The WSJ reports that China is on an extensive push to drive out Western tech companies from the country and replace them with domestic alternatives. China reportedly started its domestic expansion in 2022 with a highly secretive “Document 79,” an initiative focused on deleting Western tech companies from the country. Since...
Let’s cut through the noise here. The idea that China has been playing 4D chess while the West plays checkers is a sexy narrative, but it misses the forest for the trees. Yes, China has masterfully leveraged the existing global system, pulling itself up from the economic bootstraps with a mix of state-driven capitalism and strategic engagement with Western technology and markets. This isn’t a con; it’s smart strategy, plain and simple. They saw an opening in the global market’s hunger for cheap labor and pounced, all while Western companies tripped over themselves to cut costs and boost quarterly earnings. Exploitative? Perhaps. But a con game? Hardly. Both sides knew what they were getting into; it was a marriage of convenience where both parties shared the bed for mutual benefit.
Now, onto this doomsday prophecy about the U.S. spiraling into oblivion. If you’re betting on American collapse, you’re going to lose your shirt. The U.S. isn’t just standing; it’s adapting and moving in ways that the naysayers seem to conveniently overlook. Post-COVID, the stats tell a story not of decline but of rebound and resilience. Unemployment’s in check, inflation fears are being managed, and domestic consumption is through the roof. Americans are spending, industries are innovating, and energy? The U.S. is sitting on an energy bonanza that makes the Middle Eastern oil sheikhs blush. Thanks to shale, the U.S. is not just energy independent; it’s a global energy heavyweight.
And let’s not forget technology. Silicon Valley isn’t just a place; it’s a global beacon of innovation. AI, biotech, quantum computing—you name it, the U.S. is at the sharp end of the spear. This innovation engine isn’t sputtering; it’s accelerating, fueled by a demographic dynamism that much of the developed world can only dream of, thanks largely to immigration.
As for Europe, casting it as the West’s last bastion against a rising China misses the point. Europe has its cards to play, sure, but don’t count the U.S. out of the game. The American economy is a behemoth, driven by internal markets, technological supremacy, and demographic vitality. Europe’s integration and strategic coherence are worth watching, but let’s not pretend it’s the only show in town.
In sum, the narrative that China’s rise comes at the expense of a declining West, and particularly a faltering U.S., is overly simplistic and frankly, wrong. We’re in a period of massive global transition, sure, but the American decline? That’s not the story being written. The U.S. is shifting gears, and the next chapter might just surprise the gloom-and-doom crowd.
The thing is, American politics is inherently cyclical. Yes, it’s a rollercoaster with the parties flipping policies like burgers at a BBQ, but that’s the beauty of it. This isn’t weakness; it’s the vibrancy of democracy in action. It creates a resilience, a kind of institutional elasticity that’s unique.
Now, about the U.S. pulling back from the world stage—it’s not so much isolationism as it is recalibration. America’s geography, its energy independence—these are cards other countries can only dream of. This allows for a shift in priorities without losing global influence. The world’s changing; the U.S. is just adjusting its sails, not abandoning the ship.
Talk of secession, extremism—it’s eye-catching, sure, but let’s not get carried away. The U.S. is facing challenges, absolutely. Polarization, debates on its identity and role globally, these are serious. But remember, the U.S. has navigated through civil wars, major economic depressions, and profound social changes. It’s not just going to crumble.
In this global game, where uncertainty seems to be the only constant, the U.S. remains a key player. It’s picking its battles, sure, but when it steps onto the field, it plays to win. The essence here is not about a retreat but a strategic pivot. The world’s a complex place, and the U.S., with all its debates and divisions, is still right at the heart of it, making moves that count.
As an example: I was doing a search for the best sesame substitute today. Everything that came up was things like, “11 Best Sesame Substitutes,” and I know for a fact that just about everything they suggested tastes nothing like sesame. Just another site trying to get hits. So I added reddit.com into my search parameters and...
EDIT: The only reason why I still had it at this point was because I could use it with other apps. However, now that my Spotify Subscription is cancelled, it doesn’t work with anything. It’s mildly infuriating because today, I can’t still use it with other apps like I was able to yesterday....
FYI, those are known to be full of malware if you buy the random branded ones off Amazon. It’s Highly recommend that people go with known reputable brands.
A bit of a tangent, but I've recently shifted my focus to reading content behind paywalls and have noticed a significant improvement in the quality of information compared to freely accessible sources. The open internet does offer valuable content, but there's often a notable difference in journalistic rigor when a subscription fee is involved. I suspect that this disparity might contribute to the public's vulnerability to disinformation, although I haven't fully explored that theory.
This has been my sticking point with trains. In theory, it sounds fantastic and I’m all for it. The problem is is that Having a vehicle is so much nicer. Air conditioned and private transportation, whenever you want. Listen to what you want, go where you want.
Maybe if the train was much more convenient? I like the idea for travel more.
It’s be way harder for me to go back to corded tools. Li-Po tools are incredibly convenient. I’ve been able to buy adapters for dewalt batteries that make them work with all kinds of tools and devices (including an adapter for a Dyson handheld vacuum).
Lightweight, powerful, and the batteries can be swapped (as well as a decent amount of aftermarket batteries and adapters).
