NamEndedAllen
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Posts posted by NamEndedAllen
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This is interesting. What do the tea leaves suggest about such “deals”? Difficult to believe that Chinese don’t have a clue that nearly have their sophisticated product is slag. “I know NOTHING! NOTHINK!”
Russia has turned to China as a source of semiconductors due to sanctions cutting off suppliesfrom elsewhere, but a large percentage of the chips being imported simply don't work.
As The Register reports(, the chip failure rate is as high as 40% according to Russian national daily newspaper Kommersant. These chips are being purchased on the gray market by Russian electronics manufacturers from Chinese sellers. And it seems those sellers are taking advantage of the situation to dump broken parts in Russia while making a profit.
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9 hours ago, LongLeftFlank said:
...I don't personally believe in Vlad's nuke, but if I did, it could take the form of a high altitude 100kt EMP blast aimed at destroying central Ukraine's power grid. The USSR tested a series in Central Asia in the 1960s. That way he can 'absolve' himself of killing civilians, directly.
Pretty sure that would be perceived by most of the West to be a WMD use. Possibly China as well, given its vulnerabilities to similar effects.
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3 hours ago, landser said:
Still curious how you made the connection of landser to DBond. I have said this at SimHQ "I'm landser over at Battlefront' or similar. Do you read SimHQ? Or does my unique style and panache shine through?
Yes, exactly so. You ID’d yourself at SimHQ. As originally mentioned, have been there since before Thomas Edison. Or thereabouts. Had to re-register at some point when my computer at the time dissolved into scrap or something else caused my original one to disappear. As Discord has flourished, SimHQ has gotten a bit threadbare. But Discord’s privacy policy is so terrifyingly in your face bad I’ll stick with SimHQ. And continue to read your reports.
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3 hours ago, landser said:
Maybe you're talking about Delphi, which is where many new members had come from if I recall anything from 25 years ago.
Frugals. Those were the days. Yeah I talked a lot about the campaigns, that was my jam. Flame wars all around but gotta keep the focus haha.
Well good to see you again.
Yes! Delphi!! It was terrific. And then blew up and burned down. Frugal’s was the refuge as an up and coming location for some of the survivors. Now I see your sim racing posts, and enjoyed reading about your getting acquainted with a number of those sims I also use. But am far too slow in them for competition purposes.
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34 minutes ago, danfrodo said:
Hopefully we won't need to pivot to China. Hopefully US & China will make the smart decision and realize economy matters a lot more than some piece of land somewhere and to not kill the goose that lays golden eggs just for some nationalistic stupidity.
indeed. And then a huge amount of people, would be a lot happier!
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18 minutes ago, MOS:96B2P said:
You could try to be optimistic and happy about what @danfrodo and @Billy Ringo said above and stop trying to drag the topic back down into hateful US politics. Give it a try.
Don’t worry, be happy”
Honestly, I think you are missing the point. Which isn’t about cheerleading. Or about in looking at the future, necessarily predicting one outcome. My point all along is simply not to *assume* what you hope will happen, but to be aware that regardless in what country, the wonderful world of politics can and will surprise you. The topic is important because of the masssive support the USA provides Ukraine. And that Putin is quite aware of it. Period!
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22 minutes ago, Billy Ringo said:
I will be shocked, absolutely shocked if a Republican led House and/or Senate cuts or reduces aid to Ukraine. I keep seeing this discussed but from a grass roots perspective I don't see this as being even remotely popular among conservative voters. Yes----"Biden is corrupt and evil" and conservatives will work hard to counter his agenda. But I don't see Ukraine support as being on the chopping block--very strong bipartisan support.
Hell, it's about the only thing most of both parties can agree on.
You should always be prepared to be shocked. The voters are not the deciders once the election over. Congressional Republicans most likely will be. Factually speaking, they quite often vote against policies both the majority of Americans and of their own constituencies support. Both parties agree *now* on Ukrainian support. What comes after is often quite different. Taxes! Foreign aid! Tucker Carlson/FOX - Russia is GOOD. Putin is misunderstood. Trump remains an overpowering voice for Republican *elected* persons. And he is no friend of Ukraine. Unchanged iron clad continued support is certainly *one* scenario. Another reasonable scenario is that the absolutely predictable increase in slowing down or attempted ending of all Administration legislative initiatives by a Republican House will be a *decrease* in aid to Ukraine and a slowing of its delivery. An end to all aid is a highly unlikely scenario. At least through 2024.
