Nick

Theoretically they could do this, if the EU, UK amd Canada combined their militaries into unified forces, and slightly more than doubled their current defense spending, they should be close to the 1 Trillion the US spends each year. Of course practically they’d have to spend a hell of lot more since the US military power is based on building up capabilities over several decades. For instance just to match the US carrier power this new navy would need to build 11 supercarriers at around $13-$15 Billion US each (cost of Ford Class). That’s because the current carrier fleet (france, UK & Italy) only really equals the tonnage/aircraft capacity of the US amphibious carrier fleet of 9 ships… meanwhile the US is still using it’s 20-50+ year old carriers as it’s slowly replacing them. So in the end it would take Trillions and Trillions of military spending and years of manufacturing to even start to come close to US military power - not to mention the years of R&D and Billions/Trillions needed to build next generation hardware.. So yes, in theory these countries can do this and become a true force in the world again……in maybe another 30-50 years…… meanwhile I’m sure plenty in the US would welcome them steeping back up to become more self reliant.

@MosiniElisa Canada + EU should Build the Military Strength and let the US Fall , So Psychopaths like Donald Epstein will stop Bullying !!

Yes, and we Europeans will remember the US betrayal. We will remember your blackmail. We will remember your threats. We will remember your malice. We are Europeans, and we will never forget those who try, now or in the future, to harm Europe or the European people. 🇪🇺

@Quints133 @I_am_Tkgold If you haven’t seen it, watch the movie Fail Safe. Makes you really think, what if…

@I_am_Tkgold Movie upset me and my husband so much LOL. THE ENDING like just leaves you hanging. But in the end with a nuclear missle inbound nobody wins

A solid 1000/100 suspense US navy seal action packed scene 💯 incredibly amazing 🎬🎬 🔥 🔥 🔥 A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE 🧨 🔥 🔥

@eyingus @DrEliDavid To be completely fair, WW1 & WW2 were thank you’s to France for stepping up during the Revolution. Nam was our own stupidity via domino theory…

@DrEliDavid They never reciprocate, we helped French in WW2 and Vietnam. We kept Spain out of joining Axis in WW2. No appreciation whatsoever.

🚨 Breaking: France and Spain are preventing the US from using their airspace for operation Epic Fury. France and Spain are worse than useless, they are actively sabotaging US war efforts.

Saint Patrick’s Day. Time for my annual viewing of Boondock Saints.

@exQUIZitely 688(i) Hunter Killer was my favorite pre 2000s. Late 90s so you got good graphics. Modern sub with more to do, felt like you were in Hunt for Red October. Silent Service II would be my #2 spot though.

From the pre-2000 era, I still rank Silent Service II the best submarine game. I know the competition is tough (Red Storm Rising, Silent Hunter, Wolfpack, etc.), but I always found that Silent Service II had the best mix of historical authenticity, playability, great graphics (remember, this was 1990), and of course the most comprehensive manual (178 pages... nuts)! MicroProse was always the go-to game studio for simulations. Whether in the air, on the ground, or at sea, they created some of the most iconic sims ever, and I consider this one among their finest. You command one of seven authentic submarine types, hunting Japanese convoys. You switch between screens: bridge, periscope, radar, torpedo control, and deck gun - while navigating the Pacific in search of enemy fleets (and trying to avoid the ones with tough destroyers hunting you down). Great graphics, immersive sound (including sonar pings that made you hold your breath), and career mode made it the most comprehensive and realistic submarine simulator of its time, and the overall best of the pre-2000 era.

Personally this is where I think they are making a mistake. They should set the new show after the movie. There’s very little time/character progression available between the end of the series and the movie. Like for how long can they tease River’s backstory/abilities before they start to retcon the movie? By setting it after you don’t restrict yourself in time bubble, and you don’t have to recast/explain Book not being there (RIP). On the downside you loose Wash, which you could still bring back occasionally in a flashback or better yet, make him a robot with Wash’s voice/personality (fans would probably love the inside joke of that for Alan). More importantly, you progress their stories. River - solved, Reevers - solved, what happens next? Does the Alliance survive the truth or do the browncoats rise again?

