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#21

Off the Record / Re: Refractory Gauls, or the F...

Last post by Razgovory - October 09, 2025, 06:21:14 PM

Exactly. Oldest trick in the book for the far right. Currently being pushed by Trump as well.
Anyone left of centre= the most batshit tiny minority of militant marxists. Same same. Clearly we need a strong far right government in this world being taken over by the far left.

Just out of curiosity, what is the oldest trick in the book for the far-left?

#22

Off the Record / Re: Life on the Rails

Last post by Savonarola - October 09, 2025, 04:51:38 PM

The interesting part was at the end since my team focuses on projects we said it was quite possible to bid a project that way; but since Knorr-Bremse in Europe is exclusively a products based company he was looking for something he could sell to a railroad.  Since there are already satellite receivers and GNSS for rail that really wouldn't work.  It was quite a clash of perspective.

So Knorr-Bremse in the Americas is a systems integrator that supports the end users of rail technology, but Knorr-Bremse in Europe is a company that makes components and is the likes of a company that Knorr-Bremse in the Americas would buy from on a project?  That seems like an odd construction on the part of the parent company, especially if your bit isn't already buying its products from the European bit.

Mostly, Knorr-Bremse's sole US division before acquiring the current KB Signaling (my division) from Alstom was New York Air Break.  They're entirely a component company that supplies onboard equipment.  Purchasing us is their attempt (I hope a successful one) to enter the signaling market.  KB Signaling does manufacture electronic signal components as well as integrating systems.  A major concern (of mine, at least) is that they'll decide not to continue with projects and focus exclusively on products.

#23

Off the Record / Re: Refractory Gauls, or the F...

Last post by Tonitrus - October 09, 2025, 04:26:31 PM

I think every Presidential system ends up being like that. Ours does. Which is why I am gradually coming to the conclusion the Westminster system might be better.

Assuming we had a Westminster system, we'd still have Trump (MP for Mar-a-Lago-on-Lake-Worth) as Prime Minister with even less roadblocks than there are now.

#24

Off the Record / Re: Life on the Rails

Last post by Baron von Schtinkenbutt - October 09, 2025, 04:20:38 PM

The interesting part was at the end since my team focuses on projects we said it was quite possible to bid a project that way; but since Knorr-Bremse in Europe is exclusively a products based company he was looking for something he could sell to a railroad.  Since there are already satellite receivers and GNSS for rail that really wouldn't work.  It was quite a clash of perspective.

So Knorr-Bremse in the Americas is a systems integrator that supports the end users of rail technology, but Knorr-Bremse in Europe is a company that makes components and is the likes of a company that Knorr-Bremse in the Americas would buy from on a project?  That seems like an odd construction on the part of the parent company, especially if your bit isn't already buying its products from the European bit.

#25

Off the Record / Re: Refractory Gauls, or the F...

Last post by Sheilbh - October 09, 2025, 04:10:20 PM

Well I don't know that we can be massively surprised that a constitutional order created by a heroic general called to save his country might end up a little bit imperial And in fairness I think Melenchon's criticism is right, I also think Macron's point of the French system requiring a "Jupiterian" figure rather than a Mr Normal figure like Hollande is also true.

#26

Off the Record / Re: Life on the Rails

Last post by Savonarola - October 09, 2025, 04:07:36 PM

One of the engineers from Munich reached out to my team.  He's on some sort of manager training program and, as part of their training, he has to suggest a new innovation that will "Disrupt the market."  His idea was to use GNSS/Satellite communication for European Train Control System (ETCS).  As a quirk in it's design ETCS gets location off an RFID rather than a GNSS receiver and, almost everywhere, gets radio communication through a GSM system modified for rail (will be updated to one derived from LTE... eventually).  The systems that we use in North America natively get GNSS (usually GPS) and we've looked at using satellite in the past, but until Starlink the latency was too great.

The interesting part was at the end since my team focuses on projects we said it was quite possible to bid a project that way; but since Knorr-Bremse in Europe is exclusively a products based company he was looking for something he could sell to a railroad.  Since there are already satellite receivers and GNSS for rail that really wouldn't work.  It was quite a clash of perspective.

The guy we were talking to had a Turkish name, I don't know when he came to Germany but he had thoroughly integrated in that he spoke flawless English and made the word "Inefficiency" sound like a curse word.   

I also learned that Europe (maybe the EU, I didn't press further) is developing their own Starlink system so they won't be beholden to Elon Musk (a wise policy if I've ever heard one.)

#27

Off the Record / Re: The AI dooooooom thread

Last post by Savonarola - October 09, 2025, 03:53:17 PM

I was reading an article on a generative AI application for channel modeling with multiple nodes this morning and came across the practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance.  It's an algorithm designed to build consensus when not all nodes respond or some respond with faulty information.  It's derived from the Byzantine General's Problem first published in 1982 by Leslie Lamport, Robert Shostak, and Marshall Pease:

Imagine that several divisions of the Byzantine army are camped outside an enemy city, each division commanded by its own general. The generals can communicate with one another only by messenger. After observing the enemy, they must decide upon a common plan of action. However, some of the generals may be traitors, trying to prevent the loyal generals from reaching an agreement. The generals must decide on when to attack the city, but they need a strong majority of their army to attack at the same time. The generals must have an algorithm to guarantee that (a) all loyal generals decide upon the same plan of action, and (b) a small number of traitors cannot cause the loyal generals to adopt a bad plan. The loyal generals will all do what the algorithm says they should, but the traitors may do anything they wish. The algorithm must guarantee condition (a) regardless of what the traitors do. The loyal generals should not only reach agreement, but should agree upon a reasonable plan.

I thought Languish would appreciate that for the sheer Byzantineness of the algorithm.

#28

Off the Record / Re: Refractory Gauls, or the F...

Last post by Valmy - October 09, 2025, 03:51:03 PM

I presume you mean the Third Republic and not the Third Empire, unless Melenchon is a closet Bonapartist. Though that wouldn't even be close to the weirdest thing going on in politics these days.

No I think he's said the Fifth Republic is so President-focused (perhaps especially under Macron) it functions like a Third Empire.

I think every Presidential system ends up being like that. Ours does. Which is why I am gradually coming to the conclusion the Westminster system might be better.

But the French left has always preferred the 3rd Republic, which is the 4th Republic was basically identical. Ironic considering it was created by the guys who crushed the Commune.

#29

Gaming HQ / Re: Europa Universalis V confi...

Last post by Zanza - October 09, 2025, 03:50:24 PM

I played EU IV for 1000+ hours (same for Stellaris) and never finished a game. Whatever, I will buy this and hope it is not a disappointment like Civ 7.

#30

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

Last post by crazy canuck - October 09, 2025, 03:16:13 PM

Concentrating power just concentrates power - you concentrate power in a few hands with no checks in balances to fight the rich and suddenly you have created your own enemy.

Checks and balances are annoying when your guy is being checked and balanced but the best system invented so far to maintain a democracy.

Where are the checks and balances to which you refer? Sounds great in theory - it's in practice that it starts crumbling.  Take the US as the most recent tragic example.