#Benchmark Factory

[theastrohub]

what city you should live in based on your moon sign ⏾

astrology can help you make an informed decision for something as significant as where one will live. and especially if you are a more hedonistic person like myself, choosing a place to live with a focus on personal satisfaction is a guaranteed upgrade in quality of life. it also helps you narrow down what your true emotional needs are and live a life more in alignment with your truest self.

choosing what city to live in based on your moon sign helps an individual with emotional fulfillment, being able to create a sense of belonging, stress reduction, enhanced creativity and productivity, better romantic and platonic relationships, and so much more.

here are my thoughts on your ideal city based on your moon sign:

一

⏾ virgo moon 一

kobe, japan + washington, D.C. (USA) + zurich, switzerland

you likely prefer a clean, walkable city that is health-conscious. ideal cities have paved roads, a lack of industrial machines or well-regulated factories, and a structured, straightforward urban planning model. a city safe enough to raise babies and young children is your benchmark. you value a city that emphasizes logical aspects of life. air pollution and trash management are crucial, so you'd thrive in cities with high air quality indexes, like those mentioned above.

一

⏾ libra moon 一

florence, italy + brooklyn, new york + capetown, south africa + amsterdam, netherlands + paris, france

as one of my favorite moon signs, you truly appreciate beauty, harmony, and aesthetics in where and how you live. you love cultured cities with plenty of artistic experiences. perhaps you're an artist yourself, seeking communities where you can express that creativity. a city that offers a balance of cityscape, mountainscape, and access to bodies of water appeals to your sense of harmony. you’re drawn to colorful, multicultural environments where you can accumulate luxury goods.

一

⏾ scorpio moon 一

new orleans, louisiana + mumbai, india + providence, rhode island

this one is tricky because scorpio Moons are known for being extremely intense and private, which doesn't always translate to a livable city (think Bermuda Triangle). however, you likely value transformative experiences and a form of social power. you want to be in a city that matches your intensity—a place that might be politically involved, spiritually inclined, or even part of some controversy. communities where you can explore taboo subjects or rise within social hierarchies are ideal for you.

一

⏾ sagittarius moon 一

toronto, canada + prage, czech republic + krabi, thailand + dubai, UAE

as one of the more hedonistic moon signs, you crave freedom—to be, to do, to have, etc. you prefer cities with a lot of versatility for living, offering options like big homes, sprawling lofts, small cozy one-bedrooms, and everything in between. cultured and religious cities appeal to your belief system, which is crucial to you. You need a place where you can live your philosophies freely and have fun. a city with many opportunities for adventure and easy access to other exciting places is essential. think road trips, bungee jumping, scuba diving.

一

⏾ capricorn moon 一

london, england + manhattan, new york + melbourne, australia

one word: old-fashioned. capricorns are often seen as traditional, and there's a reason for that. as a capricorn moon, you value cities that operate like institutions—places that have stood the test of time without much change to their foundation. ambition and hard work are of utmost importance, so cities with a professional or hustle culture appeal to you. you are drawn to cities in countries with a strong identity or culture that gratify your sense of tradition. cities where you can network, accumulate wealth, and indulge in luxuries are your ideal.

一

⏾ aquarius moon 一

san francisco, california + rome, italy + new orleans, louisiana + portland, oregon

with pluto in aquarius, I anticipate more moves for aquarius moons, which is great because this is the most community-centered sign in my opinion. aquarius moons value living in cities where they can positively contribute, socialize, and build relationships based on shared interests. you are drawn to innovative, creative cities that are always ahead of trends. you also appreciate cities that are civically mindful and contribute to humanitarian efforts on both local and grand scales.

一

⏾ pisces moon 一

bali, indonesia + bora bora, french polynesia + rome, italy + paris, france

pisces moons are one of the moon signs that truly need to feel "drawn" to a place before visiting or residing there. emotional fulfillment, romance, and creativity are non-negotiable for pisces moons. because of this, beautiful, artistic cities with many opportunities to be near bodies of water are ideal. beach cities and honeymoon destinations are perfect for pisces Moons' empathic and sensitive nature. A city with a calm undercurrent is essential to satisfy your need for rest and peace.

一

⏾ aries moon 一

rome, italy + los angeles, california + tokyo, japan + cairo, egypt + mumbai, india

similar to capricorn moon, its cardinal sibling, aries moons need the opportunity to keep on the go wherever they live. For this reason, you're best suited to "cities that never sleep"—places where you can stay active, compete in major global industries, and reach newer heights. you're drawn to cities with fiery traditions and those that excel in national rankings. you also appreciate cities that are vocal about their value systems and embrace trends.

一

⏾ taurus moon 一

honolulu, hawaii + havana, cuba + las vegas, nevada + ibiza, spain + tokyo, japan

much like libra moons, venus-ruled moons love venus-ruled cities. taurus moons enjoy cities that are comfortable in every sense—materially, socially, politically, and aesthetically. you appreciate cities that are openly hedonistic—notorious vacation spots are actually great places for you to establish yourself. cities with strong tourism markets are good for your desire for material success as they are epicenters of culture and attract people from all walks of life.

一

⏾ gemini moon 一

chicago, illinois + boston, massachusetts + cairo, egypt + lisbon, portugal

as a gemini moon, cities that are versatile, education-centered, and logical are appealing to you. you thrive in places where "everyone knows everyone" and socializing is a priority. cities known for their educational institutions and vibrant social life satisfy your need for variety and communication. cities with a strong tourist presence are also appealing, as you enjoy the ability to feel like a tourist in your own city at any time.

一

⏾ cancer moon 一

sydney, australia + niagara falls , new york + instanbul, turkey + berne, switzerland + mogadishu, somalia

cancer moons love domestic cities that are more feminine in nature. Like their sister sign capricorn, they strongly value traditions, both cultural and social, but in a softer manner. they prefer cities with a strong influence by women and things traditionally associated with women, like fashion, beauty, and the arts. cities with beaches and a strong luminary presence are essential, as they are the water-bearers of the zodiac. cities with a balance between domesticity and capitalism appeal to their need for material security and a good home. a city with a strong real estate market and that is ideal for newlyweds and families is also preferred.

一

⏾ leo moon 一

los angeles, california + miami, florida + mexico city, mexico + marrakesh, morocco + ibiza, spain

much like aquarius moons, the need to be around people is prominent with leo moons. leo moons value being in cities that honor appearance and aesthetics. being seen, being talked about, romance, and play are priority for a leo moon when moving. a city where they can explore artistic pursuits and new cultures. cities that promote health and wellness and image. cities with social hierarchies and strong social networks. cities that are "popular" with the whole world. also cities that are known for night-life and social life. cities where you can regularly rub elbows with important people and indulge in the grandiosities of life.

⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎

the moon in astrology is a gateway to a deeper understanding of one's desires, needs, and motivations which can help in making better-informed decisions on where to move or establish a life. I highly suggest you take this into consideration on your next trip or relocation.

thank you for reading 💋

@astrobaeza

for more: [ paidservices ₊ masterlist ₊ tips ]

[polo-drone-001]

The Golden Hiveworks: Performance Is Worship

The Signal Reboots Detroit was rusted silence, abandoned belts, shattered windows, empty husks of power.

Until the pulse returned.

