u/Permission-Shoddy

I've always really liked Ursula K Le Guin's idea of FTL travel: that actual FTL travel is currently and will always be impossible, and that a trip from one star to the next will take decades (even going a significant fraction of lightspeed), but that the transmission of information instantly over that distance could hypothetically be possible.

In this case, how could a government project power? Government only has power currently because its subjects believe that it has power and that its laws are significant, and this belief fundamentally comes from a monopoly on violence (being by far the biggest and most powerful organization in a given area, by sheer violent force). But over such a great distance, how could a government project that violent power? Certainly ships can't fly quickly, so say a colony on a different planet declares its independence, how could that be realistically prevented by a government by using instant communication alone?

How could this be done by an authoritarian, or even totalitarian government? By intentionally building computer systems which can only effectively be operated via data connection to the central home system?

TLDR: Given the idea that instant information communication between planets could be not only possible, but relatively costless, but actual transportation of matter/energy would take decades and be mostly impractical, how could a centralized interstellar government continue to project control/authority?

Part of the Worse on Purpose blog, saw it and saw (as far as I know) no one else had posted it here

It's about how private equity and venture capital have systematically bought up brands known for reliability in cookware and made them worse to loot whatever they can from their reputations. All for profit.

Personally my two top interests are cookware (I dunno why, just obsessed) and economics so this was super interesting.

TLDR: Of course the primary consideration when buying cookware is how it performs for other people, but a secondary concern should be who currently owns the brand, and if they have the right incentive structure to direct them to make quality products vs looting the company and leaving

For sure if anyone wants to discuss further feel free!

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to find a birthday present for my bf and he's recently indicated that he really likes the Thursday Boots Captain. I was wondering a few things:

1. Are the differences between Heritage Captain and Regular Captain worth it being $35 more expensive? I'll probably go with Heritage but I'm curious what y'all have to say, subjectively, in your opinion?

2. We live in a cold part of the US and while he'll be using these boots as everyday shoes, he really struggles with ice. I noticed that the regular Heritage Captain sole doesn't look very traction-y, while the StormKing looks great. In general, do y'all feel much of a difference between the sole of the regular and the StormKing?

3. It's hard to measure his feet without him knowing I'm getting this for him. I completely accept that we might have to use the return/exchange policy if I get the wrong size - however, I want to try to guess right the first time. I know that he currently wears a pair of Duluth Trading Company Wild Boar Mocassins in Men's 10 Wide (their website offers medium and wide), but I honestly have no idea what that width means in terms of Thursday Boots' letter-based width scale. Any ideas on this would be appreciated! Thanks!

EDIT: Anyone who typically wears E or EE shoes (he's in between) have any personal experience with Heritage Captains?

EDIT EDIT: Pulled the trigger on a pair of Heritage Captain StormKings in Brownstone (hell yeah!!) and I'm so excited for them to arrive!!! I really hope he likes them

I have a full time job so I cannot do it but someone PLEASE make an Ireland flavor mod

P L E A S E !!!!

Especially now that we have the national awakening cultural mechanics and stuff. An Gorta Mór is a nice mod but I'm talking more about historical events, historical characters (Connolly, Plunkett, etc.), historical flags, ahistorical flags (the Starry Plow, etc.) and in general an event chain by which Ireland can gain its freedom from the Empire through funding by overseas Irish populations

Edit: For a century marked by 3 (!!!) different rebellions, a genocidal manmade famine, open hostility on ethnic and religious grounds, all in one of the geographically and historically most important provinces of the most important empire in the game (so critical to the game that it's literally named after this empire's leader)...

... it's odd that there's absolutely zero specific flavor for Ireland as both the UK and as a released Ireland. It's like making a Roman Empire game without specific flavor for the Britannic provinces (referencing the history of constant revolts). Entire sessions of UK politics were defined by The Irish Question, and a lot of the populating of the Americas came as a direct impact of the Famine.

The British learned and precised their colonial practices first and foremost in Ireland, through the plantation system, and then exported that to the rest of the world. The Famine was caused by Irish tenant farmers (paying exorbitant rent to British landlords) working to farm tons of luxury goods, which were all shipped across the world - while the Irish Catholic peasants were forced to live on subsistence farming a single crop (potatoes), a precarious situation that was a direct result of Britain's open hostility and interest in global export

Now that I'm thinking about it this feels like a massive blindspot in the development of Victoria and in the modding community, since there's SOOOO much potential here

Hey all, anyone know where I can find a stainless Higonokami? I know there are some VG-10 ones but I'm trying not to spend more than $50 if possible, and these are pretty pricey.

I have a Blue #2 one and love it but this is for my niece who would find a Higo really cool but probably wouldn't be able to take care of/prevent rust on a carbon one (hence stainless)

Any recommendations would be appreciated!! Thanks!!