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Stackpole publishing is going to release the epic Kursk study. According to the author, he told me that they were commissioned by the US government to make it. The original print edition was over 2,000 pages long and involved a team of researchers. The new one, for wide release, is 600 pages and appears to be an edited down version, available at a modest price instead of over $250. It's one of the most valuable military history studies of WW2 :
On 9/27/2018 at 12:18 PM, Cult Icon said:I've started listening to a 12- hour NYU seminar that teaches Nietzsche - taught by two professors of philosophy from the University at Austin. Very interesting analysis of what it was.
@Enrico_sw IIRC you've written about Nietzsche. What do you think of him?
In listening to this seminar after not reading him since college, I am much reminded of how foundational, robust, and enduring his ideas were (especially master/slave morality for me, personally). However, I feel like I've moved way past him since then, by no fault of his own.
interesting interview about coming to America to win the Olympia:
On 10/7/2018 at 2:46 PM, Cult Icon said:
@Enrico_sw IIRC you've written about Nietzsche. What do you think of him?
In listening to this seminar after not reading him since college, I am much reminded of how foundational, robust, and enduring his ideas were (especially master/slave morality for me, personally). However, I feel like I've moved way past him since then, by no fault of his own.
Yes, I really like Nietzsche, his views are always very profound. What interested me the most in his work were his deconstruction of moral values and the "Beyond-man" concept, but there are many things in his books. There are always interlinked ideas and complex issues, but the way he expresses his ideas is most of the time very clear (the only exception being his first book "The Birth of Tragedy", which is more academical). His aphorism and the way he chooses his words make his books very pleasant to read.
I find his methods also very useful; particularly the way he uses the genealogy. He can be very acid against other philosophers/philosophies, but there's always a pretty good point behind his words. He's also sometimes very emphatic, but that stresses the point and it ensures that you never get bored reading him.
5 hours ago, Enrico_sw said:
Yes, I really like Nietzsche, his views are always very profound. What interested me the most in his work were his deconstruction of moral values and the "Beyond-man" concept, but there are many things in his books. There are always interlinked ideas and complex issues, but the way he expresses his ideas is most of the time very clear (the only exception being his first book "The Birth of Tragedy", which is more academical). His aphorism and the way he chooses his words make his books very pleasant to read.
I find his methods also very useful; particularly the way he uses the genealogy. He can be very acid against other philosophers/philosophies, but there's always a pretty good point behind his words. He's also sometimes very emphatic, but that stresses the point and it ensures that you never get bored reading him.
Interesting, thanks. The seminar talked about his relations with Wagner (and then attacks in his books), his personal relationships, and also the linkage between his philosophy and that of Socrates, Schopenhauer, Kant, Kierkegaard,etc. He was well ahead of his time in his thinking on many issues. For me, it was the approach of Nietzsche as an atheist that intrigued me the most and I was influenced by his pov as a kid.
The seminar also focused on de-bunking popular myths about Nietzsche (eg. him being an anti-semite - not true, in fact he was opposed to anti-semitism) and a nihilist (not true, he was an optimist in his own philosophy despite becoming a madman later in life) .
Have you read other existential and classic philosophers? I did not study any of them except Nietzsche. After finishing the seminar, it made me think that I should at least get acquainted with the basics of the others.
the classic licker- remade!
Two Nov 2018 releases from my favorite authors. Must buys::
Smashing Hitler's Panzers: The Defeat of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division in the Battle of the Bulge
Armoured Warfare in the Battle for Budapest
Might get it:
Panzers in the Defence of Festung Posen 1945
will get it later:
The Forgotten Battle of the Kursk Salient: 7th Guards Army’s Stand Against Army Detachment Kempf'
18 hours ago, Cult Icon said:The seminar also focused on de-bunking popular myths about Nietzsche (eg. him being an anti-semite - not true, in fact he was opposed to anti-semitism) and a nihilist (not true, he was an optimist in his own philosophy despite becoming a madman later in life) .
