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Friday LOLs. It was a beautiful meeting. The most beautiful meeting ever.

Of course there'd be memes after the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, you didn't expect there wouldn't be, did you?

My fave:

( Also these )

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On topic: Techno-authorianism

First, what the term really means. Digital authoritarianism, also called IT-backed authoritarianism, is where governments use information technologies to control and reshape societies. Core tactics include mass surveillance (biometrics, facial recognition), Internet firewalls and censorship, algorithmic disinformation, and social credit systems. While traditionally associated with dictatorships like China and Russia, democratic regimes are increasingly deploying similar tools.

Case in point: China of course. Because the Chinese model stands out pretty much: a vast censorship network (the “Great Firewall”), combined with encrypted surveillance and data integration across sectors, enforces compliance and limits dissent. What we're seeing in China is intensified regional internet censorship, where provinces like Henan have blocked vastly more domains than the national average.

( And this is starting to be observed in democratic societies now )

Entry tags:

fiction,
offtopic

Friday curious. LoTR reimagined, the Soviet way

How does a culture reshape familiar stories to reflect its own values and worldview? Well, the Russian (or rather, Soviet) version of The Lord of the Rings, titled The Last Ringbearer, reimagines Mordor as a misunderstood industrial power. Tolkien’s tale becomes biased history told by the victors, challenging the moral simplicity of the original.

Mordor is portrayed as a center of science and progress, threatening the magical elites of the West. Rational innovation clashes with feudal stagnation, turning the story into a battle of ideas rather than good versus evil.
Gandalf and the Elves are recast as colonial aggressors, waging war to suppress Mordor’s rise. Their campaign is driven by fear of change, not moral righteousness.

This retelling reflects Russian skepticism of Western narratives and embraces moral ambiguity. It questions historical authority and asks who decides what’s “good” or “evil.”

The Last Ringbearer has a niche but passionate following. Some praise its depth; others critique its heavy-handedness. Still, it remains a bold cultural reinterpretation of a beloved classic.

More on Wiki.

Entry tags:

health,
science

The end of the 10K steps myth

A new international study published in The Lancet shows that walking around 7,000 steps a day is sufficient to significantly improve health and lower the risk of serious conditions:

All-cause mortality: –47%
Cardiovascular disease: –25%
Dementia: –38%
Depression: –22%
Cancer: –6%
Type 2 diabetes: –14%
Falls: –28%

LINK1 / LINK2

Turns out, even walking as few as 4K steps daily offers noticeable benefits compared to very low activity levels (~2K).

Granted, additional health gains continue beyond 7K steps, but the return diminishes, making 7K a practical and achievable target.

Funnily, the widely held belief in the 10K step goal originated from a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign rather than scientific evidence. Hardly surprising that it has taken hold in public perception.

So... rejoice! For smart folks now suggest that 5-7K steps may be a more realistic benchmark for most people. And just as effective.

Entry tags:

israel,
palestine

(no subject)

I don't know what's happening in Gaza.

I'm on the other side of the world with nothing but tv and internet sources to rely on. I've seen plenty of horrific pictures and videos, read a few strongly worded articles describing horrific things, but nothing seems certain.

If you can't know, the next best thing is knowing the possibilities. It shouldn't be too hard to narrow them down. It wasn't. I did it already. There are 3. Put that sexy guessing hat on, here we go...

A) Israel is doing nothing wrong. No genocide, no starvation, no sniping kids, no bombing churches or mosques or hospitals or journalists, no international treaty/convention lines have been crossed whatsoever.

B) Israel is doing the aforementioned horrible things and is getting away with it because (insert any variation of 'jews control the world')

C) Israel is doing the aforementioned horrible things and is getting away with it because (insert explanation that absolutely does not in any way imply any variation of 'jews control the world')

A seems pretty basic, but if that is your choice and you want to elaborate please do.

If B, you can just rank where you are on a 'jews control the world' scale from 1 (acknowledgement they have a disproportional amount of leverage/influence) to 10 (they have weather/earthquake machines)

If C - this seems to be the least explained position so unfortunately you have more explaining to do. Good thing explaining is fun.