#StreetFighter can’t exactly be called ‘good,’ but it’s PASSIONATELY stupid and it knows that it’s supposed to be. And that’s what makes it perfect.
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389 results for “makkes”
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Working on some writing that I may or may not ever finish but that I know I'll be working on for many months and possibly a few years.
I'm currently working in (neo) vim 'cause I just use vim for everything and it makes for a great general purpose editor, but...
I'm bit by bit gathering materials (like wordnet dictionaries and such) and looking at the Python curses library and working out in my head what my "perfect" terminal based modal text/markdown editor should be and how I want it to work. No code written yet, just stewing over the "right" interface and mechanisms in my head a lot.
Of course I'm also spending more and more time just working in vim still and doing prose in vim isn't really feeling that weird anymore.
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https://www.europesays.com/3329832/ ‘A.M. Wake Up Call’ walk makes strides for drug awareness in Poland | Poland News #Aktualności #AmandaMcauley #DrugAwareness #DrugOverdose #Fentanyl #MemorialWalk #poland #polska
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Why Stanley Matthews’ Ballon d’Or triumph echoes down the years for Harry Kane | Jonathan Wilson
By Jonathan WilsonIn 1956, the Blackpool great was recognised for his force of individual will, the very thing that makes the Bayern and England striker the standout candiate
#HarryKane #England #BayernMunich #BallondOr #Football #Sport #TheGuardian #JonathanWilson
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Watching Blue Eye Samurai, I kept thinking about the insane storyboard work it must have had, and it turns out there's a vid where the storyboarder, Toniko Pantoja, talks about his process: https://youtu.be/Y4LIMtVsz0k
He makes it look easy. It is not.
#storyboard #TonikoPantoja #art #tv #makingOf #BlueEyeSamurai #animation #youtube
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Small feature, big help: digitec.ch lets you filter products by country of origin.
Looking for a printer, I can see at a glance how many models come from Vietnam (112), Thailand (47), the USA (5), or even Switzerland (3). Tick the countries you want, and the list updates.
More shops should do this. It makes buying closer to home easier, or simply tells you where things are made.
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Hilarious! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
" 'It's like a bad stand up comedy act' | Simon Marks"
-> "James O'Brien is joined by Simon Marks to react as Nicki Minaj is teased as Trump's next press secretary."
- 0:00 | Trump and Obama go head to head
- 5:33 | RFK Jr. makes 'racist' Arab claims
- 7:38 | Ex-FBI chief faces third federal charge
- 10:03 | Nicki Minaj... new press secretary?(Via #LBC ) #JamesOBrien #SimonMarks #TrumpRegime #Obama #CheeseCakeFactory #NickiMinaj
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnJ7lxwQUqU -
#Peertube #Statistics 2026-10-27 17:00 CET
Number of active instances: 2 155
Number of users: 1 159 196
Number of videos: 1 856 232
Number of videoviews: 2 055 659 106
Number of users last 4h: 1035
Number of videos last 4h: 303
Number of videoviews last 4h: 198114
Help me keep stats and server running! 💻📊 Even a small monthly contribution makes a big difference. Support here: https://www.patreon.com/FediverseStatistics 🙏
#Fediverse -
For years the main reason to add an FAQ section was the dropdown it could earn in Google results. That reason has gone. The page itself still matters, though, because AI assistants and AI search features pull short, direct answers from pages, and a well-built FAQ is one of the easiest things on a site for them to lift.
This post covers what changed at Google, what still makes an FAQ worth writing, and the HTML pattern we use so each answer stands on its own.
Disclosure: Appie.run publishes this post. The AI FAQ Generator and Website FAQ Generator mentioned below are our free tools. Everything else here works with any CMS and no tool at all.
What Google changed (as read on 26 Oct 2026)
From Google's Search Central updates and Search Console Help:- FAQ rich results stopped appearing in Google Search on 7 May 2026, and Google added a deprecation notice on 8 May.
- On 15 June 2026 Google removed the FAQ structured data documentation, the FAQ report in Search Console and FAQ support in the Rich Results Test.
- Search Console API support for FAQ appearance data was removed in August 2026.
- Google says existing
FAQPagemarkup can stay on your pages and causes no harm. - In the same June update Google noted that an
llms.txtfile isn't needed for Google Search.