The funniest part about the fake Firefly reunion is it's set BEFORE Serenity so they don't reference it -- because a different company owns the rights to the movie.

@HunterHarpy @jondelarroz Either he’s left the ship to start his colony or they get another actor to revoice the character like they did for several actors that passed when Babylon 5 did an animated movie a couple years ago. Most actually did great mimicking the characters.

@jondelarroz How would that have worked since Shepard Book was still alive then, but in real-life his actor died nearly ten years ago? (feeling sus that they want to do this when the actor playing the ship's practicing Christian character is dead)

Honestly I think it was just a case of bad timing. There were so many 747-400s built and major airlines (BA 2021, KLM & Qantas 2020, United & Delta 2017) had only just retired a few years before the 737-8 production line stopped (2023). So there was a ton available second hand to convert to cheap freighters (not to mention ones done throughout the 2000s that are just now starting to hit the end of their life cycles. Meanwhile its well known the a380 took orders away from the 747 and the market couldn’t sustain two 4 engine giants in an era of smaller more fuel efficient twin engine and direct service aircraft (thus the success of the 787, a350 and now even narrow bodies taking away that market share) So basically the 747 freighter production line didn’t have enough orders to justify it’s continued operation, even though in another 10 years or so, there’s probably gonna be a need again for the range these had unless the newer a350/777 possible freighters can make up for it. Had the a380 never happened, it’s possible the backlog of passenger aircraft could’ve kept the line open long enough for the market to come back, especially since there would be a drastic drop in 747-8 passenger aircraft eventually available for the cargo market, the purpose built freighters would probably have made a resurgence in orders. At least that’s my take on it

Honest question and you folks at @BoeingAirplanes know your jets are THE reason I dreamt as a child of one day becoming a pilot. Why shut the 747 production line down when the demand for dedicated freighters is clearly there? I’ve never received a clear answer….

Until the mid 2000s it was locals and their friends/relatives getting drunk and sometimes rowdy but with minimal police involvement needed. Then the college kids heard about it and soon it became Boston’s Mardi Gras filled with people from outside of Mass. Those kids grew up and eventually gentrified Southie. Now they’re all taking their poodle mixes out for social media content as the parade goes by….. 🤷🏼

I attended the St. Patrick's Day parade in Southie for the first 20 years of my life. Never major issues and always fun. Then it became a day people thought they could be as drunk, disruptive, and violent as they please. Haven't been back since 2010. Sad.

NASA mya have missed an opportunity, after Challenger and once Buran became public in the late 80s, NASA should’ve shifted Endeavor to an uncrewed fully autonomous shuttle. This way they could possibly focus on a more rapid reusability without needing to break down and inspect so much of it to be safe for human flight each time. It’s certainly possible the economics still wouldn’t have been there over single use rockets. Then again it’s also possible that NRO or other government entity would’ve seen it’s usefulness as a multi month/year orbital platform like they eventually did with the X-37B and helped boost the economic success of the shuttle program. Who knows?

Every time people argue "the Shuttle failed to actually be the cheap rapid launch it set out to be, therefore Starship might fail", I laugh. The incentives for NASA and their contractors were aligned along preserving jobs and reducing risk to astronauts, neither of which requires actually launching quickly and cheaply. Reducing launches actually reduced the risk to astronauts. But for Starship, SpaceX doesn't get to bill NASA for the cost+. Delays cost them money, and actually launching Starlink payloads makes them money. Falcon 9 was the first time a partially reusable launch system was flown with properly aligned incentives. Starship will succeed where the shuttle failed because SpaceX doesn't make money by billing NASA for costs, but by actually rapidly flying and reusing Starship. Because the best way to get people to attack a difficult technical problem is to make it insanely profitable to solve.

