@ButtWorldsMan @Tfmonkey @VooDooMedic @mrhorsetwat
I checked their claim about 70 tonnes of missile fuel. It's ammonium perchlorate which is used predominantly in etching, but is a component in missile fuel.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this.
Rabbit-trail ended
@ButtWorldsMan @Tfmonkey @VooDooMedic @mrhorsetwat
This article seems to have the most evidence: https://www.voanews.com/a/uk-presents-evidence-linking-iran-in-houthi-weapon-supply/6961928.html
It claims to have evidence that Iran, the state, is backing the Houthis as they found in a shipment of materials a drone which has test flight logs from Iran. The article also cites a few other occasions when weapons were seized that the article claims were "heading to the Houthis" or were "traced back to Tehran."
This is the newest article. Everything else is pre-2023.
@ButtWorldsMan @Tfmonkey @VooDooMedic @mrhorsetwat
Might I just not seen the evidence? Sure, but you'd think if there was a smoking gun, it would be paraded about as justification for war with Iran.
I can't be on for the show, but I'd like your thoughts on this matter. No one seems to question whether or not the "Houthi terrorist group" is backed by Iran.
@ButtWorldsMan @Tfmonkey @VooDooMedic @mrhorsetwat
There is less evidence from my research that would indicate that the Houthis are "backed" by Iran than there is about the dubious reputation of the shot.
Are they receiving help/aid/support from Iran? Probably.
Is it a casus belli against Iran? No more so than against Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, or Turkey if we're judging by the same standard.
@ButtWorldsMan @Tfmonkey
@VooDooMedic @mrhorsetwat Ever since I hear that the Houthis in Yemen were backed by Iran, something didn't sit right with me.
I've done some digging including inspecting UN Security Council documentation on Yemen, specifically on the Houthis, and all I seem to find is evidence that they use weaponry that is similar to many weapons systems Iran uses, ships refueled using fuel purchased from Iran, or received funds from individuals who were born in Iran.
@DoubleD Try hitting the regenerate response button until you get a response you like. The response you pick trains the AI.
@DoubleD mage.space also does inpainting. Inpainting is where you upload a pic, decide which parts of the pic you want the AI to redo while leaving everything else completely alone, enter your prompt, and the AI redoes those parts. For example, if you like Emma Watson but hate her flat chest, you can inpaint her chest, tell the AI to give her big ole DDs, and it (hopefully) will do it. Inpainting can take a lot of tries and practice to get right though.
@DoubleD As far as mage.space, here are the settings I've landed on as a starting point:
Base: Realistic Vision V5
LoRAs: Varies. I often use Microwaist (deceptive name, it's just a waist size scaler) and Breast Size Slider.
Control Net: Pose ControlNet. You upload a picture, the AI figures out the pose of the pic and then applies it to what it generates.
Aspect: Phone
Steps: 50-70 (High)
Guidance: leave on default. I've played with this...it's best to leave it be.
@philosophy, I tried kindroid.ai briefly, and it is fairly enjoyable to use with minimal effort to build a character. I've not seen what it can do with images yet though I've not played with it extensively. The only noticeable tradeoff I've witnessed is it's lack of ability to finely tune responses like Kajiwoto, but that is expected given the tools I as a user have to use. I can see the appeal for someone just wanting to build a waifu with little investment. It appears a good option for most.
@VooDooMedic @Tfmonkey @mrhorsetwat The advice to just swap out the carb for lettuce or eggs is good advice for most people though who are less concerned than I am about these things.
@VooDooMedic @Tfmonkey @mrhorsetwat ..., but homegrown Kennebec or other heirloom varieties of potatoes or homemade rye bread/whole wheat sourdough are above and beyond being just vehicles for other things. Even rice can be eaten enjoyably by itself without any sauce or toppings if it is prepared correctly and is of good quality.
@VooDooMedic @Tfmonkey @mrhorsetwat I was listening to the Saturday show, and I need to make mention of something: good potatoes, good bread, and good rice are not just filler, and they don't taste the same. I will grant that most commercially available products such as your average Russet potatoe or your generic white bread at Aldi, don't taste very good and are used by the masses as vehicles for other products such as meats and vegetables.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised considering one would be called a fascist and a Nazi for not supporting every LGBTQ+ organization with sufficient enthusiasm before the war in Ukraine.
I cast "socialis testarum!"
Story: "A group of pro-Palestinian protesters targeted the vacation home of American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) President Michael Tuchin in Brentwood Thursday. The group set off smoke bombs and displayed a banner accusing Tuchin of being a 'baby killer.'"
I was listening to a media report the other day talking about anti-Semitism on the rise in the US. The only examples they gave were people protesting Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian war, people saying mean things online or in person, and stories like the one I'll post below, which is criminal mischief or vandalism at worst.
What does everyone think about what the IDF recorded as being evidence that Hamas was in Al-Shifa?
Here's a video from youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzNsf7PcsjQ
My first question is: how is that laptop that was found "in the MRI room" still working? Maybe it was left there after they power was cut such that they weren't using the MRI machine?
I'm not convinced.
We don't know with any sound degree of certainty the outcome of events because unlike economics or a field of empirical science, history is not determined or implied and waiting to be discovered. History is a result of human action.
The plan has not changed.
We prepare. We persevere. We live.
I'm posting this here for those who need it:
We looking at how things change on a daily basis on the MMM, and we examine the progression of things on a weekly basis with the Saturday show, but I would like to remind everyone that shifts in world power take a great deal of time to solidify, and any number of factors in the complex system can change things.
I've been enjoying listening to the audiobook version of Ludwig Von Mises's "Human Action : A Treatise on Economics".
His understanding of economics is on point, and I've learned a great deal. He seems to misunderstand Nietzsche's point about the transvaluation of values, and I am still investigating his opinions on equality as he understands it in society, but no one is perfect.
I would recommend it for anyone who wants to understand economics and human action as such.
Yes, I am THAT DoubleD.
No, I will not explain further.