swaying_branches's recent activity
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Comment on Satellite images show no major damage to Persian Gulf ships claimed to be 'sabotaged' by US officials in ~news
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Satellite images show no major damage to Persian Gulf ships claimed to be 'sabotaged' by US officials
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk
swaying_branches Link ParentGod rallying looks so fun, hope I can get into it one day -- not having a license or a personal car are kind of big barriers for entry, I'd imagineGod rallying looks so fun, hope I can get into it one day -- not having a license or a personal car are kind of big barriers for entry, I'd imagine
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Comment on In Alaska, climate change is showing increasing signs of disrupting everyday life in ~enviro
swaying_branches LinkSorry that this is a bit more downbeat than most of what I see here, but I thought this might be interesting if any of y'all don't really know the current tangible effects of climate change....Sorry that this is a bit more downbeat than most of what I see here, but I thought this might be interesting if any of y'all don't really know the current tangible effects of climate change. There's a lot of links in the article to more specific things (a highlight for me is a government report on plans to relocate dozens of villages), and of course if the paywall's an issue just open in incognito &c.
This topic strikes a chord with me because my grandparents used to live in a village in the northwest called Unalakleet, and it's terrifying what's happening there. There's a really lucrative lodge near the village, so it's got the money to build seawalls and the like, but neighboring places like Shaktoolik, whose history spans millennia, are more than likely going to be lost to the rising oceans. I've been to visit a few times and it's absolutely one of the most gorgeous places on Earth, to think that it's got decades before it's radically altered is incredibly saddening.
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In Alaska, climate change is showing increasing signs of disrupting everyday life
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Comment on In contrast to Facebook, Google seems to be leaning into the message that they have all your data, and emphasizing how that allows them to make your life easier in ~tech
swaying_branches Link ParentI've always suspected tech companies like Google and Apple and Microsoft and the like add these tiny, unnecessary improvements because they depend on investment and the stock market more than...I've always suspected tech companies like Google and Apple and Microsoft and the like add these tiny, unnecessary improvements because they depend on investment and the stock market more than profit, and they get investment money by appearing constantly innovative in everything. If they only put things out when they had massive breakthroughs, they'd maybe make something new every few years -- a breakneck pace a couple decades ago, but slow as molasses today, and all that money would dry up within a couple months. Things like facial/fingerprint recognition or controlling your home from your phone aren't necessary by any means for us, but absolutely are for them; if those companies stopped doing little things like that, their constant upward trend would slow down, and investors would look for something new.
I don't know, that might be a bit conspiratory :P
Context: Four oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Emirati, one Norwegian -- were damaged by something on Sunday, and a US official said it was likely Iran or one of its allies blowing holes into the ships; not only this, but specifically said large holes were blown into them at or below their water lines. Satellite imagery from AP, however, indicates there hasn't been any major damage to the ships, certainly nothing on the level of a massive hole being blasted into their hulls.
Honestly getting some real Gulf of Tonkin vibes off of this, especially since AP reporters were apparently blocked from travelling by boat to see the ships by Emirati officials. Iran and USA/KSA have always been at one another's throats, but this is a level of blatant fear-mongering that's pretty new and a bit worrying.