Recent posts

#1

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by Syt - Today at 01:04:08 AM

What was the candle situation on the show?

#2

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by The Brain - Today at 12:55:21 AM

What was the 2012 identity crisis about?

#3

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Richard Hakluyt - Today at 12:52:37 AM

Interesting results which I find counterintuitive 

The British state has hardly covered itself in glory in recent years.

Perhaps a shared hatred of the tories is bringing the country together 

#4

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by The Brain - Today at 12:51:24 AM

I've enjoyed the new Shogun. But they didn't have to portray Japan as having the same vibrant colors as a Soviet mining town during a blackout.

[You can now buy a flame-throwing robot dog for under $10,000Thermonator, the first "flamethrower-wielding robot dog," is completely legal in 48 US states.]

#5

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Syt - Today at 12:42:20 AM

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/you-can-now-buy-a-flame-throwing-robot-dog-for-under-10000/

"What could possibly go wrong?"

You can now buy a flame-throwing robot dog for under $10,000
Thermonator, the first "flamethrower-wielding robot dog," is completely legal in 48 US states.
BENJ EDWARDS - 4/23/2024, 11:27 PM

If you've been wondering when you'll be able to order the flame-throwing robot that Ohio-based Throwflame first announced last summer, that day has finally arrived. The Thermonator, what Throwflame bills as "the first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog" is now available for purchase. The price? $9,420.

Thermonator is a quadruped robot with an ARC flamethrower mounted to its back, fueled by gasoline or napalm. It features a one-hour battery, a 30-foot flame-throwing range, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for remote control through a smartphone.

It also includes a LIDAR sensor for mapping and obstacle avoidance, laser sighting, and first-person view (FPV) navigation through an onboard camera. The product appears to integrate a version of the Unitree Go2 robot quadruped that retails alone for $1,600 in its base configuration.

The company lists possible applications of the new robot as "wildfire control and prevention," "agricultural management," "ecological conservation," "snow and ice removal," and "entertainment and SFX." But most of all, it sets things on fire in a variety of real-world scenarios.

Back in 2018, Elon Musk made the news for offering an official Boring Company flamethrower that reportedly sold 10,000 units in 48 hours. It sparked some controversy because flamethrowers can also double as weapons or potentially start wildfires.

In the US, flamethrowers are legally unregulated in 48 states and are not considered firearms by federal agencies. Restrictions exist in Maryland, where flamethrowers require a Federal Firearms License to own, and California, where the range of flamethrowers cannot exceed 10 feet.

Even so, to state the obvious, flamethrowers can easily burn both things and people, starting fires and wreaking havoc if not used safely. Accordingly, the Thermonator might be one Christmas present you should skip for little Johnny this year.

#6

Off the Record / Re: Indian Elections 2024

Last post by Syt - Today at 12:26:13 AM

Asked my Indian coworker if he followed the elections. He said no, because it's way too depressing what's happening to the country. Besides, he can't cast a vote from Austria, anyways. He confirmed Sikhs being repressed but slightly less than Muslims (he himself is non-religious Hindu from Jaipur).

#7

Off the Record / Re: NHL Hockey thread

Last post by Barrister - Today at 12:01:21 AM

well fuck.

1-1 Jets Avs

#8

Off the Record / Re: Indian Elections 2024

Last post by Barrister - April 23, 2024, 11:37:09 PM

SO I think that the BJP and Hindu nationalism are politically-manufactured artifices that really don't stand up to the least bit of actual religious examination.

So I feel like I've said this kind of thing before:

I don't want to make a religious criticism of a non-Christian religion.  Because, of course, I could make a pretty basic critique that it's obviously false because they Hindus don't follow Christ.

But even beyond that - I could make a critique of Catholics and Orthodox because they don't follow the (obviously) true Protestant faith.

Or even within protestantism, there is of course all kinds of room for criticism (and this is where I don't know where I'd place myself anyways).

So I have no doubt that the BJP can be subject to religious criticism.  But I also don't doubt that I am in no way the person to make that criticism.  I merely attempted to observe, without criticism, what their position was.

#9

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by HVC - April 23, 2024, 08:52:43 PM

Just finished Shogun.

I'll be shocked if this doesn't win a shit ton of awards.

Deservedly so.

#10

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by Admiral Yi - April 23, 2024, 08:49:57 PM

I remember plenty of protests against war that turned violent.

I do remember reading about riots during the US Civil War and then during the Vietnam war.

Between a riot an "Burn tel Aviv to the ground"  I think I'll take the moron with the hate speech.

Besides, isn't hate speech protected in the US?  Isn't this a value deer to the right and particularly the GOP and its supporters, without any limits?

"Kill the enemy" is not an anti war slogan.  It's a pro war slogan.