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@cokeynesian.bsky.social
Ideologically idiosyncratic. On polichron.substack.com
SpaceX promised Silicon Valley-style disruption. And, amazingly, they delivered it.
The key was that they made the Falcon 9 reusable (something the old players in the industry thought impossible or unwise), which completely changed the game.
The key was that they made the Falcon 9 reusable (something the old players in the industry thought impossible or unwise), which completely changed the game.
November 7, 2025 at 1:36 PM
SpaceX promised Silicon Valley-style disruption. And, amazingly, they delivered it.
The key was that they made the Falcon 9 reusable (something the old players in the industry thought impossible or unwise), which completely changed the game.
The key was that they made the Falcon 9 reusable (something the old players in the industry thought impossible or unwise), which completely changed the game.
Who robbed the Louvre? Right answers only
October 19, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Who robbed the Louvre? Right answers only
I know everyone likes to mock AI, but it's damn useful when you're trying to find something you don't know the name of.
October 18, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I know everyone likes to mock AI, but it's damn useful when you're trying to find something you don't know the name of.
Absolutely. This was especially true in Britain, where the Tories were blamed for the disasters of the interwar years and the failure to build the "Land fit for heroes" that had been promised after WW1.
October 12, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Absolutely. This was especially true in Britain, where the Tories were blamed for the disasters of the interwar years and the failure to build the "Land fit for heroes" that had been promised after WW1.
The past is a different country
October 10, 2025 at 10:55 AM
The past is a different country
Jim Callaghan was "completely unaware of homosexuality until well into [his] adult life". He claimed he "never came across anything like that" when he was in the Navy.
September 29, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Jim Callaghan was "completely unaware of homosexuality until well into [his] adult life". He claimed he "never came across anything like that" when he was in the Navy.
The Rand Corporation has an old paper from the '80s with an entire list of various ethnic slurs used in the Soviet forces.
www.rand.org/content/dam/...
www.rand.org/content/dam/...
September 18, 2025 at 10:08 PM
The Rand Corporation has an old paper from the '80s with an entire list of various ethnic slurs used in the Soviet forces.
www.rand.org/content/dam/...
www.rand.org/content/dam/...
For me the biggest argument was just pointing to the atrocious performance of actually exisitng communist states in Europe.
You can come up with all sorts of clever theoretical arguments for communism, but the actual track record as an economic project is not impressive, to put it mildly.
You can come up with all sorts of clever theoretical arguments for communism, but the actual track record as an economic project is not impressive, to put it mildly.
September 18, 2025 at 9:44 PM
For me the biggest argument was just pointing to the atrocious performance of actually exisitng communist states in Europe.
You can come up with all sorts of clever theoretical arguments for communism, but the actual track record as an economic project is not impressive, to put it mildly.
You can come up with all sorts of clever theoretical arguments for communism, but the actual track record as an economic project is not impressive, to put it mildly.
No other book I have read has had a footnote like *this*. It's just astonishing.
September 18, 2025 at 12:15 AM
No other book I have read has had a footnote like *this*. It's just astonishing.
The story of the author of this book is fucking insane.
> Born a Hungarian-Jew
> Used as slave labour by Horthy's regime
> Deported to Auschwitz
> Released, becomes a student in Vienna
> Captured by Smersh, sent to the Gulag
> Released, returns to Hungary...
> Born a Hungarian-Jew
> Used as slave labour by Horthy's regime
> Deported to Auschwitz
> Released, becomes a student in Vienna
> Captured by Smersh, sent to the Gulag
> Released, returns to Hungary...
September 18, 2025 at 12:15 AM
The story of the author of this book is fucking insane.
> Born a Hungarian-Jew
> Used as slave labour by Horthy's regime
> Deported to Auschwitz
> Released, becomes a student in Vienna
> Captured by Smersh, sent to the Gulag
> Released, returns to Hungary...
> Born a Hungarian-Jew
> Used as slave labour by Horthy's regime
> Deported to Auschwitz
> Released, becomes a student in Vienna
> Captured by Smersh, sent to the Gulag
> Released, returns to Hungary...
West German industry actually had better equipment (e.g, machine tools, plant, etc) in 1948 than in 1938.
Most of the damage done by the War was the Allies' pulverising the transport system. German factories benefited from the War.
Most of the damage done by the War was the Allies' pulverising the transport system. German factories benefited from the War.
September 10, 2025 at 7:54 PM
West German industry actually had better equipment (e.g, machine tools, plant, etc) in 1948 than in 1938.
Most of the damage done by the War was the Allies' pulverising the transport system. German factories benefited from the War.
