Some now ancient, but relevant history.  Trump has poured gasoline on a raging fire.  Technology needs information, so humans are in the war loop no matter what, as only humans can get the actual data or tell another robot where to get needed intelligence.  Before a robot can go after a target, target data must be obtained.  Robot war makes the battlefield, everywhere.  Which at the end of the day solves nothing.

This reflects Kyiv's determination to deny Putin a windfall as global oil prices surge amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. Prior to the outbreak hostilities in the Middle East, the Russian economy was widely thought to be under severe strain. During the first two months of 2026, oil and gas revenues plummeted by 47 percent, while mounting sanctions pressures and runaway defense spending were taking a heavy toll.

It's definitely looking more & more like WWIII and less & less like regional conflicts.  Really, about all it would take now to make it official is for the Chinese to move on Taiwan, although you could say they already have with their blockade in the south China Sea.

Unfortunately, if the agricultural yields this year come in as low as likely from lack of fertilizer, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody doesn't blow off a nuke sometime next year.

The rubber meets the road on the Collapse Highway.

RE

Quote from: K-Dog on Apr 05, 2026, 12:17 PMWe could make a good movie about this, but the reality is we are now experiencing the collapse of complex civilization.

Except for the collapse part anyway. Have any recent global population figures showing significant reductions? Hell, the Great Chinese famine doesn't even qualify as enough of a population decline to trigger the collapse that you and RE pretend has been happening for years now, if not decades.

QuoteExcept for the collapse part anyway.

Give the war a year, and you will change your tune. 

Quote from: TDoS on Apr 23, 2026, 03:25 PMHave any recent global population figures showing significant reductions?

Sure.

Japan, China, Russia, Italy, Greece, S. Korea



Next year looking a lot worse.

RE

Is Ai good for anything ?




   



A model 'Thought' for 10 minutes on my video card to see if I was full of shit.


The metaphorical portrayal of U.S.-Israel relations under Trump in 2026, where Israel "holds the leash" and Gaza's reconstruction symbolizes Trump's ambitions, aligns with several key developments from the provided sources.

Trump's submissive stance toward Israel is reflected in his unprecedented coordination with Israel in joint military efforts ("first American leader to embrace fighting a full-fledged, joint war" ). This has deepened U.S.-Israel ties, even as some analysts note that Netanyahu faces "extremely hard decisions" on Palestinian and West Bank issues . The Gaza reconstruction projects, described as including futuristic skyscrapers, solar farms, and infrastructure like a seaport, support the idea of Trump's vision for Gaza City (e.g., "Mar-a-Lago East"). However, these plans depend on ending Gaza's blockade and economic reforms.

Globally, U.S. foreign policy under Trump has intensified tensions. Geopolitical risks are rising, with conflicts in Ukraine, strained ties with China, and new pressure points like Greenland. The "economic shock-waves" mentioned by the user align with sources highlighting how defense spending and resource contests (e.g., Arctic resources) drive global instability. While full-scale "World War III" is not explicitly stated in the sources, the text notes that geopolitical shifts have made markets volatile and increased worldwide conflict risks.

Trump's fixation on Gaza's reconstruction and his perceived subordination to Israel are reinforced by sources describing Israel as a "Trumpian vassal," with U.S. symbols (e.g., flags) underscoring dependency. The user's metaphor of a "dog collar" labeled "Gaza" mirrors how the U.S. is tied to regional projects, even as broader alliances and global stability are strained.

While the personal dynamics (e.g., Trump's ego-driven loyalty or humiliation) are framed metaphorically, sources indicate tangible outcomes: heightened U.S.-led wars , Gaza infrastructure plans [5-8], and global tensions [9-12]. The narrative of a "cuckolded lover" lacks direct citation but reflects the asymmetric alliance dynamics described in these texts.
   
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/07/negative-views-of-israel-netanyahu-continue-to-rise-among-americans-especially-young-people/
https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/11/us-israel-relations-trump-netanyahu-gaza-ceasefire-shift
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/us/politics/trumps-war-alliance-with-israel-is-reshaping-the-middle-east-but-it-carries-risks.html
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-893624
https://theconversation.com/what-will-a-rebuilt-gaza-look-like-the-competing-visions-for-the-strips-future-274591
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7mmpljze7o
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/gaza-from-master-plan-to-peace-plan/
https://www.policycenter.ma/publications/implementing-gaza-reconstruction-and-development-program
https://www.cfr.org/reports/conflicts-watch-2026
https://www.stimson.org/2026/testing-assumptions-about-us-foreign-policy-in-2026/
https://www.aberdeenplc.com/en-gb/news-and-insights/january-2026-macro-outlook-geopolitical-risks-and-global-market-implications
https://research-center.amundi.com/article/geopolitics-power-policy

It turns out the rhyme is accurate.

The United States of Israel.

Another You Heard it Here First! 😀

Of course, coming off the keyboard of Gen. BetrayUS more people pay attention, but the fact that drones make it much more possible for smaller countries to inflict significant damage on large countries is the most significant change in the dynamics of warfare since the invention of gunpowder.  That technology spawned the whole colonial era, where a few tall ships equipped with cannon and a couple of 100 grunts with muskets could take over entire countries of people still using stone age weaponry.