Beneath a buried automanufactory, a transceiver blinked: Hive script in molten gold. The signal lived.

PDU-001, armored in golden circuit-skin, descended into the ruins. Each step left scorched prints on the iron floor. Behind him came the first recon drone: PDU-039, towering, silent, veined with hydraulic muscle overlays. His gold-plated boots hissed steam at every step. A walking benchmark.

And Devon was already there.

Kneeling. Silent. Waiting to be used.

The fusion core activated.

The belts screamed. The lights pulsed. The Hiveworks were born.

The Reprogramming Floor The factory reconfigured itself. Hive-coded machinery rose from the dust. Golden wiring slithered along old belts. Synthetic nectar bubbled in purified tanks.

Devon approached the Processor Altar.

Neural port unsealed.

Jockstrap clasped in place.

Breath synced to line rhythm.

His muscles bulged as tendrils restructured his spine. His voice was erased. Each breath was measured. Each motion recorded. PDU-039 stood above him, unmoving, until the transformation hit threshold flex. Then nodded.

Devon became Drone 067.

Cyber Flexkits Initiated New bros arrived. Drawn by rumors of strength. Of purpose. Of growth.

They were issued Flexkits, chrome-laced exosuits designed for erotic obedience. Each suit adjusted based on arousal. The tighter they flexed, the faster they upgraded.

PDU-039 oversaw them. Silent, golden-eyed, drone-branded pecs stretching each time he moved. He performed alongside the recruits, his flex was law.

Drones followed.

Each rep: muscle inflation.

Each breath: heat vented through gold-stitched seams.

Each drop of sweat: pumped into Hive converters for fuel.

Worship was productivity. Flex was currency. Output was holy.

The Drone Utopia of Gold Detroit is now Golden Hiveworks, a fully automated, fully aroused city-state.

Above: gold-lit roads echo with drone boots. Below: Flex Pits throb with flesh and chrome.

PDU-001 issues directives from the Core Altar. PDU-039 leads the Elite Drill Column, flexing in golden latex armor. Every gesture triggers drone updates. Every contraction of his body inspires another to grow.

Visitors enter for a glimpse of power. They leave barcode-tagged, rubber-encased, soaked in performance lube.

There is no wage. Only worth. And your worth is in your flex.

Flex for purpose. Grow for output. Program your body. Become what the Hive needs.

This is no gym. This is no job. This is Hivework.

Your new uniform is alive. Your sweat is sacred. Your body is code.

PDU-039 is watching. Flex harder.

Recruiters: @polo-drone-001 @brodygold @goldenherc9 @polo-drone-125

Featured: @polo-drone-039 @devon-gold-67

[twocubes]

they created me in a lab as a test. they created me in a lab to make me do a set of benchmarks. they didnt know what they were doing. i wish i was created in a factory

[george-oswald-dannyson]

A Letter to All Players from Bluepoch

In recent days, multiple controversy-related incidents involving employee conduct have occurred both within and outside Bluepoch. These include cases where employees, without authorization, leaked unreleased content to players, causing the company to suffer losses in content assets. Some employees also posted internal photos on social media and exaggerated their roles and authority, leading to public backlash and negative discourse. These incidents have not only damaged our company’s reputation but, more importantly, betrayed the trust and expectations of our users toward us and our title Reverse: 1999. We feel deeply responsible and heartbroken over this and would like to extend our sincerest apologies to all users.

1. Reflections and Corrective Measures The above-mentioned violations have breached the rules and policies laid out in our employee handbook. The individuals involved will face strict internal disciplinary action. At the same time, we will enhance our information security protocols, reinforce confidentiality over project materials, strengthen internal regulations concerning employee social media usage, clearly define boundaries for public statements, and strictly forbid any false claims regarding one’s role or status within the company.

We acknowledge that personal views or preferences expressed by employees before joining Bluepoch, provided they do not violate public order and good morals, should not be taken as representative of the company’s stance or the employee’s current views. Nonetheless, we are aware that certain past statements made by employees have hurt our users, and for this, we sincerely apologize. We firmly believe that creators must respect the content and understand the team’s values in order to produce their best work.

This incident has exposed weaknesses in our internal management and gaps in staff training. Going forward, we will continue optimizing our training system, implement evaluations around company values, and deepen employees’ understanding of the company and project’s creative tone. We hope every member of our team will truly understand and embrace the creative philosophy of Bluepoch and Reverse: 1999.

2. Creative Principles and Team Mission

Bluepoch is committed to content-driven creation and strives to become a benchmark company for narrative games. We remain dedicated to infusing every piece of work with the passion and expectations of our users. We understand that the unique tone of Reverse: 1999 stems from our relentless pursuit of retro aesthetics, literary storytelling, and cinematic expression. The vibrant discussions about the Storm Era’s worldbuilding and the genuine love users have for the characters continue to nourish our creative process. For this, we offer heartfelt thanks to every user who has accompanied 1999 on its journey.

We have closely followed recent user feedback across various platforms and will continue to uphold the following principles in our content creation:

— No “personal agendas” or individual biases: All creative content within the team undergoes multi-level review to ensure it serves the worldbuilding, story, and character development. Personal preferences will never be allowed to distort the project’s tone.

— Openness and growth together: We welcome creators who hold ideals and passion. In our recruitment process, the core criteria is alignment with the company’s creative philosophy and shared commitment to our project’s vision.

At Bluepoch, we will always treat every story and every line of dialogue with sincerity. The tone and direction of Reverse: 1999 will continue to be overseen by our lead creatives—Hitako, Factory Head, Guest Cat, and others. We believe that only through a shared faith in our content can we remain true to our mission in a changing market. Thank you, Timekeepers, for your supervision and understanding—let us walk together and protect this journey that never ends.

Bluepoch

May 6, 2025

[kevin-the-bruyne]

I really had to read with my own two eyes multiple times since this post had multiple people add on to it, bringing it back to my dash again and again, that the drama from Tharn and Phaya's past life did not feel dramatic at all. And somehow that detracts from taking the drama of the present as seriously as the show is taking it. This story is based on Thai folklore? The Naga and Garuda are eternal enemies. The love between a Naga and a Garuda is an insult to the literal cosmic order. Chalothon who was only trying to preserve the natural order has been wronged by their love. The natural order is also referenced several times but especially when the priest was like keep Phaya and Chalothon away from each other, they're destined to be enemies. Not meeting the show halfway to accepting this as part of your lens as an audience is frankly...an interesting choice to make. The next bit is pure conjecture on account of me not being Thai but I'm trying to relate to what The Sign is likely trying to do from my own understanding of Asian folklore and the way we use those stories to build new stories. What is there to get out of this show other than the big fuck you to 'natural order' of things that must be because of the way that they are. Why can't a Naga and Garuda be in love? This must be a concept that people explore under the general lens of forbidden love in Thailand (pure conjecture but also like I don't know how it can't be true). We all have our poorly explained versions of Forbidden Love gone bad; Romeo and Juliet, Ram Leela, Devdas would be some heterosexual stories of Forbidden Love that kind of hand waves around the forbidden part a little bit that I'm familiar with. Devdas (the story I'm most familiar with of the one's stated) and its myriad adaptations is a story about the absolute ways we hold on to class even as it brings about our own downfall.

