As a philosopher, Diogenes was a barrel of fun

The Insurgent’s Dilemma: A Struggle to Prevail David E. Spencer’s review of The Insurgent’s Dilemma highlights David Ucko’s nuanced analysis of the strategic challenges insurgent movements face in balancing military efficacy with

Glad to see David Spencer‘s review of my book on the future of insurgency featured in RealClearDefense. He does a great job applying his own expertise to the argument I tried to advance. www.realcleardefense.com/2025/10/13/t...

Oh, but you should

The Patriot Act passed the Senate 98-1

Bad idea, and so was DHS, but Bush didn't exactly ram these through

Oh I've had that argument with people!:-))) And yes they'll often whip out "Peter Drucker said..." Me: "That's your argument? A misquote from a management consultant who was smart enough never to have burped such a bromide?" :-)))

Does culture eat strategy for breakfast?

The idea, which is popular online, is attributed to Peter Drucker who never actually said it. Nonetheless it is oft quoted

This is not remotely why Jesus was crucified, but I realize that for a lot of people on the left, Jesus is a social justice action hero

Banning cell phones in class causes a modest increase in grades for students with lowest performing students receiving the greatest benefits

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Cemetery Ridge is not something I would want to charge up, having stood at the bottom. Running down with bayonets but no ammo left doesn’t seem a whole lot better

Statecraft, Strategy, and the Special Forces Soldier: The Philosophical Foundations of Unconventional and Political Warfare | Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University What is the purpose of today's Special Forces soldier? They exist to help drive statecraft, strategy, and maintain freedom across the globe.

Strategy, Statecraft and Special Forces by Colonel David Maxwell

smallwarsjournal.com/2025/07/22/s...

Why did thousands of adult titles just disappear from the biggest PC gaming marketplaces? Digital distribution platforms Steam and itch.io have tightened their rules about adult content – under pressure from payment processors. Why has this happened and where will it lead?

Steam and itch.io have removed thousands of video games in recent weeks deemed to be "adult content" in order to comply with strict rules from payment processors like Mastercard.

These policies censor artists engaged in lawful speech. Mastercard shouldn't be the gatekeepers of our digital freedom.

You can say something completely preposterous now and instead of losing credibility, by next week you will seem a prophet

This is true

Cicero really didn’t know when to stop and that literally is what got him killed

Ba ha ha ha

Seneca would have made a fine podcaster

Cato the Younger would have been the controversial guest interview everyone was trying to either get or de-platform. Or both

Just saw this. A book on the origin and dispersal of Proto-Indo-European. By a journalist, so it will be intelligible to laymen while probably enraging academic linguists & Bronze Age scholars lol

I’m a War Scholar. There Is No Genocide in Gaza In his New York Times op-ed titled “I’m a Genocide Scholar.

spencerguard.substack.com/p/im-a-war-s...

The U.S.-Japanese alliance is under unprecedented strain. Can it find a better path forward?

Listen here: warontherocks.com/ep...

Ai is being oversold and it’s not always helpful for the things it can actually do, much less the things it can’t

Also seems to cause cognitive atrophy in people who lazily rely on it too often www.nature.com/articles/s44...

I met Big Lou once at a Comicon. Kind of a dick to be honest 😀

Yes he had trouble getting ripped. He was not as sharp as Sergio Oliva (who I also met) much less Frank Zane who was the most defined guy in that era

That looks promising

After spending three months on the New Makers of Modern Strategy, now this

Interesting reflection thread on Wellington and Blucher, from a true proficient of Clausewitz 🙂

My wife did a few competitions, down to the last hour she managed how much hydration and food went into her. Takes a ton of discipline.

100%

Without it you look like a 1960’s or 1950’s bodybuilder and not like what you see today on stage or in movies

Yep. If your body fat gets low you get great separation but to get that look where there’s fine striations and “paper thin” skin look is all about pulling water away from the skin into the muscles and it’s very temporary

Getting into that look is having low body fat and then manipulating your electrolytes, water and carbs. It lasts five or six hours. Enough for a bodybuilding show of movie scene shoot

You can have very low body fat and still look smooth and puffy if you have normal carbs and hydration

I’m bowling

Poorly

No deed of moral courage goes unpunished

Lmao