Yes, the myth that he would be antisemite mainly comes from his sister who made a fake book (that the nazis exploited), but when one reads his "real" books and his words on resentment, Nietzsche is crystal clear.
There's an interesting book from a French philosopher (Michel Onfray - a very insteresting guy who's still alive) on this topic. It's called "Eichmann's dream" ("le songe d'Eichmann" is the French name). It's a play where Eichmann has a dream of Kant and Nietzsche. The assertion of the play is that Eichmann was influenced by Kant's philosophy. Eichmann speaks to Kant like to a father. Nietzsche is on the side, he comments and scoffs.
It's funny because Eichmann basically pleaded at his trial that he was just a public servant who obeyed the orders, like his Kantian morals dictated him. Hannah Arendt says that Eichmann was stupid and that he didn't understand Kant, but Onfray says the opposite: for him, he read Kant very well and the Kantian philosophy is dangerous because it can make people slaves of the administrative machinery.
18 hours ago, Cult Icon said:Have you read other existential and classic philosophers? I did not study any of them except Nietzsche. After finishing the seminar, it made me think that I should at least get acquainted with the basics of the others.
Nieztsche is the main philosopher I've read. I also like Hannah Arendt quite a lot. I tried to read Schopenhauer, but I didn't like the writing.
the "licker'- interesting game design
@Enrico_sw @SympathysSilhouette
Red Dead redemption 2 is coming out in 1 week- sounds like something you may like. It looks amazing. The first one was filled with Western tropes.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=red+dead+redemption+2
Some observations on books that I recently got or read the preview for- a lot of books with "EPIC!!!!" content:
History of the 21st Panzer Division (already own): This division was one of the three most hard-fighting and involved German combat formations in the battle of Normandy . The others being the Panzer Lehr division and the 12.SS "Hitler Youth" Division. This book largely focuses on climatic the fighting in Normandy. It was a heavily equipped German formation that was built out of veterans from the 21st Panzer division in North Africa and mechanized a large quantity of converted French military equipment.
Panzergrenadiers to the Front! (already own): The last of the German special forces are merged together into a motorized division and are send to battle in the worst of conditions in late 1944 and 1945. They fight astonishingly hard despite the fruitlessness of their situation. On April 1945, they manage to achieve the last German operational victory of WW2 at Bautzen and inflict great damage on the Soviets- while being a few hours' drive away from surrendering to the Allies.
Oder Front Volume I/II (on delivery) : A ground breaking work on the defense of the Oder Front- the gateway to Berlin. It was this fighting that shaped how the Third Reich would end its days. The German army was now cannibalizing its training and replacement institutions and sending them to the front; two generations of men had been maimed or killed, so old men and children were mobilized.
Smashing Hitler's Panzers (Nov 2nd release): The 12.SS "Hitler Youth" division is assigned 1 of the 2 primary objectives for the Ardennes offensive and was fought down to a standstill by element of three US infantry divisions. It looks like a good synthesis like Zaloga's previous book, Patton versus the Panzers.
The Forgotten Battle of the Kursk Salient (already own): The 7th Guards Army played a major role in frustrating the climatic offensive at Kursk- they severely impeded the progress of III Panzer Korps and Korps Raus to an extent that it reduced the chances of German success to zero.
Confronting Case Blue (on wish list): The Axis launch their final great offensive of the war, Case Blue and shattered the 5th Tank Army. General Chibisov's operational group was hastily formed out of the depleted 2nd Tank Corps and a mixture of decimated and underdeveloped infantry divisions and ordered to make a decisive counterstrike against the German 9th Panzer division and numerous attacking infantry divisions. The Germans execute a defense, supported by massed air power and the attack becomes a death ride for the Soviets. 2nd Tank Corps commander Liziukov attacks into the void and disappears; his brigade commanders fall in battle.
