The entire point of a numbers station is you can’t decode what they say unless you are the intended recipient. They have been around since WWI and are still around as they are good at what they do.

Guys, we invaded a country, killed the people defending it, and destroyed everything valuable. Liberated!

And then I hear Russians complain nobody likes Russia.

Maximum capacity is 12 days of gas

Gas is hard to store so reserves are small. Times like this with price increases and warmer weather is exactly when you lower reserves to create temporary supply to depress price inflation. When prices are better, or as winter approaches, you buy extra to fill the reserves back up.

Britain’s gas storage levels are broadly in line with what we would expect at this point in the year and are comparable to this time last year.

Good luck to him. I would not want to be any leadership of Iran right now.

Weird wording on their part.

Thank you.

Does social deprivation and poverty correlate? In my experience they have an inverse correlation: those in poverty being more likely to engage with others.

They clearly need small children to come by and lick their food. Share some of that bacteria. /s

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Probably for the best. The RAM shortages increasing the price would likely cause the entire thing to fly like a lead balloon.

I, for a long time, wanted Microsoft to delete the difference between PC and Console. They are the same hardware, they can run the same software. Valve achieved this with the Steam Deck. I just wonder how Microsoft is going to fuck it up.

I’m confused by the pessimistic reactions, though.

Microsoft has done an amazing job of destroying good-will. And it’s why I and an increasing share of people stopped using Windows (I still have to suffer with it at work though). For any gaming PC that runs Windows:

• Why is there a pre-installed Xbox app in Windows? It doesn’t help play Steam, or Epic, or GOG, or even Amazon games. I don’t think it even helps with Windows Store games…

• Why are there ads in the start menu?

• Why are there two control panels? Why do I always have to hunt to find the old one because the new one doesn’t do what is needed?

• Why are there popup ads in the notification area?

• Why do I need an online account, or a hidden fucking terminal, just to get the OS going?

• Why is Copilot fucking everywhere?

• Why does the OS hoover fuckloads of data and send it to Microsoft?

• Why is there pre-installed bloatware?

• No, but seriously, why are there ads?

These are all questions that are relevant when you ask about why people are pessimistic about Windows as a gaming system. But with the merge of Windows and Xbox, all of the above questions apply, but you also get to add:

• How locked down will this merged thing be?

• Will multiplayer require monthly payments?

• Will it have backwards compatibility?

• Will they find another place to shove copilot?

• How many extra ads will there be?

They were pretty damn fun. Other games like C&C Generals were a blast too!

We have since upgraded to beer and boardgames, which still hold their charm.

And that works on both Linux and Windows now. :)

I was pissed, for years, that Microsoft didn’t release their largest game series (Halo) on their largest platform (Windows). They did release Halo 1. But Microsoft saddled Halo 2 with GFWL, which made it almost unplayable; and then just stopped releasing after that.

While not quite the same thing: sleeping in the middle of a game is something that every platform other than Windows can do. Linux, including the Steam Deck, can just go to sleep in the middle of the game and bring you right back to where you were before putting it to sleep.

If this new Xbox is Windows-based, they are going to lose not only the sleep ability, but also the quick resume you point out.

skipping his monthly check/military support is enough

Ever since Trump has been in power, Trump has not given any weapons to Ukraine. Europe, does however, buy weapons from the US and gives them to Ukraine. There is no ‘monthly check/military support’ for the US to skip, not for the last year.

Trading interceptors helps keep Russian occupation at bay; it’s what he must and will do. Putting aside his personal reservations (about working with someone who hates him) for the betterment of the country he leads, I respect him even more. Zelensky knows he doesn’t need to score FU points, he needs to save his country.

Zelensky’s goal is to achieve the best outcome for Ukraine and save the country from Russian occupation, not score FU points. If trading interceptors to partners helps Ukraine, Zelensky will do what needs to be done.

It was both. Iran had a whole slew of fast attack boats specifically for attacking ships in the straight. They also had a number of larger warships.

All of that is gone, leaving only the ground-based stuff, which has been heavily attrited.

By a US submarine specifically; first since WWII.

Yeah, if we start sending destroyer escorts though the Straight of Hormuz, decent chance one catches an Iranian missile eventually.

Given Iran’s inability to hit warships, Iran’s entire navy now sunk, and the vast majority of their missile launchers destroyed; getting a hit on an American carrier in the middle of a carrier taskforce is almost nill.