- REGALIER
- Posts
- Is it evil?
Is it evil?
+ The U.S. Navy has no pants
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OVERWORLD:
-Is Telegram evil? Some say yes, others no-
ONE BETWEEN:
-The U.S. Navy has run out of pants-
THE DEPTHS:
-How the M16 assault rifle went from zero to hero-
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once”
William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
 | O |  |
Hmmm…
Is Telegram evil? Some say yes, others no
Okay, so since the arrest of Pavel Durov, Telegram’s founder, a shitstorm of controversy has been ignited — specifically among conservatives and free speech advocates.
These groups have decried the arrest as politically motivated, viewing it as an attack on encrypted messaging and free expression.
But the situation is far from simple, it’s complex and full of unknowns:
Intense: The charges against Durov are serious, ranging from enabling illegal transactions and money laundering to complicity in distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and drugs.
House of Crime: Telegram, widely used for its encrypted messaging capabilities, has long been a hub for illegal activities. Drug dealers, hackers, and fraud rings operate openly on the platform.
Encryption law: The investigation also touches on the provision of encryption services without proper declaration, highlighting the broader implications for encrypted communication platforms.
Not fully encrypted: This activity is often happening without encryption. Despite the platform’s claims to security, many of its group chats are unencrypted, undermining its reputation as a secure messaging app.
Now, this is a mess. But, there’s another layer of diarrhea, namely; Telegram's entanglement in the culture wars. Conservatives have recently championed Telegram as a free speech sanctuary, especially after accusations of liberal bias at Signal, a rival messaging app.
This has led to a politicized defense of Telegram, with some conservatives viewing Durov's arrest as an attack on right-wing free speech and a broader move against encryption.
So, the arrest is a big deal on many different levels: from encryption to free speech, from law to crime, from human rights to ethics.
Right now, the specifics of the case remain unclear, but the charges related to providing cryptology services are particularly alarming to privacy advocates. Criminalizing encryption could set a dangerous precedent, potentially making everyone less safe.
Comments from clever, anonymous people at Hacker News:
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✦QUICK HITS✦
✦Business & Tech✦
That’s rough: In Japan, Sony announced a 19% price rise for the PlayStation 5, citing economic challenges. The PS5 turns four this November amid declining sales but rising profits. Sony shares rose 2.8%.
Swaying right? Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed the Biden administration pressured Meta to censor COVID-19 content. He regrets not resisting more but affirmed Meta’s independence in content moderation decisions.
Damn: The number of crypto millionaires rose 95% to 172,300, with 28 billionaires now in the space. Bitcoin ETFs, institutional participation, and rising crypto values drove the surge.
✦Fashion & Culture✦
Martin Shkreli must surrender all copies of Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin after being sued by PleasrDAO for streaming and allegedly copying the album.
Not mindful: TikTok star Jools Lebron cried after losing the chance to trademark her viral phrase "very demure, very mindful," which was claimed by someone else, impacting her plans to fund her transition.
Big: Travis and Jason Kelce signed a $100 million, three-year deal with Amazon's Wondery for global distribution and monetization of their podcast "New Heights," including ad-free versions.
✦Hmm… Interesting✦
Big read for big brains: No, intelligence is not like height
ONE
BETWEEN
Pantlessness
The U.S. Navy has run out of pants
The U.S. Navy has got a problem that’s more about fashion than firepower—they’ve run out of pants. Yes, the Navy is currently experiencing a full-on trouser shortage.
The Navy Working Uniform (NWU), the everyday outfit for sailors, is in such short supply that the racks at Navy Exchanges are bare.
And, the situation might not get better for months:
Haha no pant: Sailors wear these pants both on duty and off, making the shortage particularly pissy. Right now, Navy Exchanges, both physical stores and online, have run out of NWU trousers in all sizes, with only 13% of stock available globally. This shortage is expected to persist until at least October 2024.
Supply chain shit: The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), responsible for supplying military uniforms, is reportedly at the center of this issue. Vendor-related problems have caused delays in production and delivery, leading to the current crisis.
Time: Despite new contracts being issued, the initial deliveries expected in October will primarily be directed to key training facilities such as the Recruit Training Command in Illinois, the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Rhode Island, and officer training schools. Until full supplies are restored, likely not before January 2025, the Navy is working to mitigate the shortage's impact on its sailors.
This situation is not unique to the Navy. Earlier in 2024, the Marine Corps faced a similar issue with its woodland camouflage uniforms, resulting in temporary adjustments to uniform policies. The Marine Corps, like the Navy, had to find interim solutions until stock levels were restored.
Hopefully, they’ll get their shit together. Can’t have soldiers walk around with no pants.
THE DEPTHS
Come-up
How the M16 assault rifle went from zero to hero
During the 1950s bloody Korean War, US soldiers were vastly outnumbered.
The United Nations forces numbered around 932,000 troops, 326,000 of which were US soldiers. Meanwhile, North Korean and Chinese forces combined had about 1.5 million troops.
Because of this, the semi-automatic M1s US soldiers had couldn't handle the sheer numbers - and they were heavy as shit. As a result, tens of thousands US soldiers died; specifically 36,000 a death count.
This was unacceptable. As the US continued its war against Communism, it couldn’t keep letting Americans die just because their weapons were weak.
The M1 needed to evolve.
✦Knowledge is power✦
In the 50s, weapons development was highly informed by a golden age of transforming weapons studies.
That includes Donald Hall’s Effectiveness Study of the Infantry Rifle and Johns Hopkins University’s Operations Requirements for an Infantry Hand Weapon
What they found:
The range of rifle fire rarely exceeded 500 yards.
Rifle fire was most effective at about 120 yards or less.
The most lethal bullet would be high-velocity but small-caliber.
Most kills happened at less than 100 yards.
Basically, they needed light, small caliber, medium-ranged rifles. But US weapons developers didn't immediately accept this.
Instead, they thought the problem was in the semi-auto capabilities - so they turned the M1 into a fully automatic M14.
When the Vietnam War came, they learned the hard way.
✦AK-47 superiority✦
M4s just didn’t cut it when facing AK-47s - which were smaller, lighter, and had smaller calibers. So, in the late 1950s, the U.S. military went back to the drawing board.
Enter Eugene Stoner, chief engineer at ArmaLite. Leveraging his experience in the aircraft industry, he designed the AR-15, a lightweight, portable, small-caliber built with aluminum and fiberglass.
Charmed by the AR-15s perfect build, military officials developed a crush on the rifle. Eventually, the US Air Force made a fat 80,000 order of AR-15s for the Air Force.
✦”The Good Guy”✦
In 1964, the AR-15 was standardized and renamed to M16 and sent to Vietnam. And so, a pop-culture celebrity was born.
Since its Vietnam debut and continued use in Middle East conflicts, the M16 has subconsciously entered the Western mind as "the good guy gun."
Film, videogames, news footage, and documentaries have for 60-ish years propagandized its silhouette as a symbol of heroism and virtue.
Crazy to think that an object that the vast majority of people have never touched or seen has become such a symbol for fighting “evil”.
