rm2551
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Posts posted by rm2551
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11 hours ago, chillumpuffer said:
Warm and sunny. Besides the odd thundershower we've had hardly any rain for 6 weeks. It's all falling on you Rod @rm2551 (for once)
Fuckin right mate. it's like we've swapped places! You can have it back anytime Chillz....
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I still think there is a space for giant airships IF - someone like Musk decides to turn the attention of their mega-wallets to it. Same goes for some limited return of selected steam trains (maybe more so in England/Australia, not sure if Us has love affair with steam trains)
Sorry, a bit off topic.....
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FB link is dead (for me).
Is it an AUD or SB recording? Any info??
Exciting.....
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Rain. Every damn day for the last - 2 months???? (seems longer)
I'm hoping we will get a few nights where the night sky is visible. I like tracking where the stars are in their seasonal shift. It's quite fun and in the last 3 years of seasons I've worked out where features will be at what times.
But this rain....
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So first of all, no and no.
Maybe.
Cheers.
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3 hours ago, SteveAJones said:
That something is a member of NATO...so no.
"Something" means self determination. No?
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That is a beautiful guitar.
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5 hours ago, JohnOsbourne said:
Ukraine, not so much.
But Ukraine wishes to be - or become something. Russia wants to stop that.
Should they be allowed?
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8 hours ago, custard pie man said:
page could be a politician at this point in his life
This.
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1 hour ago, SteveAJones said:
Taiwan is a tiny island. The Chinese merely need to encircle it and starve them to the point of surrender.
Indeed Steve, and will be a monumental effort to stave off the Chinese war machine if it comes to that.
I doubt the PLA will be able to surround it given the US commitment (bi-partisan) to come to the aid of Taiwan, not to mention the eastern side is mountainous and not at all favourable to landings or strikes from that side. An invasion of Taiwan is no easy feat though Steve. It would be bigger than Normandy in scale, and Taiwan does already have the an understanding of defensive requirements.
I think this is going to come down to strategic interest wholly driven by Taiwan's unique semiconductor manufacturing capability along with the second chain of islands doctrine/consideration that US military analysts must consider.
Also, if China takes Taiwan, it will be a massive shift in tech capability. It would offer China a "fast track" to technological dominance. Of course, the US - even if Taiwan was lost, would probably not stand idly by - but would likely destroy the Taiwanese semiconductor plants. I cannot imagine any scenario where the US simply resigns itself to the loss of that advantage.
This of course all hinges on the assumption the US will actually come to Taiwan's defence. If they are distracted by theatres elsewhere, or by a President/Congress who don't have fucks to give - that's a different scenario.
At the end of the day Steve, I trust you are on the side of the US - for all her faults and missteps. The alternative is a very dark future for all.
1 hour ago, SteveAJones said:Ukraine is not a country so much as it is an international slush fund for globalists.
That may be true on a certain level, but is still disappointing to see this is your overall view. Ukraine wants to determine it's own future and wishes to step well away from the "Russian dream" of a reconstituted Soviet empire. I would think that is reasonable no matter how corrupt or fucked up the Ukrainian democracy has been until now. They at least have that right. Right???
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lovely re-heated curried sausages and rice for lunch. One of those dishes that does not lose anything when served as "leftovers".
3 containers left in the freezer.
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15 hours ago, ScarletMacaw said:
3. China has intended to take back Taiwan for a long time and hasn't because they've been afraid.
I don't think it is fear, it is China playing the long game. They realise the situation calls for patience and the status quo actually suits them while they prepare, but they will attempt unification at some point, and soon. By force or coercion depending on circumstance.
By force will not be easy for a while yet but Taiwan definitely needs to go hard on defence spending now.
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7 hours ago, kipper said:
But it isn't compulsory
My mistake, it is my understanding tipping was compulsory over there - and if you were to decide not to tip you are viewed as almost criminal. When I went to the US (almost 30 years ago) I'm sure it was mentioned multiple times that tipping was "compulsory" to avoid trouble.
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3 hours ago, kipper said:
The whole idea of a gratuity is to compensate THE PERSON who provided good service. And since not all waiters are as good as the best ones, the ones lacking in merit should get less.
