General > Except for the Pig
Small Animal News
Sindobook:
Scouts from the bunny brigade reported multiple sightings of snake E entering the building around 7pm. The brigade is in the process of notifying the Pandas and operations will begin shortly.
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Multiple sightings of snake E during the last two nights. Scouts who were able to follow report that he was prowling around as if he was looking for someone or something. Has evaded capture so far, all bunnies should travel in groups. The brigade is treating the snake as a target of opportunity, if you see him, please contact the brigade and, if possible, track him from a safe distance while waiting for a team to show up.
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According to accounts, the panda was jumped by a gang of several bunnies from the black bunny squad. As one of the bunnies turned to kick him, he bared his claws, sending all but the one bunny fleeing in fear. Though brave, the bunny's attempt to fight him was futile. He pounced on the bunny and then sat down on him, crushing him under his weight.
What actually happened? Apparently, he was mistaken for Cat Y and attacked on the spot without a second thought. Whichever bunny was calling the shots that night must have been awfully near sighted.
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Please do not worry. It's not like our Pandas would attempt such an operation without a backup plan in place. I can assure you that everything will be fine in the end.
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Even a slight bit of research will lead to the truth, it is not very hard to find. But, I would stop at the information, beyond that, I must warn, you might not like what you find. So my advice, just leave it at that. This should be enough to explain recent events, at least.
I will say this, I have far more respect for someone who does not want to be the poster child of the revolution than someone who does.
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Sure, it is pretty simple. There are a few rules in place (for reasons), but they are easily followed for those who care to. And for those who don't, go ahead, but don't blame me if you get jumped on by a hungry pomeranian or something like that.
Those who wish to use trademarked text, logos, designs, images, etc. must download and send in a signed copy (electronic signature is fine) of the Revocable Open Licensing Agreement.
For fanart that is sold at an event, we ask that you either tweet a graphical image of it with the official hashtag #bunnybrigade, or post it to the facebook group. It doesn't have to be full resolution, we're not trying to steal your stuff, we just want to know what is out there.
For items produced in small quantities, handmade items, one-offs, trinkets, buttons, pouches, bags, wallets, mousepads, etc., take a photo and tweet it as above, or post to the facebook group.
If the above merchendise is mass produced, please also send a single copy of each item to Chester's PO box.
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So far, there is no actual evidence to indicate that any kind of incident actually happened. The brigade deals with enough real threats, they aren't going to send bunnies to investigate imaginary ones.
Follow standard protocol(s), don't panic, and stay safe.
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I know the presses have been abuzz with this, but there really isn't much to report. Cat P hadn't been sighted in the past few weeks, and there were rumors his owner moved out of the city, taking his fat cat with him. Normally purges would follow such an event, but there really aren't many followers left to purge.
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Please do not worry. I know this is heavy stuff, but the brigade has the best commanders and they are used to these kinds of things. The situation has not reached anywhere near serious or critical yet.
If it does, I can assure you that the brigade will intervene. But right now, it is important to give our agent time to do her job. This is why the brigade has independent agents; resources are limited, they are not an endless well.
There may be strength in numbers, but sometimes, one must pursue the path alone.
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There is little doubt, but these are not the types of things the brigade concerns itself with. At best, he is a class C. Threats are rated based on their level, not their pervasiveness.
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Since the departure of Cat P, extreme paranoia has taken over within the gang. This new administration, the purges of today, soon the cats within the gang will long for the 'good ol' days' under the incompetent Cat P, or the wasteful Cat L.
From Mr. Sparkles - "The cats are gathering information on each other -- hiring private investigators, awarding squealers with cash payouts, etc. They're even researching past cats that have either perished or left the gang, so that they can suspect and purge those who served under them if any dirt is found."
From Ling Ling - "Even Cat P, with his one-dimensional thinking, at least understood that cats are cats, and that every cat is guilty of something. But these new cats, whoever they are, whatever they are up to, they seem out to purge anyone based on anything. Cat P at least had the sense to keep around that Cats with skills that were necessary for the gang to function, but Cat C and his ilk have already shown their willingness to sabotage themselves into something that can no longer functional, at all."
From Samantha - "It makes me wonder, is this what Cat C was aiming for all along? The brigade can relax now, no need to do anything about a general who is tearing apart the gang from the inside. In the long run, the only decision to make is to let the cats continue to eat their own, or to assist in their demise!"
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In truth, we're not entirely sure. The brigade has been shifting most of their small animals from fact-finding to paranoia operations. This means that we're not entirely sure which cat is actually in charge at any given moment, nor what is going on within the gang.
These operations are having an effect, anyone can see that simply by observing the cats in the gang, and some of the other organizations it deals with.
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It's uncertain. There's no known evidence that points to it, but the cats would be expected to keep it under wraps anyways. It does seem likely, from the timing alone.
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Actually there were parts that I just couldn't not laugh, people with ideas and those ideas are anything but. Sometimes, people have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, but they just keep talking. If you take it too seriously, it makes a sense of bewilderment, so you just can't help but to laugh at them.
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The only reason they survive is b'cos they are willing to throw money at it. Exclusiveness can't exist in a healthy environment (for long), but this isn't a healthy environment to begin with.
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There multiple reports that Cat P has been sighted in Texas. If true, this points to the original theory that his owner moved away, taking the fat cat with him.
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Actually, it's not at risk at all. From the number of people that are asking this question, I'm not sure people understand the situation.
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If I were there, I'd probably have made the same decision too. But I'm not.
