Errius wrote on 2022-08-03, 00:46:

The postwar prosperity of the world is based on cheap oil. The big Arab oilfields were mostly discovered during WW2 and came online in the 1950s. It was a huge economic boost for the whole world, victors and vanquished alike.

That's not true. Arab oilfields were discovered many years before WW2. That's why there were heavy battles in the desert between Rommel and Montgomery.

china stopped exporting sand to taiwan
i think chips are made from sand
no sand no chips
no chips no PCs
vogons shares go up

Namrok wrote on 2022-08-02, 23:42:

On the flip side, China's One Child Policy has absolutely wrecked their demographics, and they are facing a steeper demographic decline over the next 50 years than any other nation on Earth.

That's a very big issue when it comes to war. China would have to sacrifice some of it's young men in a meaningless vanity war, worsening that demographic decline into a potential collapse.

Then again, China is not really a supporter of human rights so they can come up with a mandatory 3 children policy if they really want to.

Actually china has 20 mln extra men in their country

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2022-08-03, 06:31:

Errius wrote on 2022-08-03, 00:46:

The postwar prosperity of the world is based on cheap oil. The big Arab oilfields were mostly discovered during WW2 and came online in the 1950s. It was a huge economic boost for the whole world, victors and vanquished alike.

That's not true. Arab oilfields were discovered many years before WW2. That's why there were heavy battles in the desert between Rommel and Montgomery.

If Hitler had known about Arab oil he would have sent 5 million men to the Middle East not 250,000. The biggest oil fields known in 1941 were in the Caucuses, i.e. Russia.

British and American prospectors discovered the oil during the war, but of course kept very quiet about it. Full exploitation began after the war was over.

robertmo wrote on 2022-08-03, 07:39:

Actually china has 20 mln extra men in their country

This is due to sex-selective abortion. There's a similar gender imbalance in India for the same reason. Girl children just aren't as valued as boys. It's sad. Hopefully this will change as these countries get richer.

robertmo wrote on 2022-08-03, 07:39:

Actually china has 20 mln extra men in their country

Circumstantial whether they are "extra" or not. Regarding their number compared to women, yes. Regarding their economic value, they need every one of them and more.

robertmo wrote on 2022-08-03, 07:39:

Actually china has 20 mln extra men in their country

On the other hand, I've read somewhere, China has many(also millions I guess) unaccounted women due to the same one child policy. Mostly in villages parents just did not register their girls in order to keep the right for a baby which they hoped will be a boy.

Errius wrote on 2022-08-03, 07:44:

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2022-08-03, 06:31:

Errius wrote on 2022-08-03, 00:46:

The postwar prosperity of the world is based on cheap oil. The big Arab oilfields were mostly discovered during WW2 and came online in the 1950s. It was a huge economic boost for the whole world, victors and vanquished alike.

That's not true. Arab oilfields were discovered many years before WW2. That's why there were heavy battles in the desert between Rommel and Montgomery.

If Hitler had known about Arab oil he would have sent 5 million men to the Middle East not 250,000. The biggest oil fields known in 1941 were in the Caucuses, i.e. Russia.

British and American prospectors discovered the oil during the war, but of course kept very quiet about it. Full exploitation began after the war was over.

5 million what? Are you joking or just played too much computer games? Did you hear anything about lines of communication and how much ammunition and simply water need 5 million of troops every 24 hours?

Errius wrote on 2022-08-03, 07:57:

robertmo wrote on 2022-08-03, 07:39:

Actually china has 20 mln extra men in their country

This is due to sex-selective abortion. There's a similar gender imbalance in India for the same reason. Girl children just aren't as valued as boys. It's sad. Hopefully this will change as these countries get richer.

This has already changed. I think in 2020, it was 109 girls to 100 boys.

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2022-08-03, 09:16:

5 million what? Are you joking or just played too much computer games? Did you hear anything about lines of communication and how much ammunition and simply water need 5 million of troops every 24 hours?

The point is that if Hitler had known about the riches of Arabia he would have handled the war in the Mediterranean and North Africa completely differently. He was obsessed with capturing the Caucuses because of its oil (this is what led to the disaster at Stalingrad). With a fraction of the forces he sent to Russia he could have captured the Middle East instead.

BEEN_Nath_58 wrote on 2022-08-03, 10:03:

This has already changed. I think in 2020, it was 109 girls to 100 boys.

That's nice, my information is out of date. The problem is dowries I believe, which is obviously a bigger problem for poor people than rich ones.

Errius wrote on 2022-08-03, 10:20:

The point is that if Hitler had known about the riches of Arabia he would have handled the war in the Mediterranean and North Af […]
Show full quote

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2022-08-03, 09:16:

5 million what? Are you joking or just played too much computer games? Did you hear anything about lines of communication and how much ammunition and simply water need 5 million of troops every 24 hours?

The point is that if Hitler had known about the riches of Arabia he would have handled the war in the Mediterranean and North Africa completely differently. He was obsessed with capturing the Caucuses because of its oil (this is what led to the disaster at Stalingrad). With a fraction of the forces he sent to Russia he could have captured the Middle East instead.

BEEN_Nath_58 wrote on 2022-08-03, 10:03:

This has already changed. I think in 2020, it was 109 girls to 100 boys.

That's nice, my information is out of date. The problem is dowries I believe, which is obviously a bigger problem for poor people than rich ones.

If you're in the middle of war, there is no reason to capture fields that are only discovered, since you need oil now, and not only in a few years. Again, real life is not a computer game. Oil field that is only discovered demands quite a lot of time and efforts to get it into a working condition.

Yes, that's true. There's a big difference between capturing working oil fields (like the Japanese did in Indonesia) and capturing virgin fields where you still need to build an infrastructure from scratch. If would have taken several years to get the oil flowing. (Also the problem that German-ruled Arabia would still be in range of allied bombers.)

intel and nvidia do their gpus on taiwan too

why taiwan, south korea, japan don't even need to be invaded:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of … yramid_2020.png
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of … ion_Pyramid.svg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of … ion_Pyramid.svg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of … ion_Pyramid.svg

I recommend the video Taiwan conflict - Facing the threat from China | DW Documentary to anyone who is interested in the Taiwanese people's debate between the status quo, independence and reunification. (Spoiler alert: It's mostly a debate between the status quo and independence.)

robertmo wrote on 2022-08-04, 10:34:

intel and nvidia do their gpus on taiwan too

AMD uses TSMC do fab their CPUs and GPUs. Nvidia switched to Samsung as their fab for 30 series and now I believe they are back with TSMC for 40 series.

Edit: Spelling correction.

China plans to seize Taiwan on ‘much faster timeline,’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/ … n-plan-blinken/

robertmo wrote on 2022-10-27, 18:30:

China plans to seize Taiwan on ‘much faster timeline,’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/ … n-plan-blinken/

You forgot "Blinken says". 🤣

Meanwhile, by US' "gentle persuasion," "TSMC to hold first tool-in ceremony in Arizona fab" https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202211010012

So what the remaining value of Taiwan once the fab has been fully established in Arizona? You don't care because you don't live there.

the remaining value of Taiwan is 20 mln of Taiwanees
Mexicans won't replace them.