Again, the future is not written. But we ought not to assume too much in these volatile and bitter times. Especially given the worldwide upsurge in right wing political success, and at least in the USA its accompanying embrace of “America First” and isolationism.
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35 minutes ago, FancyCat said:
https://media.defense.gov/2022/Oct/18/2003098052/-1/-1/1/UKRAINE-FACT-SHEET-OCT-14.PDF
The latest fact sheet, lots of things aren't being replaced. 200 M113s, those 20 Mi-17s we're intended for Afghanistan, hundreds of Humvees, 440 MRAPs, and I'm sure there's a ton else that isn't being replaced once it leaves our warehouses.
And that’s the military aid. Billions in financial aid and other support has also been forthcoming.
https://marketrealist.com/p/how-much-money-has-the-us-sent-to-ukrainie/
https://ua.usembassy.gov/fact-sheet-u-s-assistance-ukraine/
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38 minutes ago, The_Capt said:
I am not an expert on US politics but we do spend a lot of time worrying about up here. My bet is that this will not be a complete turning off of the tap, not even the most ardent pro-Russian Republicans can justify that to their own voters at this point. What it may mean is a lot more pressure to “tie this thing off” sooner than later, or make it a European problem.
Further it could mean bumps for follow on reconstruction support coming out of the US but as I understand it that is a lot more complicated than which party has the gavel as US companies could gain a lot from a massive reconstruction effort.
Bottom line is that there could be some tough decisions ahead and some less than optimal outcomes on the table at least as far as US support is concerned. If Putin was smart he would shift the narrative with the US audience in mind, sow some seeds of doubt as to what this is all about. Of course the continuous stream of warcrimes is not helping. Further the Russians appear so wound up right now in some circles that any concessions or shift, it might blow up in his face.
We are coming to a particularly tricky phase of this thing from a political perspective unless something dramatic happens on the ground.
You make a good point about increasing pressure on bringing about an end to the conflict. And by a Party far too enamored with Putin, Russia and toying with autocratic notions. However it would be mistaken to suggest that the question of support for Ukraine has an either/or answer. Far more likely will be BOTH that pressure *and* longer delays and a decrease in spending as sparring over just what gets included in the maddeningly frequent and persistent “stop gap” funding to keep the USA government functioning for the next few months. Over and over again.
I do not mean to get mired down in USA politics! Rather, to emphasize that Putin very likely sees attacking USA politics and governance abilities as one of the few high return offensive options left.
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1 hour ago, womble said:
Given that background, why would any expat Russian-roots now-Israeli have any sympathy whatsoever for the "Nazis that never went in front of the Nuremburg panels"? Rose-tinted nostalgia goggles? Even when those very same continuation Fascists are doing Genocide right in front of them?
Politics = “Strange Bedfellows”
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56 minutes ago, billbindc said:
Note: the below is *not* intended to be partisan but rather a reasonable analysis of the current American political milieu.
I would add some caveats to the above. Putin *was* more popular among Republicans vis a vis Democrats before the war started in Ukraine but it's actually hard to find any recent data on that now. I would imagine it's not what it was on February 23rd. Pew had Putin's general approval rating in the US around 6% in March. It's also important to note that as of right now 66% of Americans are in favor of continuing to arm Ukraine. That's a big number in a country with our partisan divides. It's also not clear yet where these midterms will shake out. In a normal cycle, this should have been a big year for the out-of-the-White-House party. Candidate quality, Supreme Court decisions and other factors are suggesting that it may not be. We'll see.
The important point that I was trying to make above is that Ukrainian aid could, at minimum be delayed or cut it's certainly not a popular move in the American electorate. We'll see what happens and of course your vote and mine will have some say in the matter.
