FourFans

It's call KERS...and it's been around for a minute: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy_recovery_system. It's rather heavy for the small payback you get though. Beyond that, they've proven that any wind-generation system loses more energy to drag than is recovered, otherwise you'd see them used in some form on every single 24-hour racer. Currently, the only energy semi-efficient way of powering a car on the move is solar...which is anything BUT cost efficient, therefore they're don't do it. However, the jury is still out on big-rigs, as they have the real estate on top of the trailer to house enough solar to be effective. The problem there is that users, not the trucking company, have to foot the bill for putting solar on their trailers. We're still exploring the benefits of aerodynamically streamlining big-rigs as it is, so any development will be sure to be slow.

quality save

Ah Fascism... ...any students of ACTUAL history here?

This is at the heart of my concern. Let's assume best case, and Ukraine restores it's borders and kicks Russia out. After that, they have to rebuild, which requires money. Their strongest habit over the past two decades has been to sell whatever they can to whomever will pay. Why do you think old USSR arms ended up all over Africa, SE Asia and SW Asia? Fast forward to them funding their reconstruction, regardless how much money is pumped in by the west, the national habit of international arms sales will come right back into full swing. Not looking forward to the likes of an Al-Shabab armed with Javelins and Stingers. These things move. Quickly. Imagine the headline of a South American nation having their federal agencies going against stingers and javelins. Likely? No. Possible? Definitely...and possible should be enough to move the needle...but I don't think it will be. Like I said: Real leadership is required. Strong leaders make for peaceful times that create weak men. Weak leaders make for hard times that create strong men. Take a guess where we are on that spectrum.

For posterity, I am on the side of arming the Ukrainians to defeat the Russians instead of fighting that with American or western European troops, but the world is never so perfect as to have a beautiful hollywood ending. Anyone wondering where this is going: watch Charlie Wilson's War, consider our experiences in Afghanistan, and then watch Send Me. I don't think it foreshadows what will come in Ukraine, but that sequence does show the outcomes of decision making that fails to analyze possible impacts of 2nd and 3rd order effects of our actions or in-actions. I'm sincerely hoping Ukraine comes out the other side of this as a free democratic nation allied to the West. Even if they do, if we think the weapons that are getting sent there right now WON'T at some point kill westerners, we're naive. If that's the cost of doing business, then so be it. Hopefully we at least acknowledge and prepare for that outcome. If ever we needed competent, courageous, and wise leaders to make tough and messy moral decisions, it's now.

Holy hell. This thread is what happens when graduated assistant-to-the-deputy group commanders are now 737 FOs and no longer have O-3 execs to pontificate at concerning their immense, hard earned, and expansively broad wisdom. Oh yeah, BrightNeptune: You should go home. You're drunk.

Brilliant scientist. Also a narcissistic d-bag who no one voted for yet somehow set national economic and social policy...as a medical expert... Good riddance.

...if this were a roll call...you'd have 10 pool balls in your face (no sts)...and I'd still be puking... There are standards and then there's ClearedHot... But then there are standards

🤮

I move that Random Guy be read-only or flat out blocked from this thread. As much as we want to hear about his timeshare opportunities and how we should invest in doge coin, this is about the Ukraine war and not his idiotic drivel.

Ah, yes. We all miss Rainman.

ever so slightly

I got the lovely joy of a go-around at Tarin Kot one bright evening in AFG. Turns out that firing range off the departure end was no joke. Got to watch multiple items riciochet flying off the (whatever the i'msureitwasn'taBMP) target on either side of us...and 2 items THROUGH our aircraft. Yeah...they never talk about what happens AFTER all that led lands on target. Big sky theory... MX wasn't happy about it...but we brought all 8 of those tails home with combat patches and hail damage waivers. Thank you Mr Lockheed for the 2.5 safety factor. Writeup: Missed approach followed by 'merica penetrating our aircraft. NSTR fun fact: This happened 2 days after my profile picture was taken.

Oh, we're posting selfies now?

Truth. 5Y Alumni who is now a 5Xer. Seems like half of this past year's classes at Brown have been Atlas grads. All but one of my Atlas indoc class has now moved on.

Months, not years.

Welcome to my latest installment of DON'T TAKE THE BONUS

This one belongs in the monkeypox thread...because that's a way to get monkeypox

edit: I went over to the money thread...time I'll never get back...and realized what Random Guy really is, so I'll stop feeding the troll.

Hold up, you're saying MEM-ANC is the worst leg in your system? Must be a hell of a system!

@Random Guy Has anyone ever described you as 'punchable'? After reading your posts, I'm guessing you're quite punchable after the first five minutes of conversation.

Preach. Well, shortly at brown we'll vote in a 2 year extension that'll bump up the baseline pay for the group. We're team players like that. Thank the new Teamsters leadership.

All of them

Any Purple People want to chime in? Sounds like you guys aren't too happy about contracts over there either.