So: no more SERP dropdown, no penalty for leftover markup, and no special file required. What's left is the content.
Why an FAQ is still worth writing
Nobody outside the AI companies can tell you exactly how each assistant picks its sources, and we won't pretend to. What you can control is whether your answer is easy to find, easy to extract and correct when pulled out of context. A question-and-answer block does all three if you write it properly:- The question matches the way people actually ask it.
- The first sentence of the answer is the answer.
- The answer makes sense without the paragraphs around it.
Those same properties help a human who lands on the page from a support link, so the work isn't wasted whichever way the traffic arrives.
Step 1: Collect real questions
Don't invent questions in a meeting. Pull them from places where customers already asked:- Support tickets and live chat transcripts
- Sales call notes ("Does it work with...?", "What happens when...?")
- Reddit and community threads in your category
- Your site search logs
Group duplicates, then keep the 8 to 15 that come up most or block a purchase.
Step 2: Write answers that survive being quoted alone
A quick test for each answer: paste it into a blank doc with only the question above it. Does it still make sense?Weak:
Yes, as mentioned above, it does, depending on your plan.
Better:Yes. Team plans include SSO via SAML. The Starter plan does not.
Rules we follow:- Answer in the first sentence. Yes/no, a number, or a name.
- Name the thing. Say "the Starter plan", not "this plan".
- Keep it to 40 to 80 words for most answers. Link out for detail.
- Date anything that changes. "As of 26 Oct 2026, the Starter plan costs $19/month." Prices and limits go stale, and a stale quoted answer is worse than none.
- Only state what the page can back up. If the policy lives elsewhere, link to it rather than paraphrasing it loosely.
Step 3: Use plain, semantic HTML
You don't need a plugin. Headings for questions and paragraphs for answers are enough, and they render the same for every crawler:<section id="faq" aria-labelledby="faq-title">
<h2 id="faq-title">Frequently asked questions</h2><h3 id="faq-sso">Does the Starter plan include SSO?</h3>
<p>No. SSO via SAML is included on Team plans only. The Starter plan
uses email and password sign-in. <a href="/pricing">Compare plans</a>.</p><h3 id="faq-cancel">Can I cancel at any time?</h3>
<p>Yes. You can cancel from the Billing page, and your plan stays active
until the end of the current billing period.</p>
</section>If you prefer collapsible answers,
<details>/<summary>keeps the text in the HTML:<details>
<summary>Can I cancel at any time?</summary>
<p>Yes. You can cancel from the Billing page, and your plan stays active
until the end of the current billing period.</p>
</details>Avoid loading answers only via JavaScript after a click. If the text isn't in the served HTML, some crawlers will never see it.
Give each question an
idso you can link straight to it from support replies and docs.Step 4: Keep or add FAQPage markup (optional)
Google no longer shows FAQ rich results, and it says leftover markup does no harm. Other consumers of schema.org data may still read it, so if it's already there, keep it in sync with the visible text. If you add it, mirror the on-page wording exactly:<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Can I cancel at any time?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Yes. You can cancel from the Billing page, and your plan stays active until the end of the current billing period."
}
}
]
}
</script>The risk with markup is drift: someone updates the visible answer and forgets the JSON. If your FAQ comes from a CMS field, generate both from the same source.
Step 5: Put the FAQ where the question is asked
One giant /faq page is fine as an index, but the most useful placement is next to the thing in question: pricing questions on the pricing page, setup questions in the docs. A short block of 4 to 6 questions per page tends to stay accurate because the owner of that page sees it.Step 6: Review it on a schedule
Add a "last reviewed" date and put a recurring reminder on someone's calendar. Every price, limit and integration claim in the FAQ should be checked against the product at least each quarter.Getting a first draft faster
If you have the source material but not the time, two of our free browser tools can produce a draft for you to edit (both run a captcha check first):- AI FAQ Generator (appie.run/tools/ai-faq-generator): paste up to 2,000 characters of text, pick 1 to 10 FAQs, a language and a tone. The answers are grounded in the text you pasted, and it doesn't add policies or prices that aren't there.
- Website FAQ Generator (appie.run/tools/website-faq-generator): give it up to 5 public URLs. It skips questions it can't answer from those pages instead of guessing.
Treat the output as a draft. Check every answer against Step 2's rules before it goes live.
