Zompist Bboard Again

has thrown their weight behind the MAGA regime in one way or another . oh? what are the various 'or another's? not that I recall ever seeing. is that something you do IRL but not online? I have spent the past two years urging people to reject AI only for everyone to dismiss my concerns as paranoia ...

rich people can fund both sides. this is not anything new -- Jefferson would have been familiar with the behavior. The rich people in tech are doing Nazi salutes on stage while showering millions on right wing political campaigns. They certainly aren't funding the other side of the political spectr...

The blueprint for modern digital computing was codesigned by Charles Babbage, a vocal champion for the concerns of the emerging industrial capitalist class who condemned organized workers and viewed democracy and capitalism as incompatible. so...computers are evil because Babbage was a meanie and h...

Random unrelated question: Does the 1995 movie Apollo 13 count as any kind of science fiction? Yes, I know, it's not in a fictional future, or any kind of fictional setting. It is, in fact, based on a true story, and one decades in the past when the movie was made. But, that said, it is about space...

*sigh* you're forgetting that Taft was a US President...and that I did not limit it to two - "and so many others", because I thought you were capable of thinking of bad people in US history who were not Nazis. also, I was under the impression that Taft brought the Taminy Hall system to th...

Malloc, please look at AMERICAN history, rather than the Nazis you seem obsessed with thinking the US is and always was. We managed to not only survive but get rid of the "dead people vote" system of Chicago, the Taminy Hall of Taft's New York, and so very many others. Trump and MAGA pose...

I haven't looked into it, but from what I understand, a new executive order effectively allows Musk to purge voters he doesn't like. Trump is not allowed to do that, like almost everything else he's already done. Meanwhile, lawyers are refusing to represent Trump's opponents. getting fined up the w...

I don't think WW3 would actually start; but I do agree that they'd lose such a war if one did begin. Honestly I am rather divided on this one. Based on history, the best hope for getting rid of the MAGA regime and indeed discrediting it for any substantial length of time would involve America losin...

This latest scandal with Signal does give me hope that the MAGA regime could actually lose WWIII owing to sheer incompetence if nothing else. I don't think WW3 would actually start; but I do agree that they'd lose such a war if one did begin. They still have an overwhelming advantage in military ha...

Nonetheless the Republicans seem much harder to demoralize than liberals and never contemplate surrender even in their rare moments of defeat. that might be because you're comparing members of a political party {republican}, with members of a view {liberal}...which is harder to apply varnish to: bl...

oh, and also, remind us, please, what human rights- loving nation full of democracy, was the one that marched into WW2 Berlin and planted their flags? its on the tip of my tongue, but i can\t think of it offhand... assuming only two parties, yes. there are more than 2 in the USA...there are/were onl...

no, they won't - they're burning bridges faster than Chinvat could turn needle-thin. whether that means Democrats or some other party gets voted for, remains to be seen. Except that they still have much higher approval than the Democrats and that will suffice to win them elections. If twenty percen...

Counterpoint: the Democratic party is suffering from an all-time low in popularity. Unless it finds some way to improve its image or some other party comes along to replace it, the Republicans will win the mid-term election. no, they won't - they're burning bridges faster than Chinvat could turn ne...

Quite. We need that energy here. Unfortunately it seems like resistance here is dead in the water. You have water?!? :) If resistance is dead in the water, then either most of us either don't have water, or as Lovecraft (or Derleth) said, even death may die. As it should be, according to you. What ...

Thank you, those are all interesting perspectives, but most of you seem to subtly shift things around to view things from the perspective of the inexperienced professionals, in witch case it becomes a classic Catch-22, I was more wondering about the whole problem from the perspective of the larger ...

Unrelated: has anyone ever done serious research into what might be called the "experience paradox"? What I mean is this: few people would like the idea of being treated by inexperienced doctors when they're ill. But if inexperienced doctors don't get to treat patients, how is the next ge...

remember the Revolution! Islamicists worked alongside Tudeh against the Shah. Except that the Islamists didn't vote the Shah into office only years before the revolution. i apologize for using an analogy. my point is that sometimes people can & do cooperate with groups - idiologically opposed o...

Quite unlikely. I realize you greatly dislike the direction taken by the contemporary left, but they certainly aren't allies of reaction nor does the current reactionary movement have any fondness for them. Based on their current actions and rhetoric, the MAGAs have no interest in allying with left...

except you would be forced to pay for each version, even if it doesn't hold to your artistic vision...which means it would result in costing more, both in terms of your time and your money. ...and your blood pressure. Not everyone has an artistic vision and plenty of people would hardly care if the...

I'm sure the government will be able to employ a new crop of "leftists" to explain why regress is not really regress. Quite unlikely. I realize you greatly dislike the direction taken by the contemporary left, but they certainly aren't allies of reaction nor does the current reactionary m...