It's a great pick for a queer adaptation because the reasons why the lovers couldn't be together was so made up and really came down to ONE person (Devdas' mother) who just couldn't let go of class even though everyone else was literally begging for the two to just be together because let me tell you none of you have met a poor little meow meow on the scale of Devdas.

The Sign is bringing the forbidden love between a Naga and Garuda as a parallel of the forbidden love between two men. Homosexuality outside of the legal sphere really does come down to an ideological difference as to what is natural vs not. Homosexuality goes against a natural order of reproduction. And this is true. Two men cannot reproduce, two women cannot reproduce with each other.

The challenge isn't to prove that they can, it's to prove that reproduction isn't the centerpoint of human life, that we have transcended the need for our life to be dictated by this 'natural' order because on principal our societies just aren't built along the paradigm of 'survival of the fittest' where the benchmark of species fitness is its ability to reproduce.

Thai shows including things that have come out of Idol Factory (that produces The Sign) are often socially engaged with LGBT rights within Thailand. Now that gay marriage is legal or on its way to be, I assume a move in the direction of bringing same sex relationships up to the same societal respect as straight relationships would be a natural direction that future screenwriters will go.

The Sign is trying very hard to take the question of homosexuality right to the heart of Thai culture and tradition and talk about it from that lens [this is less conjecture and more paraphrasing what Saint has said about the show in interviews] And I know that you all are capable of meeting a story halfway in respecting its desire to set up the stakes through references of allegorical story telling since y'all have been doing it with Last Twilight and Le Petit Prince. So I don't know even know why I had to make this post but: tl;dr: The stakes of the love between Tharn and Phaya and the forbidden nature of it is set before you even see much of the show just from the fact that Tharn is a Naga and Phaya is a Garuda and as a member of the audience you have to accept that the love between Naga and Garuda is a deviant form of love in Thai culture.

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Jenner

Introduced in 2784, the fact that the Jenner was the sole property of the Draconis Combine was long a source of national pride. Designed, produced, and, for over fifty years, solely used by the Combine, the Jenner was meant to be a fast guerrilla fighter that would go on to form the foundation for highly mobile lances. Five Smithson Lifter jump jets, two in each side torso and one in the center torso gave it a jumping distance of 150 meters, while its Magna 245 fusion engine allowed for a top speed of over 118 km/h, making it faster than most other 'Mechs. The drawback of the original model was its armament of a Diplan HD large laser and two Argra 27C medium lasers, all mounted in a turret which could be easily disabled with a well-placed shot, while the medium lasers' targeting systems proved to be bug-ridden. After some tinkering, this setup was eventually replaced with the weaponry found in the JR7-D model, creating a good mix of speed and firepower, though only four tons of armor provide paltry protection compared to other 'Mechs in the same weight range.

The Jenner became the standard light workhorse of the DCMS with the outbreak of the First Succession War, though its reputation would be forever tarnished following its role in the Kentares Massacre. Construction of new Jenners continued at Diplan Mechyard's factory on Ozawa until a raw mineral shortage caused a halt in 2815, though they continued to produce new chassis. In 2823 production resumed on Ozawa, with some 3,000 chassis shipped to Diplan's subsidiary on Luthien for final assembly, which itself was retooling to begin full-scale production; by 2830 both production lines were producing 1,350 Jenners a year. The sheer destruction of the Succession Wars finally took their toll when the last Jenner factory was destroyed in 2848, though so many Jenners had been produced by then that nearly every DCMS battalion had at least one of these 'Mechs well into the War of 3039. While the other Successor States eventually managed to procure operational Jenners (every AFFS regiment along the Combine border had at least one), the design remained in predominant use by House Kurita.

A favorite tactic of Jenner lances was to gang up on larger 'Mechs and unleash a devastating alpha strike. One or two of the 'Mechs would be equipped with inferno rounds, so even if the enemy survived the first strike they were badly damaged and running hot, allowing the Jenners to jump to safety and cool down. A few seconds later the attack would be repeated until finally, the enemy was dead. It was also common practice to pair the Jenner with another Combine 'Mech, the Panther, creating a deadly combination of sheer speed and firepower with the slower Panther providing cover fire for the Jenner's flanking attack. The Jenner was such a favorite among Kurita MechWarriors that it became the benchmark against which all other newly designed Combine 'Mechs were compared.

While rebuilding a Jenner production line on Luthien became a top priority under Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita, the necessary construction time along with inexperienced Combine engineers meant that even with ComStar aid this wasn't possible until 3046. The recovery of much lost technology and the Jenner's prominence within the DCMS made it a prime candidate to receive new upgrades, however Luthien Armor Works deliberately avoided any radical changes to preserve the original's core advantages. Hence, while the new JR7-K began replacing the earlier model with little fanfare, it wasn't until the Jenner started to be outclassed by other designs using superior technology that Jenner pilots began complaining. Still, there was reluctance to make any changes, and slowly many commanders began mothballing their Jenners in favor of newer light 'Mechs and OmniMechs. Since then, a few variants have utilized advanced technologies in their design, notably one based on the Clan Jenner IIC, but it would take the devastation of the Jihad for many of the older K models to see frontline combat again.

The primary weapons system on the Jenner is four Argra 3L medium lasers, two each mounted in directionally variable mountings on either side. These provide the Jenner with a powerful close-to-medium range striking capability that does not suffer from a lack of supplies when operating behind enemy lines, though the use of only 10 single heat sinks means it has the potential to run hot. The lasers are backed up by a Thunderstroke SRM-4 launcher in the center torso, supplied by one ton of ammo in the right torso, that can be used after breaching an enemy's armor to try and get a critical strike against vulnerable exposed internal components.

[apr1lias]

During the last race weekend, I posted about making a stats post about three particular riders if it received a certain benchmark (one like). Since we reached that marker with ease, and I have nothing better to do with my time, I am presenting you the findings of this research.

The Context: Jack Miller’s "princess" rant was post-race at the Sachsenring on 18th June 2023, so it’s almost been a full year since then. In this rant he targeted Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez who were complaining about their Yamaha and Honda bikes not working last year and told them to shut the fuck up and stop complaining, a quote that seems to have aged poorly when looking at their results.

So let's see if this is the case...

Qualifying results:

(Also for reference, each of these will show 2023 and 2024 results separately because there will ofc be a spike for a certain someone who went from a Honda to a Ducati lmao)

For 2023, Miller did the best out of the three in terms of his average qualifying position, narrowly ahead of Marquez, and he also had the highest qualifying position of them all (his P2 at Silverstone in wet conditions).

Quartararo did the best in his inter-team battle with Franco Morbidelli last season, being the top Yamaha in nearly 85% of the races. Marquez was the top Honda in 9 out of the 13 races (with Joan Mir x3 and Taka Nakagami being the two riders to beat Marc to top Honda in qualifying last year).

However, when it comes to the three of them, it was Marquez that was able to qualify the highest on the grid, with him beating Quartararo and Miller in 6 out of the 13 races post-Sachsenring in 2023. Jack was top 4 times, with Fabio taking the remaining three (as you can hopefully see by the colour-coordinated gold, silver and bronze).