Exactly, but if it is compulsory, it is nothing to do with compensating for good service - it's compulsory! Only in America is the concept of "tipping" completely ruined. (AFAIK it's only the US)
9 minutes ago, SteveAJones said:What you are describing sounds like socialism, which I loathe.
compulsory tipping I'd say is a form of socialism wouldn't you say Kip?
BTW, welcome back.
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There seems to be a lot less civility here when there is not much Led Zeppelin related stuff happening.
Kinda understandable given the vastly different types on here, but still a pity.
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4 hours ago, SteveAJones said:
Poor Ukraine, they're about to get pushed off the front page indefinitely. #Meltdown
I was thinking exactly the same thing.
Done, done, onto the next one....
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Abandon Ship
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2 hours ago, JohnOsbourne said:
In other words, nowhere did they say they wanted to seize the entire country. Nothing in that quote suggests anything like full annexation, you're resorting to mind-reading it seems. The fact is, Ukraine is every bit as artificial an entity as Czechoslovakia was.
I'll leave it at this.....
Russia invaded from 3 sides the entire country. They rolled in enough forces that they mistakenly believed were enough to deal with a moderately low level of resistance by Ukraine before the Government fled the country and Ukraine collapsed. I have not read or seen analysis from anyone worth their salt (military and political analysis anywhere) surmising Russia never wanted to overrun and completely control Ukraine - which by definition would be to a) annex it or b) install a thug puppet. If it was just the east, why those columns of forces heading into the capital in the west???? Why attack the entire country? It makes no sense even when I consider the rigid top down military command structure of Russia and the fact Putin could be the military strategist equivalent of what Hitler was to his forces - a disaster. Still, why try to take over the entire country if you have no intention of overtaking the entire country?
But you know this is my view, I know you have a different one, so no use going around in circles. I'm not sure how you view Ukraine as "artificial". It is a recognised independent and sovereign nation. That is a very strange thing to say. A lot of nations are born from trauma like war, or via very bloody internal conflict that takes decades to recover from, or seceding against powers that fight against them, overthrowing "leaders" who are no longer supported but won't move aside, etc.. It is seldom a clean birth. Ukraine has a short democratic history, but it IS a sovereign independent country that has been recognised since 1996.
You find more complexity and hidden agendas in these things, which is fine, I probably (almost certainly) am naïve with my much more simplistic understanding, so not having a shot, I just don't understand some foundations you lay like Ukraine is a fiction (artificial). It seems that entire nation thinks differently - and why would they not have the right to?
So, moving on....
I suspect the new efforts by Russia will be a significant problem for Ukraine. Austin might have some explaining to do if this turns into a war of attrition and non stop bombing of Ukrainian cities - especially if Ukranian forces start to lose their abilities to resist. The Russians seem to be going for a mid-term victory (they probably know if it drags on too long they cannot sustain this "action" as sanctions alone might cause internal strife for Russia) while Ukraine are determined to take the blows and not lose enough of its armed forces that it can no longer hold the aggressors back. The early success of the Ukrainians no longer matters. Drones and one-off tank kills are no longer enough. They won round 1 no question. The Russians had no idea that Ukraine had developed this capability and were actively building it for the last 8-10 years. They held and played a very successful hand. The west says it is going to supply heavy and forward attack weapons systems like tanks, jets etc. so Ukraine can move into a new phase to properly meet the new Russian attack, but right now it looks like it will be impossible to hold Russia out of the entire southern and eastern regions.
.....but I really hope they do hold and drive the orcs out.
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2 hours ago, SteveZ98 said:
It's more prominent than it was, but the software I use puts the drums, vocals, and bass in three separate tracks and puts everything else in a single track. That's not an issue for songs like Sick Again where the guitar is the only other instrument and I can modify its level separately from the rest of the instruments. However, in the case of Kashmir that means the keyboards and guitar are in the same track, which makes it hard to make one louder without amplifying the other at the same time.
Also, I haven't heard the Cuztard Pi matrix, but if the guitar is buried in it, it's possible the guitar was low in the mix during the concert. If that's the case, it will be hard to hear in the soundboard and audience recordings, so the only way to really fix it would be with the multi-tracks. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like we're going to get to hear them, if they even exist, so we're stuck for now. However, the technology to split songs into individual instruments continues to improve, so maybe in the future it will be smart enough to separate the keyboards and guitar, which would make it possible to bring up the level of the guitar on its own.
I appreciate that response Steve, much thanks champ...
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War in Ukraine
in Ramble On
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