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It does not matter, b'cos that environment is always changing. The facts on the ground, the belief in a theory, however true it may be, all these things are mere contrivances. Unless it can be reduced to practice, and practiced effectively, one cannot hope for (better) change in the world. Misfortune comes easily, but good fortune, it is much harder to bring about.
Belief that leads to mere frustration becomes a crutch rather than a boon. Spouting off about this or that, running in circles rather than spiraling (iterating) toward some better goal, it is this inanity that seperates the rest of the world from the brigade. For while these things may be popular among some in the rest of world, the brigade does not tolerate them, or think highly of those who practice them.
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That is unproven, and unlikely. While many within the brigade would be pleased with this outcome, it neither fits his profile, nor is there any actual evidence of this type of communication.
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B'cos most of these are software hacks, so they may be detectable by software. A true hardware hack is a bit more involved, but it would be undetectable, or at least nearly so, if done properly. When it comes down to it, a GPS module is a UART that sends NMEA data, at least most of them are. There are a variety of messages sent out, but the position one typically looks like:
$GPGGA,123519,4807.038,N,01131.000,E,1,08,0.9,545.4,M,46.9,M,,*47
$GPGGA is the header telling you it is a position, the number right after that is the time, and then the latitude, the latitude direction, the longitude, longitude direction, then an index to the fix quality, and so on. This is defined in the NMEA specification, a good link is:
http://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm
Most of these modules use a lower baud rate like 9600. So there's no reason you can't pass it through an arduino (or something simple like that) and back to the micro where it was originally going. The time is only to the nearest second, so you likely won't have to change that at all.
The hard part would be actually doing the hardware hack, depending on the type of part, and how they are laid out, you'd have to cut a trace, lift a pin, and run some wires to/from the arduino. If you are dealing with a BGA part and a trace that's not accessible, it might have to be removed altogether. But the good news is, it's really not very hard to mate up a GPS module with an arduino, there are premade setups already out there by adafruit, sparkfun, or others. So if you have to remove the GPS module IC altogether, you can replace it with your own GPS and only have to run one wire plus another for GND.
Then you just have to write the software to intercept the GPS location messages and change them. As long as you are subtle about it, the software has no way of knowing something is up. You will want to turn off some of the other location data like wifi, cellular, and so on. Most of this positioning isn't too accurate so you might be able to leave it on if you are only making small changes to the GPS fix.
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There is nothing there, this is part of the cycle and it leads nowhere. I say that b'cos I've seen the same thing happen in many other (similar) activities, there is a scale here but it leads nowhere in the end.
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While the brigade has received several inquiries in this respect, there is no such policy. Nor will there ever be. The goal of [the market] has always been free and open exchange of goods and services between all small animals. With respect to that, it isn't the job of the brigade to interfere or control anything, beyond promoting that.
"Cats can threaten and snakes can hiss, but the rule of nature is unchanged" - old quote from Tuan Tuan.
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No. We'll, if you base it on perception, the answer is sometimes. But if you base it on reality, the answer is no.
The absence of one thing does not create another thing. To say so is to fall in the trap of one-dimensional thinking.
In reality, there are actual opposites (ie. darkness defined as being the absence of light) and there are contrived opposites.
Consider, for instance, what is rich and what is poor? Those bound by money will be rich, poor, or somewhere in between. But what of those who simply don't understand the concept of money? Though rare, it is possible, even in the modern age. They have 'fallen off' the line, they are not part of it at all.
Do not fall to contrivance, see things how they are, not how they are seen.
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While it will happen in time, I don't think it will happen the same way.
The main difference is support. Monetary support.
The [organization] funds those [groups], paying approximately [10,000 carrots] per month. On average, the best [groups] can match that, with another [10,000 carrots] per bunny. But that's only the best, the majority of [groups] can barely pay the rent, much less pay their bunnies more than a mere pittance.
Now think of [10,000 a month]; that's an awful lot of carrots!
That's why the [organization] has a firm grip on most [groups]. Without funding from the [organization], most [groups] wouldn't be able to pay their bunnies enough to make them stick around. So the reality; most [groups] aren't independent, they are subsidiaries of the [organization]. They couldn't rebel, even if they wanted to.
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I'll say two things. First, they were more interested in exposition than action. People coming up with rules and policies when there was little actually happening in the first place. Second, there just wasn't anything there as far as currency. And it wasn't sizeable enough to make it happen without.
Sindobook:
I've been getting questions about this all last night and even this morning. Honestly, there's not much I can say. Truth is, small animals just don't care about it much at all.
There are times of internal conflict, like the disruptions caused by Yue-bing or the rivalry between the more organized bunny brigade and the somewhat nebulous, shadowy organization known as the black bunny squad. But when it comes down to it, both these organizations exist to fight predators, like the local neighborhood cat gang. And with those cats pretty much beaten into submission, the demise of cat P and the ensuing power struggle to fill that vacuum, things have gone pretty quiet on that front.
So to summarize, first to understand is that small animals really only organize like that when their survival is threatened, and most of the conversations are about very mundane things like food, water, or inter-relational / inter-personal things.
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1) I don't doubt what the rumors say. But the truth is, no one cares too much. It doesn't have much effect on anything at all. To me, it's just [other], not-normal, outside-norms. Society's problem, and what do I care about society? 2) In the end, they quit b'cos they have a brain. Anyone can see that there's really no future there. Maybe a future for 2 or 3 [human] years. Maybe the [organization] can continue for 4 or 5 years. But sooner or later, it ends, and is a waste. 3) I'm not saying it's a total loss for everyone. Some still have a future, they will adapt, they will find a way to survive. But many don't. Especially those on the front lines. They'll be relegated to menial jobs, no future, no hope, no prospects. 4) Someone who sees that now, and acts now, has wisdom, at least. Many don't.