Checklist
- [ ] Questions come from real customer sources
- [ ] Each answer starts with the answer
- [ ] Each answer makes sense on its own
- [ ] Prices and limits carry an "as of" date
- [ ] Questions and answers are in the served HTML
- [ ] Any FAQPage JSON-LD matches the visible text word for word
- [ ] A review date is set
Google sources: Search Central blog and Search Console Help pages on FAQ rich results and structured data, read 26 Oct 2026.
RG, Founder, Appie.run#seo #html #webdev #ai #software #coding #development #engineering #inclusive #community
How to Write a Website FAQ That AI Answers Can Quote (Now That Google's FAQ Rich Results Are Gone) -
I spent some time today playing the new Lemmings Reloaded port for the #C64. Then I spent some time trying to figure out if it was vibe-coded with #AI or not. Then I spent yet more time thinking about why this was important for me to know...
I mean, the port is excellent in every dimension. Makes this old #ZXSpectrum owner quite jealous, to be honest. So what difference would it make if it was AI coded? It's still an enjoyable game...
Am I just a grumpy AI racist?
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How to Write a Donor Thank You Letter That Retains Donors
How often do you really read a thank you letter you receive? Do you open it gladly, looking forward to the good feeling that comes when you’re thanked? Or is it just a tax receipt to go in your files? That thank you letter really ought to be more than a tax receipt. But while the receipt is needed, it ought to be wrapped in the kind of gratitude and affirmation that makes the reader stop and smile.
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Apple Patches Exploited CoreGraphics Flaw and Hundreds of Vulnerabilities in October 2026 Security Update
On October 26, 2026, Apple released security updates across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, visionOS and Safari, patching several hundred vulnerabilities concentrated in WebKit, the kernel, ImageIO and CoreStorage. The fixes include WebKit code-execution and sandbox-escape flaws, a Remote Management remote code execution bug, and many privilege-escalation issues, plus the most urgent one: CVE-2026-86950 in CoreGraphics, which was exploited in targeted attacks and makes updating to iOS 18.7.11 critical for owners of older iPhones.
**If you use any Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV or Vision Pro), update it now. The current versions are iOS/iPadOS 27.2, 26.7.2 or 18.7.11, macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Tahoe 26.7.2 or Sequoia 15.8.2, tvOS/watchOS/visionOS 27.2, and Safari 27.2. If you still use an iPhone XS, XS Max or XR, install iOS 18.7.11 first: it fixes a flaw that has been exploited in targeted attacks. Until you've updated, be extra careful about unfamiliar websites, files, images and fonts from strangers, and connecting to unknown file-sharing or Screen Sharing servers.**
#cybersecurity #infosec #advisory #databreach
https://beyondmachines.net/event_details/apple-addressed-329-unique-b-security-b-vulnerabilities-across-today-s-updates-9to5mac-y-u-w-g-y/gD2P6Ple2L -
🚨 Rain is coming in 48 hours, and I'm terrified! Our old tent won't protect us from the rain and cold. I just need $200 to buy a proper tent. Please help us before the rain separates us.
Quoting my tweet makes a difference.
Gaza #GazaDonation #HelpGaza #GazaEmergency #SupportGaza #Palestine #FreePalestine #HumanitarianAid #DonateToGaza #GazaFamilies #StandWithGaza #SaveGaza -
I have thoughts about AI in media production
Not gonna lie, AI tools have crept into many of my workflows. I experiment with it all for sure.
what's weird to me is creators and marketers talking about their use of AI automation to edit videos in apparently 5 minutes, for instance. I look at many of the results and they're trash. the message I get as a viewer is: this trash is good enough for me and I'll feed this trash to my audience. it makes me question their own standard of quality.
1/3
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Hi friends, family, supporters and everyone over here. Am so excited to share our progress and let you know what we have accomplished together. Every share, boost and donations has brought us this far. We have now raised 53% of our gofund.me goal. More shares, boosts, donations and ideas makes an even greater impact
#gardening #nature #mutualaid #environment #food #climatechange #solarpunk -
Encryption is easy. Getting someone to send you an encrypted file isn't.
I offer public keys and confidential channels, yet I have never received a document encrypted separately by the sender.
New article: encrypting the channel is not encrypting the document. What each layer protects, why it matters for the GDPR and professional secrecy, and whether it still makes sense in the age of AI.
