I recommend everyone who hasn't to look up the idea of "Potiomkin villages" (and subsequently Potiomkin anything eg. Potiomkin AI). In short: back in the tzarist days lower ranks put up mock villages which looked clean, modern and prosperous for higher ranks (and tzars) to see during visits. These mockups were essentially theatre decorations which hid the real state of the matters - dilapidated, dirty, poor and corrupt. For at least the last decade everything we saw of Russia was Potiomkin in nature - either to show off before the West or to hide corruption before own superiors.
Ahaha we're so fucked. The sea temperature is not just higher, it was rising the whole previois year and it's flatter than in the past. Say goodbye to seasons, we're heading into the "flood season and heatwave season" territory. Last year I heard top scientists saying "it's bad and anomalous but not exponential", this looks... increasingly exponential.
No no no no. It's, you know, just warfare. Terrible things happen at wars. But you can always send more missiles and bombs so Israel can end the war faster! No genocide to speak of! Just mundane defensive war.
(/s obviously)
Yes. Most people don't have the awareness of a lot of what's been said in the comments or they suspend it in their daily lives. They do what they feel is right and since most were socialised in a similar way the signal-response expectations match. Then a certain rapport can be formed by the empty interactions borne out of the semi-conscious feeling that it's "right" or "nice" to initiate a small talk and respond to it in kind. In this way indeed most of us are like 15 yo girls, just somewhat more serious and self-controlled.
If I were in a condescensing mood I'd say humans generally are bots following Pavlov's reaction patterns imprinted during upbringing. But this would be a severe oversimplification and a little a-hole talking through me.
Of course they do someone cleans their houses, someone drives their limousines, someone brings cookies to meetings with lawyers.
Some research shows that the newer variants can hang in the air for up to 12 hours.
That's an amount of gear and people comparable to what a mid-sized European country could have and what a big European country could muster on short notice. It's "only" a factor of 2 or 3 less than what Russia prepared for Ukraine at the beginning. It's likely more than the combined forces of the Baltic states' militaries and the NATO contingents stationed there.
With a generous dose of optimism it is a force that would at least hold a conventional invasion at bay, if not defeat it via superior tech and sea support. It is a lot even in absolute terms, for an exercise it's massive.
Sad but maybe at least someone will drag the virus into a mansion of some superrich prick and he'll spend the rest of his life with brain fog.
@jantin
@lemmy.world