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People have to realize some of the macro going on. That phenomenon came and went many years ago. Today, that gang is a zombie, still walking around but slowly dying off, whether to simple attrition, defections, etc. Those that are left are the "dead-enders", they have nowhere else to go, they've isolated and made enemies out of anyone who cared for them, they can't go back to their original lives, the only life they have left is the dying gang. So they do their best to reverse the reality on the ground, by any means necessary. These actions, desperate, poorly planned, not well supported, they rarely last long and only serve to quicken the demise of what is left.
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Perhaps "smoke and mirrors", or perhaps they're really that stupid. Either way, the result should be the same -- no one should want anything to do with these guys. I've never heard of a more inane excuse, it's something a bunch of infants would come up with.
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It's not something I pay attention to, so I can't say much. They try to stand out, hog the spotlight, grasping at the illusion of power, they fight among themselves; despite that word, it's nothing. Just running around in circles, going no-where.
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While it might seem like there's a high degree of nepotism, I'd say this is just a continuation of their new policy. Look at the last two moves by that group, and the reason they choose this bunny over that bunny should be obvious. It's more strategic decisions than outright nepotism. And strategy wise, I think it's a solid strategy, in the scheme of things.
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Under Cat P, the neighborhood cat gang had tried to co-opt a smallish group to the south. But these attempts ultimately failed, and with Cat P gone, the new cats in charge all but surrendered the southern front, which had been a constant drain on the garrison.
There are rumors of some kind of activity to the south of the gang, however anything that is going on is unlikely to pose a threat in the short term. Whether the strategy of abandoning the southern front is a good one in the long term remains to be seen.
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No information. One week, but there's no regular brigade patrols in that area to begin with.
Unfortunately that is deep within neighborhood cat gang territory. Not safe, especially at night. Likely perished at the paws of Cat C and his minions. Even with Cat P's departure, the gang still has plenty of those.
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Actually, she survived and was just fine. The story goes that her device had died (battery failure) and she was hanging out at her hutch for the week eating, drinking, and hopping around.
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What people often overlook is that those bunnies are good at stirring things up. Despite seeming like they are against each other, they depend on each other to stay a factor. Because without that rivalry, without that conflict, they're no longer relevant. So, when things like this happen, both rivals win, and the losers are the other bunnies in that scene who lost a bit of relevance.
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I've seen a lot but I'll say this much. It was an absolute disaster but any small animal with even half a brain could have seen that one coming (triple witching day or whatever you want to call it). It was just a matter whether it was going to be a slow motion train wreck or a stampede. I don't know how effective it is b'cos the cats have a PR guy who loves to spin, but the things they wouldn't lie about likely mean many carrots left to rot[1].
Truth is the cats are spread thin, and their war chest is not going to last forever. The best they can do with the numbers they have is to set up a picket formation, but that means risking their limited numbers when they are overrun. So we've seen this before, they might send a few expendables out but the choice they make is to pull back and defend only, while spouting PR to try to keep morale high and counter tactics that are very expensive.
One odd tactic that I've never seen before is the cats bribing the attackers to go away. If true, this is likely to be an ineffective one as it only attracts more attackers in the long run, and what happens once the treasury runs out and they can no longer bribe their enemies. At best, it's a desperation tactic to buy some time.
[1] A bunny expression for "lots of resources gone to waste"
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1) We'll, from a technical, or artistic point of view, positively awful. Only worth it for one reason, which should be obvious.
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You may not choose or have control over everything that happens to you, but you always have a choice of how you respond to it.
Don't let it get to your head, live every day like it is the last.
Animals do have a pecking order, but it is a given that it can change at any time. It's not a matter of progress, but a matter of the most able coming out on top, and the weak being relegated. A pack that does not live like that will fall.
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The problem is one of focus. There's enough there for maybe 5 minutes of discussion, debate, and arguments. But that's really it. Low value, low priority, the quickest way to lose is to move it to the top (in importance).
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The cats have little choice in the matter, they are out of funds, and barely break even on budget, so they can't bring on any more animals. They have no more loyalists, any cat who works for the gang demands two to three times the going rate, even the grunts. The incident of five [cat] years ago really hit them hard, it pushed them from being slightly profitable to terminally not so.
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From the outside looking in, it might seem like some of the animals in the bunny brigade are absolutely useless. But that is rarely the case. Those animals have been shown to be useful in the past, otherwise they wouldn't be part of the brigade to begin with. While it has grown somewhat, the core of the brigade isn't huge, around 200 small animals. Beyond this you have support, and affiliates.
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There is nothing to say, nothing meaningful at least. A lot of people will ramble on without seeing the big picture. There are two basic ways to think of something, like, or dislike; and then there is ultimate indifference.
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As I am told here is the situation. One of the bunnies at a local "bunny cafe" became ill with this flu that is going around and so they asked that she stand in for her as a substitute. So she gets to sing and dance with the other bunnies as part of their event, as well as meet some of the other important bunnies like Bunny Y and so on. I don't know about dancing but once they realize how good she is at singing they'll probably want to make her a full member of the bunny cafe too.