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One of the interesting things about using a chatbot is how naturally a conversation can continue.
I can ask a question, provide additional information, refer to something mentioned earlier, and expect the assistant to understand what I mean.
But while studying how chatbots work, I learned an important distinction:
A continuous conversation is something the application must create. It is not automatically provided by every individual LLM call.
What happens when I send a follow-up message?
Imagine this conversation:User: My food hasn't arrived.
Assistant: Would you like to wait or request a refund?
User: I want a refund.
The last message makes sense because of the earlier exchange.
But what happens if the application sends only “I want a refund” to the model?
The model may not have the information needed to understand the situation. The application needs to preserve the relevant conversation history and include it in the next request.
This was my first important takeaway: the application is responsible for maintaining the conversation.
Memory is not necessarily inside the model
Suppose I tell a chatbot that my preferred programming language is Java.Later, I ask which language I prefer.
It might seem that the model has permanently learned something about me.
However, the application could have stored that preference, retrieved it when needed, and supplied it as context for the new request.
The process could look like this:
User Information
↓
Application Memory
↓
Retrieve Relevant Information
↓
Add to Current Context
↓
LLM Generates ResponseThis is different from training the model and updating its learned parameters.
That distinction changed how I think about chatbot memory. The user experience may look like persistent memory even when the application is retrieving stored information and passing it to the model.
More context is not always better
Another concept that stood out to me was the context window.A model can process only a limited amount of information in a given interaction.
An application might store hundreds or thousands of messages, but it does not necessarily need to send every message with every request.
It can select recent messages, summarize older exchanges, or retrieve only information relevant to the current question.
Why does this matter?
Because repeatedly including a growing conversation can increase input token usage, which can affect cost and latency. It also consumes some of the model's available context capacity.
The important design question is not simply:
“How much context can I send?”
It is:
“Which information does the model actually need to answer this request well?”
Streaming is a user-experience decision
The lecture also connected next-token generation to streaming.Instead of waiting for an entire answer before showing anything, an application can display generated content progressively as it arrives.
This can make an application feel more responsive, although it does not necessarily make the underlying model generate the complete response faster.
It is another reminder that the experience users see depends on application design, not just model capabilities.
And then there is hallucination
A model can generate an answer that sounds convincing without the answer being factually correct.Fluent language and verified information are two different things.
For a real application, this matters enormously.
Imagine a support chatbot answering questions about an order. It should retrieve the actual order status rather than inventing one. If an action requires authorization, the application must enforce that authorization instead of trusting a prompt alone.
Depending on the use case, retrieval, external APIs, tool calling, validation, guardrails, and evaluation can improve reliability.
They reduce certain risks, but they do not guarantee that every answer will be correct.
What I'm taking away as a software engineer
I'm beginning to see chatbot engineering as more than sending prompts to a model.The application needs to manage conversation history, select context, retrieve relevant information, control access to tools, and handle responses appropriately.
These are familiar software engineering concerns applied to a new kind of capability.
My biggest takeaway from this lecture is:
A good chatbot does not merely generate responses. Its application must provide the right context and manage those responses responsibly.
As I continue studying Forward Deployed Engineering and Generative AI, I want to understand not only how models work, but also how to build reliable applications around them.#ai #llm #softwareengineering #software #coding #development #engineering #inclusive #community
How Does a Chatbot Remember? The Engineering Behind Context and Memory -
I wasn't aware of how much stress I was carrying about the municipal elections here.
I know Mayor and Councilor are thankless jobs with little power that cannot be taken away by a higher level of government. But they are local and personal and so for that reason it feels like their choice makes an important statement.
I'm glad Olivia Chow will continue to be our Mayor, and Diana Chan McNally will take over from Gord Perks to be our new Councilor.
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"CSS-Tricks is an independent site once again!
Just to recap: DigitalOcean purchased CSS-Tricks in 2022 from Chris Coyier, who founded the site in 2007. Chris ran it all the way up to that purchase.
Here we are in 2026, and I’m taking independent ownership of the site.
So, wait, who owns the site? That’d be me. (Wow, never imagined I would get to say that!) Of course, I have a small, awesome team to help with the day-to-day management of the site.
