fmac
14d ago
China has made the supercarrier obsolete
This is a really common sentiment in internet military discussions that is incorrect. Things don't become obsolete in the military because they can get blown up (or blown up easier), they become obsolete when something does their job better than they do.
Tanks aren't obsolete because drones 1/1000th of their cost can make them explode. They are more vulnerable, but they are still useful. Having a giant gun that is armored and can move fast is still useful in 2025.
Human infantry can be killed in ever more creative, precise, and cheap ways. Are human infantry obsolete? No, because we have nothing that can replace what they do.
Carriers are more vulnerable now, the Chinese have a very impressive array of anti ship missiles and sensors to take them out. Does that make the capability of having a floating and mobile airstrip less useful? No. Is there anything that can replace a floating and mobile airstrip? No.
There's also a benefit to having a weapons system even if your enemy can blow it up. It forces them to direct resources into making things that can blow it up, instead of making other things they'd rather make instead.
If militaries stopped using weapons systems every time someone else invented a way to blow them up, militaries wouldn't have any gear, because if you try hard enough you can blow anything up.
fmac
4mo ago
Why don't you like LASIK? In particular, what are your thoughts on how age range effects your recommendation?
fmac
4mo ago
I can explain the basic strategy to get laid on first/second dates
Curious what this is?
Chances are if you're new to regular online dating you're making mistakes
Also curious what these are
fmac
4mo ago
Civ 5 with the (still being actively worked on) vox populi mod that adds more content, rebalances the game, and most importantly, makes the AI way better at both war and economy
fmac
4mo ago
I need you to unpack the MAID opinion more please, I find opposition to it fascinating and profoundly frustrating.
Because you don't trust the government, you think that if I'm diagnosed with incurable and fatal cancer, I have to suffer a prolonged and painful death because you don't trust the government? If you don't trust the government, you don't ever have to consent to MAID, even if an idiot who works for the government suggests it to you as an option.
The fact that anti MAID people think restricting the freedom of other people to choose has never made sense to me.
I strongly recommend reading this article about the end of life care that doctors receive, versus the general population: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2013/03/how-doctors-die/
My initial response was going to be "no, they were replaced by carrier launched airplanes and guided missiles, both of whom could make things over there explode better than a BB"
But I don't have a good argument for why that doesn't apply to tanks. So good point, I'll have to think about that.
More options
Context Copy link