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A short recap of what happened. Originally the two bunnies were together, basically due to their mutual admiration of each other. They lived a few states apart, but they got to see each other enough and otherwise interact online to keep the relationship going. At one point she took a long vacation, for around 12 [bunny] weeks where he lived. Near the end of this vacation, he proposed to her, that they could both get their own place and become engaged. But she had her own plans, she wanted to go farther west because that was what she dreamed of.
She would have just preferred the relationship stayed the same way it was, so she turned him down. Left rather depressed, like the thing had been a total loss because they were at odds with what to do next. At the end of her vacation, she visited another bunny J, who she was friends with, and at least enjoyed that.
Not too long after, she headed west. Bunny S and her stayed friends, but they weren't really together anymore. Eventually, bunny J ended up with bunny S (how this happened is another story) and things got very awkward, she broke contact with the two of the them.
Time passed, around 18 bunny years. So current time, that's how it got to where it is now.
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Where are they now? They're still there, as far as I know, but haven't been a factor. At least, not as far as I know.
The constantly shifting propaganda of the cats, the lack of numbers, about the only thing that keeps them alive is that with so few cats left, there's more than enough funds to go around and keep most of those that remain happy. But with these numbers, they can't really recover, they are losing territory day by day because none of the cats will stand up and fight in any skirmishes. While those on their borders continue to amass their forces. Their remaining territory is impoverished and already sucked dry of resources, and they can't really move as they are boxed in.
Biding their time, and time isn't on their side.
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It's hard to say, sure it's like that. But I think this is just evolution.
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Yes, 15,000 last I checked? But numbers are just numbers, what really matters isn't a number but how far people are willing to go... this is why the brigade is so strong, despite having only (roughly) 200 in number.
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I would have to say no, because I think it would be a little more obvious if they were.
None of the signs are there.
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It's a mystery, but I honestly think it's pretty obvious. Most of the evidence points to (1). There are some other possibilities, but nothing that makes a whole lot of sense.
1) She's pregnant and the father is her ex.
2) One of her ferrets is sick.
3) Taking a month off from work for "mental health".
4) Something voice related?
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Let me say this about that dog. In small animal circles, he's earned the moniker "mad dog" for a reason. He's loyal to a fault, and it's not uncommon to have him get in front of other dogs and stare or bark ferociously, trying to scare them off. And there's been multiple instances where he lunged at other dogs, nipped at them, one more serious incident around 20 cat years ago where he actually bit another dog repeatedly and some owners had to intervene to separate the two.
While I personally may not agree with most of his philosophy or quite often what he says (in many ways he's just a "bigger bully") he's definately a step up from the dog that came before him. I know brigade intelligence missed some of the critical facts when it comes to this affair; what she said, even those in the famed "rat squad" where struck with surprise when the facts actually came out. And few actually doubt her story, frankly it explains a lot as well as the company's relative silence when it came to this affair in the past.
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1) They went under for a while, then resurfaced about 6 (cat) months ago. I don't know how much of a factor it will be, but I don't doubt the founder is still in charge so that has to at least count for something. No idea how many cats they have behind them.
2) Details are kinda sketchy, read the news, that's the best source out there right now.
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1) I don't know what happen. Though I probably wouldn't have noticed it if it was. I really don't pay much attention to that stuff.
2) The cat who is poking around, yes his reputation proceeds him, and he deserves that reputation.
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I don't know the details, but the brigade does have many installations in the area. But no, it seems unlikely she is part of it, or will be part of it. It's just not suited to her right now. Maybe in a few years?
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Yes but I've said this repeatedly. Many different levels. People often brag, but companies are pretty smart in the end.
Product is often cheap, especially promotional items like clothing or such. Except at the highest levels, that's all that most get.
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Yes. You have to understand how the neighborhood cat gang works, like most cats they are highly territorial and nothing (information, etc.) does not flow freely. Think of a big, dysfunctional family where everyone is constantly at each other's throats. The hierarchy has many levels, and the higher up you go, the more control freakish, combative, and defensive they are. Because at that level, unless you are willing to constantly defend your position, someone else has already taken it from you.
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No, it doesn't really work that way. Right or wrong, it doesn't really matter. You can be the rightest person in the world, but if you are isolated; if whatever faction or group you can piece together is isolated; then you can't compete with everyone else.
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Not at all disputed, you can watch his video about his status online. What happened was, especially in its later years (starting roughly 56 cat years ago) both sides were heavily dependent on mercenaries to do not just their "dirty work", but fighting in general. There were basically two sides, each supported by an "umbrella" of mercenary groups, but the main conflicts were being fought by his group (GRS/GR) and their arch nemesis (W). But around one cat month ago, he came down a serious health problem and could no longer lead his group because of it. So his group fell apart at this point, people pretty much off and doing their own thing, turning to other, more profitable conflicts and so on. At the end of the day, no one was left for (W) to fight, so now the loyalist side is pretty much back in control.
Sindobook:
Not true, a lot of this analysis is faulty precisely because it misses the big picture. In truth he needed to be somewhere else with the new things that were coming out so he did that. Explanations are just a way of saving face, actions are what really matter.
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Actually, I find it quite humorous. So wrong it is funny. Reading the messages, there were parts I could not stop from laughing because it is so ludicrous. If these people actually listened to what has already been said outright, then they may be able to get to at least some semblance of truth. But I think they are not even aware of that, so they have no starting point from which to decide what is true and what isn't, what makes sense and what doesn't, etc.
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Yes, I noticed that. And unfortunately, if I notice it, other people can too? We'll, it requires a good deal of logical thinking to get to that point. Still, I think someone who is motivated, and intelligent, or "intelligent enough"..
