Pete Monks

Wordle 1,603 2/6

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I don’t think this is ever going to happen again

A screenshot of a home security system alert that says “Regional Invasion”

The security camera system at home had a software update today.

Now, when one of the neighbourhood kids runs onto my driveway I get an alert that implies the PLA are dropping an airborne brigade into Papua New Guinea.

Back to Albert Camus again for this week’s #histbookchat and #photofriday.

Not thinking highly of the median US voter was helpful in completing this survey

This is a thought-provoking read

A paperback copy of In Asian Waters by Eric Tagliacozzo. The cover features men in Chinese dress of around the 15th century, representing Chinese Admiral Zheng He and his officers or officials.

Making slow progress with Eric Tagliacozzo’s “In Asian Waters” for this week’s #histbookchat and #photofriday.
(I’ve had a few other things going on in the last week or so to distract me)

A copy of a 2022 tweet on Twitter. The tweet is comparing a ‘weird’ modern performative masculinity discourse with a generation of WW2 vets who returned to normal everyday life with no time for performative self-aggrandising

I think about this 2022 tweet from the old place a bit.

I’m old enough to remember my grandfather’s generation who had lived through the depression and fought through WW2 and didn’t feel the need to self-aggrandise. They MIGHT wear their medals to the annual ANZAC day dawn service but that was it.

Ah, I should have read the entire thread and not just the first post, shouldn’t I? (mea culpa)

A subset of 3 has to be specifically the rise of Xi and the change in trajectory of Chinese policy and influence as Chinese power has grown.

There’s also the possibility that Gore doesn’t respond to 9/11 forcefully enough. A couple of cruise missile strikes into AFG don’t cut it, the Taliban and OBL remain unscathed, and an enraged US public delivers a President Giuliani with 400+ EV in 2004 - and whatever that leads to next 2/2

I can accept an argument that Gore would have responded to 9/11 more thoughtfully (and would almost certainly not gone into Iraq), but the idea that Gore would have magically prevented 9/11 just be ‘being better’ seems a bit like fanciful thinking to me 1/2

Is Staff Wallah the one with some amazing but completely unverifiable allegations about Bennett and some photos?

Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness (if you feel like).

(I do feel a little bit guilty not having Bernard in here as well)

There’s a great thesis waiting to be written that compares the respective recruiting pools and recruiting methods for ICE and for the Russian army today.

Amongst other things, I used to teach artillery safety procedures at our School of Artillery (a long time ago now) and commanded a couple of artillery batteries.

This is not what you would call a good day at the office or “just a routine cost of doing business” for an artillery unit .

In the space of 72 hours late last week I had all-nighters in two separate hospital emergency departments for two separate family members (one involving some pretty serious surgery).

I’m not exactly full of energy and enthusiasm for the working week this Monday morning.

Bentspoke is pretty highly regarded

Canberra does have a couple of decent brew pubs and pale ales. And it’s good to see my RAAF mates upholding our national standards of hospitality.

If you’re being given Melbourne Bitter in particular, the only possible explanations are (1) it’s a case of “let’s see what this yank is made of”, (2)”let’s prank him in the interests of some obscure tradition”, or (3) they have already decided they don’t like you.

Big shout out to all those Americans who took part in or supported #NoKings today.

Take your country back from Trump and his assorted tin-pot fascists and thugs.

There is always an undercurrent of racism, misogyny and a strange fascination with Nazi germany and the Wehrmacht, though - in well-led organisations it’s suppressed, but occasionally really negative subcultures form in poorly-led and poorly-supervised small groups 2/2

I’m late to this, but after 30-ish years in the Australian army, 3x Afghan deployments (amongst others) and a lot of of time around US and UK soldiers as well I’d say Generation Kill and Restrepo basically nail it. 1/2

If you are following me you probably don’t need to be told what sort of person Trump is, what he values, or the sort of people he likes.

But if you had been living in complete isolation from the news for the last ten years or so, then maybe this could be revealing.

The cover of the book “The Burden of Responsibility: Blum, Camus, Aaron and the French Twentieth Century” by Tony Judt

Revisiting Tony Judt’s “The Burden of Responsibility: Blum, Camus, Aron and the French Twentieth Century” for this week’s #histbookchat and #photofriday.

The experience and legacy of centrists who ran real risks and demonstrated courage in the face of authoritarianism seems relevant today, maybe?

Everyone assumes that Crouchback is Evelyn Waugh’s surrogate character in Waugh’s “Sword of Honour” trilogy, but it’s really Apthorpe in “Men of Arms”, then Ludovic in “Officers and Gentlemen” and “Unconditional Surrender”

Two paperback books sitting on a wooden coffee table - “The Dawn of Everything - A New History of Humanity” by David Graeber and David Wengrow (Orange cover, title in red print) and “British Infantry Battalion Commanders in the First World War” by Peter E Hodgkinson (Blue cover, title in black print, black and white photo of six British Army officers in WW1 uniforms)

I spent some time on planes this week, so I got to read two entries for #histbookchat and #photofriday - “The Dawn of Everything - A New History of Humanity” by David Graeber and David Wengrow, and “British Infantry Battalion Commanders in the First World War” by Peter E Hodgkinson

Age yourself with a film you saw in the cinema as a kid

When people were shooting back and I would have had to go to boot camp first and submit to some actual discipline l? Oh, no, I couldn’t serve THEN.

But now I can *serve* by terrorising unarmed women and kids with funny-sounding names and I get to cosplay as an operator? Count me in!

Brisbane Lions AFL player Charlie Cameron celebrates after scoring a goal. Underneath is the score of the 2025 AFL Grand Final (Brisbane 122 to Geelong 75)

A picture of the 2025 Brisbane Lions AFL team superimposed on the outline of the AFL trophy, with a label at the bottom saying “Back-to-Back Premiers 2025”

Pretty happy with this Grand Final result, especially that a couple of blokes who missed last year’s Grand Final got to play in a winning Grand Final side.