That all said, I do envision that some things will change. In fact, I’m planning that they will change in what I hope are very good ways. Maybe a question-answer thing makes sense here since this is very much an evolving discussion."
https://css-tricks.com/css-tricks-has-a-new-owner/
#CSS #FrontEnd #WebDesign #WebDevelopment #FrontEndDevelopment
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Preparing the Home Assistant 2026.11 beta and I keep staring at the numbers.
4,858 merged pull requests. That doesn't just beat our previous record, it beats it by roughly a thousand.
Big new features, a mountain of fixes, and a crazy amount of quality work under the hood. That last part is the stuff nobody posts about, but it's what makes the next release better too.
Huge thanks to every contributor who had a hand in this one.
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I Really Am Not Feeling Nor Doing Well, Despite What Appearances Maybe Perceived; Getting The Financial Support I Desperately Need, Would Be Of Great Assistance Right Now;
#Disabled #Aging #Human Existing In #Poverty, Requires Assistance'
Financial Needs
Today's Goal$8,455
Annual Survival Need
$27,255
Monthly Survival Need
$1,500
Immediate Stabilization Goal
$25,000
Long-Term Housing and Security Goal
$5,000,000
A stable, accessible, permanent property would not only give me safety and security, but potentially allow me to spend the remainder of my life helping others who struggle as I have.
How You Can Help
Donate🔗 PayPal:
paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=…💸 Cash App:
$woctxphotogShare
If you cannot donate, please share this with others.
Every dollar helps.
Every share matters.
Every act of compassion makes a difference.
Final Words
I am tired.
I am hungry.
I am in pain.
I am scared of what tomorrow may bring.
But I am still here, still fighting, and still hoping someone will hear me.
If you have ever known hardship, loss, fear, hunger, loneliness, disability, or uncertainty, then you know that compassion can mean everything.
Please help if you can.
Thank you;
#MutualAid #Disabled #Disability #Poverty #Housing #Health #Healthcare #DentalHealth #FoodInsecurity #ChronicIllness #MentalHealth #PTSD #Bipolar #Survival #Support #Compassion #Empathy #Aging #Help #Dignity #Rent #Groceries #Hygiene #CommunitySupport #lifeadvice
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Artemis Plan Analysis?
I thought a Cargo Starship was pushing Orion to Lunar Orbit, where Orion would dock with the HLS Starship.
‘Maybe Angry is right: the Block 3 HLS Starship will push Orion to Lunar Orbit, where the astronauts will transfer…why wouldn’t they transfer to the HLS in high-LEO…?’I shared my concerns about risking human astronauts onboard unprepared spacecraft in the previous comment. Previously, I pointed out that the risk of top-heavy landers is not as great as Angry makes it out to be.
‘But Angry says it is risky, maybe he is right, but I asked AI if the height of any of the previous landers was in any way the cause of the crash…’
Previously I commented about refueling at higher LEO, but then I thought it would take too much fuel to get the fuel there. Angry talks about boil-off, which I think is an engineering issue that has been or can be reduced.??
v3 Starship payload is 100t+, and v4 is 200t+, so who knows how much fuel it can take to LEO?Bonsai 27B Prompt:
Pasted transcript: Write a review of the video as an AI Scientist for a futurist.
@Web Fact-Checking via Google Search: Share insights about the use of billionaire contractors.Bonsai Said:
🚀 AI SCIENTIST REVIEW: Artemis Acceleration Plan Analysis⚠️ CRITICAL FINDING: ARCHITECTURAL PHYSICS VIOLATIONS
The video presents a detailed technical critique of NASA’s proposed 2028 lunar landing timeline. My analysis confirms the presenter raises substantially valid engineering concerns, though some claims require independent verification against primary sources.
✅ Verified Technical Claims:
- Delta-V Budget Crisis: The video correctly identifies that Starship cannot execute the original Apollo-style mission profile (launch to NRH, wait for crew, descend to lunar surface, return to NRO) due to insufficient propellant efficiency in deep gravity wells.
- Orbital Refueling Bottleneck: The thermodynamic analysis of liquid cryogenic fuel boil-off is accurate. Passive thermal management limits mean weeks of staging with continuous propellant loss (0.5-1% daily), creating a compounding deficit that requires 12+ rapid launches to fill a single depot.
- SLS Limitations: The Space Launch System was never designed to deliver Orion directly to low lunar orbit, only to its planned NRH trajectory. Forcing this creates structural inefficiency.