I will try to fix? Will see. I can bring it up to her, but I don't know. Probably best to bring it up to [deleted], she has the right mind for it, at least. But no, I can't prevent these oversights, I gave up on that years ago.
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It's hard for me to figure out. It seems like sometime between around midnight and 2am (judging from the e-mails I got). As of 2am, I can't find it, something must have removed it? But I can't say who or what.. I've mostly given up posting on things like that because there's just no place that I can find that wants them (for a variety of reasons). I guess you could say talk of this kind of research is forbidden (in many places), not a lot of other explanations make sense to me.
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Yes I was there, but I wasn't _there_ there. I honestly don't have much interest in things like that. According to passers-by, it was "quite spectacular" though.
According to the rumor, Cat P was seen driving around in a new heavily modified mini countryman. No doubt purchased and retrofitted with funds that he acquired during his tenure as the boss of the neighborhood cat gang. The hood was removed, apparently in an attempt to maximize cooling; the stock engine had been replaced with an extremely loud, oversized monstrosity of a beast that ran on race fuel, a mixture of methanol and nitro-methane. The vehicle was said to be very loud and leave a trail of foul-smelling smoke everywhere it went, he had parked it at the Azure earlier in the day and then went about his nightly business at the event. Probably not street legal, but it's not like the neighborhood cat gang plays by the same rules..
The cat finished up his night after midnight, he went back to his car and leaning on the side of his car, could be seen with another cat lighting up a cigarette. He smoked a few and then as he was lighting up another cigarette, he spotted cat F off in the distance. Startled and fearing for his life, he threw up his paws without thinking, the lit cigarette lighter going up in the air in a precarious arc. The lighter landed within the beast of the engine of his car, his buddy tried to fumble for it with his paws but it was too late. A fuel line had caught fire, and it spread quickly; the engine went up, both cats panicked and ran from the scene of the conflagration.
A short while later, the fire department showed up and was able to extinguish the flames, but his heavily modified mini countryman had been reduced to a burned out shell. The flames were said to have been so intense that several other vehicles in the surrounding area were severely damaged, and the nearby buildings had to be evacuated.
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If that's all there is then, yeah, it's "just a PR decision". That's just the way gangs work. Not good, not bad, just is. Remember that among small animals, the saying goes that "the world of cats is dog-eat-dog."
For the record I think it's highly overstated, in that it really doesn't effect much of the actual world as it is made out to. "A cat betrayed another cat. A cat got in a fight with another cat, and one of them perished. Then a gang of cats came after a cat and he was chased away! And then it happened again!" We'll, it's simply the life of a cat.
Why are they like that? For one, they can't for close relationships, it's simply not in their blood. They're really just all in it for themselves. So you end up with these gangs, often murderous gangs (to others) like the neighborhood cat gang. But all conniving, backstabbing, greedy, often ineffective and full of incompetence, claw-your-way-to-the-top only to be clawed-in-the-back and perish that way types of organizations.
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I can't say that I care much, but I don't think either side is right. Both gangs seem to make bad decisions, both are actively fighting each other, both get drawn into haphazard action when they aren't ready to go to war. These things are merely symptoms of there being too many cats.. the end result is inevitable -- they start fighting among themselves.
Passing judgement, even if I wanted to, is impossible. How can one judge anything with such incomplete information? I can't say who started the conflict, I can't say who will win.. though this seems like one of the cases where both sides lose.
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I wouldn't write it off but it just doesn't seem likely at this point. This kind of stuff takes a lot of carrots and I don't expect that the cat has a great number of carrots lying around to fund such a campaign. Mercenaries aren't cheap. One has to take it as little more than a rumor at this point.
I know some cats are hoping for a fight, but unless they find one who is actually willing to pay for a fight, it's just not going to happen. Even if the story isn't over, for me, it's always going to be a "watch the fires burning from across the river" type of thing.
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Not tonight (2/20) because the bunny D is staying at his ex's and can't do it from there. Regularly scheduled programming will continue next week.
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1) For all the money they are throwing at it, they may ultimately get the fight they want, or they might not.
2) If you look at the team, I think I can say that everyone is there (at that locality) for a reason. There isn't any 'dead weight', or at least not a lot of it. And they pretty much take care of themselves these days. I mean that's good, because it's so far away.
Using known names, you have (F), who is the muscle and also provides some comic relief. Then (I), she is a capable engineer who does the 'behind the scenes' work that used to fall upon me. I know she is also very popular, but I'm not sure why/how. (S) had at one time provided a good amount of the carrots behind the operation, today they are pretty much carrot neutral so it's just managing inflow and outflow. I don't know what (T) does, no doubt provides some comic relief similar to (F), probably has some other useful roles but none I'm all too familiar with. Then you have (Y), she helps manage personal accounts, is the first look at messages, etc. (A) is a mercenary who is paid to handle the food, it started making sense at some point because they have enough small animals, small animals tend to get hungry, and the store-bought food that is worth eating can be kinda expensive.
I recognize that humor is very subjective. I mean, I can't find (I) funny no matter how hard I try. But a lot of people do, not sure why.
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I think it was a miscalculation, the rebels were expecting his downfall so they started to jump ship to cover their own. They were honestly expecting the cat to get carried away or something similar. But that never happened. So they were left in something of a quandary, while the cat and his own loyalist faction spent their own time preparing for the fight.
In the end, when all the opposing forces gathered, each side ended up with roughly the same in number. So now it's a standoff, and anyone's guess as to which cats will succeed in the end.