Most of the damage done by the War was the Allies' pulverising the transport system. German factories benefited from the War.
A nation's self-image and propaganda should always be taken with heavy skepticism. But surely it's significant that "freedom" and "liberty" have been the raison d'être of the American republic since its founding?
September 3, 2025 at 3:48 PM
A nation's self-image and propaganda should always be taken with heavy skepticism. But surely it's significant that "freedom" and "liberty" have been the raison d'être of the American republic since its founding?
In 1980, The Economist described American manufacturing workers as "often an alienated urban black or blue-collar ethnic who barely talks English".
August 30, 2025 at 8:52 PM
In 1980, The Economist described American manufacturing workers as "often an alienated urban black or blue-collar ethnic who barely talks English".
This is line about the 1948 British Nationality Act is a easy mistake as its a very common myth.
Prior to 1948, everyone in the Empire - English or Australian or Jamaican - had the same legal status of "British Subject". And they all had the right to move to the UK without any restrictions...
Prior to 1948, everyone in the Empire - English or Australian or Jamaican - had the same legal status of "British Subject". And they all had the right to move to the UK without any restrictions...
August 20, 2025 at 1:24 AM
This is line about the 1948 British Nationality Act is a easy mistake as its a very common myth.
Prior to 1948, everyone in the Empire - English or Australian or Jamaican - had the same legal status of "British Subject". And they all had the right to move to the UK without any restrictions...
Prior to 1948, everyone in the Empire - English or Australian or Jamaican - had the same legal status of "British Subject". And they all had the right to move to the UK without any restrictions...
Watching a film from 1960 (The League of Gentlemen) and wow those old British Army officer uniforms look really sharp and stylish.
August 17, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Watching a film from 1960 (The League of Gentlemen) and wow those old British Army officer uniforms look really sharp and stylish.
June 30, 2025 at 9:15 PM
In 1975 Britain had a referendum on EEC membership, and one of the arguments of the pro-Europe side was that the Brexiteers were a bunch of extremists and cranks, whilst all the normal politicians were for staying in.
June 27, 2025 at 5:16 PM
In 1975 Britain had a referendum on EEC membership, and one of the arguments of the pro-Europe side was that the Brexiteers were a bunch of extremists and cranks, whilst all the normal politicians were for staying in.
Since we're talking about bombers, a great example of midcentury Britain's militarism was that it built no less than 3 strategic bomber designs: the Vulcan, Victor, and Valiant.
In hindsight only 1 design would have been better, but the 1950s British aerospace industry was nothing if not ambitious.
In hindsight only 1 design would have been better, but the 1950s British aerospace industry was nothing if not ambitious.
June 22, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Since we're talking about bombers, a great example of midcentury Britain's militarism was that it built no less than 3 strategic bomber designs: the Vulcan, Victor, and Valiant.
In hindsight only 1 design would have been better, but the 1950s British aerospace industry was nothing if not ambitious.
In hindsight only 1 design would have been better, but the 1950s British aerospace industry was nothing if not ambitious.
There's a famous book from 1969 called "The Emerging Republican Majority," and most of it is a discussion of local regional political cultures that just don't exist anymore.
June 22, 2025 at 1:15 AM
There's a famous book from 1969 called "The Emerging Republican Majority," and most of it is a discussion of local regional political cultures that just don't exist anymore.
I'm all for building new council housing, but the fact is that the UK already has a higher proportion of social housing than most countries.
June 18, 2025 at 2:24 PM
I'm all for building new council housing, but the fact is that the UK already has a higher proportion of social housing than most countries.
Also, reading Gibb's book it's amusing to see Liddell-Hart pop up again to defend his bad advice. Impressive how consistently wrong that man was.
June 8, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Also, reading Gibb's book it's amusing to see Liddell-Hart pop up again to defend his bad advice. Impressive how consistently wrong that man was.
@alanallport.bsky.social Isn't a counterargument here that there would have been heavy political pressure for the BEF to be kept on the frontline, because using it as a reserve would inflame the suspicion that Britain was "fighting to the last Frenchman"?
June 8, 2025 at 6:21 PM
@alanallport.bsky.social Isn't a counterargument here that there would have been heavy political pressure for the BEF to be kept on the frontline, because using it as a reserve would inflame the suspicion that Britain was "fighting to the last Frenchman"?
My favourite counterfactual history is "What if France didn't fall in 1940?", precisely because it is extremely plausible and would have changed history forever.
May 30, 2025 at 8:13 PM
My favourite counterfactual history is "What if France didn't fall in 1940?", precisely because it is extremely plausible and would have changed history forever.