Post ASNBMh27RLyCZ24pyC by musictraveler@mastodon.online
(DIR) More posts by musictraveler@mastodon.online
(DIR) Post #ASLarP5gJEQYQnZ2Rs by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-04T20:43:13Z
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Another thing, does anyone REALLY believe that IF the Chinese were using balloons like this for surveillance they would put anything high value in it, KNOWING that it could rather easily be shot down and captured? Really?
(DIR) Post #ASLbOwLrfNg5927ooK by omegaman@toot.community
2023-02-04T20:49:09Z
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@lauren Seems possible if the data is sent back and then deleted on the device. I wouldn’t expect that data to be sitting on the physical device anyway. All the US is likely to find is a rPi with nothing on it.
(DIR) Post #ASLbe0FRShVTZaIsTI by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-04T20:51:59Z
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@omegaman What data? Primary intelligence sources have said there's very little a balloon at that altitude could capture of real value that can't be collected via the existing satellite fleets. Sure, some better resolution photos but the shots from satellites are *damned* good. Some local radio traffic, but that's hardly important stuff anymore and anything of value is encrypted anyway. It's 20th century nutso thinking going on as political theater.
(DIR) Post #ASLcLnlDFf7raL35Qe by peepstein@mstdn.social
2023-02-04T20:59:52Z
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@lauren @omegaman it worked in the 20th C for the Cold War and the “Red Scare”. Why wouldn’t it work for the China conflict? Honestly it really probably was a weather balloon. I don’t think people realize that in the Cold War, the USA was always far ahead of the Soviets in technology and industry. While Americans were being told that there was a “missile gap”, America has thousands more missiles than the Soviets already. It’s all a show.
(DIR) Post #ASLcOmTuSoD0UFNNdw by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-04T21:00:26Z
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@peepstein @omegaman We'll probably never know. We'll never be told the truth about it.
(DIR) Post #ASLcY88LKZaEFJkLYG by peepstein@mstdn.social
2023-02-04T21:02:04Z
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@lauren @omegaman I’d be very curious to know what the Canadians think about it, since they’re the ones who probably got a first good look at it… but you won’t ever hear Canada’s analysis. But I expect more honesty from them if it ever came out. Time to file a FOIA request to the PMO!
(DIR) Post #ASLcgcXMAw8ErDUkZE by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-04T21:03:41Z
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@peepstein @omegaman It passed over a bunch of countries who didn't seem particularly concerned, and probably didn't have anyone trying to shoot at it (at over 60,000 feet) with their rifles.
(DIR) Post #ASLj57TRP6mvTtjEwK by omegaman@toot.community
2023-02-04T22:15:19Z
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@lauren I’m willing to think it’s 99.9% harmless, but how we respond yields at least some knowledge of value, don’t you think? Watching China go apeshit around Taiwan after the Pelosi visit probably provided treasure troves of information.
(DIR) Post #ASLjABeHJG1vsRDKQS by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-04T22:16:15Z
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@omegaman What *we* see is just a pale shadow of what's really going on between these countries.
(DIR) Post #ASLjXjkofklaJVVAJc by bashley@nerd.megahuge.com
2023-02-04T22:20:08Z
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@lauren I picture them finding that the equipment is all clearly labeled "SPY CAMERA" and "EVIL RADIO TRANSMITTER" like a 1960s Batman episode.
(DIR) Post #ASLjZIszXRwRYx4Z1c by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-04T22:20:31Z
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@bashley But in Chinese!
(DIR) Post #ASLk3WQPlUa4F07Ceu by omegaman@toot.community
2023-02-04T22:26:13Z
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@lauren We should know soon, right? It doesn’t strike me as too big of a deal anyway. Weather balloon, data aggregator, completely empty—shouldn’t really matter. Send something non-commercial into our airspace, we can claim it.
(DIR) Post #ASLqoixhZQ0iSVZlrM by peepstein@mstdn.social
2023-02-04T23:41:53Z
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@omegaman @lauren for some reason I keep thinking of Foghorn Leghorn as the quintessential voice in my head if someone in rural America looking to shoot down a Chinese weather balloon.
(DIR) Post #ASNAUWRUbHPK517Afo by musictraveler@mastodon.online
2023-02-05T14:55:57Z
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@lauren Yes really, I believe the Chinese did this on purpose. The fact that you yourself already spend a large number of posts on this Chinese balloon issue in order to downplay the possible security threat from it shows already that the Chinese succeeded 🤷🏻♀️ The same happened with Russia that people tried to downplay their criminal intentions 🤦🏻♀️ Don’t forget that China is much more dangerous than Russia. Downplaying the Chinese threat is playing with fire 🤷🏻♀️
(DIR) Post #ASNBMh27RLyCZ24pyC by musictraveler@mastodon.online
2023-02-05T15:06:51Z
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@lauren 🤷🏻♀️And why should they put something from high value in it? Do you know already their intentions why they send it over the US border? And maybe they did, anyway it’s a good way to collect all kind of data you are not able to collect by satellite 🤷🏻♀️ And who knows they wired it with some self destruction possibility. There are many options for the Chinese and just downplaying this security breach, is just helping the Chinese and is not in the interest of the US