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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 6h

Yeah, as funny as it would be to imagine the Nazis being like "Plan A is Aryan racial supremacy, but plan B is Latinas!" the truth is always more banal.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 6h

Ironically, I bet this is the only Trump watch that stands a chance of having resale value

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 19h

For the same reason that the English invented soccer but, uh, you know

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 19h

The other ingredient is that most people in pre-modern societies carry sticks for walking on shitty roads in shoes that have less arch support than the average slipper. They also usually wear knives for eating and general utility. So if you want to hurt someone, you have better options.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 22h

(Also, I know the author personally and he has a karate background)

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 22h

Yeah, Karate actually has a lot of pre-modern striking techniques (strikes with the palm, back of the knuckles, bottom of the fist, etc.) that it preserved long after Western boxing mostly abandoned them. I'm pretty sure kung fu has them too, but am less familiar.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 22h

Designing an airplane: the better it looks, the better it flies

Designing a submachine gun: the worse it looks, the better it shoots

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 22h

See for example these various types of Caestus, which all protect the bottom and back of the fist but don't protect the knuckles you would expect from modern boxing.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 22h

Hooks are even rarer! Usually, you see strikes with the bottom of the fist or the back of the knuckles.

The bottom of the fist in particular is much less brittle than the knuckles and metacarpal bones, and much easier to protect when striking a bony target like a head or rib cage.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 22h

That's a possibility too! A good sword cut often uses similar body mechanics to how one might throw a ball or cast a fishing rod, for example. Not crazy to use a weight on a chain or string to simulate that.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 1d

Paulus Hector Mair, who was hanged for stealing money to pay for elaborately illustrated books about sword fighting (look, whomst among us...) also appears to have known at least one black person.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 1d

*these depictions come from a book commissioned by a 16th century German civil servant who was later executed for embezzling public funds from the city of Augsburg. "Reliable" is an extremely relative term here, in other words.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah, the flail is super interesting! It was definitely a thing in agriculture, where simple flails were used for threshing wheat, and there are reasonably reliable* depictions of its use as a weapon. It's plausible that there were attempts to create a military version, but it prob. never took off.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 1d

On reflection, I do wonder if there might be a bit of convergent evolution with Savate and Capoeira. I'm not super familiar with the origins of the latter (and a quick google search suggests nobody is), but it seems plausible that it might have evolved from weapon arts like Savate did.

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 1d

I think Norway should lean into this by creating a Nobel War Prize, nominating Trump for it, and then giving it to someone else.

Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 1d

The Guardian- The US president may impose tariffs, demand higher NATO contributions or even declare Norway an enemy, analyst says, if on Friday he is not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. www.theguardian.com/world/202...

Norway braces for Trump’s reaction if he does not win Nobel peace prize

US president may impose tariffs, demand higher Nato contributions or even declare Norway an enemy, analyst says

www.theguardian.com

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Birb_at_Arms @birblib.bsky.social · 1d

It is sort of encouraging to me that the general expectations of autism have gone from the Rainman-era "non-functional adult with a slight chance of super powers" to a much more reasonable "sometimes awkward, likes trains, puts a ton of effort into niche hobbies."

Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 2d

I don’t exactly how to phrase this, but like… is autism that bad???? Like, why is it such a source of fear??? Of course there are challenges but you can be autistic and have a rich, fulfilling life! Many people do! I don’t understand the preoccupation.

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