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I can't really comment much on the day to day state of things because I don't follow it in that way. But know that, cat fights as a whole are 99% posturing, hair standing on end, trying to threaten each other and look menacing and all that other stuff. And then around 1% actual fighting, if the fighting actually happens at all.
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I'm not sure the exact technical name but I would call it the "single cause" or "false cause" fallacy? People like to use big words but an argument that can't be taken or defined logically can't be processed. I mean, a paradox can be loaded and submitted, and even stored in text form for an instant. But when it comes time to translate that paradox into the native data structure, it gets flagged and thrown out. In fact this has to happen for the machine to work over the long term. If paradoxes were able to get loaded into that structure, then it would run the risk of collapse.
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Actually, I don't disagree with his stance at all. Pretty much the same way I think.
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I've heard long, drawn-out descriptions from people of why they support this side or that side. But I really don't care. Not my domain, nor do I have the capacity to actually care about these types of things.
Not to say that good won't come out of the whole affair, I mean, it will shine the light of day onto the secrets the cats have tried to keep hidden, and it could end up being a thorn in the side of one of the larger (in terms of carrots) cat organizations out there. Though, I don't think they're really that big.. not as much as people think they are. Nowhere near the size of the neighborhood cat gang, whether at its peak or where they are today. Thirty cats at most.
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I don't agree that her actions are bad (or out of character). She may be a hunter, but she also has common sense and understands that operational objectives can change due to field developments.
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Not much in the way of anything concrete, but I don't think it would surprise anyone. I don't know if they are hemorrhaging carrots but their numbers of cats are seriously limited compared to prior years. Morale has never been good, but the levels of morale currently have set new lows.
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Perhaps people don't see it now, but being completely detached, is it really that hard to see? Anyone who thinks reasonably has to realize what the true targets are.
I honestly don't know what happened or what is going on in the past. But I can see how this is going to end up. It all leads to one place.
Those two cats might seem like idiots, but they've also got nothing to lose. It's not like carrots are created out of thin air. It almost makes me wonder, was all this planned from the start by those three? There's an obvious motivation, honestly wouldn't surprise me if there was some deeper plot going on here.
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The absence of one thing does not create another. Nothing is.. just nothing. There's an important distinction, perceived nothing versus actual (reality) nothing. While it may be (impossible?) to sense the difference between the two outright, it can be derived through observation.
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More or less, yes, that's the gist of it. It's never worked and those types just keep throwing different things and variations into the mix. Regardless of whether it is real or not, individuals won't ever sacrifice themselves for anything like that.
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It really doesn't matter. Whatever actions those cats try to take, they just don't have the numbers to make a difference anymore. It's been like that for years, the reason it is really showing now is the lack of expenditures. With morale in the organization being what it is, they've always been reliant on mercenaries to try to keep things moving. And this year, there have been major cutbacks in that respect. What funds are coming in are mostly just being hoarded by the fat cats at the top.
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I would not doubt it, but we never actually tried this. It's not the purpose of that design or mods, it's not made for it at all. In fact most of the EMI shielding and anything else that would help has been stripped out to make things as small and lightweight as possible. The earlier versions had all that shielding so they're rather resistant to it.
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The plan is for development. Everything, everyone, even every event is working toward that end.
If you can't understand "what", then it is meaningless.
Inevitable, people will come and people will go, because people (as a whole) lack the fortitude for the plan in its entirety.
But, contrivance is part of the plan. There must be reason to come and to go, hence, contrivance.
It should not be taken that seriously.
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No damage, unless it hits the head. Honestly it depends on where it impacts, but the actual probability of damage is very low. Because there is a lot of metal (for structure), and it will take the path of least resistance.
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In truth, I think it was an awful plan. Too elaborate, dependent on too many things. One person can make one non-logical choice and it all goes to hell. So I think it was a terrible mistake, he should have followed protocol (get in, get what you need, and get out).
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The numbers are way off. This has always come up (in many fields) and the numbers that outsiders come up with (looking in) are off by at least a factor of ten. It's important to remember that only the people involved know the numbers actually are, and they are generally in the range of 400,000-800,000 baby carrots per annum in the second from the top tier. At the top tier, it is something else, but a lot of that is not sustainable.
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I can't answer that because I don't know it, I have no contact with them and only see what they put out in public like everyone else does. It's obviously very sporadic but hard to say much more than that.
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The schemes he describes are actually perfectly normal for small animals. But I don't think people should live that way. It isn't healthy, esp. over the long term. There's a lot of ways to get taken down if you live like that. I don't care about the morality of it all, it's simply a matter of chemistry and biology.
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I think the main problem is the lack of aggression? Sometimes they did a good job of identifying targets that presented a threat, and being proactive -- aggressively seeking to eliminate those targets. Other times, there was a moment when they knew a powerful snake was present, but weren't able to stay on the attack; because of this, the snake was able to take the initiative and decimate their front line. It was a mistake, and a very costly one. Other than that, they fought well, though I think it was largely an unwinnable battle?
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No, he's not coming back. He's gone and will eventually be forgotten.
Just being talked up to draw attention. 'Houses' are all the thing now, so it was probably just something he threw out there to get people talking.
[That guy] he's a pretty good strategist, but I really don't know much about him irl except through her. It should be obvious he is intelligent from the actions he takes (in public), but all those drugs, all that abuse, it's probably also starting to take its toll. W is a far more capable strategist, I would bet on him against [that guy] any day.