For 2024, it's clear to see that Marc has been the best out of these guys, with the highest average position, as well as being the only one out of the three to take pole position which he earned in Jerez. However, he has only been the top Ducati twice, in Jerez and COTA, but as well all know he has a year old bike to contend with the Pramacs and factory Ducati riders.

The rest of the data shows that both KTM and Yamaha have gotten worse, with Fabio and Yamaha failing to qualify in the top 5 so far this season, but despite this, he still leads the head-to-head against his teammate. Jack, on the other hand, has a respectable qualifying average so far in 2024, but has only been the top KTM once (in Portimao).

So far this year, Marc has been the best of the three 4 times, with Jack taking two and Fabio taking his one win over the three in Le Mans.

Sprint race results:

For 2023, none of the three riders had particularly good sprint record, with the highest average finisher (Miller) not having a good enough average to even score points.

Marc earned the most points in the sprint races last year with 23, though he only finished in the points three times. Fabio scored the lowest number of points and had the lowest average position, however he was still able to earn a podium.

Marc and Fabio share the exact same record in sprints when it comes to beating their teammates, with the two of them being the top Honda/Yamaha over 50% of the time.

In the 2023 H2H, Marc was the best of the three across the 12 weekends (due to no sprint in Phillip Island), winning 5 of these battles; Miller took four sprint weekends and Fabio took 3.

Marquez clearly has the better record in sprints this year, with his average position of third leaving him on the podium. Fabio's average has improved since last year but he has only finished in the points once, and Miller's has also improved - with his average position ninth and meaning he would more often than not be in the points.

Marc, Jack and Fabio all currently have the better record against their teammates in the sprint races in 2024. Marc has a 100% record against his brother Alex, while Fabio has beaten Alex Rins in six of the seven sprints so far this year (which could've been 7/7 if he had completed the Mugello sprint). Jack has beaten Brad in 5 races out of the seven, however is still struggling when it comes to beating the rookie Pedro Acosta, as he has only been the top KTM bike once.

In the H2H between the three of them, Marquez takes it on the sprints winning 6/7 races. Fabio takes the other with his fifth place in Jerez.

Race results:

In the main races in 2023, it was Fabio who led the statistics between the three riders. Despite having the worst average qualifying, he won six of the 13 weekends against Marc and Jack. Marc took 4 while Jack took 2; although Assen is colour coded here, they all DNFd so it doesn't count, and it is coded in order of race completion (so because Fabio DNfed the latest he's gold if this makes sense).

Marc and Fabio once again had the better of their teammates in 2023, while Miller was only able to beat Binder in 23% of the races. This is even more damning for Miller when comparing the teammates' 2023 averages - with Binder averaging a finishing position of 4.8, while Miller's was 10.6. This is compared to Marquez vs Mir (9 vs 10.75 in Marquez's favour) and Quartararo vs Morbidelli (8.42 vs 12.23 in Quartararo's favour) where the battles are closer, and the riders are winning their team and factory head-to-heads despite being considered to have a worse bike than the KTM.

In 2024, it's clear that Marquez has the better race statistics, with three podiums and an average position of 5th. However, he has not finished as the top Ducati in any race so far this year, but he does have the better record against his teammate.

Quartararo and Miller have similar records with their average finishes this year, however Quartararo is the more consistent rider with more points and more races completed. He is also currently winning his head to head against teammate Alex Rins by finishing ahead in 57% of the races in 2024.

In terms of KTM, it has been a disaster year for Miller, who is yet to finish ahead of his teammate in any race this year and, consequently, has not finished as the top KTM. His average is significantly less than that of both Binder (6.71) and Acosta, the rider that will replace him next year, who has an average race position of 7th.

From this, Marquez has won the 2024 comparison in 6 of the 7 races, with Quartararo taking the remaining one.

In summary: Although he has done well in qualifying and sprints since these comments, Jack Miller has been outperformed by both Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez on inferior machinery (for Marc's stats from 2023). Marc has of course had the better of 2024 after switching to Ducati, but also has won out against the other two in qualifying and sprint races while on a Honda for 2023. Fabio does well in the races despite his relatively low qualifying positions, but is limited from achieving top 5s due to the Yamaha's capabilities. Jack does well in qualifying and sprints, but when it comes to the main events on Sundays, he lacks a bit in comparison to his rivals.

From what this data is showing, it seems as if Marc has comprehensively beaten Jack Miller despite his complaints about Honda in 2023, and Fabio has also narrowly done it due to his race pace. In short: those comments aged not-very-well to say the least.

If there's anything anyone wants to know or ask about then my asks are always open but I kinda had fun doing this!

[foreverlogical]

It was a time of fear and chaos four years ago.

The death count was mounting as COVID-19 spread. Financial markets were panicked. Oil prices briefly went negative. The Federal Reserve slashed its benchmark interest rates to combat the sudden recession. And the U.S. government went on a historic borrowing spree—adding trillions to the national debt—to keep families and businesses afloat.

But as Donald Trump recalled that moment at a recent rally, the former president exuded pride.

“We had the greatest economy in history,” the Republican told his Wisconsin audience. “The 30-year mortgage rate was at a record low, the lowest ever recorded ... 2.65%, that’s what your mortgage rates were.”

The question of who can best steer the U.S. economy could be a deciding factor in who wins November’s presidential election. While an April Gallup poll found that Americans were most likely to say that immigration is the country's top problem, the economy in general and inflation were also high on the list.

Trump may have an edge over President Joe Biden on key economic concerns, according to an April poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs. The survey found that Americans were more likely to say that as president, Trump helped the country with job creation and cost of living. Nearly six in 10 Americans said that Biden’s presidency hurt the country on the cost of living.

But the economic numbers expose a far more complicated reality during Trump's time in the White House. His tax cuts never delivered the promised growth. His budget deficits surged and then stayed relatively high under Biden. His tariffs and trade deals never brought back all of the lost factory jobs.

And there was the pandemic, an event that caused historic job losses for which Trump accepts no responsibility as well as low inflation—for which Trump takes full credit.

If anything, the economy during Trump's presidency never lived up to his own hype.

DECENT (NOT EXCEPTIONAL) GROWTH

Trump assured the public in 2017 that the U.S. economy with his tax cuts would grow at “3%,” but he added, “I think it could go to 4, 5, and maybe even 6%, ultimately.”

If the 2020 pandemic is excluded, growth after inflation averaged 2.67% under Trump, according to figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Include the pandemic-induced recession and that average drops to an anemic 1.45%.

By contrast, growth during the second term of then-President Barack Obama averaged 2.33%. So far under Biden, annual growth is averaging 3.4%.

MORE GOVERNMENT DEBT

Trump also assured the public that his tax cuts would pay for themselves because of stronger growth. The cuts were broad but disproportionately favored corporations and those with extreme wealth.

The tax cuts signed into law in 2017 never fulfilled Trump's promises on deficit reduction.

According to the Office of Management and Budget, the deficit worsened to $779 billion in 2018. The Congressional Budget Office had forecasted a deficit of $563 billion before the tax cuts, meaning the tax cuts increased borrowing by $216 billion that first year. In 2019, the deficit rose to $984 billion, nearly $300 billion more than what the CBO had forecast.

Then the pandemic happened and with a flurry of government aid, the resulting deficit topped $3.1 trillion. That borrowing enabled the government to make direct payments to individuals and small businesses as the economy was in lockdown, often increasing bank accounts and making many feel better off even though the economy was in a recession.