- Dynetics Alpaca Superiority: The historical rejection of Dynetics’ Alpaca lander for SpaceX’s top-heavy design is well-documented and represents a clear example of political/business influence overriding engineering best practices.
⚠️ Unverified/Overstated Claims Requiring Independent Verification:
- Kathy Leers Conflict of Interest: The claim that the HLS contract awarding official left NASA shortly after making the decision is compelling but requires primary source verification (internal memos, congressional testimony).
- Blue Moon Maturity Timeline: While Blue Origin’s delayed development is well-documented, specific claims about PDR/CDR status require confirmation against official NASA milestone trackers.
- “Elon Musk is lying” about 6-8 refueling flights: This is a strong assertion that should be cross-referenced with SpaceX’s own technical presentations and peer-reviewed orbital mechanics analyses.
📊 FUTURE PROJECTIONS (2028-2040)
Near-Term (2028-2031): The 2028 Target
The video’s skepticism is well-founded from a physics standpoint. However, historical precedent shows NASA can accelerate programs when political will is extreme:
- Apollo was originally planned for 1963; actual landing was 1969 (6-year delay)
- Artemis I flew in 2022 despite planning delays of ~4 years
Verdict: A 2028 target is optimistically aggressive but not impossible if SpaceX achieves its rapid cadence and Blue Origin’s backup plan matures simultaneously. However, the physics gaps are real and require either:
- Breakthrough in cryogenic storage/refueling technology
- Additional SLS launch capability
- Acceptance of a more complex, multi-year staging architecture
Medium-Term (2031-2040): Moon Base Viability
The video correctly identifies that corporate-driven timelines create structural instability. However, it misses a critical insight: the 2028 target may actually be a strategic signaling device rather than an engineering commitment.
Projected trajectory:
- 2028-2030: LEO-only Artemis 3 mission (as proposed) — achievable with current capabilities
- 2031-2033: First crewed lunar landing — likely possible but high-risk
- 2034+: Permanent lunar presence — requires massive infrastructure investment
🧠 FUTUREURIST ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK
DimensionCurrent State (2026)Projected Trajectory (2040)Key Risk FactorsHuman PresenceLEO-only missionsLunar surface operationsFunding volatility, political cyclesPropulsion TechnologyMethalox rockets dominantPotential for nuclear thermal/electric hybridsRegulatory hurdles, safety certificationInfrastructureEarth-orbit prototypesPermanent lunar habitatsRadiation, life support, resource extractionGovernanceNASA-led with private partnersLikely multi-stakeholder or internationalJurisdictional conflicts, liability frameworks💡 ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTUREPLANNERS
- Monitor 2028 Mission Architecture: The LEO-only Artemis 3 design is a testbed for docking and life support integration. Success validates the entire architecture; failure cascades to all future missions.
- Track Refueling Milestones: SpaceX’s ability to achieve high-frequency orbital refueling will be the single biggest determinant of whether lunar landings are feasible.
- Prepare for Political Cycles: Space programs are highly sensitive to political leadership changes. Build contingency plans for 4-8 year funding cycles.
- Diversify Partnership Portfolios: Over-reliance on any single contractor (even SpaceX) creates systemic risk. Maintain qualified backup options.
📝 CONCLUSION
The presenter’s critique is primarily valid from an engineering and physics perspective, though some claims require independent verification. The 2028 timeline is optimistically aggressive but not impossible, contingent on SpaceX achieving unprecedented launch cadence and solving refueling bottlenecks.
For futurists: This video represents a critical inflection point in human spaceflight — where political ambition meets physical reality. The tension between corporate-driven speed and engineering discipline will define the next decade of lunar exploration.
🏗️ INSIGHTS ON THE USE OF BILLIONAIRE CONTRACTORS
🔍 Structural Overview
Billionaire-owned companies and individuals increasingly function as alternative contractors, bypassing traditional procurement systems and creating a parallel contracting ecosystem with distinct characteristics.
