Recent posts

#41

Off the Record / Re: Are we in the opening scen...

Last post by Zoupa - January 01, 2026, 03:36:23 AM

He said Atlantic, not European.

And Europe is part of the Atlantic ascendancy.

You can't say it's been 2600 years of Atlantic ascendancy because some Greeks beat some Persians all those years ago. Europe was a backwater until the Renaissance.

#42

Off the Record / Re: Are we in the opening scen...

Last post by Admiral Yi - January 01, 2026, 03:25:34 AM

He said Atlantic, not European.

And Europe is part of the Atlantic ascendancy.

#43

Off the Record / Re: Are we in the opening scen...

Last post by Josquius - January 01, 2026, 03:24:10 AM

Not something where there's one correct answer. As how do you define it. But in my boom world leader was
???  till mid first millennium BC -  Middle East.
Mid first millennium BC till mid first millennium AD - Europe.
600ish  to 1700ish - China
1700ish till WW2- Europe
WW2 till???? - America

I would say though that even from an Indian or Chinese perspective things are looking very dodgy indeed.
India is really being destroyed by homegrown fascists and China has been backsliding for some time.
Oh sure, when you remember actual food shortages and other such mega poverty then you can forgive a bit of fascism if it gives you an ok quality of life.
But that's not a good thing. Not a sustainable thing.

When we were born there were almost two billion people in extreme poverty. It's now below a billion. That was driven overwhelmingly by China and India. China alone has gone from 90% of people on less than $3 a day when we were born to eliminating extreme poverty, India's less extreme but gone from about 50% to 5%.

I think that is the sort of world historical event of my lifetime - the rest is noise. It's a profound transformation of the lives of hundreds of millions of people and driven by development that is more explosive than the industrial revolution - and, in China, driving the energy transition globally (the number one question on energy is whether India is able to skip the carbon intensive energy stage China had or not - if they can't, then we're all fucked).

And in terms of how that matters in Europe, I've mentioned it before because I find it so interesting. Italy's the most extreme example but it's true across Europe (and I suspect the wider "West"). I can't find the exact stat but when we were born the poorest quintile of Italians were around the 75th percentile globally. At the point covid hit they were about 50th percentile. They're now probably in the bottom half. That's not because they've got poorer in real terms as they haven't. It's the emergence of a new global middle class driven by the rise of Asia - and in part a lot of the disruption we face is the shift in the global middle class and who is in/out of it and subsequntly what people can afford. I think a lot of what we're seeing and interpretingas a local phenomenon is ultimately just a consequence flowing from the end of the Atlantic-centred world, which I think was a temporary aberration in any event.

I don't doubt qualify of life has improved a lot in those countries and that is a good thing.
What concerns me about them is their slide into fascism.
This happening in one country is bad enough.
But happening everywhere.... Real 1984 level potential.

#44

Off the Record / Re: Are we in the opening scen...

Last post by Zoupa - January 01, 2026, 03:21:46 AM

Since the Greeks  defeated Persia at Salamis. That's a 2,600 year run. Or so.

He said Atlantic, not European.

#45

Off the Record / Re: Are we in the opening scen...

Last post by HVC - January 01, 2026, 03:16:14 AM

Until the age of sail everyone* was at most a local power. Some with greater power than others, but local just the same. Weird to see it as a swing back to china being the centre when China wasn't ever the centre, no more then Rome was.But we all know sheilbh's proclivities


*except the mongols, I guess. But they're the exception to every rule

#46

Off the Record / Re: Are we in the opening scen...

Last post by Admiral Yi - January 01, 2026, 03:11:34 AM

Since the Greeks  defeated Persia at Salamis. That's a 2,600 year run. Or so.

#47

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Admiral Yi - January 01, 2026, 03:08:35 AM

I've gotten a bunch of AI weather girl getting drenched by waves while reporting clips. Also AI ghetto girls getting kicked out of court for wearing workout clothes clips.

#48

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by Syt - January 01, 2026, 03:06:48 AM

Reacher season 1 on Prime.

Utterly silly, over the top and hilarious but in a good almost James Bond-like way? Not to mention the season's body count.

And I guess it answers the question what it would look like if you combined Sherlock Holmes mental abilities and his social quirks (a setup that has many people online wonder whether Reacher is meant to be on the autistic spectrum) and Arnold Schwarzenegger's John Matrix from Commando.

#49

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by Josquius - January 01, 2026, 03:03:16 AM

Wake up Dead man - it's OK. Not as good as the other two. But OK. What's with the trend for catholic church films lately?

#50

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Tonitrus - January 01, 2026, 01:55:25 AM

Haven't seen that yet. Been getting a shit load of AI tai chi ads though.

Same.  As far as deepfakes...I seriously doubt that Oprah Winfery was cashing in on the slew of "pink salt trick" ads.  Youtube is the king of AI slop/trash.

There oughta be a law...