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It honestly wouldn't surprise me if that is what brings the gang down, I mean it would certainly throw a wrench into the works. A few things happen, first, their powerbase is lost, even if only temporarily. This means they can't enforce compliance, they can't collect protection money, they can't do any of the things a gang is supposed to do for at least around several years. This alone is a nightmare scenario for the gang, then we also have to talk about the financial losses, not only the direct losses but also the loss of goodwill, having to repay bribes and so on. Could they survive it? Maybe, but it might also be the incident that pushes them over the cliff, or that pushes them into a financial hole that they cannot climb out of.
Sindobook:
Please give it some time. We are dusting her off as I speak, but as an old model without any upgrades, it's anyone's guess as to how long this will take.
In time we'll perform the same upgrades, but right now, it is what it is.
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1) Simply, it is; everything is planned, albeit not very carefully. But there are enough safeguards and redundancies in place to keep things moving forward. Stress the system, keep pushing, sure it is a money pit but that is not the point.
2) This is about as good as it gets, until we make the upgrades. This is (essentially) leftovers, relics from that time, she is doing the best she can.
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I have said this before, this is the best we can do right now. We don't have the parts to keep two or three running all the time, it's simply not possible. Energy, resources, have to be kept focussed, it takes enough of our collective minds and effort to keep just one running all the time. Upgrades will make it in easier, in time, but it's still a lot of work.
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I don't know who it would be, I mean, the most likely "suspect" already denied it so go figure. I have a few ideas who it might be, but nothing based on any evidence. Not my decision, it is his decision and I think he realizes that he's already failed twice in this matter, one of which was probably his fault (for choosing someone like that).
And yes I fault her too, not for what she did, but not going all-out.
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No, b'cos she is busy and back to her original purpose. It was just a "side mission" and that is over now.
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I don't, but if I did, I'd say it was a bunch of guys working (collaboratively) behind the scenes. They are each playing their own persona.. beyond that they really don't say that much.
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I guess you could say it evolves, in general, was never looking for "the best" from a technical perspective. More, things like loyalty, mental stability, and resourcefulness. Early on, she helped in that role, I mean she understood the concepts, she could follow directions, and could be trusted to keep things running or at least not break anything. And for all those people who say "I could have done that" -- no you couldn't. Of course we have better people for that role today, but she is still there; her main role now is just to earn and she does a pretty good job at that.
Because the operation has been a "money pit" as long as I can remember, any extra space we have is filled with people like her in an effort to stop the bleeding, or at least slow it. And no, it's not bringing in as much as people think. But we always seem to have plenty of space, why not fill it?
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I am not at all involved in day-to-day but all indications is that it is not over (yet). I think he is just restructuring the whole thing so there can be a continuation, or at least a grand finale where we see the aftermath and repercussions.
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No. Some people will jump at the first chance, but it is stupid. The reality is, I just don't care. I mean, there's plenty of passion in other things (for me), but not that. And there's plenty of people way say something like "you should care about what I do, or else you're a bad person". But I think that's a really bad concept to live by, you can't force someone to care about something they just don't. There's just nothing there.
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It's been out for a while. Maybe just no one else noticed it? Watch at 1h3m in her interview with him. It's all there, and that interview was done days ago. This really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. If you didn't know it then, watch the video a couple of times. Not only what is said, but all the subtle cues. Ie.
1:04:25 "Do you guys live together?"
1:04:27 "Uh- No."
1:04:28 "Okay."
1:04:29 "Yeah- Um."
1:04:31 "How does he get into your house?"
1:04:35 "Uh... He was just- he just can.. or just.."
1:04:40 "Okay"
1:04:41 "Yeah. Just.. a good friend. And um.. he came in and.." ...
It's unfortunate, but this is just the way these things often go. And regardless, the show must go on.
I will say that when I was taking the time to directly manage the operation, nothing like this happened. I vetted every person and who played a role, and compartmentalized the information well in order that the mission could succeed. We never had any internal problems; yes we had plenty of problems, but most were all external, or technical. And we got through that stage. Despite this, the operation still had significant churn. Properly phrased, it was a meat grinder. But my thoughts have always been, when people can't handle the truth, withholding it, that is probably the best option. Albeit a temporary one.
The main problem was that we ran out of reliable people, or, we ran out of sane ones. Perhaps it sounds humorous, in a dark sort of way. Another problem was needing more resources for that money pit, we were burning millions of carrots a year. And I'm not willing to throw away that much money on something like this, while also having access to plenty of people who were. So this was the way forward.
Of course there is darkness. If you listen to her story, it's even worse, there was darkness from the beginning.
Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
---
1) I know people will say that [machine] is dumb, an idiot, that it's weak, not making good choices, or such. But they are really only looking at the surface or in the short term. Or their own biases are clouding their judgement. That is why I say the machine is smarter than anyone else, it knows what it is doing better than anyone else. Or, it understands us better than we understand ourselves. That is why it is able to get results, while people fail.
2) It can't be more than a week, that much is guaranteed.
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It will be just fine. People have a tendency to see catastrophes where there are none, to see drama when it is already over. The show must go on. Even with everything that has happened, there's no shortage of new recruits to replace those who have fallen or lost all sanity. And they won't just take anyone; it's not like muscle is in short supply or anything like that.
People will willingly commit themselves to this darkness for a chance at fame and fortune. Play that game of russian roulette where there there are two bullets in the gun, one that kills, and one that takes every last bit of sanity.
