Turning the war into a technological contest.  Victor Pavlov, a lieutenant with Ukraine's 3rd army corps.  Showed off Ukraine's newest and most versatile weapon: a battery-powered land robot.  The unmanned ground vehicles come in various shapes and sizes. One runs on caterpillar tracks and resembles a roofless milk float. Another has wheels and antennas. A third carries anti-tank mines. Since spring 2024 their use has grown exponentially.  "This is what modern warfare looks like. Armies everywhere will have to robotise," said Pavlov.

So, everybody hides in bunkers while the robots duke it out, blowing up the infrastructure on both sides until the food & water in the bunkers runs out.  Modern siege warfare essentially.  No dead grunts, no death at all until the population starts dying from thirst and starvation.

On the upside, much smaller armies of meat packages necessary and no draft.  Downside, without the blood and guts and death, there's less revulsion towards war, at least as long as the food and water holds out.  Also, much higher costs for rebuilding after the war is over, since you have far more destruction of infrastructure.

One envisions a future where only the Elite survive in their compounds, each with their own armies of air, land and sea drones to fight and farming and worker robots growing the food and building toys for peacetime and soldier robots during wartime.

RE

Quoteeverybody hides in bunkers while the robots duke it out,

No dead grunts, but plenty of dead civilians.  War will always escalate to death.  I do not see a way around that fact.  Ukraine has lost half their young men.  Russia has lost more men in total, but Russia is more able to absorb losses.  Robot dog and pony shows sort of push those facts under the carpet.  Make the death invisible,  and there will be more of it. 

Trump's war is like no war that America has fought since the Mexican American War of 1846.  That too was raw aggression.  And the US would probably owe reparations to Mexico if that war had happened in the 20th century.  But that was then and this is now.

This war is an Attila the Hun war.  Rape and pillage by America in a country that only has defensive weapons.  We are the Hun.  America kills because it can, and there is no other reason.  Only fools think there is another reason.

QuoteOne envisions a future where only the Elite survive in their compounds, each with their own armies of air, land and sea drones to fight and farming and worker robots growing the food and building toys for peacetime and soldier robots during wartime.

Entropy says no.  We could make a good movie about this, but the reality is we are now experiencing the collapse of complex civilization.  Trump puts America in the final act.

Well, at least compared to Vietnam so far the number of deaths has been fewer.  They used to report 1000s daily back then.  So far supposedly its around 2000 for the whole 5 weeks.

I don't really believe in the futurist robot war idea, but I'm sure Elon does.

RE

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.