6 hours ago, Cult Icon said:@Enrico_sw @SympathysSilhouette
Red Dead redemption 2 is coming out in 1 week- sounds like something you may like. It looks amazing. The first one was filled with Western tropes.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=red+dead+redemption+2
It looks really great!! The story seems interesting and the graphics are awesome.
I remember the first western game I played when I was a kid: it was called "Outlaws". It's amazing to see how much they've progressed in 20 years.
good video about Godfather:
17 hours ago, Cult Icon said:@Enrico_sw @SympathysSilhouette
Red Dead redemption 2 is coming out in 1 week- sounds like something you may like. It looks amazing. The first one was filled with Western tropes.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=red+dead+redemption+2
It's console exclusive so I'm afraid I won't be able to play it, same as with the first one. I definitely would if they would release a PC version, but that does not seem likely. 
On 10/17/2018 at 4:34 PM, Enrico_sw said:
It looks really great!! The story seems interesting and the graphics are awesome.
I remember the first western game I played when I was a kid: it was called "Outlaws". It's amazing to see how much they've progressed in 20 years.
On 10/18/2018 at 3:39 AM, SympathysSilhouette said:
It's console exclusive so I'm afraid I won't be able to play it, same as with the first one. I definitely would if they would release a PC version, but that does not seem likely.
The game is hosted on youtube now. It was released today.
I haven't gotten around to checking it out much, but the graphics, AI and animations are very good.
20 hours ago, Cult Icon said:
The game is hosted on youtube now. It was released today.
I haven't gotten around to checking it out much, but the graphics, AI and animations are very good.
I played it at my cousin's. This game graphics are impressive! The level of details (like snow prints, face expressions, etc.) is awesome.
6 hours ago, Enrico_sw said:
I played it at my cousin's. This game graphics are impressive! The level of details (like snow prints, face expressions, etc.) is awesome.
So far it looks good but not as great as the Witcher to me in terms of gameplay. Is there content pertaining to towns? I haven't seen the towns yet. I like how you can hunt animals and they show the skinning animation. Also, how the horses can fall down and get "stuck".
On 10/12/2018 at 5:43 PM, Enrico_sw said:
Yes, the myth that he would be antisemite mainly comes from his sister who made a fake book (that the nazis exploited), but when one reads his "real" books and his words on resentment, Nietzsche is crystal clear.
There's an interesting book from a French philosopher (Michel Onfray - a very insteresting guy who's still alive) on this topic. It's called "Eichmann's dream" ("le songe d'Eichmann" is the French name). It's a play where Eichmann has a dream of Kant and Nietzsche. The assertion of the play is that Eichmann was influenced by Kant's philosophy. Eichmann speaks to Kant like to a father. Nietzsche is on the side, he comments and scoffs.
It's funny because Eichmann basically pleaded at his trial that he was just a public servant who obeyed the orders, like his Kantian morals dictated him. Hannah Arendt says that Eichmann was stupid and that he didn't understand Kant, but Onfray says the opposite: for him, he read Kant very well and the Kantian philosophy is dangerous because it can make people slaves of the administrative machinery.
Nieztsche is the main philosopher I've read. I also like Hannah Arendt quite a lot. I tried to read Schopenhauer, but I didn't like the writing.
^
Yes, the lecture talked about the book, which was organized by his sister and composed of his notes that she gathered up. The experts also said that she also "made up"/wrote portions of the book. To my understanding, the Nazis even contacted the sister in her later years.
You know, I heard of Hannah Arendt's analysis of Eichmann and the "banality of evil". As a general statement I don't think it's entirely applicable. Maybe they were right about Eichmann. Another powerful force that motivated the Nazis was ambition- to rise- as I said in the Deus Ex thread. Does she mention this?
In October I finished learning some of the basics of storytelling and screenwriting. It has made me a bit more refreshed about doing something creative about the soldiers of the Eastern Front- like writing something similar to a greek tragedy like the Godfather trilogy. I spent some time and thought out a broad outline of sorts.
I'm going to try watching RDR2's game and story later: