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Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

reuters.com

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Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#401

Post by Terry_Roll »

eru wrote: post #384
Terry_Roll wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was like 5-10years ago, I developed a bug reporting app and developed a form of encryption which was uncrackable. Now I'm not qualified in anything, never even went to Uni, but what should have taken 6weeks with the UK Dept BIS, took like more than that and then got denied so I shut the business down I'd set up for it. Dont have the source code anymore or anything and its not ever going to happen now. When I say…

> [...] developed a form of encryption which was uncrackable. No, you didn't. > When I say it was uncrackable, it was based loosely on code books which were used in ww2, which is something I subsequently read about later on in the news. Could you please elaborate? Code books only work when both parties have a copy. Obviously for an app, you need to assume that the attackers have access to the app.

>Could you please elaborate?

Lets just say it not only resource burned me because this wasnt just a simple string of data encrypted with an encryption algo, but it would have resource burned anyone else who decided to have a go at decrypting it because of some of the methods I employed. I set out to defeat any automated brute force cracking with Amazon cloud/Bluffdale level of resource at their disposal. This could also apply to quantum computing, because in a way there are probably enough computing devices connected to the net to emulate a quantum computer in near realtime.

I turned their weakness into my advantage, but you would have had to have thought out of the box.

I cant go into any more details, its as simple as that, so you can say what you like, but I'm not here to convince you, but I will say current internationally recognised encryption methods are just lazy imo.

Edit. The difference with the resource burn though is I would get paid anyone else would be needing more tax dollars, so over time it could have been possible to see who was spooking on the reports because of their actions.

Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#402

Post by car_analogy »

eru wrote: post #383
car_analogy wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Until running into an agent that does exhibit collaboration on large-scale, long-term effects, that uses these economic principles against countries foolish enough to hold on to them.

Who are you talking about? So far the free world has trumped everything and keeps going from strength to strength. Russia has a tiny and impoverished economy. China is still rather poor. (And only started to grow richer when they reformed in the direction of economic freedom starting in 1978-ish.)

As to who, see my other comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30458506

And "direction" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in your statement about China. They were, and still are, very protectionist of their internal market, using official and unofficial means.

Not to imply western countries are exempt - they also made (and make) use of protectionism in growing their industries. Only after industries matured, would the market be opened, and economic propaganda launched how unrestricted trade was the only way to prosperity (and, by pure chance, this would give the now globally-competitive industries new export markets). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectionism#In_the_United_St...:

Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, was of the view, as articulated most famously in his "Report on Manufactures", that developing an industrialized economy was impossible without protectionism because import duties are necessary to shelter domestic "infant industries" until they could achieve economies of scale. The industrial takeoff of the United States occurred under protectionist policies 1816–1848 and under moderate protectionism 1846–1861, and continued under strict protectionist policies 1861–1945.

In other words, protectionism has a proven track record of developing economies, while unrestricted free trade is only theoretically able to accomplish this. Of course economists are immune to empirical proof - from that same wikipedia article:

There is a broad consensus among economists that protectionism has a negative effect on economic growth and economic welfare, while free trade and the reduction of trade barriers has a positive effect on economic growth.

Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#403

Post by ciphol »

outworlder wrote: post #311
fosk wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Ukraine becomes a NATO member, Russia won’t be able to defend it’s border from a conventional attack. By looking at a map, this is quite evident.

What's Ukraine bringing to the table that's not already accomplished by the multiple NATO members already bordering them?

It puts much more of central and southern Russia in missile/flight range of NATO.

Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#404

Post by raxxorrax »

perihelions wrote: post #115

I've found the reason (I think) 90% of the world's semiconductor-grade neon production is concentrated in one country. Per this German government whitepaper about the noble gas industry: the USSR massively overinvested in neon capacity in the 1980's, in order to build space-based excimer laser weapons. Ukraine's extant plants date (probably) to the 1980's; they're responsible for a global oversupply that's persisted…

Investing in Neon in the 70s seems to be a somewhat forward looking and almost prophetic strategy in preparation for the next decade.

Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#405

Post by OJFord »

eru wrote: post #365
baybal2 wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How is neon extracted and why does one country have a 90% monopoly (in this specific grade)? " Specific grade " - you need very, very, very high purity gasses for lasers. Noble gasses are very, very, very hard to purify because they are chemically inert. Welding gas (argon) is dirt cheap, 99.99% pure argon is surprisingly expensive, and semiconductor grade Argon, or Neon at 99.99999%+ purity far more. Ultrapure neo…

> Semiconductor industry is extremely fragile. Not sure that's true. After all, it doesn't break down all the time, does it?