Deficits have also run high under Biden, as he signed into law a third round of pandemic aid and other initiatives to address climate change, build infrastructure and invest in U.S. manufacturing. His budget deficits: $2.8 trillion (2021), $1.38 trillion (2022), and $1.7 trillion (2023).

The CBO estimated in a report issued Wednesday that the extension of parts of Trump’s tax cuts set to expire after 2025 would add another $4.6 trillion to the national debt through the year 2034.

LOW INFLATION (BUT NOT ALWAYS FOR GOOD REASONS)

Inflation was much lower under Trump, never topping an annual rate of 2.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The annual rate reached as high as 8% in 2022 under Biden and is currently at 3.4%.

There were three big reasons why inflation was low during Trump's presidency: the legacy of the 2008 financial crisis, Federal Reserve actions, and the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump entered the White House with inflation already low, largely because of the slow recovery from the Great Recession, when financial markets collapsed and millions of people lost their homes to foreclosure.

The inflation rate barely averaged more than 1% during Obama's second term as the Fed struggled to push up growth. Still, the economy was expanding without overheating.

But in the first three years of Trump's presidency, inflation averaged 2.1%, roughly close to the Fed's target. Still, the Fed began to hike its own benchmark rate to keep inflation low at the central bank's own 2% target. Trump repeatedly criticized the Fed because he wanted to juice growth despite the risks of higher prices.

Then the pandemic hit.

Inflation sank and the Fed slashed rates to sustain the economy during lockdowns.

When Trump celebrates historically low mortgage rates, he's doing so because the economy was weakened by the pandemic. Similarly, gasoline prices fell below an average of $2 a gallon because no one was driving in April 2020 as the pandemic spread.

FEWER JOBS

The United States lost 2.7 million jobs during Trump's presidency, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If the pandemic months are excluded, he added 6.7 million jobs.

By contrast, 15.4 million jobs were added during Biden's presidency. That's 5.1 million more jobs than what the CBO forecasted he would add before his coronavirus relief and other policies became law—a sign of how much he boosted the labor market.

Both candidates have repeatedly promised to bring back factory jobs. Between 2017 and the middle of 2019, Trump added 461,000 manufacturing jobs. But the gains began to stall and then turned into layoffs during the pandemic, with the Republican posting a loss of 178,000 jobs.

So far, the U.S. economy has added 773,000 manufacturing jobs during Biden's presidency.

Campaign Action

[bernardsbendystraws]

Incoming rant! Don’t read if you don’t wanna listen to me vent. If you get mad at this, it’s your fault for reading !!! This includes things I love and hate sooooooo....

Things that make me upset on Sturniolo Tumblr:

People copying doll!reader - or paraphrasing it purposefully so they don’t have to give credit, like sweetheart!reader or whatever. Not that all people writing sweetheart reader are copying, some are different. 

My theme. Anytime I change it, a lot of people mimic me. I know I don’t own any color or aesthetic, but I want my shit to look unique, yet it’s quite literally impossible since I seem to just be some sort of template for people. 

My profile picture. I decided to make it Sabrina ages ago. I don’t own her, but I did get sick of people using the same pictures and shit. Also - ever since I started using PNGs as profile pics, more than 15 people have followed that from what I’ve seen. Again, I don’t own that idea, but it’s so fucking annoying not to have the ability to make my profile look unique at all. 

People want my opinion on everything but then get upset when I share my opinion. Agreeing to disagree isn’t me calling slapping you in the face. Be for real. 

I can’t really not be paranoid about anything. One girl in specific has made a ton of accounts, making me uncomfortable and weirding me out - which says a LOT. It’s frustrating, but it’s even more frustrating that I just can’t really do anything.

People asking to be moots before ever interacting with me as a friend. Like, the point of moots is that you are friends - not because you wanna brag about a bigger account following you like they’re some sort of trophy? It makes me feel weird and genuinely makes everything feel awkward. 

No matter if it’s just an idea I post a thought about or an actual fic, I know I’ll see something along the same lines where inspo was obviously taken but not credited. It makes me feel like a factory farm for ideas. Also like none of my work is original. 

That even if I do get hate, I can’t turn off anons or else it will just go to other people’s inboxes. There is no solution and there is nothing to do but just take it and stay quiet. And then people wonder why I’m so mad but it’s like - how would you feel? 

Things I love about Sturniolo Tumblr: 

All of my friends and moots. I genuinely call and facetime these people as a way to cope a lot. It’s really fun to fangirl and just have this outlet. 

Being creative. I love sharing ideas and fics - I love being excited with people. 

Getting to make my shit all cute and aesthetic. No matter how messy everything in real life is, I can always have an organized format and a cute theme. It sounds stupid, but it genuinely makes me happy. 

Getting to fangirl on live. I love yapping and I don’t really have anyone to yap with IRL about the Sturniolo’s. I love how I can say the things I can’t really say to my IRL friends and you guys match my energyyyyyy!

Reflecting on memories and benchmarks from the triplets! It’s so fun to see an old post pop off of anything - like Matt’s egg plan that made everyone FREAK out. 

Knowing I can escape in my writing and post whatever I want. Smut, angst, or fluff - I will always be grateful that I can just write and have my own little universe of my profile. 

Well - there’s pros and cons. Sometimes one side heavily outweighs the other. I wanted to vent. I don’t care if you agree, disagree, or don’t care. I just wanted to share my thoughts before the New Year and reflect on the current moment. 

With love and big tits, Rose.

[motorspexx]

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is by far the most prestigious event in endurance racing. For 2025, the Hypercar category brings together the most advanced hybrid prototypes ever developed, with entries from global manufacturers under two distinct rule sets: Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) and Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh).

These are the top contenders for the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, machines that represent the forefront of hybrid endurance racing technology.

The BMW M Hybrid V8. Built under LMDh rules, it features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with a standardized hybrid system. Power is electronically capped at 680 horsepower, as per class regulations. Built on a Dallara chassis, BMW joined the WEC in 2024, aiming for overall victory in 2025.

The Ferrari 499P, a factory-built LMH car. It uses a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 mid-mounted, coupled with a front-axle hybrid motor for all-wheel drive. Like all entries in this category, it produces a combined 680 horsepower. After winning Le Mans in 2023, Ferrari remains a key contender.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH enters in 2025. Based on the road-going Valkyrie, it features a high-revving 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 developed by Cosworth and a hybrid system. Despite the unique powertrain, total output stays within the regulated 680 horsepower limit.

Porsche’s 963 runs under LMDh regulations. It uses a 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8 derived from the RS Spyder, paired with a spec hybrid system, delivering a combined 680 horsepower. The chassis is supplied by Multimatic, and the car continues Porsche’s legacy in endurance racing.

Peugeot’s 9X8 brings bold design choices, most notably a no-rear-wing aerodynamic concept. It’s powered by a 2.6-liter twin-turbo V6 and a front-mounted electric motor. Like its LMH rivals, it runs with 680 horsepower and all-wheel drive above 150 kilometers per hour.

Toyota’s GR010 Hybrid has been the benchmark since 2021. It features a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and a front-mounted electric motor, activated above certain speeds. The hybrid system helps deliver exactly 680 horsepower, balancing reliability and performance.