Those are good points. However the rub is that after the voting, it is Congress and not voters that make the decisions, whether funding or other policy matters. This is not a partisan comment, but as Steve mentioned earlier, purely procedural. The Republicans in office have fairly consistently opposed policies that the majority of Americans favor. This includes bizarrely enough even matters involving gun controls and abortion. Both quite hot button issues. I point this out only to underscore that financial support for Ukraine is not guaranteed in a Republican House (the House is where spending bills begin). The likelihood is that efforts to cut taxes and domestic and foreign aid spending will occupy the House. Ukraine aid could suffer as a result as divided government grinds most legislation to a halt. And all bets are off after 2024.
None of this is to say it WILL happen this way! Only that the scenario has a significant probability. Other events can and will affect future decisions, whether on the battlefield in Ukraine, the USA and European economies, or unforeseen other events. Nonetheless, in my opinion, Putin sees the American political landscape proven vulnerable to outside manipulation. And that it represents a decent Hail Mary play for his prospects, even survival.
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1 hour ago, billbindc said:
As I noted earlier on, US aid to Ukraine is not in any way assured after January 21st of next year if the GOP takes the House. There will be a large fight using the debt ceiling to attempt to cut Social Security, Medicare and Ukraine aid. The Senate GOP will take the WH side of this for the most part but we can fully expect an aid crisis by March at the latest. You could call it Putin's greatest hope at the moment.
Putin and his inner circle are acutely aware of the implications of American politics for his prospects for prevailing in this war against democracies. And the seeds he planted in the 2016 elections are blooming in a large number of the candidates in next month’s USA midterm elections. Adding the shaky economy strengthens their chances. American economic woes are historically a strong indicator for removing the Party in power.
While Russia tries to determine how to attack Ukraine’s will to fight - its center of gravity? - arguably Ukraine’s center of gravity for international support is the USA’s military assistance and sanctions’ enforcement. We’ve seen Russia’s well-documented and relentless attacks on the USA through every non-combat means available since at least the 2016 Presidential campaign. Undermining the USA’s faith in its own governance, in its democracy, and its internal cohesion as a means to weaken USA foreign policies - especially towards Russia. Republicans are quite likely to control both houses of Congress and the Presidency. They already have a significant majority on the Supreme Court. Polls in 2021 and 2022 consistently show that Republicans view Russian President Putin more favorably than the President of the USA. Let that sink in. Have we ever seen that before? Ever?
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Summation of recent Russian terror attacks on civilian sector of Ukraine.
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7 hours ago, landser said:
So I'm curious. What gave it away?
Do I know you from there?
You did! At least that was my recollection from not too long ago. I’ve been a member there since Thomas Edison founded it, before the Clone Wars. Also from Frugal’s back when Marconi gave him the coding to launch it. You posted some good CM AARs in response to someone gabbling about campaigns. I though that was an interesting overlap, having thought I was largely a loner in that Venn Diagram.
Trying to remember the forum that we early Australopithecans fled, joining the early, junior at the time Frugal’s. It exp,oded in flames and died.The name was of a computer manufacturer or internet service iirc. Probably a huge sub of an overall set of interest/hobby forums.I never posted there or at Frugal’s until later years as it was obvious that The Stark Fist of Internet Horror would punch your house into the ground if you poked your head up.
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1 minute ago, Maquisard manqué said:
Given MI6 is running the whole show, he ought to know!
Good catch! I forgot to use the label, “Puppet Master”.
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On 11/27/2021 at 9:35 AM, landser said:
I do this too from time to time. There are things I prefer in CMx1. Not enough to elevate those games over CMx2, but enough to get me to fire them up from time to time.
I like the concept of Operations (more than the execution) and have fun with those.
I prefer the way the Hunt command works.
I like the command delay mechanic
I like the full-war scope of CMBB
Little things like that. Keep on keepin' on
These make a lot of sense.
BTW, you remind me of DBond at SimHQ. -
2 hours ago, Battlefront.com said:
Good article in Politico about what might come next with Russia's political structure. Lots of stuff we've discussed here. Nice to see someone else talking about it
https://www.politico.eu/article/planning-for-the-chaotic-post-putin-world/
Steve
From the article. This seems about right. No matter who next occupies the Russian hot seat, it's a pretty safe bet:
“What I think happens next,” he added, “is probably a time of troubles.” - Laurie Bristow, a former British ambassador to Russia. -
On 10/15/2022 at 3:56 AM, RockinHarry said:
Hm.... just saw this game mentioned here and got interested. At Steam it´s ~23$ with its one DLC so might take it as well since everybody here seems sort of recommending or appreciating it. Although it´s of 2017 (with latest updates) it´s low system specs and small download which is another Plus.