Glass only breaks once; most would call it fragile.

Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#406

Post by ridiculous_leke »

eru wrote: post #374
ridiculous_leke wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As per him, Ukraine should be in Russia's domain due to the shared history/culture. And he's okay to pay any price for it. A side benefit for him is that he will be added to the long array of Russian leaders (Peter, Catherine, Lenin, Stalin., etc.) who are remembered for taking decisive actions(good and bad) for the Russian nation. The "NATO Problem" is probably just a ruse to rile up support for his amibitions.

> As per him, Ukraine should be in Russia's domain due to the shared history/culture. Well, by that logic Russia should give back Königsberg and eastern Poland..

Yes, it doesn't make sense. Nobody made Russia the caretaker of all Slavs.

Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#407

Post by pastacacioepepe »

immmmmm wrote: post #225
pier25 wrote: post #167

We should be talking about grain, not gas. Russia is the biggest exporter of wheat in the world with 18%. Ukraine accounts for 7% of the world's wheat. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/17/infographic-russia-... This conflict will affect 1/4 of the world's wheat which will affect food prices. In 2010 Russia stopped exporting wheat due to wildfires burning their fields (most likely caused by climate change). This…

We should be talking about human lives. My Ukrainian colleague was terrified for his family today.

I think the "missiles on civilians" narrative has been exaggerated.

There are up to 10 civilian casualties so far, so it would have been easier to die of covid or even pollution than bombs in Ukraine in the past 2 days.

Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#408

Post by scyzoryk_xyz »

k0k0r0 wrote: post #263
amelius wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Putin is very rational and predictive. The nuclear option is not relevant. He moved troops to the borders, waited for a response. And this response was what he expected to be: just sanctions. This gave him the "ok" to invade. Sending troops would be a clear signal. Costly, but you can also see it as a good exercise.

> Putin is very rational and predictive. To be honest this war does make me doubt my assption that Putin is very rational and predictive. What is the rationale behind such a full-scale invasion? I don't see benefits that outweight the costs. I am happy to hear them, if they are any.

Well, my impression is similar regarding Putin, but I have also read opinions that this offensive is not the full-scale reckless invasion quite yet. Russian forces have supposedly invaded quite carefully and between each move they’re waiting to see the Ukrainian response. Like in a chess game, tit-for-tat. They are basically keeping themselves ready for anything, including a retreat or unexpected pivot.

A lot points to the fact that Putin has extensively prepared and calculated the benefits and costs of all the possibilities and endgames. Everything, including how we are talking about it here is potentially a component in this strategy.

What is difficult for all of us here in the West to comprehend, is how completely different the elite Russian POV is from our own. I highly recommend looking into the Gerasimov and Primakov doctrines.

At the same time, Putin is pretty old and has been in power for so long that there is a real chance that he has become narcissistic. There is a real chance that he has developed a misperception of his own strength and that this is a turning point. Something similar happened to Napoleon at a certain point.

Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#409

Post by MrYellowP »

After all those lies I've been told over and over and over again, over decades, about all those countries which got invaded by the US, bombed by the US, had their governments overthrown by the US ...

... why would I believe them about Russia?

Based on an image in a news-livestream yesterday, targets are solely military structures. The reporter did not fail in trying to make russia look bad, showing actually no regard to the information itself.

Personally, I can absolutely understand the desire to remove military equipment next to my doorstep, especially when it's ran by a country which, FOR DECADES, used lies to take over countries and kill millions of people.

Re: Ukraine is a major producer of neon gas, critical for lasers used in chipmaking

#410

Post by netizen-936824 »

eru wrote: post #388
lotsofpulp wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Businesses also need to have customers. No clothes maker was forced to manufacture in poor countries, but the alternative was to simply stop existing since insufficient customers are willing to pay the price premium for purely American made clothes. Hence the only solution would have been legislation forcing domestic manufacturing.

You say it like it's a bad thing that textiles are manufactured in poor countries? As an example: Bangladesh has been on a multi-decade long streak of excellent economic growth. Mostly thanks to the textile industry. Regular people are better off. > In last decade, poverty dropped by around one third with significant improvement in human development index, literacy, life expectancy and per capita food consumption. Wi…

You seem to be making the assumption that their working conditions are better than what they were doing before. When considering working hours along with stress and working environment, I'd say probably not

Some argue that industrialization under these conditions is not good for the countries and people being exploited for their labor

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