nukeman's recent activity

  1. Comment on Regarding travel agency exoticca.com in ~travel

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    I believe you. Just noting that I probably wouldn’t have booked with them to begin with. To echo what others are saying, I probably wouldn’t use a TA for Japan or most places. Maybe for some...

    I believe you. Just noting that I probably wouldn’t have booked with them to begin with. To echo what others are saying, I probably wouldn’t use a TA for Japan or most places. Maybe for some specialized/niche trips (think birding expeditions or visiting Antarctica type stuff).

    13 votes
  2. Comment on Regarding travel agency exoticca.com in ~travel

    nukeman
    Link
    Gonna be 100% honest, sounds like a sex-business of some sort.

    Gonna be 100% honest, sounds like a sex-business of some sort.

    54 votes
  3. Comment on What are some stories of progressivism gone wrong in implementation? in ~society

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    Was it deleted or removed? Do you still have a link?

    Was it deleted or removed? Do you still have a link?

    1 vote
  4. Comment on Advice needed: Getting an elderly parent set up with a home health aide in ~life

    nukeman
    Link
    How did your dad react when you broached getting him a medical alert service? Is mom still in the picture? On your side of things, start asking friends what services they’ve used. Post in local FB...
    • How did your dad react when you broached getting him a medical alert service?
    • Is mom still in the picture?

    On your side of things, start asking friends what services they’ve used. Post in local FB or NextDoor groups, and there specifically ask if any are covered by Tricare. Make a spreadsheet listing companies, pros, cons, and costs to compare. When you think you’ve found some that would work, get them over for a visit, and get your dad involved to see if he gravitates toward a particular company.

    Unfortunately my grandparents were very stubborn/prideful about things, so the approach was a bit more behind closed doors and later than it should’ve been.

    6 votes
  5. Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society

    nukeman
    Link
    Some of the OSINT folks are reporting CH-47 Chinook helicopters flying over Caracas. There’s a good chance this isn’t just a bomb and leave.

    Some of the OSINT folks are reporting CH-47 Chinook helicopters flying over Caracas. There’s a good chance this isn’t just a bomb and leave.

    16 votes
  6. Comment on Moving back to the US (after 7+ years living in Germany) in ~life

    nukeman
    Link
    Any pets? If so, that will complicate things, esp. if it is something other than just dog/cat.

    Any pets? If so, that will complicate things, esp. if it is something other than just dog/cat.

    4 votes
  7. Comment on Toll roads are spreading in America in ~transport

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    Apparently more states used to have inspections, but the decline of full service stations (versus mere gas stations) meant that states were faced with building and running their own inspection...

    Apparently more states used to have inspections, but the decline of full service stations (versus mere gas stations) meant that states were faced with building and running their own inspection centers. On top of that, there’s always political pressure to make driving cheaper.

    3 votes
  8. Comment on Merry Christmas! in ~talk

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    Thanks for being one of the folks who keeps things going while most of us are celebrating! What sort of work do you do?

    Thanks for being one of the folks who keeps things going while most of us are celebrating! What sort of work do you do?

    9 votes
  9. Comment on What are your predictions for 2026? in ~talk

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    As much as I hate drama and want them to live happily ever after, I’m incredibly curious as to what a Taylor Swift divorce would look like.

    Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce a separation (10%)

    As much as I hate drama and want them to live happily ever after, I’m incredibly curious as to what a Taylor Swift divorce would look like.

  10. Comment on Gift recommendations in ~life

    nukeman
    Link
    Good binoculars: there are many binoculars for sale that are sub-par in quality and/or hard-to-use for novice birders/hunters/observers (etc). Good entry-level binoculars are going to be around...

    Good binoculars: there are many binoculars for sale that are sub-par in quality and/or hard-to-use for novice birders/hunters/observers (etc). Good entry-level binoculars are going to be around 2-300 USD. My recommendation would be a Vortex Diamondback, 8x32 or 8x42 (8 power magnification, 32 or 42 mm lens). Vortex has reasonably good service, and almost all retailers will carry them. If your budget allows, you can either upgrade within Vortex, or go for something like Zeiss.

    Side note: more magnification isn’t better. It magnifies the shake more, and often comprises on field of view and color in exchange for said magnification. I previously recommended 7 power binoculars, but most manufacturers have discontinued their mid/full-size models.