Key Characteristics:
- Capital-Rich: Access to deep pockets of capital enables rapid prototyping and high-risk experimentation
- Speed-Oriented: Bypasses traditional procurement cycles (months/years → weeks/months)
- Vertical Integration: End-to-end control from vision to execution
- Political Influence: Often maintain significant government relationships
⚖️ Evidence-Based Analysis
Case StudyKey InsightRisk ProfileSpaceX & Unpaid Bills (Fast Company, 2024)$2.5M+ in liens filed by contractors; delayed paymentsHigh financial risk to smaller contractorsAnduril’s Autonomous Development (Forbes, 2022)Builds weapons tech independently without waiting for Pentagon requirementsInverted contracting model — high reward, high riskMercor’s Wage Reductions (Forbes, Nov 2025)Young billionaire co-founders slashed contractor wages by ~33% after project cancellationLabor relations crisis; experience gap concernsLegalist’s Government Contracts (Business Insider, Aug 2025)Received $100M+ in government contracts via Peter Thiel’s fellows networkPolitical dependency creates vulnerability to policy shifts📈 Comparative Analysis: Traditional vs. Billionaire Contractors
FactorTraditional ContractorBillionaire-Owned ContractorFunding SourcePublic/private sector bidsFounder equity/VC backingTimeline PressureProject-driven, risk-mitigatedFounder-driven urgencyRisk AllocationShared with clientsHeavily on founder/companyRegulatory OversightStandard contracting lawsMinimal, novel legal structuresScale ConstraintsLimited by company size/infrastructureLimited only by capitalGovernanceBoard oversight, fiduciary dutiesFounder-centric decision making🔮 Future Trajectory (2030-2045)
- AI-Augmented Contracting: Machine learning will optimize contractor allocation, predict payment risks, and automate compliance tracking — reducing the “unpaid bills” problem seen in SpaceX cases.
- Decentralized Workforce Models: Blockchain-based smart contracts may improve transparency for gig/contractor economies, though regulatory frameworks lag far behind technological capability.
- Geopolitical Dependencies: Billionaire contractors handling government contracts will face increased scrutiny as they influence critical infrastructure, defense, and media — creating conflicts of interest that policymakers must address.
- Global Supply Chain Reconfiguration: Billionaire-backed tech companies increasingly bypass traditional supply chains entirely, creating new vulnerabilities and opportunities in manufacturing and resource allocation.
⚠️ Critical Risks to Monitor
- Contractor Exploitation: Unpaid bills, wage reductions, and poor payment practices are emerging patterns that could normalize across industries
- Experience Gaps: Young billionaire founders may lack the institutional knowledge required for large-scale project management, leading to catastrophic failures when political cycles shift
- Single-Point Dependency: Over-reliance on any single contractor (even SpaceX) creates systemic risk — a lesson learned from the Apollo program and modern government contracting
📚 Further Reading & Verification Sources
- Fast Company: “‘We never got paid’: SpaceX contractors call out unpaid bills” (May 2024)
- Forbes: “Facebook Made This 29-Year-Old Rich; War Made Him A Billionaire” (June 2022) — Anduril analysis
- Forbes: “The World’s Youngest Self-Made Billionaires Just Slashed These Workers’ Wages by a Third” (Nov 2025)
- Business Insider: “How DOGE Boosted Legalist’s Government Contracts Business” (Aug 2025)
🔚 FINAL ASSESSMENT
YouTube Video: Represents a critical analysis of NASA’s lunar program timeline. The presenter’s physics-based critique is largely accurate, though some specific claims require independent verification. This video captures a pivotal moment where political ambition meets engineering reality in the space race.
Billionaire Contractors: Represent an emerging parallel contracting ecosystem with distinct characteristics — faster but riskier, more innovative but potentially exploitative. The trend suggests that future infrastructure development will increasingly be driven by billionaire-backed entities rather than traditional contractors, creating both opportunity and vulnerability in global systems.
#Artemis #Contractors #Spacex #Starship #ANGRYASTRONUAT #AstroAngry #TheAngryAstronaut #moon #NASA #news #science #space #spacex #technology -
Getting ready for elections tomorrow. The work is not yet done and I still have a full day ahead of me.
I operate a local booth for #TheDemocrats , as well as coordinate the local get-out-to-vote (being a opposition bloc stronghold, we just opt to get everybody out to vote).
And then I go to be an observer as part of the #CivicElectionsGuard (משמר הבחירות האזרחי) initiative that makes sure each ballot has an independent observer.