Same. People used low quality Ni-Mh batteries and got what they paid for. Eneloops have worked great for me. Believe it or not, Duracell has been great too. It’s the energizers that have all been awful for me.
Unpopular opinion: bots might be a good thing for now.
I’m speaking from a growth perspective. Assuming users want to use social media to…socialize… you need active users and constant content. New social media platforms have a lack of users and content. Bots can bridge that gap until enough users are contributing and using the platform.
If you really think about it, it comes down to a platform using bots effectively. Let’s say the bots will only submit content when user submitted content falls below a threshold. Maybe it will auto generate threads for breaking news.
What if bots are used to ask questions and further conversations, like a social lubricant. Employed in a way to pull more useful information from users or to keep people engaged.
This all hinges on the ability for a bot to appear real.
This sounds super fucked when you think about it. I’m not a fan of bot content. If you didn’t know it was a bot, what difference would it make? LLM might be able to make it engaging and natural.
As the service grows, I have noticed more and more people and bots popping up, only posting links to a news article and that’s that. Usually there is no post, no summary and nothing from the OP but the link....
Google news is actually fantastic. I picked it up when Reddit dropped and it’s been a great time killer. Encouraged me to sub to a news site and read articles and less comments. Kbin/lemmy have been like a nicotine patch to get off Reddit.
They were pretty cool enlightenment thinkers who created the first constitutional republic and were able to muscle out the British Empire. It’s pretty remarkable.
Texas is number two in the country for PV capacity, and number one for wind power generation (by a long shot).
If you look at the numbers, you’ll notice that it doesn’t really correlate with political affiliation, but instead where it’s economically viable. The prices of the PV panels are slowly coming down, so we should see it become more prevalent as time goes on.
Did you look into 12v mini split systems? Avoiding the need for an inverter might drastically bring down costs and efficiency. I’ve seen a couple sets out on the market that come with everything already (prefilled mini split system and solar panels). Adding a transfer switch and an inverter could get you somewhere! I liked the idea of it purely as an “assist” with a larger system. Pull some heat out of the house to reduce the load on the main hvac system.
Google raising price of YouTube Premium to $13.99 per month: The price of an individual YouTube Premium subscription is increasing by $2 to $13.99 per month in the US for new and current customers. https://9to5google.com/2023/07/19/youtube-premium-price-increase/
China wants to rid itself of Western tech by 2027 -- outlines domestic alternatives in 'Document 79' (www.tomshardware.com)
The WSJ reports that China is on an extensive push to drive out Western tech companies from the country and replace them with domestic alternatives. China reportedly started its domestic expansion in 2022 with a highly secretive “Document 79,” an initiative focused on deleting Western tech companies from the country. Since...
Many searches are useless without including reddit.com
As an example: I was doing a search for the best sesame substitute today. Everything that came up was things like, “11 Best Sesame Substitutes,” and I know for a fact that just about everything they suggested tastes nothing like sesame. Just another site trying to get hits. So I added reddit.com into my search parameters and...
Ukraine tells critics of slow counteroffensive to 'shut up' (www.reuters.com)
The Spotify Car Thing cost $100, but I can't use it anymore. (lemmy.ml)
EDIT: The only reason why I still had it at this point was because I could use it with other apps. However, now that my Spotify Subscription is cancelled, it doesn’t work with anything. It’s mildly infuriating because today, I can’t still use it with other apps like I was able to yesterday....
Websites blocking OpenAI (lemmy.world)
Websites blocking OpenAI wayde.gg/websites-blocking-openai
[meme] Trains -- not driverless cars -- are the future of transportation (lemmy.world)
Image transcript:...
Honeycomb Tool Wall is Coming Along (i.imgur.com)
I keep adding more tool holders to this as I find the need. Still have one blank area to fill, but it’s mostly there.
Come on down! (lemmy.ca)
Video games are one of the few places where failure motivates us to get back up. It's a temporary setback that allows you to keep going, teaching us resilience and the power of a second chance.
i swer i’m not high…
I just wanted to take a minute to appreciate interchangable batteries (lemmy.ml)
I know these are currently out of fashion but I’m still thankful they exist....
Lemmy is popular nowadays, yet is losing its active users (lemm.ee)
Similar to Mastodon’s spikes last year, it seems. Anyways, there is data to think about. Source
What are your thoughts on bots and people posting only news articles on lemmy?
As the service grows, I have noticed more and more people and bots popping up, only posting links to a news article and that’s that. Usually there is no post, no summary and nothing from the OP but the link....
George Washington *literally* had skin cancer. (lemmy.world)
Run your window AC with just 2 solar panels when sun shines. Easy DIY project you can do in one day. (www.youtube.com)
Obviously there’s lots to improve here, but for plenty of people this is a great starting point.
Google Is Really, Really Thirsty (gizmodo.com)
Highlighting that in the article researchers found that the average chat with ChatGPT is the equivalent of dumping one bottle of water on the floor.
Antarctic sea ice extent is now 6.4 standard deviations below the 1991-2020 mean. (i.imgur.com)
Update: The hottest 21 days ever recorded were the last 3 weeks (lemmy.world)
Post source: mas.to/...
quick reminder (lemmy.world) French