like in Trump's (I know, I know) recent proposition of European forces being deployed in small amount just to essentially prevent Russia from attacking with a threat of casualties from EU military personnel.
The issue with this is, someone has to agree to send their men to guard Ukraine.