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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 6, 2026

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This is the exchange I had in mind when saying that. Read Shakes post above, too. Both are forcefully arguing for their position. I see several times where Shakes acknowledges points for the other side. I note zero where Dase does.

FWIW, I think Dase is generally very smart and knowledgeable (I've nommed him for AAQQ within the last month), which is why it sticks out to me when he slips into "China rules, America drools" mode. I would love to see him give a decoupled take on some part of the Chinese system, because I expect he really does have a better vantage point than pretty much anyone else I have access to.

But we all have topics that are hard to discuss with a proper detachment.

Also where did you get the idea that Dase was living in China? Since many of your comments appear to imply he currently does, I'd like to see where that was indicated.

Comments he made a while ago, I'm not going to try to dig them up. I definitely remember he dipped out of Russia the moment they invaded Ukraine, and mentioned landing in Turkey while he figured out his next move. But I've alternated heavy posting and blocking myself to just lurking over the last few years. I am pretty sure he said something about finding a more permanent spot for himself in the Chinese AI/ML ecosystem at some point, but that's why I keep phrasing it as half a question.

He went to Argentina, iirc.