Every site is trying to pull a Bonzai Buddy now.

"We need all your info for advertising, not you can't opt out unless you make an account and give us your email. Oops, looks like I hid the opt-out under a subheader. Amazon is now profiling you."

WE USED TO CALL THAT SHIT A VIRUS.

ITS EVERY. FUCKING. WEBSITE. NOW

"Hi I'm going to block this entire site until you give me your info, this is very cool and normal."

Capitalism ruined the internet. The whole thing is malware now.

  • voight [he/him, any]
    ·
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    Let me give you a classic historical example of relatively good agricultural planning that still squandered its potential: irrigation with slightly salty Nile water destroying soil over time. Just a really broad analogy.

    Can't be too good at industrializing the country and also incapable of basic planning to the point a graphing calculator changes everything. They were the reason we had a space race bruh

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
      ·
      6 months ago

      They weren't that good at industrializing the country. Large part of it had been done by foreign engineers, large part of heavy machinery still in operation in 70s had been bought in 30s for gold, and some "taken" from Germany after 1945 as reparations.

      And, eh, what a certain machine will or will not change requires technical arguments. I'm not making statements requiring such, you do.

      Also if I did say the opposite of what you say, that'd be sort of supported by existence, again, of computerized networked control systems in USSR not intended for economic planning and exchange.

      • voight [he/him, any]
        ·
        6 months ago

        I bet you're like three times my age and you still have Barnes and Noble browser history knowledge because you're rummaging around for political talking points about communism like "they squandered all the resources of great mother russia, the tsar would be so sad" "they couldn't industrialize, they bought all the equipment with gold, and were given it as pity after the USA singlehandedly defeated Hitler" like lmao

          • voight [he/him, any]
            ·
            edit-2
            6 months ago

            Also re: strawmanning each other for fun & educational purposes. I'm not mindlessly defending the USSR, far from it.

            I just don't see the further networking of communication centers in the USSR as being a solution to the problems with their planning.

            They were aware of how they were straining the agricultural base. Hard to ignore food imports etc. Does that clarify my argument? But it would be flat out wrong to say the USSR didn't push the boundaries of agricultural development, communal gardening, scientific achievements like growing fruit in Siberia for the lulz.

            Again don't take the pings as pressure, but claiming USSR industry is shamed by technology transfers is bizarre. This strikes me as similar to the arguments made to discredit Chinese industrialization lately, just to get even higher on my high horse.

            The USSR was not able to withstand financial pressure from abroad. It was able to withstand military pressure. Some soviet military infrastructure is still whipping ass.

            We'll talk about the world buying Russian oil & all the pressure that entails in 6-8 hours 😴🥱💤

      • voight [he/him, any]
        ·
        edit-2
        6 months ago

        Before we continue, you need to go read Wages of Destruction by Adam Tooze, a liberal historian who is still better than the dweebs you read.

        I'm not talking to someone who thinks the USSR needed to steal industry from the Nazis.

        The whole reason the USSR wiped the floor with them was their industrial production.

        Where did they get the tanks from?

        Did they buy all the tanks with gold lmao?

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
          ·
          6 months ago

          than the dweebs you read

          How would you know whom I read really.

          I’m not talking to someone who thinks the USSR needed to steal industry from the Nazis.

          It obviously did. Only it was usually called trophies and reparations.

          Did they buy all the tanks with gold lmao?

          They did buy the "means of production", the actual production lines to make those tanks, equipment of those, with gold.

          Also engineers who would instruct Soviet engineers.

          Mostly, there would be some industrial equipment really produced in USSR and really used, but Soviet heavy industries relied on pre-war American and German equipment till 80s or something. Well, no piece of equipment can last forever.

          Why are you arguing about that really? What's so shameful in buying stuff? You think a mostly agrarian country can just build modern industries from scratch? Well it can't.

          About WWII:

          They would receive industrial equipment through lend-lease as well, and materials, even steel. Not just cars or canned food or rubber.

          • voight [he/him, any]
            ·
            6 months ago

            How would you know whom I read really.

            I guess we'll never know if you don't post anything other than WIKIPEDIA 😇

          • voight [he/him, any]
            ·
            6 months ago

            Why are you arguing about that really? What's so shameful in buying stuff? You think a mostly agrarian country can just build modern industries from scratch? Well it can't.

            No that's ridiculous I just don't understand why that means they "weren't that good at industrializing really" lmao

          • voight [he/him, any]
            ·
            edit-2
            6 months ago

            Being able to organize those technology transfers while developing a backwards tributary state is awesome I hope we can agree

            It's the stalin sell grain buy factory build tank meme, I can't find it

      • voight [he/him, any]
        ·
        6 months ago

        They weren't that good at industrializing the country. Large part of it had been done by foreign engineers, large part of heavy machinery still in operation in 70s had been bought in 30s for gold, and some "taken" from Germany after 1945 as reparations.

        Delusional and shifting the goalposts to boot. They weren't good at industrializing, they stole it, so it didn't count 🤣. What are you basing this off of, I wonder?

        And, eh, what a certain machine will or will not change requires technical arguments. I'm not making statements requiring such, you do.

        eh smuglord

        You don't talk to people. Nobody talks like this.

        I actually just gave you later examples of how computerized planning means jack shit in the face of external pressure, which is what the USSR was unable to withstand.

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
          ·
          edit-2
          6 months ago

          It can be all of that simultaneously and it is.

          By the way, about German industrial equipment taken as reparations, that knowledge happens to be also part of my family history. My grandmother's brother (EDIT:uncle) was stationed in Germany post-war and busy in that very process. Not that any Russian would argue with that obvious truth anyway.

          Also you are arguing in bad faith (everybody thinking a discussion can be perceived as a duel does).

          You don’t talk to people. Nobody talks like this.

          English is not my first language, Russian is. So solely by virtue of having grown here I already know a lot of things about USSR which you don't.

          I actually just gave you later examples of how computerized planning means jack shit in the face of external pressure, which is what the USSR was unable to withstand.

          If by external pressure you mean half the world buying its oil ...

          • voight [he/him, any]
            ·
            edit-2
            6 months ago

            You shouldn't have learned Reddit English then. Yes you already mentioned you are a Russian speaker first I'm not trying to bash your grammar I'm just being a dick.

            I don't care about your family history, I'm disputing your ridiculous historical claim that the USSR was bad at industrializing and stole it all from Nazi Germany, and that technology transfers are "cheating" at industrialization. Your family history doesn't even come up because again they industrialized a backwards tributary monarchy rapidly to the point the allies viewed them as a massive threat. You claim they were just handed industrialization when the rest of the world invaded them, & was barely diverted from pressuring them by WWII. Allied with the Nazis postwar to fight against them. Lmfao. I wonder why they had inflexible administration and high military spending.

            Why would I be sending you cool books and movies and shit if this were a duel? I'm saying you're making an ideological case that doesn't line up with the actual history.

            Trying to act aloof doesn't mean anything when you're spouting "dad history" straight out of the History Channel. What's next, Hitler's secret Microwave Weapon?

          • voight [he/him, any]
            ·
            6 months ago

            Again I'm totally down to exchange sources & I'm happy to explain like Tooze's ideology and shit. Good book tho. Just disagree with him on a lot

              • voight [he/him, any]
                ·
                6 months ago

                Sure and feel free to hit me with anything other than "dude trust me"

                I'm not strawmanning you for any reason other than to force you to take a position lmao.

                I view the internet as a way to get information. But reply to my emails at your leisure don't sweat it