From: wwm@wwmartin.net   
      
   On 2/10/26 10:11, john larkin wrote:   
   > On Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:47:47 -0500, Joe Gwinn    
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >> On Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:00:24 -0800, john larkin    
   >> wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> On Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:37:50 -0500, Joe Gwinn    
   >>> wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> On Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:44:49 -0800, john larkin    
   >>>> wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> On Fri, 06 Feb 2026 18:17:31 -0500, Joe Gwinn    
   >>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>> On Fri, 6 Feb 2026 23:35:39 +0100, Jeroen Belleman   
   >>>>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> On 2/6/26 22:22, Joe Gwinn wrote:   
   >>>>>>>> On Fri, 6 Feb 2026 17:43:13 +0100, Jeroen Belleman   
   >>>>>>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> On 2/6/26 15:50, Jeroen Belleman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>> On 2/6/26 14:21, Bill Sloman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>> On 6/02/2026 8:26 pm, Liz Tuddenham wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> Bill Sloman  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> On 6/02/2026 1:52 am, Liz Tuddenham wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Don Y  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I fully expect this to happen during Trump's administration.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> He probably realizes he won't be able to do anything about it,   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> especially after his designs on other foreign countries and   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> alienation of his main allies.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ["No, you haven't been ATTACKED by China so Article 5 doesn't   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> require us to come to your aid..."]   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Of course, more and more manufacturing is TRYING to be   
   on-shored.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> But, I suspect that is nowhere near enough to address the   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> potential of Taiwan going off-line -- even briefly.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I'm thinking back to how screwed up the supply chain got during   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> COVID and wonder what manufacturers and investors will do when   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the future is far less certain than a "pandemic".   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Opinions?   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> We have sleepwalked into this and the few who have raised the   
   alarm   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> have   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> been (and still are being) ignored and ridiculed.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> There is a wider problem: we have become 'travel junkies' and   
   rely too   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> much on transport.  "I can get it cheaper from..." doesn't   
   take into   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> account the hidden costs such as liability to supply disruption,   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> loss of   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> control over the design and the fundamental need to teach   
   underlying   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> principles and train people in making things themselves.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the factories.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the machines.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the people who know how to operste the machines.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the machines to make the machines.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the people who know how to make the machines   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the material.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> We haven't got the undustry to make the materials.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> In the thrall of Greenwash we have simply exported the 'dirty'   
   jobs to   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> other countries and then added to the pollution by shipping the   
   goods   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> back.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> If Russia could do to the UK what it is doing to Ukraine, the   
   country   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> would have to surrender within a week.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> If the UK ignored the fact that it has it's own nuclear weapons   
   and the   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> means to deliver them.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> Has it?  I thought they were dependent on the U.S. for delivery.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> The ballistic missiles were manufactured in the US, but they do   
   seem   
   >>>>>>>>>>> to be under UK control. The proposition that the US engineered in   
   >>>>>>>>>>> secret backdoors to let them disable the weapons if they were   
   pointed   
   >>>>>>>>>>> at a target that the US hadn't approved is one that every   
   conspiracy   
   >>>>>>>>>>> theory nut would bring forward, but UK military security is even   
   >>>>>>>>>>> deeper into daft conspiracy theories than internet lunatics.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Everything is software-controlled these days. If you thought that   
   >>>>>>>>>> thoroughly checking the source code for backdoors will protect you,   
   >>>>>>>>>> you should read this:   
   >>>>>>>>>> "Reflections on trusting trust", by Ken thompson   
   >>>>>>>>>>    
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> You'll never trust a compiler again.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Jeroen Belleman   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> It's a classic reference, never refuted.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Here is more background:   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> .   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Sorry for following up on myself. I just read that text again and   
   >>>>>>>>> noticed that Ken refers to some obscure US airforce document   
   >>>>>>>>> where he first learned of this trick.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Am I a conspiracy nut for thinking that, if it ever comes to an   
   >>>>>>>>> armed conflict with the US, all those F35s they sold us would   
   >>>>>>>>> just drop out of the sky?   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> One reason is to prevent one's own weapons being used against one by   
   >>>>>>>> the winner of a revolution who inherited a military.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> We'd better buy Saab or Dassault!   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> All that does is change who the master shall be.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Joe   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> That last point is true, of course, in the general case,   
   >>>>>>> but I intended it to refer to the current rogue. Sweden   
   >>>>>>> and France are still reliable allies. The US, not so much.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> The current rogues will not live forever, and their replacements may   
   >>>>>> or may not be better.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> France is 5.7% of NATO, and Sweden is far smaller.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Ukraine has caused the scales to fall from many eyes.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Joe   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> If they had indeed taken Kyiv in five days, what would the Russians   
   >>>>> want next? Great Rus' all over again.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> They can have Alaska. The food's not very good.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Don't eat the minerals?   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Joe   
   >>>   
   >>> I had a girlfriend in Juneau. It was one of those relationships where   
   >>> only the airlines come out ahead.   
   >>>   
   >>> "There's a woman behind every tree, and he nearest tree is 1200 miles   
   >>> away."   
   >>   
   Sounds like the standard greeting when arriving at a BMEWS site in   
   Labrador...no trees for lots of miles.   
      
   >> BTDT, but it was only driving to Philadelphia from   
      
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