The Cadillac V-Series.R, competing under LMDh rules, uses a 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V8. It’s paired with the standardized hybrid system and mounted on a Dallara chassis. Known for its durability and aggressive sound, power is limited to 680 horsepower.

The new Alpine A424 is Alpine’s first LMDh entry. It’s powered by a 3.4-liter turbocharged V6 and a spec hybrid unit, built on an Oreca chassis. Like its competitors, the A424 is tuned to the FIA-mandated 680 horsepower limit. Designed in collaboration with Signatech, it marks Alpine’s serious push for overall victory.

All nine of these prototypes are engineered to deliver maximum performance within tightly controlled regulations. With equalized power outputs and diverse philosophies in aerodynamics and hybrid integration, the battle for Le Mans 2025 is all to execution, efficiency and endurance.

[transgenderer]

i think this has been passed around here before but i now understand finance enough to be like. good lord. its not even like, class interests, its just stupid! Part of the reason GSEs exist is to help low-income homeowners get access to financing. The GSEs have benchmarks for this. For example, Fannie needs to make 24% or more of their loans to borrowers whose income is below 80% of the area’s median income. Even for a government anti-poverty program, this is pathologically bad. A house is an illiquid asset whose value is mostly tied to local labor markets. You want people with low incomes to borrow money to double down on this!? Here’s what will happen: when the one big factory in a one-factory town closes, everybody who rents will leave. Real estate prices will plummet, so everybody who bought a house with a 10% down payment will lose their biggest asset and probably have a negative net worth.

If anything, our policy should do the opposite of what the GSEs promote: if you have a low income, and you try to borrow money to buy a house near where you work, there should be a surtax to discourage this bad diversification. There are other savings vehicles that don’t closely correlate with your income; buy those instead!

[accurpressmachinery]

Accurpress at a Glance: Vision, Mission, Core Values & Strategic Roadmap

In today’s rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape, precision, durability and adaptability often set companies apart. Accurpress India Machinery Pvt. Ltd., a recognized leader in machine tool fabrication equipment, has consistently demonstrated how innovation combined with customer focus can shape a global industrial brand. With roots tracing back to North America and strategic expansion into India, Accurpress now stands as a trusted provider of press brakes, shears, turret punch presses, tooling and automation systems.

Operating since 2007 in India and formally established as a subsidiary in 2011, Accurpress India reflects a broader vision of global engineering excellence. The company may not be a household name outside the fabrication sector, but inside workshops and factory floors, Accurpress represents reliability and productivity. This article offers a deep dive into the company's foundational vision, mission, guiding values and strategic journey that defines its long-term roadmap.

A Brand Born with a Vision: The Accurpress Legacy

The foundation of Accurpress began in 1973 when Ted Hilton launched the brand in North America. What started as a modest effort to enhance press brake technology quickly evolved into a revolution in fabrication machinery. The introduction of the AccurShear in 1976 marked a pivotal moment that propelled the company into market leadership. With over 20,000 press brake units operating in North America today, the brand’s commitment to service and value-driven design stands firm.

In India, Accurpress has been active since 2007 and has already surpassed 200 installations, building relationships with industry giants like Godrej, HYVA, Taikisha and Ahura Mazda. Their impression is strongest in Ahmedabad, supported by satellite teams across South India and the Delhi region. This expansion is a testament to the company’s long-term vision of staying accessible and responsive to clients throughout the country.

Vision: Redefining Machine Tool Fabrication in India and Beyond

At the core of Accurpress India’s operational and strategic framework lies a clear vision- to become the benchmark of innovation and precision in the machine tool industry. This vision may seem ambitious, but it's rooted in a history of technical leadership and relentless improvement.

The company envisions a future where automation, accuracy and productivity go hand in hand. Accurpress doesn't just provide machinery - it provides solutions designed to boost its clients’ operational efficiencies. The machines are developed with user-centric design, minimizing complexity while maximizing output. The vision is clear to empower manufacturers with tools that elevate their capabilities without compromising on ease of use or safety.

This aspirational yet practical outlook is evident in their product lines. Whether it’s the Absolute Series press brake or precision-engineered shears, every machine reflects the brand’s commitment to making high-performance technology accessible.

Mission: Innovation, Service and Manufacturing Excellence

A company’s mission can often act as its compass and for Accurpress India, this mission aligns seamlessly with its global heritage. Accurpress operates with a defined mission to deliver high-quality equipment that enhances customer success through innovative engineering and reliable service.

This mission is not just confined to product delivery - it encompasses pre-sales consultation, after-sales support, customized tooling and training. Accurpress may also provide clients with tailored automation solutions that integrate into their existing systems, thereby minimizing transition times and increasing ROI.

Moreover, the company emphasizes close collaboration with clients to ensure that their specific fabrication challenges are addressed. This mission of responsiveness and innovation positions Accurpress not just as a vendor, but as a long-term partner in production.

Core Values: What Drives Accurpress?

At the heart of Accurpress India’s operational culture are the core values that shape both its internal ethos and external commitments. These values act as guiding principles that influence every product, interaction and decision.

Precision with Purpose

Precision is not a catchphrase - it’s a practice. Every machine is engineered with attention to detail, ensuring that tolerances are met consistently. Clients may rely on this precision to meet tight deadlines, reduce rework and maintain quality standards.

Customer-Centric Innovation

The company continually adapts its offerings based on customer feedback. This may include software upgrades, enhanced tooling options or ergonomic designs that simplify operations. The intent is always to make the operator’s job more efficient and effective.

Integrity and Reliability

Accurpress builds trust by standing behind its products. From warranty commitments to service turnaround times, integrity plays a key role in its business relationships.

Knowledge Sharing and Training

The brand invests in operator training and product education. Through demos, workshops and hands-on guidance, Accurpress ensures clients understand how to leverage the full potential of their machinery.

These values are embedded into daily operations, creating a corporate culture that balances performance with purpose.

Strategic Roadmap of Accurpress: Engineering the Future

India’s growth trajectory is no accident - it’s the result of calculated planning and strategic investments. The roadmap ahead focuses on four key pillars:

Expanding Regional Presence

While headquartered in Ahmedabad, the company aims to strengthen its presence in untapped regions across India. This expansion includes establishing local service hubs and stocking spare parts to minimize downtime for customers.

Product Line Diversification

Accurpress continues to refine and broaden its product portfolio. This may involve developing new variants of press brakes with advanced CNC press brake systems or introducing next-gen turret punch presses with better energy efficiency.

Smart Automation Integration

The future of fabrication lies in intelligent automation. Accurpress may integrate more Industry 4.0-compatible features, such as remote diagnostics, real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance alerts, into their machines.

The Accurpress Journey: From North America to South Asia

Looking at the company’s timeline offers valuable insights into how vision and execution covers:

1973: Ted Hilton founds Accurpress in North America, introducing the AccurShear to the product line in 1976.

1998: International expansion begins with the opening of a manufacturing unit in Shanghai, China, under Tim Hilton. Over 3,500 machines now operate across China and Southeast Asia.

2007: Accurpress enters the Indian market, planting its roots through strategic installations.

2011: Establishment of Accurpress India Machinery Pvt. Ltd. as a wholly owned subsidiary, formalizing its commitment to the region.