So hear me out - first off some of those violations make sense and wouldn’t have happened with a permit. Second, cities should absolutely find ways/designate public areas or times for organizations that want to do this without needing to jump through too many legal loopholes, especially if it’s distributing commercially sealed food/drinks vs homemade. Third, unlike distributing food to homeless, this was a form of political protest not unlike a group that was passing out protest signs, condoms, shirts, ect for their cause. Finally both instances are examples of government over regulation. Everyday people are not allowed to simply live their lives as governments on both sides of the aisle seem to constantly choose political posturing over common sense. Common sense tells us people shouldn’t be penalized for trying to help feed those in need, it also tells us that a criminal is going to use “Illegal” stuff if it suits their crimal needs. Everytime someone advocates for stricter gun laws, all you simply have to point to the failure of the drug laws. Not to mention the common sense that tells us for every 1 person using a gun for violence, there’s hundreds if not thousands that don’t.

1. Fort Lauderdale, Florida (2014) •Volunteers from groups feeding homeless people in parks were arrested for violating a city ordinance requiring permits for food distribution in public spaces. •The law restricted large public feedings in parks. •Several activists were detained, and the case sparked national debate about criminalizing homelessness. 2. Bullhead City, Arizona (2015) •A pastor and volunteers were charged with misdemeanors for serving meals to homeless people in a public park without a permit. 3. Houston, Texas (2012–2018) •Groups distributing food to homeless individuals were cited under health department regulations requiring certification and food-safety training. 4. Sharing Water with Migrants (Arizona Desert) •Volunteers leaving water for migrants crossing the desert have faced prosecution for littering or entering wildlife refuge areas. •In 2019, humanitarian volunteer Scott Warren was prosecuted for giving food, water, and shelter to migrants (he was ultimately acquitted And is more…

I believe in the Bill of Rights and I’m a hunter…but it doesn’t make sense that anyone can have magazines of 30 round freely…but then people in USA go to jail for distributing water and food in the streets…really?

@ScribaTerrarum @thatstarwarsgrl Babylon 5 did decent with this concept so it’s not an immediate pass due to the type of animation.

@thatstarwarsgrl Here's the problem, particularly with hollywood involved in anything. On the left is the animation we want, on the right is the animation we're likely to get.

Here are my thoughts on the Firefly news of the new show being animated: -I’m very happy for all the actors getting to reprise their roles - I think it’s a HUGE missed opportunity to not do it in live action since they’re still capable. - yes if the cartoon is successful it could potentially lead to more BUT why waste time waiting on a potential? We only get a short time on this planet. No one’s getting any younger. Just do a live action show like everyone wants. Thats my 2 cents. What do you think?

@0000fool @WallStreetApes Because it was supposed to be a massive new hit for Universal and they added it to the parks. While the movie flopped the stunt show was a huge hit and thus it’s been a mainstay of the parks ever since.

@WallStreetApes Why tf does one of the worst flops in history have a theme park attraction ?!?!!

At white liberal woman at Universal Studios went to see the Waterworld show She says “Revelations at the WaterWorld show — On god, I think this is what MAGA Republicans want our world to look like” It’s a non political event at a theme park and all they can think about is Trump

Can’t tell if this is a ragebait post or just someone uninformed. Yes Raptor is still being developed, and 3 hasn’t flown but 2 has over 400 engines flown during the previous development stages…. So it’s a proven design that’s being tweaked with version 3. Combining the last 2 RS-25 contracts that refurbished existing engines and set to produce 24 non reusable versions, put each engine at a cost of around $140 million. So 4 engines per launch gives you $560 million per a rocket. Superheavy just sold a single use launch at $90 million, even if you were to double that cost (which is a ridiculous miscalculation of cost) you’re at $180 million which is still less than 3x the cost of the 4 engines for 1 launch of SLS. So even if you took double the price, and added in the low end estimated V2 LEO capacity of 35 tons, Superheavy would still be cheaper to use for the same LEO capacity of SLS - just on the 4 engines alone, not even counting the rest of the rocket’s cost…. So yes, SpaceX is still in development of it’s rocket but it’s been very successful so far and shows no indications of not being able to perform at a level still much much cheaper than SLS. The RS-25s were a great engine but congress mandating the use of a 50 year old design/technology in the interest of saving money vs developing fresh designs like SpaceX and Blue Origin based on new technologies and cost efficiency, has tied NASA’s hands and will ultimately lead to the end of SLS and NASA designed rockets as they just won’t be able to compete in the marketplace within the next 10 year using a rocket at such unbelievable high costs…

Starship is on Raptor 3 and still no where close to mission ready. Since 1981, a total of 46 RS-25s were used for the 135 Shuttle launches and what is coming up on the 2nd Artemis flight. Starship threw away more than that in only 2 flights.

