Adam Smith
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adambikewrench.bsky.social
Adam Smith
@adambikewrench.bsky.social
Defence / History / Oceania / Wargaming
Former 8541, messenger and bikewrench
CDSS alum

(Certified bicycle mechanic with decades of experience in shops, feel free to DM or post with questions)
Pinned
Forgot the update
Reposted by Adam Smith
Deloitte also fucked up the same way in Australia www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
November 23, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Anyone found any particularly good replacement ear tips for Powerbeats Pros? None of several types I tried fit that great.
November 25, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Adam Smith
National-led government courting Cook Strait disaster.

archive.is/gkvkw
Cook Strait rescue tug going with no replacement
Transport Minister Chris Bishop blames “a significant escalation in costs and little clear benefit” for calling it quits on a replacement.
www.thepost.co.nz
November 24, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by Adam Smith
The Cook Islands allowed over a hundred shadow fleet tankers trafficking sanctioned Russian and Iranian oil. A Big Read from me looking at the curious case of Maritime Cook Islands with an investigation employing big data analysis and fieldwork in Raro. www.nzherald.co.nz/business/com...
The dark fleet hiding in our own backyard: How the Cook Islands sold its flag to Moscow and Tehran
SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: How shadow fleets made the Cook Islands flag inconvienent.
www.nzherald.co.nz
November 24, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by Adam Smith
I have a brilliant idea on how to counter Russia and China. We could focus on building up our partners in Asia and the ongoing conventional fucking war in Europe instead of a pointless war in South America.

Someone make me a senior fellow. This shit's easy as hell.
Cracks me up how you could just replace Venezuela and Venezuelans with Iraq and Iraqis and it’d be indistinguishable from something written in 2002
November 23, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Check out this great work by @strategictrends.bsky.social
(and shoutout to allies, partners, and amphibious defense)
For my Master's thesis, my most important finding was America's traditional asymmetric advantages enjoyed over China, being technological superiority and experience, will almost cease to exist over the next 15 years, but more impactful ones will endure!

Many reasons to hope.

Lets talk about it.
November 24, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Reposted by Adam Smith
RIP Udo Kier, the most gonzo Dracula.
November 24, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Former Finnish PM Sanna Marin put it bluntly: “To end the conflict, Russia must leave Ukrainian territory.”

Just one point. Nothing more to discuss.
November 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Not as much chatter as I would hope on Winston going for the #temuferryoption.
Is this the NZ version of a pivot to China (COMEC)?
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
How the government plans to save $2b on new Cook Strait ferries
The costings have been revealed for the project which will see two new ships sail into New Zealand.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 21, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Descendants of A Company 28th Māori Battalion: the book research trust would like your stories / photos.

Otamatea Marae, Maungaturoto.
29 November.
Pōwhiri at 11am - gather in the carpark by 10.45am.

RSVP on image, and in alt text.
November 20, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Is your tree up yet? #SecretSantaAoNZ
I love reading history and literature, films, modelling and some diy if cornered.
Vinyl and dvd collector, 'zine culture, dada and surrealism.
Te ao Māori
November 20, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Can anyone point me to a good analysis of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021? Specifically, actions that would have made it "better."
November 20, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Reposted by Adam Smith
I don’t think FIFA would move the World Cup from Seattle. Trump is full of bluster. But this isn’t on Katie Wilson to address. It’s on Seattle’s business community, which needs to stop falsely claiming Seattle isn’t safe if they want to protect their potential profits. More here:
November 18, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Pay her.
I’m 250 paid subscribers away from a major goal. Think we can get there tonight? www.thehandbasket.co/upgrade
New — I wrote about the myriad ways journalism’s moral rot manifests, and how our crumbling institutions have created the conditions for it to fester:
November 19, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Turns out the Pope is a major cinephile.
November 17, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Found this piece of iconic metal...
youtu.be/CUeOTOGUimM?...
High On Fire - 10,000 Years
YouTube video by Taj Sampson
youtu.be
November 15, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Reposted by Adam Smith
@zachota.bsky.social
Hawaiian waka comes to Waitangi, 40 years after sparking revival of Māori ocean voyaging www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Hawaiian waka comes to Waitangi, 40 years after sparking revival of Māori ocean voyaging
Hōkūleʻa's historic 1985 journey helped spark the revival of Māori ocean voyaging.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 12, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Tapping the XKCD sign again to explain that no, I won't be seeing an aurora tonight. Or at least I really hope not. That would be bad. :)
November 12, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Took an awesome walk through our town belt. Unrelated to #USMC250 but urah! in any case.
November 11, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Happy Birthday, Marines! Insane what one night of binge drinking in Philly can accomplish.
November 10, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Adam Smith
The Philippine Marine Corps publicly unveiled its BrahMos anti-ship missile system for the first time on Friday, highlighting significant progress in its modernization efforts 🇵🇭🚀

www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...
Philippine Marine Corps flaunts BrahMos missiles in first public display - Naval News
The Philippine Marine Corps publicly unveiled its BrahMos anti-ship missile system for the first time on Friday, highlighting significant progress in its modernization efforts.
www.navalnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Yes, but that also applies to every other ship, submarines excepted. Carriers aren't more vulnerable than anything else. I heard a good line the other day, "The only things that will be in the Western Pacific will be both kinds of marines: U.S. Marines and submarines."
November 8, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Autonomous Systems: Learning the Right Lessons from Ukraine for Down Under. My testimony about the lessons of Ukraine and the future of autonomous systems in war for an Australian parliamentary committee hearing this week.
mickryan.substack.com/p/autonomous...
Autonomous Systems: Learning the Right Lessons from Ukraine for Down Under
My testimony about the lessons of Ukraine and the future of autonomous systems in war for an Australian parliamentary committee hearing this week.
mickryan.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Reposted by Adam Smith
Austal Australia has displayed a new concept for optionally crewed surface drones at Indo Pacific 2025. Perhaps more importantly, the company also demonstrates the AROS command and control solution. Give it a read, at @navalnews.com.

www.navalnews.com/event-news/i...
Austal Shows Vantage Drones, AROS Controller At INDOPAC 2025
Austal Australia revealed the Vantage-range of surface drones and the AROS command and control suite at Indopacific 2025 in Sydney this week.
www.navalnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:12 AM