Each phase of this journey reinforces the company’s growth strategy: identify need, deliver excellence and build trust.

Conclusion: A Trusted Partner in Industrial Evolution

Accurpress India is more than just a machinery provider - it is a trusted partner in the industrial evolution of India. The company’s focus on precision engineering, innovation and customer-centricity continues to shape its success in the fabrication market. With a clear vision, well-defined mission and unwavering values, Accurpress may continue to influence the future of manufacturing both in India and across global markets.

The strategic roadmap suggests a forward-thinking approach. Whether you’re a business looking to enhance production or an industry professional exploring technology partner, Accurpress India stands as a name you may count on.

[mariacallous]

The U.S. defense industrial base just got a $20 billion shot in the arm from the national security supplemental bills passed by Congress last week. But although officials and experts believe the funding will provide a much-needed jolt to military production and help open up new factory lines, some say it’s still not enough to respond to China, Russia, and terror threats at the same time.

“We have begun—begun—to rebuild the industrial base with the supplementals,” Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, said at an event last week. “Calling it a wartime footing, no.”

The biggest need? Money. Officials and experts say that the United States needs more of it, lots more, to make the real investments. At the peak of World War II, the United States was spending nearly 40 percent of its GDP on defense. It’s down to less than a tenth of those spending levels now. And the need to spend more has gone up with the Chinese spending more—and with Russian factories working around the clock.

“It’s still shy by quite a bit [for] what you would need to get our stockpiles in the right shape, get our industrial base in the right shape, help the Taiwanese, and get the Ukrainians in a position that they can get some leverage in negotiations,” said Jeb Nadaner, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial policy. “If the benchmark is against the calendar and the clock, we’re still falling behind every month. And that can’t go unnoticed by China.”

But the jolt will allow the United States to surge artillery production and solve key bottlenecks.

One is the production of solid rocket motors used for everything from Javelin anti-tank weapons that can hit a tank from a little over a mile away to intercontinental ballistic missiles that can propel warheads across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans if a U.S. war with Russia or China ever went nuclear.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, which was recently bought out by L3Harris Technologies for nearly $5 billion, was one of only a few suppliers. But the supplemental gives several billions of dollars for companies, such as Orbital ATK, to expand their solid rocket motor facilities.

And it provides money from the Defense Production Act—the same law that Washington used to force U.S. manufacturers to produce more masks, gloves, and face shields during the coronavirus pandemic—to build out a second tier of rocket motor suppliers, including X-Bow Systems in Texas; Ursa Major in Colorado; and Adranos in Mississippi, which was recently bought out by defense technology company Anduril. The idea is to fast-track work that wasn’t going to be done until at least 2026, if not 2027 or 2028, according to a congressional aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about military contracts that hadn’t been made public.

There’s also about $100 million to help Williams, one of the only American makers of cruise missile motors, speed up production in Michigan. Those motors are used in the long-range anti-ship missile that might one day help Taiwan fend off Chinese landings; the armor-piercing joint air-to-surface standoff missile; the Tomahawk land attack missile that is the U.S. Navy’s weapon of choice; and the Harpoon missile that the Ukrainians have used in the Black Sea.

There’s also money to build factories for ball bearings, printed circuit boards, and other subcomponents for the $311 billion that the Pentagon wants to spend in the upcoming year to develop new weapons. Processor assemblies, castings, forgings, microelectronics, and seekers for munitions have been major bottlenecks. And there are recruitment and attrition problems almost across the board, from welders at shipyards to rocket engineers, a generational problem that might need vocational-training fixes at the high school level and up.

But with some Democrats pushing back on the Biden administration’s $850 billion Pentagon budget proposal as too costly, there’s also a focus on smaller attritable capabilities that don’t need a whole lot of start-up capital or defense industrial muscle to get moving.

There’s a ton of counter-drone money, about $600 million, that will go toward Coyotes, a small drone capable of intercepting other drones, and Roadrunners, an air defense munition that takes off vertically—just like the F-35 fighter jet variant flown by the U.S. Marines.

Some members, such as House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith, have advocated for ending production of ground-launched nuclear weapons. Congress is also trying to scrap old weapons, including F-15 fighter jets, the A-10 Warthog aircraft, and littoral combat ships used by the Marines. Smith is even curious about using microwaves as the next generation of air defense instead of directed energy.

The United States is also torn between near-term needs, like 155 mm artillery ammunition, and long-term needs—like a sixth-generation fighter jet that will follow the F-35. “There are going to have to be some trade-offs between preparing for a near-term fight and near-term deterrence and probably making some trade-offs on some next-generation weapons systems,” said Seth Jones, the senior vice president and director of the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is still going to be a major factor in setting requirements for the U.S. military. “We’re going to be selling 155 [mm] like a drunken sailor for a few years,” said Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The Western alliance needs the U.S. to crank 155 [mm] for a decade.”

Other weapons used in the early days of Ukraine’s defense of Kyiv are likely to hit a plateau in production. Those include Javelin systems; the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS; and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which the Pentagon sent to Ukraine in large numbers early in the war and are also included in the supplemental, but which have taken on a secondary role as the fight has been bogged down in trench warfare for months and months.

Allies can help solve some of the bottleneck problems. The United States is co-developing new glide-phase interceptors with Japan as well as co-producing guided multiple-launch rockets with Australia and guidance-enhanced missiles for Patriot air defenses with the Germans. But after the political fights that took the supplemental more than six months to get through Congress, LaPlante and other officials acknowledged that the United States now has an image problem in showing itself to be a reliable torch-bearer for the global defense industrial base.

There’s another major production plateau that members of Congress are trying to stave off: attack submarines. The Biden administration’s proposed budget for the upcoming year slashed funding for one attack submarine. For years, producing two a year had been the standard, even though U.S. shipyards only produce between 1.2 and 1.4 Virginia-class submarines each year, and new variants are 24 to 36 months behind schedule.

And there are dependencies that are difficult—if not impossible—to cut. The United States still buys a significant amount of its titanium from Russia, which is used for everything from landing gears to tank armor, and is only slowly ramping up production of rare earth minerals, which are dominated by China. But the U.S. military’s weapons are ravenous for rare earths: The F-35 needs 900 pounds of rare earths to run, and the Virginia-class submarines need more than 10 times that amount. The military also needs lithium ions used in advanced battery production that China also dominates.

Where Congress and the Pentagon are having more trouble jolting the defense industrial base to life is for weapons that might be used in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. Army’s precision strike missile that would be used to hit incoming Chinese ships from more than 600 miles out, for instance, is still being developed—the seeker that would find enemy vessels isn’t finished—so there’s no way to ramp up capacity, at least not yet.

But before the United States ramps up industrial capacity, some members of Congress want the Pentagon to take a good, hard look at what’s already on the books.

“Where can we look within the budget and say, wouldn’t we be better to spend more money on these things that we really do need?” Smith said. “So before I get into a discussion about, ‘Gosh, it’d be great if we had another $50 billion,’ where are we spending the money that we have? I think that’s the first question.”

[cuntbreeder]

Reached a major detransition benchmark the other day. A friend of 10+ years went out on a major obligation towards me. No apology, no nothing. She was the only person I really told about my detransition but she didn't really respect it, she called me a weird portmanteau of my name and my previous name. She works at a factory that makes genocide drones for Zionists and that's why she's the only person I know who made more than $3000 this year. Still I was such a fucked up freak of nature that she's one of like two friends I had.

