Recent posts

#41

Gaming HQ / Re: The Miscellaneous PC & vid...

Last post by Syt - Today at 03:15:51 AM

Also, happy that Christmas Holidays start soon - so many games to play
- Indiana Jones
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Starfield (still want to progress in it ... )
- POE2
- Victoria 3
- wanted to catch up on podcasts, so "Let's start a new game of CK3, because EPE has been updated" ... spends whole day on it ...
- ???
- want to do Cyberpunk 2077 some time ...
- other strategy games

#42

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Josquius - Today at 03:14:15 AM

Paul Krugman's last article   

Gifted link

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/opinion/elites-euro-social-media.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gE4.OPi6.KmfQKUuqjnOg&smid=url-share

...

people who seem very likely to have a lot of influence with the incoming Trump administration — are billionaires who don't feel sufficiently admired.

In our society? Seriously?
Those people are nuts.

#43

Gaming HQ / Re: The Miscellaneous PC & vid...

Last post by Syt - Today at 03:11:47 AM

Making slow progress with Indiana Jones. The gameplay is not revolutionary, but it's all in the presentation. They render 1930s Indiana Jones (i.e. young Harrison Ford) so well, and the voice acting is really, really good in matching Raiders' Indy. Environments are lovingly designed with many nice details. It's been a few years since I've been to Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, but it felt real enough.

Not much into stealth, but I see how it fits the theme. Sneaking through an area and being stealthy until you aren't and have to scrap. Combat feels messy and a bit clunky (and I feel that fits Indy), with tons of props around each area to use as ad hoc weapons, throwables, or distractions. Next up should be the first "open" section of the game. Curious to explore more.

#44

Gaming HQ / Re: Path of Exile 2

Last post by Syt - Today at 03:05:48 AM

I was playing as warrior, and the active blocking does take some getting used to, esp. after years of POE1. I didn't quite like the "double roll" attack the game starts you with but Earthquake/Boneshatter combo isn't too bad.

It was a bit of a rough start. Handled the tutorial boss easy enough(ish) but struggled with the controls and learning what is/isn't safe. Lots of muscle memory unlearning (like that my mana flask is on 2, not 5 which was my default in POE1 ).

The snow witch was a bit harder, but still managed to take her down on first try. Only the Devourer caused me real issues and my first death, and as mentioned it felt more a struggle with the controls than with the boss, because I knew what to do, but the game kept me targeting the head instead of its tail and eventually I ran out of healing. I do see a lot of good in it so far, though, but I think I will wait a bit more before going back in, and hopefully some of the bumps will have been smoothed out by then.

#45

Off the Record / Re: Syria Disintegrating: Part...

Last post by Syt - Today at 02:59:30 AM

I work across the street from the Syrian embassy. Colleague who had to work over the weekend said there was party there, and looking out the window, it's dark, but I notice instead of the red-white-black flag they used to fly, there's now the green-white-black draped on the balcony.

Wonder how many extra flights to Moscow were leaving this weekend.

[a stipulation the owner must put the tablet on public display.]

#46

Off the Record / Re: Archaeologists do it in ho...

Last post by garbon - Today at 02:49:57 AM

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c23vnxx3nz8o

Pretty much only posted to say...



I am sympathetic to an idea that such/certain relics can reach a point of historical importance where it would justified that they be seized under eminent domain.

Well guess what?

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/10-commandments-tablet/index.html

Earliest known stone version of Ten Commandments sold for $850,000

 
The earliest known stone inscription of the Ten Commandments sold for $850,000 – and a stipulation the owner must put the tablet on public display.

Described as a "national treasure" of Israel, the stone was first uncovered in 1913 during excavations for a railroad station near Yavneh in Israel and is the only intact tablet version of the Commandments thought to exist.

"The tablet's significance is testament to the deep roots and enduring power of the Commandments that still form the basis of three of the world's great religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam," said David Michaels, director of ancient coins for Heritage Auctions.

"Its surface is worn, battered and encrusted in places, but running a gloved finger over it does produce, in some people, a particular thrill of touching a piece of Bible history."

Buried for centuries
The two-foot-square (0.18 square meter), 115-pound (52 kg) marble slab is inscribed in an early Hebrew script called Samaritan and most likely adorned a Samaritan synagogue or home in the ancient town of Jabneel, Palestine, which is now Yavneh in modern Israel, according to Michaels.

It lists nine of the 10 commonly known Biblical Commandments from the Book of Exodus, with an additional Commandment to worship on the sacred mountain of Mount Gerizim, near Nablus, which is a now a city in the West Bank.

