Audible Book Completed: The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Despite this being a quick Audible listen of just one hour and eight minutes, it is as powerful and revolutionary now as when it was first written with teh ink drying on its pages (see below, the old master - I took the opportunity to download it with my Audible subscription as a "Freebie"): 

Compare Sun Tzu's notes on war with the actual way we (modern man) conducts war and politics, even or especially in light of the World Wars of the twentieth century and the disturbing "current" of the twenty first century history, and I challenge you not to feel the cold tinge of fear at the bottom of your spine. Are we bound to repeat teh same mistakes throughout history? Study war to find a way to stop war - or at teh very least, not to lose one!

There definitely is a simple game in there just using his terms to describe the battlefield. 

Audible Book: All Hands Down - USS Scorpion

I decided to go for a quicker and lighter Audible book (in length, though not necessary in topic), but keeping to the naval theme, this time more modern (Cold War), albeit in 1968 - the unofficial hypothesis of the loss of the USS Scorpion, to alleged Soviet action. Which is an attention grabbing headline if ever there was one. Allegedly the attack on the USS Scorpion was in retaliation to the earlier loss of K-129 near Hawaii in mysterious circumstances, the Soviet Sub being the later focus of the CIA backed Glomar Explorer expedition to recover [part] of it (see below, "All Hands Down" gave a very good picture of what it was like to serve on a US nuclear submarine and the lifestyle of the "dolphin" families had to endure - and you really did feel that the US Navy let the families down afterwards):  

Whether true or not is conjecture, though a compelling case was made, particularly with relevance to US serviceman turning traitor (John Anthony Walker) and passing on communication code cipher secrets to the Soviets and the capture of US communication equipment in North Korea (USS Pueblo). There was a huge window of opportunity for the Soviets to electronically eaves drop on US Naval Operations, with the US blissfully unaware that their communications were deeply compromised. What is also clear, was the the sixties and early seventies were a tense time of frequent Cold War Superpower confrontations, many of which had the potential to spark a general East-West war. From the Cuban missile crisis, the ongoing Berlin tensions, the Kennedy assassination, the ongoing Vietnam War and while general bipolar mistrust of the period. 

It is amazing the world survived in retrospect.

BBC iPlayer/Web-site: The Bomb (Interesting Series)

While reading the news on the BBC web-site I came across (see below, amazingly already onto its second series): 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p08llv8n

Twenty minute sound bites!

In the "Good Old Days" Spies needed a Good Disguise ... now ...

Apparently they now need AI tools ...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52415775

Spies do it best in "Plain Sight" and a link to a free AI course and what the Vatican thinks!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51467536

Black boxes are just that and they could be working for another side as well as your own.
If you want to take a look at what can be inside them there is a free AI course running at the University of Helsinki:

https://www.elementsofai.com/

Vatican, IBM and Microsoft call for Ethical AI:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51673296

I would NEVER have believed the Physics of this was possible or the Failure to spot it!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48859331

I think this is an example of is called "Deep Simplicity!" You let the Americans find the sophisticated stuff you put in the building but sneak in the real thing Trojan horse style through the front gate with a smile!

Return of the Painting Tray

Not only return of the "painting tray" but the "painting tray" has been allocated a spot in the main house ... STOP PRESS ... !!! Plenty of space for models (notice TWO HMS Hood's, one metal and one plastic, and a collection of "H" Class RN destroyers in 1/1200 scale, and two Impetus bases of Germanic "Men-At-Arms" 28/25mm), paints and brushes. All illuminated by overhead halogen light which managed to "blow a fuse" four nights ago.

Admittedly the painting area has an effective "cloak of concealment" (i.e. a quick close the writing desk and nobody would guess at the existence of my hobby, bar the "quirky" library, not many Dan Brown novels there!). Meanwhile here's a sneak preview, see below, of my 25/28mm Germanic "Men-At-Arms", painted and part based (they still need a little paintwork and flocking on the bases).

The "man cave"is not as remote as before, so there are interruptions but it is much warmer and I get more cups of hot tea delivered. Look carefully (see below) and you should be able to see the lower hull of HMS Hood in 1/200 scale and Charles V Holy Roman Emperor (HRE) in 28/25mm.

My work can be scrutinised by wife, children and cat (sometimes the latter is more interested). The Royal Navy is in town, 1/1200 (darker grey) plastic Airfix "Sink the Bismarck" kit in front of a "newspaper special" metal kit. The destroyers are Argentinian copies of the ubiquitous RN "H" class purchased amongst a random lot on eBay. The intention is to use six of them them back as RN destroyers escorting the "Mighty Hood" and "PoW" as they head towards the Denmark Strait.    

The final chap to show you is an old friend:

"Maurice the Spy", aka Airfix Lysander passenger, under-coated and base-painted but waiting for that loving mid/highlight as he runs for his life away from the Gestapo or jealous French husband.

Rest assured the above tidiness is long since a thing of the past ;)

Other items on the Painting Tray

Also down on the table:

A dozen or so Revell Russian Summer infantry (purchased originally in the mid 1990's [1995 in Aberdeen I think]) that have spooked "Maurice the Spy" into doing a runner (I don't fancy his chances against the snipers at the back with their telescopic sights).

I am practising on these chaps before having a go at the 20mm Plastic Soldier Russians (aka a Xmas present to myself).

One man running after another (Maurice seems to be giving chase to this wayward Russian, perhaps they have documents to exchange!):

No real plan to my painting, but still any forward progress is good progress! No sign od the Saturn V moving to the painting table until I clear some more space!

A shot or two from my painting table

Was Maurice "the spy" (work-in-progress) to blame for my inability to post recently?

Soon to be dropped into occupied France from the back of a Lysander (Motto: "Trust No One! And Live Longer").

His chariot (the indomitable Lysander) is in the process of being under-coated.

Detail on the crew be seen through the plexi-glass.

The spy context is actually misleading as I intend to paint the Lysander in the BEF France 1940 Army Cooperation variant.