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In Norway e-bikes are extremely strictly regulated: They need to have a power output of 250 W or less, motor output has to be linked to your pedaling movements, and the motor has to shut off completely when you reach 25 km/h. Anything more than that and you need to register it as a scooter/motorcycle. At which point you need a drivers licence, insurance, and can no longer ride it on bike paths. I was under the impression that this was an EU requirement. But maybe S-Pedelecs are treated like normal bicycles in the rest of Europe?

Wie in den Vereinigten Staaten?

French and UK nukes

You can’t rely on another country starting a nuclear war to protect your country’s territorial integrity. And would you really want to use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack? It would in effect render the planet uninhabitable for humans for a long while.

…very little showed for absurd amount of spending

Spending inefficiencies are an issue that would need to be addressed, and spending and industrial capacity would need to be increased gradually.

Which countries specifically at which times?

I was wrong. Sweden was at 4% for a little while in the sixties.

If you think we should mimic Russia, whose resources should pay for our armies?

I don’t think we should mimic Russia. I think we should help the Ukraine defend itself, so that Russia’s way of doing things doesn’t pay off. I also think that we should have a credible conventional defense for when they’re done in the Ukraine and start invading the Baltic countries. In order to do this, spending has to increase.

To defend against a possible Russian threat requires more EU unity and integration, rather than more individual military spending.

Ideally, spending, R&D, and manufacturing should be coordinated across the EU. This is however not realistic. The EU can’t even agree on increasing sanctions. Euro sceptics are the largest party in Germany, France, and Italy. And they’re becoming more and more popular everywhere. A credible defense seems difficult without European integration, but I don’t think it’s something we can rely upon.

We live in a world where governments don’t care about human rights, the rules of war, or rules-based trade. Without a credible defence and a strong economy, you will all be at the mercy of the US, China, and Russia. If the war in Ukraine wasn’t enough to convince you, the Trump administration should be. It’s also not wasted money if you invest in the domestic defense industry. And we’ve spent at this level before without invading people. But if you think it always leads to invasions, you should be even more worried about increased military spending and military industrial capacity in Russia.

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Why do you want to avoid the Raspberry Pi?

Udoo is Italian and OLinuXino is Bulgarian.

In Sweden it’s also legal to sell heroin, but buying it is against the law. /s

Ich hatte bis vor kurzem ein negatives Nettovermögen. Das ist niedriger als die Durschnittsperson auf Haiti, dem ärmsten Land der Welt. Liege jetzt etwas höher, aber keineswegs in den oberen 10%.

AFD is the biggest party in Germany. National Rally is the biggest party in France. Brothers of Italy is the ruling party in Italy. Reform UK has won a lot of local elections this year.

And as far as I know, the pro-Russian far-right party just won the presidential election in Romania by a large margin.

Support for right-wing parties is larger among young people than among older generations.

I don’t think Trump has postponed Europe’s path toward authoritarian antiglobalism in a meaningful way. I am frustrated about the present situation, and pessimistic about the future.