Hm... bits of read in the GM (can be downloaded at Steam without yet owning the game) and it really looks interesting in scale and scope. Maybe bits of reminding of Command Ops and vintage 360ies V 4 Victory series with CW setting. Also see some well known names in campaign/map design (Mad Russian) and playtesters area. So put both into the basket, but haven´t pulled the trigger yet. Bits of more reading in the GM.
Good call on “Command Ops”. I think you have a strong chance of enjoying it, but yeah - tutorials. Like any sim worth its salt there is a fair curve to climb. That price is pretty fair also.
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9 minutes ago, TheVulture said:
According to the SpaceX figures shared with the Pentagon, about 85% of the 20,000 terminals in Ukraine were paid – or partially paid – for by countries like the US and Poland or other entities. Those entities also paid for about 30% of the internet connectivity, which SpaceX says costs $4,500 each month per unit for the most advanced service. (Over the weekend, Musk tweeted there are around 25,000 terminals in Ukraine.) — CNN, October/14/2022.
I don't think starlink is losing money because of what it is providing to Ukraine - that mostly seems to be paid for. I suspect its more that Starlink's business model is losing money, because satellites are expensive and they haven't got enough uptake to cover the initial costs incurred.
Musk has consistently failed to mention these figures -EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT - that USA and others have been subsidizing “his” costs. As posted a few pages back. He is among the least trustworthy communicators but has a very loud voice.
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https://www.reuters.com/technology/musk-will-keep-funding-ukraine-even-though-starlink-is-losing-money-2022-10-15/
Musk tweeted: "the hell with it … even though starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we'll just keep funding ukraine govt for free". -
Any progress to report on further scenarios?
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5 hours ago, danfrodo said:
Thanks for sharing this. Very informative. I recently picked up Flashpoint Campaigns as an alternative to CM, which is what I play 95% of the time. Flashpoint is actually a really good companion for CMCW, it's a level up but still tactical, w hexes at 500m.
Now I just need time, dang it, I've got no time.
Agree completely. Excellent sim game. But it is a lot to wrap one’s head around if time is limited. The new edition is near release and looking like a significant leap forward.
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5 hours ago, panzermartin said:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/13/politics/elon-musk-spacex-starlink-ukraine/index.html
Musk seems put starlink on free trial and now it expires, someone will need to pay. It's too good to let go though, so I think eventually his terms will be accepted.
Except the actual story linked says:
“Though Musk has received widespread acclaim and thanks for responding to requests for Starlink service to Ukraine right as the war was starting, in reality, the vast majority of the 20,000 terminals have received full or partial funding from outside sources, including the US government, the UK and Poland, according to the SpaceX letter to the Pentagon.
SpaceX’s request that the US military foot the bill has rankled top brass at the Pentagon, with one senior defense official telling CNN that SpaceX has “the gall to look like heroes” while having others pay so much and now presenting them with a bill for tens of millions per month.
According to the SpaceX figures shared with the Pentagon, about 85% of the 20,000 terminals in Ukraine were paid – or partially paid – for by countries like the US and Poland or other entities. Those entities also paid for about 30% of the internet connectivity, which SpaceX says costs $4,500 each month per unit for the most advanced service.”
https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/13/politics/elon-musk-spacex-starlink-ukraine/index.html
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5 hours ago, panzermartin said:
No worries it's Norway, where hitman killer Breivik lives in luxurious prison. Probably better than a russian block apartment.
Recidivism in Norway is very low. Especially when compared to rates in certain other Western nations.
How Hot is Ukraine Gonna Get?
in Combat Mission Black Sea
Posted
Righteous celebration! And he’ll have a long time to recuperate. Eagles earned a pass this weekend and will be gunning for 7-0 on the 30th. FLY, EAGLES, FLY!