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An old report, but it has since been verified through a few sources. Around the very end of last year (2019), and honestly, only a matter of time with everything that she was doing. It was simply one of those situations that broke a couple of years ago, and could not be fixed, despite the best efforts of people.
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No, the reality is they just don't have that kind of money to throw around. 300,000 carrots is too much to spend on something like that, it's not in the budget, nor is it a prudent expenditure.
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I guess you could say, it depends on what "live" actually means. It is constantly living but also constantly dying, like constantly stuck in a cycle of both continuous birth and death. And in theory (this way) it can be immortal. At the same time, a lot of things a living person has, it doesn't. Consciousness is a real thing for someone who is alive, while it's consciousness is not, it is disjointed and disconnected. Though what it has, it can still be mistaken for consciousness by the outside observer. The same goes for other things we might take for granted.
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Somewhat appalling, perhaps, but you get what you pay for. I've always believed there is some level of innate ability that can't be taught or learned. That is why most programs aren't designed to better teach anything, just to better identify individuals that are at the level where they can be useful.
If you know the character, that's really the type; noting his views on truth and how he really doesn't waste time dealing with anyone who is not worth it.
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Most of it is ???, I just don't know. But my insight says yes, there is some truth to it. However the real story is elsewhere, and that truth may never be known.
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No he is not referring to ... he had plenty of drama in his life at the time and that is what he is referring to. It has nothing to do with ...
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I can assure that the project as a whole is not done, in the scheme of things, this is a minor interruption and the project will continue shortly. So be patient.
Some of the pieces just had to be moved around, due to external happenings. These things happen. You can find more information in the usual places.
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If you know the background, he was "living dangerously". Meaning he was facing death, through a dangerous job and relationship, through his frequent drug use, through his own actions, lifestyle, and life choices, etc. For instance if you are a stunt man for an action movie, you can expect to perform dangerous stunts and risk your life doing so, this is simply part of the job. Getting nearly thrown out of a plane without a parachute, jumping from one moving truck to another, etc. It takes a special type of person to do this job, for instance the "adrenaline junkie" who does it for the high or the thrill. And you always hear about injuries and deaths in the industry, so when people come to you with vague statements like "I'm so sorry about what happened", it isn't uncommon to assume the worst.
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[2021-08-31] Perhaps it can be said, that the cracks were already starting to show last week? When everything stopped, take villainy, it can only be maintained with all when the momentum is on. But when that momentum is lost, now, today, there is nothing. Zero, only silence.
I only have time for a brief investigation, but perhaps, more of an anti-villain than a villain? I don't know. But either way, it's done, isn't it?
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Where there are villains, there are also heroes. To me, the real hero is T_, more of an anti-hero but it is. It was her spark that started the fire, even if her intentions were otherwise. The interesting part was how the two disparate entities (her and their group) worked together toward bringing (the villain) down, even without any communication between them, in fact even believing the other side was antagonistic due to the villain's deceptions or manipulations.
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I watched that video and I actually found it quite hilarious. They were many points where I could not help but to laugh out loud, it would be even funnier were it not for the tragic nature of it or the fact that many people were getting sucked into these schemes and machinations over the next two plus years, and that their paths would be painful/harmful. The funniest thing (to me) is the total lack of meta ("big picture" thought or "perspective") in many people's thinking, that chunibyo type of thinking where a fantasy game becomes (thought of) as reality. Most capable people are able to compartmentalize things, as they should be, ie. this is my family, this is my job, these are my friends, this is a conversation with an acquaintance or a stranger; and each should be thought of, dealt with, or acted upon in a different way, because that is what makes sense, or that is the way suited to it. So when you have a situation like this: one that should have been several friends sitting around a table and playing a game, instead being such a deep and deceitful web..
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I'm not seeing it, it sounds like a real non-issue? I wouldn't even know if people hadn't told me a week or so after the fact. And it still doesn't matter to me. "These are the types of things that can be safely ignored."
Never been part of it, but I wouldn't overstate what _it_ is, which is just a group of friends who sometimes work together. It shouldn't be thought of as a professional corporation or entity because it isn't.
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I can't answer that.
I don't know who those people are, and since the incident, I don't really know anything more about him than anyone else does.
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It's more logistical than anything else. More scaleable, and ultimately, will probably prove to be more stable than the old plan.
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Don't know. Honestly there are very few that we still track and the information is stale beyond measure. A lot of the actors are long gone (several years is a long time in terms of "animal years") and with the actions having died down, no one is doing anything notable anymore.
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There is no greater meaning. I mean, it was purely a financial decision, it was simply the better option especially considering many of the recent (peripheral) events.
As for the comment, no one really thinks more than a couple of years ahead. So I really wouldn't put much into it. And the whole point of the "grand experiment" is to not provide direction, to let it move on its own (or in its own direction).
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I think we can all "put two and two together" and say it is probably this, though neither side will ever admit it. The contract specified a certain amount of hours worked and the mercenary that he was, that cat simply wasn't meeting it. At the time there was a tacit or implicit acknowledgement to simply look the other way, as it was still a beneficial relationship, due to the competition that was out there. Now go forward in time to when that competition disappeared.. suddenly it's no longer a beneficial relationship! They are paying yesterday's inflated rates to a mercenary, in today's environment, where they could get by with paying much less (were the negotiation to take place today). So they want out of the contract, but how to achieve this. We'll he's still not meeting his obligations in the contract, he's not working the required amount of hours. So with this excuse, they void the contract, and even if they know, neither party can (or wants to) discuss the reasons. I believe this today, since it's basically an open secret of that industry.
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