"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in Vain" was deliberately left off the list to keep the total number of Commandments to 10, according to scholars.

Michaels said the the tablet's home was either destroyed by the Romans between 400 and 600 AD, or by the Crusaders in the 11th century, and that the stone had lain buried in the rubble of the ruins for centuries before its discovery near Yavneh.

"The workmen who found it did not recognize its importance and either sold or gave it to a local Arab man, who set the stone into the threshold of a room leading to his inner courtyard, with the inscription facing up," Michaels said.

"Some of the letters of the central part of the inscription are blurred – but still readable under proper lighting – either from the conditions of its burial or foot traffic while it was resting in the courtyard."

Thirty years later, in 1943, the man's son sold the stone to Y. Kaplan, a municipal archaeologist.

"He immediately recognized its importance as an extremely rare 'Samaritan Decalogue,' one of five such known stone inscriptions that date to the late Roman-Byzantine era (300-640 CE) or just after the Muslim invasion of the seventh century CE," added Michaels.

CE is a term used in academic texts and refers to "Common Era", which is more commonly known as AD.

National treasure
After recognizing its importance, Kaplan asked a noted archaeologist – Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, who would go on to become Israel's second-longest serving president – to help him investigate its provenance. They published an academic paper that recounts the story of the stone's discovery and provides background information about its historical context.

Kaplan eventually sold the stone to an American, Rabbi Saul Deutsch, who took it to the US and put it on display at his Living Torah Museum in Brooklyn, New York.

Described as a "National Treasure" by Israel, its export was approved under a special permit issued in 2005 by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

"It is significant in that it is the only such piece that has secure provenance, a 70-year history of study and scholarship by renowned specialists such as Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, and can now be legally obtained and kept outside of Israel, provided it is placed on public display as per the IAA's requirements," Michaels said.

The IAA stipulated that the stone can be sold to a third party, but only on condition that it be placed on public display "where all can view it and enjoy."

Rabbi Deutsch put the stone up for sale, along with more than 50 other "Bible-related historical artifacts" he owns, to fund an expansion of his Living Torah Museum, according to Michaels.

#47

Off the Record / Re: Archaeologists do it in ho...

Last post by Oexmelin - Today at 01:00:49 AM

Or a school, apparently.

#48

Off the Record / Re: Archaeologists do it in ho...

Last post by Tonitrus - Today at 12:30:16 AM

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c23vnxx3nz8o

Pretty much only posted to say...



I am sympathetic to an idea that such/certain relics can reach a point of historical importance where it would justified that they be seized under eminent domain.

#49

Off the Record / Re: Syria Disintegrating: Part...

Last post by Zanza - December 09, 2024, 09:51:26 PM

Was Assad's state worse than Iran?

Under Assad Syria exerted quite a lot of control over Lebannon - but didn't really show much other interest in foreign adventures.  Whereas Iran keeps picking fights throughout the middle-east.

Foreign adventures? I was more thinking of the respective domestic situation. Iran is a brutal, repressive dictatorship. But I feel that at least in the last thirteen years living in Iran was better than living in Assad's Syria. Half the population in Syria was displaced, hundreds of thousands killed...
Also you mentioned Iran being a theocracy. That also seems more relevant domestically than in foreign policy. Assad or Hamas for example were not a Shias, merely an ally of convenience.

Taliban and ISIS - ISIS sure (it showed no respect for borders, loved taking slaves) but Taliban?  At least in 2.0 they're terrible on women's rights, but again no interest in foreign adventures.

Ok, but we have zero indication that the current factions in Syria are interested in foreign adventures. Whether or not they will establish a democracy or a islamist caliphate or whatever seems to have mainly a domestic impact.

#50

Off the Record / Re: Syria Disintegrating: Part...

Last post by crazy canuck - December 09, 2024, 09:20:25 PM

I think you guys need to remember that there is zero history of democracy there. There will be a lot of forces, not least the myriad groups armed to the teeth, pushing things toward violence and extremism. Another strongman dictatorship forming eventually that will want to remain part of the international community is the reasonable best case scenario IMHO.

While I share your expectation that they will not be able to establish a functioning democracy, I do not see a history of democracy as a prerequisite for establishing one.

Obviously history of democracy is too stringent of a requirement, since in that case democracy would never spread.  However, excluding cases where democracies were imposed by victors, it seems like you need a long period of tame and competent authoritarianism to create conditions where democracy can take root.  I don't think Syria under Assad scored high under either criteria.

Your theory of what is required for democracy to take root excludes all of the most successful democracies in the world.