@TheQuartering Take a break from the world going nuts - animated Firefly, good idea to keep the story going and expand the world or bad idea, show was short but Serenity tied up their story nicely so let’s now ruin the legacy.

Have a Doctors appointment early morning in blizzard conditions tomorrow so I have to film today. What news stories are on your minds?

I’m always of the opinion I’d rather have more story for a franchise than less. If it’s bad I just won’t watch it/rewatch it. Got no issues with an animated series as I feel like the recent Babylon 5 one was a pretty successful proof of how to make it work. The 2 main issues I see are 1) Not having Joss Whedon involved. It’s possible someone else could do a good job recreating the magic that made the show work but not having the original creator seems to make that hard to do. 2) Coming up with enough story that keeps evolving the characters but doesn’t overstep/retcon the story in Serenity. For instance, River’s abilities were just starting to show by the end of the series and in the movie they are fully exposed. How much more can those traits develop before it makes no sense that they are still a bit of a reveal in the movie. Same with Mal’s and Inara’s relationship. As much as I’d want Alan Tudyk very involved in the new series, I think the only way to really make it work is to make the series a continuation of life after Serenity with Wash only showing up in a few flashbacks. But we’ll see. Again, a reboot/continuation isn’t going to be as good as the original but it could be a fun addition to the world, Scrubs seems to be doing a decent job and threading that needle of nostalgic formula while continuing the character’s stories and without trying too hard to be exactly what it was.

A Firefly animated series. The only problem here is no studio has picked it up yet.

@BaronDestructo All of those voting paris, think of it this way….how many times was Tom’s skill actually the reason they got away vs the commands of Janeway and weapons of voyager. Serenity’s survival was almost always on Wash’s skill. Wash is the choice at the helm…

The search for our ship's Helmsman continues! (The Final Four) Choose

I’d love to see if they could come up with a modern day storyline that would work. However I think it runs into the same issue it had after Season 1. Being limited to earth, there’s only so many stories you can tell especially if you’re not apart of some larger conflict. Maybe taking some cues from The Last Ship/24, put SeaQuest on a journey to stop a global pandemic but instead of starting at the outbreak like Last Ship, season 1 is them trying to track down an underwater lab accident and possible containment breach. S1 ends with them failing….

This is my official petition for SeaQuest to make a return. @netflix @paramountplus @HBO @AmazonMGMStudio @peacock if any of you are willing to reboot it I’m sure there are plenty of us that would watch it.

@AntiLeftMemes Try to win a gold metal one day? This any different than young kids who train to ski, golf, skate, ect?

In what situation would a child need to know how to do this?

Modern diesel electric subs are typically known to be quiter than SSNs due to less moving machinery for the power plant (mainly the cooling systems if I remember correctly). Now that’s kind of a broad statement since there’s plenty of other factors too but they’ve been shown to defeat US anti-submarine detection in combat simulations.

@DI313_ " Stealthier Than Most Nuclear Subs " Source: trust me bro

‼️Germany's 'Silent Killer' Submarine – Type 212A: Non-Nuclear, But Stealthier Than Most Nuclear Subs! 😱🇩🇪 The Type 212A submarine from the German Navy is one of the most advanced non nuclear submarines in the world. It uses a fuel cell AIP system developed by Siemens that generates electricity using hydrogen and oxygen, allowing the submarine to stay underwater for about 2 to 3 weeks without surfacing and remain extremely quiet. The submarine also features a non magnetic steel hull, X shaped rudders, and low vibration machinery to reduce its acoustic signature. It can reach around 20 knots underwater, dive beyond 700 meters, and is armed with DM2A4 heavyweight torpedoes. Germany currently operates six of these submarines.