gearhog

“What is the most dangerous animal on the planet?”

WTF. Some days I think nothing shocks me anymore. Wrong. I got a few minutes. Morning coffee rant incoming: Does anyone really think the environment that allows this to occur is fixable? We are a good nation led by degenerates. I'm not talking about gays. We've put the some of the worst kinds of people in power and let them do whatever they want. Why would Cardin choose this guy as a staffer? What kind of culture in DC would the staffer think this would be a good idea? The entire culture/environment there now exists in an entirely different reality than you and I experience. No real consequences for depravity, instead, tolerance and even excuses for it. Maybe..Maybe.. it's quietly celebrated there. I had a nearly immaculate military career. When I joined ROTC, there was some sort of motto that went "Integrity, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do." I took that shit to heart. Perhaps my biggest and most regrettable failure was not securing the Tweet control lock on my mid-phase checkride. 2 downgrade U. After that, I never failed to meet any objective AF standard. Maybe the bar was low, and maybe I could have exceeded the standards even moreso, but it was amazing to watch capable peers self-eliminate over dumb shit while I worked hard and tried to improve everything I touched. And I think I did all right. What for? Sure, I did my part to save the country from goat-fuckers, but I gave the country to... To cut this short, every time I see stories like this lately, I feel regret. Not regret for setting high standards for myself, because it made me a better person, but for being duped into thinking there were people smarter than me setting standards for my service that would result in a better nation. That if I continuously did good things during my career, America would inevitably become an even better place. Instead, I wake up and see some dude getting corn-holed in what should be the most sacred places in the nation, being broadcast to the world. If Lauren Boebert was jerking some dude off in the same room, I'd have also spoken up. But nothing is going to happen. Again, not just this story, it's all of them lately. A seemingly unending clown parade from our nation's leadership. It's an undeniable trend in the wrong direction. Instead of trying to exceed personal and professional standards set for me, I should have been demanding higher standards of my government the whole time. Sort of an inverse take on JFK's famous line. But that ship has sailed. Too late. Just write it off as a bad investment, I guess.

Saw a trailer for this movie this morning. It's apparently getting people pretty riled up. We had just watched "Leave the World Behind" a couple nights ago. There were some thought-provoking concepts, but the movie sucked ass. Dystopian and disaster flicks are nothing new, but it's unsettling to see these plots and storylines using current events, then pulling on what seems to be a short thread. The movie plans to fill people's heads with this stuff next Spring as the election heats up. Just curious as to others thoughts. Think it'll be good?

Thankfully, sounds like pilot was rescued via SAR. Glad to hear of a successful water rescue after a spate of bad news. 🍻

It was a joke.

Now MSNBC has begun warming the public to idea of failure. "If we give everything we want to give to Ukraine, it still won't lead to success." https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/1727015665780060233?s=20 Zelensky fires the Chief of Ukrainian military medical system due to handling of battlefield casualties. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-calls-rapid-operations-changes-soldiers-sacks-commander-2023-11-19/

I hope everyone is okay.

I notice that you rarely comment on issues lately, but instead focus on ad hominem. Is it because you've been so consistently and embarrassingly wrong on nearly everything that you're afraid to say anything of substance?

RIP. 🍺 - Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee -Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, California. -Staff Sergeant Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire. -Sergeant Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona. -Sergeant Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota.

Of all the countries named, the leadership of which is least likely to be around in a year? This problem has to be explained, and it's a problem the Biden admin needs to solve. They also know they're gonna give Ukraine the finger and let them drown. They've served their purpose. Not one real investigation has said Russia did it. We're obviously not going to blame any of our European allies. So WaPo published and explanation that a Ukrainian "special forces" officer who is currently (and conveniently) jailed in Ukraine for "abuse of power"... rented a sailboat and some scuba gear and blew up the pipeline. So it's all explained and nobody that matters gets their feelings hurt.

LOL. The pivot will be from "We wouldn't do such a thing" to "I hope we do it again".

From Putin’s henchmen deep inside the Washington Post:

You may disagree with public sentiment, but ignore it at your own peril. There’s an increasing chance people’s feelings toward military service may be moving from apathetic toward antipathetic. https://x.com/usarmy/status/1721665315078127697?s=46

"We should trust and support the government sending our money to Ukraine because we can't trust the government to spend the money wisely at home." You've read a lot of other posts here as to why we should be spending money on Ukraine. Some of them are actually understandable and intelligently argued. Why would you follow that up with what is perhaps the dumbest, most asinine argument of the entire thread?

There is a lot of administrative ground work that needs to be laid for the US/NATO to prepare to defend itself.

Got a call from my Rep regarding the message I left last week with a staffer. As I said, when researching the most recent Ukraine aid bill, I used the roll call to find out who voted for/against. When I got the call, I expressed all the concerns and arguments that I have made here. They were highly receptive. As a result, their office bought a social media ad asking constituents one question: "Do you support sending more Aid to Ukraine?" The answers were recorded on the Representative's website (results not public). However, the comments below the social media ad were telling. Perhaps 5% were in support of, and all the rest were something to the effect of "America First!" In my district, my Rep is supported overwhelmingly, but not on this issue it seems. It appears they may be changing their vote for the next one. Fingers crossed. I appreciate the opportunity to work on and improve my positions here so that when I have the chance to articulate them to someone that can act on them, I can feel hopeful I've made a difference.

That's a difficult read.

I think I found it on his twitter account. Looks like he's using an AI software called Leonardo.Ai. Several more are tagged with #promptshare. Mindblowing stuff. You have to clink on the ALT in the lower left of the photos/vids to see the prompts.

We should have a recruiting office at every border crossing. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/11/01/army-suddenly-and-chaotically-told-hundreds-of-soldiers-they-have-be-recruiters-immediately.html/amp

He does. Amazing stuff. A couple examples of the prompts he uses for the AI to create scenes : Filmstill Closeup, Masterfully crafted 38mm view from the remnants of an old overpass, now broken and suspended above the city's ruins. Vines snake around rusted car chassis and the remnants of a billboard which once advertised the marvels of the future. The golden hues of the setting sun glisten off the scattered remnants of shattered glass. Captured on classic Lomography film with a Minolta X-700, this visual sonnet speaks of urban dreams once held high, now returned to the embrace of the earth. Filmstill Closeup highlights a sapphire-hued circular object, levitating above a clear jungle pond. Its glow disturbs the water beneath, creating ripples that emit soft electric blue sparks. Trees encircling the pond appear ancient, with their bark glowing subtly, showcasing intricate vein networks. Looming in the backdrop, a monumental stone figure with its hands outstretched, as if presenting the floating orb, adds a layer of biblical gravitas to the scene. The balance of shadows and light, taking cues from Roger Deakins, renders the image both surreal and haunting.

Fascinating observation. Thanks for your contribution.

Yes. Guy who made it says he created a feature length movie only with text prompts in AI software. No, actors, no writers, no production, no designers, no special effects departments, just a computer.

They’re climbing the White House fence. https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1720957827965960610?s=46 General John J. Pershing statue at our WWI memorial tonight.