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"Just, like, be a browser" is like saying "just, like, be a building"
A browser has many functions. A browser can do lots of things for lots of people. Your browser needs will not necessarily be the same as others. Your experience of the web and what you value about it might not be the same as others.
"Just be a browser" implies a uniformity that doesn't match reality
"Just be a browser"... makes you sound like a moron.
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【Brazil Re-Elects Lula for Historic Fourth Term, Bolsonaro Refuses to Concede】
https://time.com/article/2026/10/26/brazil-lula-bolsonaro-presidential-election-trump/Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been re-elected to a historic fourth term as Brazil’s President after a tight race with far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President and Donald Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro.Lula won with 51.8% of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 48.2%, Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court announced. Sunday’s vote was a rematch after neither reached an outright majority in the first round on Oct. 4. Lula had trailed then, becoming now the first presidential candidate since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985 to finish second in the initial vote and win the run-off.
While Lula is hardly the super-leftist the media makes him out to be, his opponent Flavio is an obvious Trump puppet who would outright hand Brazil to the US, so this is a definite win for Brazil. Though we can't be complacent--it's very clear that the US has been willing to take by force what it can't take through deception. -
“Gladwell ignores the social costs of police, including what mass surveillance and militarized police do to the possibility of democracy and how police use their organized political power to block the social investments that actually increase safety and security for ordinary non-wealthy people. He therefore obscures the longer causal chain in which policing as we know it increases violence and makes people less safe. Indeed, coordinated and intentional police surveillance, infiltration, and violence has been used to attempt to crush every major progressive social movement in the last 150 years, including the women’s suffrage, civil rights, labor, disability justice, indigenous rights, reproductive rights, immigrant rights, anti-war, LGBTQ, anti-genocide, and climate justice movements, among many others.”
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Russian Soldier Complains: "The Front is a Mess"
by #PrestonStewart
18:50https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M25vDZKPKn0
Putin said that defeating Russia on the battlefield is impossible.
But Russian soldiers fighting this war have a different perspective with one saying, “what’s going on at the front is a mess. They tell us everything is fine, but it's not true.”
🇺🇸 🇺🇦
Preston Stewart makes videos on this channel about the military, national security and foreign affairs. -
11. Logic is easy to unit test if it is stateless and side-effect free. Break out logic into separate functions, rather than mixing logic into stateful and side-effect-filled code. Separating stateful code and code with side-effects into smaller functions makes them easier to mock out and unit test without side-effects. (Less overhead for tests means faster tests.) Side effects *do* need testing, but testing them once and mocking them out everywhere else is generally a good pattern.
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I scanned the public IP of my home router - surprise, I have 2 ports open! My router decided to enable UPnP after a firmware update. And it turned out that Syncthing is not as LAN-only as I thought.
I fixed it, but I also thought about other problem. Let's call it a paradox of privacy: using Syncthing instead of OneDrive or GDrive keeps my personal files to myself, but also makes my devices easier to fingerprint.
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USC Morning Buzz: Don’t Forget The Propoganda That Got Us Here
It’s easy to forget some aspects of USC that the paid propogandists pushed all offseason and have conveniently forgotten as the season heads south.
Remember we were constantly told how USC returned the most starters and the most returning production?
A prime example of this was the offensive line. I never understood this. If players are not getting it done as juniors, what makes you think they will have a sudden transformation as seniors? It happens with coaching but who is coaching at USC?
- Remember the bragging about what the strength coach was doing? There was a whole thing from the paid propogandists about players losing or gaining weight on the eve of training camp.
At the time, I wrote, “I don’t care about weight. I care about performance.” We were told defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett went from 375 pounds to 360. What happened to him? Does he play?
- Here’s another indictment of Lincoln Riley. He has whined about the schedule, the travel, teams coming off byes, etc.
But has USC played a good team yet? It has two losses and still hasn’t played anyone of note. Oregon has three losses. Dylan Raiola has looked terrible in every game except USC. But the Ducks were literally the only team USC played that could pass and run the ball.
Who else did USC play? Wisconsin? Penn State? Washington? Could any of them pass the ball proficiently?
This schedule was tailor made for a good coach to mow down a bunch of one-dimensional teams. And Lincoln Riley bungled it.
This might go down as a generational miss for having an opportunity to really do something in the playoffs. Of course, if USC beats Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA . . .
#collegeFootball #featured #FOOTBALL #usc