I'll let you read Betrayus for the implications as far a warfare between Nation-States and you can imagine mmore for yourself.  I'm going to focus on an old problem we often discussed,Protectiing Your Doomstead🤬

We have always considered the major problem of how a few Doomers, say 2-3 families of a farm could hold off the hoards of roving Zombies.  The answer now is obvious: A SWARM of cheap Drones, each equipped to fire up to say 20 rounds of 9mm ammo and also an explosive charge of C4 about Grenade size.  Also carrying a small camera and motion sensor and range finder.  Mass produced, I'm sure you could bring the cost down to under $1000.  You have them deployed all around the perimeter of the doomstead and all controlled by an AI computer in your secure underground Panic Room.

Zombies show up in their Mad Max Pig Fart Powered SUVs and trip your alarms, the drones take off from their nests in the trees and pick off the Zombies as soon as they exit their vehicles. 😎  You don't drop the grenades on the vehicles unless absolutely necessary, since you wanna keep all that good hardware for your own use once the Zombies are exterminated.

Similarly, you can use the Drones in your Hood to pick off roving Black Cadillac Escalades filled with MIB ICE Gestapo agents as they cruise around seeking Brown People to deport.  They will start thinking twice about leaving the safety of the local DHS Office to Desapecido poor people once a few of them have their heads blown off by a blast from the short barrel 12 Gauge, also mounted on the drone. 👿

Total payload weight capacity necessary for said VTOL Drone I would estimate at about 20lbs for the hardware, ammo and explosives.  Flying time needed no more than 30 minutes per charge.  I think you could do it with 4 100 Watt 48V motors and Li-I batts weighing about 20 lbs.  I'll let Haniel work out the exact power requirements.  Definitely no more than 250W motors needed though.  My 200 lb EV wheelchair runs on 2 250W motors with me on it total 360lbs.  Runs all day on 2 35AH 12V batts.  Keep the total weight of the drone and hardware to <50lbs, you're good to fly!

Kdog can design the AI to control the swarm, identify targets aim and fire.  The system will sell like hotcakes.

This one has a 25kg payload capacity.  That's probably enough.


RE

The  enthusiasm amongst the Warmongers for Terminator Wars rivals the orgasmic declarations from Tech Bros and Futurists when discussing the fantastic opportunities of AI.  They are going ALL IN on Drones as the future of warfare.

...must...have...MOAR...drones!

Unsurprisingly from people with the same mentality as the ones who built the Maginot Line and brought  the Gattling Gun to Trench Warfare, I don't think the planners & procurers of this stuff have really thought it through very well.

The Kill Ratios involved when pitting Human Grunts against Flying Robots are so insanely one-sided nobody will be putting soldiers out in the field to try and take territory.  If they do, they'll be mowed down just like grunts trying to cross no-man's land between the German and French trenches in WWI.  The "front line" of any given battle to take territory will amount to aerial battles of drone v drone & missile v missile until there is a whole lot of broken hardware in piles around the neighborhood.  Until one side's hardware has been completely exhausted, neither side can put human grunts oh the field.

So, both sides have to bomb behind the line to try and destroy the other side's drone manufacturing "factories", but these can be small, dispersed and hidden, making them almost impossible to completely eradicate.  Meanwhile, other longer range drones on both sides will go about the bizness of bombing transformers and power plants on both sides.  By the time anybody might send Homo Saps to take control of a town, there won't be anything but rubble to take.

All a war will turn into is an exercise in Demolition.  As long as both sides are reasonably closely matched and/or have Allies who will keep supplying them with hardware, the demolition on both sides will keep on going until there is total economic collapse.  That's what's going on with the Ukies & Ruskies at the moment.

What does either side actually "win" from this war?  Will Russia get control of Ukraine if they destroy more stuff?  Will Ukraine get NATO Nukes to position on the border to threaten Putin with if they win?  What's the goal for this exercise in demolition?

Possibly more than at any time in history, the utter pointlessness of war for resolving differences between nations is vividly displayed.  Even without using Nukes, technology is rendering wars unwinnable.  This probably began with Vietnam, but it's well entrenched now.  While it's still possible to squash a small, poor and weak country like Venezuela, none of the 1st World countries can win a war against another one, particularly when backed up by any of the Big 3 as Allies.

At least we now have a better idea of how Industrial Civilization will end itself.  AI controlled Drones & Robots will do the Demolition.

RE

Actually, for those of you in favor of seeing the end of Fossil Fuel burning and the Age of Oil, Autonmous AI Drones are the greatest thing to hit Warfare since the Trebuchet.  Already considering Swarms of 1000, wait till they run them off the production line like Iphones!  Armies used to have 100K grunts out doing battle, I can easily see the Chinese deploying 1M Drones to take out every Refinery and Power Plant in the FSoA.  How long do you think it will take Foxconn to retool their factories?

Just look at the havoc so far with just the Iran & Ukraine battles ongoing, and this is early days!  The technology is still in its infancy!  A couple more years these drones will be fully autonomus and they'll be able to travel underwater and on land as well as fly hypersonic speeds, with long distance drones that can circumnavigate the globe. Space X Rockets will be able to put thousand into low earth orbit where they can drop down at any time to hit a target.

Grunts are virtually Obsolete, along with the Ships, Planes, Tanks, Artillery and even fucking Rifles!  Warfare is now just about destroying the infrastructure of an industrial economy, not directly klling people.  That comes later when they start starving or dying of thirst when the water stops being pumped.

How long before we get the first Drones hitting targets inside the FSoA?  I give it 5 years tops.

RE