    8 votes
  11. Comment on Lorde - Virgin (2025) in ~music

  12. Comment on Ireland among countries boycotting Eurovision after Israel allowed to compete in ~music

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    That, and there’s also strong historic links between Irish Republicans and Palestinian nationalists (partly due to common anti-British sentiment).

    That, and there’s also strong historic links between Irish Republicans and Palestinian nationalists (partly due to common anti-British sentiment).

    5 votes
  13. Comment on Ireland among countries boycotting Eurovision after Israel allowed to compete in ~music

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    Citizens United held that you couldn’t prohibit electioneering communications by independent entities (corporations, unions, non-profits) between 30 to 60 days prior to an election. An opposite...

    Citizens United held that you couldn’t prohibit electioneering communications by independent entities (corporations, unions, non-profits) between 30 to 60 days prior to an election. An opposite decision would’ve meant that the FEC could, for example, ban a movie paid for by a union about U.S. Senators supporting Israel if it directly or indirectly advocated for or against a candidate.

    6 votes
  14. Comment on More than 200 women allege drugging with a diuretic to make them urinate during interviews by senior French civil servant in ~news

    nukeman
    Link
    Can someone explain why France is so… messed up with sexual stuff? This, pedophilia advocacy, adultery, etc?

    Can someone explain why France is so… messed up with sexual stuff? This, pedophilia advocacy, adultery, etc?

    6 votes
  15. Comment on US shoppers, drawn by steep discounts, power through Black Friday in ~finance

    nukeman
    Link
    I had to go by my local Walmart Friday morning to pick up some pet food, and it was… weirdly quiet. It was actually less busy than the afternoon/evening on days I normally go. Not sure if it was...

    I had to go by my local Walmart Friday morning to pick up some pet food, and it was… weirdly quiet. It was actually less busy than the afternoon/evening on days I normally go. Not sure if it was location, more people buying online, or sales being spread out over a longer period of time, but it was strange seeing as it wasn’t long ago I remember the massive lines and retailers dabbling in “Black Thursday.”

    6 votes
  16. Comment on Ex-Barack Obama aide says Holocaust education is ‘confusing’ young people into sympathizing with ‘weak, skinny’ Palestinians in ~society

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    I don’t think it is a matter of belonging to a particular group, but whether the lessons and implications are universally applicable or more specific to anti-semitism. I may not have been clear in...

    I don’t think it is a matter of belonging to a particular group, but whether the lessons and implications are universally applicable or more specific to anti-semitism. I may not have been clear in my phrasing.

    (Side note: The Holocaust page on Wikipedia does refer only to the murder of Jews. Other victims of the Nazis are covered in separate pages.)

    4 votes
  17. Comment on Ex-Barack Obama aide says Holocaust education is ‘confusing’ young people into sympathizing with ‘weak, skinny’ Palestinians in ~society

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    The discussion I’ve seen in some Jewish spaces is whether the Holocaust was a universal tragedy or a specifically Jewish one. I can understand both perspectives (The depths to which “civilization”...

    The discussion I’ve seen in some Jewish spaces is whether the Holocaust was a universal tragedy or a specifically Jewish one. I can understand both perspectives (The depths to which “civilization” can sink to for the former, and the unique industrialization of genocide through Operation Reinhard for the latter).

    11 votes
  18. Comment on US Senate suddenly passes the Jeffrey Epstein bill just hours after it cleared the House in ~society

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    They aren’t a single set of documents neatly bound in one binder. They are different files, spread out in offices throughout the country and in different formats (paper and electronic). Thorough...

    They aren’t a single set of documents neatly bound in one binder. They are different files, spread out in offices throughout the country and in different formats (paper and electronic). Thorough redactions alone are difficult. Actually forging them (or even just striking pages) would be almost impossible to pull off successfully.

    12 votes
  19. Comment on A Cloudflare outage is taking down large parts of the internet - X, ChatGPT and more affected in ~tech

    nukeman
    Link Parent
    Compared to the gold standard five nines reliability of ye olde telephone system? Absolutely.

    Compared to the gold standard five nines reliability of ye olde telephone system? Absolutely.

    3 votes