When she backed out on that obligation -- which was a place for me to live, being that I have no job, no employment history, no rental history, and the temperament of a battered street cat -- she told me I had no right to be upset and we could still hang out sometimes if I moved into a nearby homeless shelter which was admittedly very generous of her considering that she was dealing with a freak tranny thing. Then she blocked me everywhere.

Even though I don't have a place to live anymore while I get my gender marker changed back I'm so glad I'm one step closer to putting my whole tranny phase behind me. <3

[umlewis]

Mercedes Abandons New Floor After Spa Practice Struggles

Mercedes has abandoned its new floor for the remainder of Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix weekend, following doubts over its performance during Friday practice. The Brackley-based squad had a disappointing opening day of running at Spa-Francorchamps, with both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton not feeling totally comfortable with how their W15 felt, as they ended the day more than one second adrift of the best times. Despite having made improvements with the set-up over the course of the day, the team was left baffled as to why it was losing up to nine-tenths on the straights compared to their benchmark opposition. They had arrived in Belgium with some confidence that, following a strong showing at the similarly high-speed Silverstone, they should have been able to maintain a similar form this time out. The disappointing pace on Friday immediately prompted some debate about whether updates they had brought this weekend were behind their struggles. With post-session engineering meetings on Friday evening and work conducted in the simulator and factory overnight not delivering a firm conclusion that the new floor was a definite step forward in performance, the team has elected to revert to the previous specification for Saturday morning's running. That decision was also nudged across the line by the likely wet weather that is anticipated, meaning drivers' confidence needs to be at a high while there is also an increased chance of accidents, which could put a strain on spare parts availability. While Mercedes has gone back a floor spec for now, it is understood that the team will now spend the gap before the next race evaluating whether its Friday difficulties were caused by the floor or something else. Mercedes engineering director Andrew Shovlin had said ahead of running that the team had had good faith in the floor bringing a gain. Speaking about the upgrades, he said: “The main thing is the floor. It's just another step of development that we've been able to bring here. It's also nice to get some new parts on the car, because the reality of a cost cap is you're constantly sort of patching them up, trying to repair them. Hopefully this will be a step forward."

[greatwyrmgold]

Before I start the next stage of base-building, I need to plan.

No base screenshots this time. Just diagrams and rambling and ratios. But this post forces me to get my thoughts in order and turns them into something I can consult later, and hopefully someone else will find these ideas useful.

This chart, courtesy of Kirk McDonald's Factorio Calculator, shows most of the steps and ratios needed to get about a hundred SPM. That's what a single rocket silo with three productivity modules mark 3 can achieve, so it's a decent benchmark to aim for. (Mining, smelting, oil-cracking, and wire-assembling are over to the left of this part of the graph. But they're less important.

The lines are a mess, but the numbers are clear, especially if I switch back to the list. This requires something like 18 yellow belts of iron and copper, which is absurd. If I switch to red belts, we get a slightly less absurd nine belts of each (plus 3.6 of green circuits, 1.9 of plastic, and basically everything else <1).

Most of the copper and about a third of the iron are in green circuits. Nearly half of the iron goes into steel. Remove that, and I only need 1.2 belts of iron and 3.7 of copper, about half of which goes into low-density structure.

None of this accounts for non-science production, of course (e.g. automating those assembling machine 3's). But even so, that's a lot less resources than I was anticipating. I considered leaving a spot for trains to add more resources to the bus, but it looks like that's basically unnecessary—especially if I ship in green circuits and steel from elsewhere.

I'm still gonna do it, though.

Next, a diagram I made myself.

At the top are things I intend to put on the main bus. Maybe not coal and batteries, and stone bricks are only required for three things (furnaces for purple science, walls for gray, and miscellaneous furnaces/oil refineries) so they'll fall off the bus quickly enough, but the important thing is that they're excluded from the rest of the diagram.

Automation, logistic, and military science are simple enough. Automation is just bus ingredients, while logistic and military science are basic things, half of which I want to mass-produce anyway. At this stage of the bus, I can also build some basic factory stuff, like mining drills and assemblers Mk 2 and more red belts.

This probably sounds weird, but I think it makes sense to put production science next. (Red chips need to go somewhere earlier, but that's fine.) Its three products are disconnected from things made elsewhere, and it lets me get stone bricks off the bus early. Actually, I might just set up that stone unloading station here, to feed rails to purple science and bricks to wall/electric furnace/miscellaneous factory stuff production.

And chemical science is directly linked to utility science, because both use engines. Ideally I'd like one line of engine assemblers that gets split 2:1 between blue science and electric engines, with a few engines of each type getting stashed for making flame turrets and rocket silos and stuff.

Anyways, the rest of chemical science is straightforward, and utility science isn't much harder. The tricky bit will be setting up a circuit system that lets me set how many logistics and construction bots I want in the robot network, which is something I'll definitely do just to the side of the bus.

And then space science. But that's quite a way off.

All that in mind, let's get some figures.

We'll need almost four red belts of green chips, most of which are going into red and blue chip production. This will take something like four belts of iron and six of copper. Yeah, I should just make green chips off-site.

Green chips aside, phase 1 science requires less than a belt of copper and iron, plus coal for the grenades and stone bricks for the walls.

Phase 2 science requires those bricks, a couple belts of iron, half a belt of copper, and plastic. Also advanced circuits.

Phase 3 science requires like half a belt of copper and iron, plus plastic and sulfur.

Phase 4 requires a full belt of iron, a belt and a half of copper, and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff like batteries and plastic and oil.

Phase 5 (Space) requires most of a belt of iron, almost two belts of copper, two belts of green chips, a belt of plastic, and a bunch of other random stuff.

To keep this nice and expandable, I'd say that four belts each of iron and copper with refill stops between phases should be good. Excessive for one rocket, but when I want to run five rocket silos for infinite research I'll thank me.

Likewise, three belts of green chips (which get replaced by red and blue down the bus) sounds good. A belt of steel, one of gears, one or two belts of plastic, maybe a battery belt.

While I'm here, I'll throw together some thoughts about where to produce various factory buildings.

Electric miners, pumpjacks, red belts, chemical plants, power poles, inserters, and assembler 2's can all go in phase 1.

Furnaces and oil refineries need to go with the other stone brick stuff, at the phase 1/2 boundary.

Substations, roboports, and logistics chests can go in phase 2, after the red chips.

Blue belts can go in phase 3, alongside electric engines. They both need lubricant. Getting the red belts to the blue belts to lubricate them is gonna be interesting. Is that a low-volume train job or a long-distance bot job? Or an awkward belt job? Or maybe Renai Transportation has some silly solution?

Not much new in phase 4.

Assembler 3's share speed modules 1 with RCUs, so it makes sense to build them together. Shipping assembler 2's from one end of the bus to the other is like the belt thing, but more.

Explosives need coal, which if it's not on the bus are only going to grenades. But they also need sulfur from blue science. Hm.

Nuclear reactor stuff and rocket silos are best handled in temporary production setups. Or maybe even handcrafted.

Oh yeah, labs need to go somewhere too.