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As far as I was aware, "mystery weapon" was the consensus, and this reaffirms it in the first two paragraphs. Looks like a clickbait title.

by Izkata 2y ago

elicash 2y ago
No, you should read the article. They cite the previous review by seven intelligence agencies. That had been publicly reported, so for folks who had been following it, the consensus was most recently that it wasn't a mystery weapon.
- ggm 2y ago
  Another part of this is that these agencies by temperament hedge their answers and were remarkably unequivocal, noting "new evidence could change their mind" -and they have become less unequivocal. This strongly suggests new evidence, but since this is in the secrecy-strategic space, we're not going to know. It could be somebody senior said "change tone of voice" or it could be something new was found. We can't know.
- whycome 2y ago
  We’ve really blurred the meaning of: facts, consensus, winning, truth
sanderjd 2y ago
Nope! Most people think this is a conspiracy theory. Maybe it is maybe it isn't, but it's interesting for both sides to keep in mind the actual state of play as this continues to develop. For you, who thinks "duh, everyone knows this was a weapon", it's interesting to know that no, your perspective is being skewed somehow, probably by the media you consume. For me, who thinks "duh, everyone knows this was a paranoid conspiracy theory", it's interesting to follow the actual investigation into it, because maybe we're wrong.
- specialist 2y ago
  Your comment gave me a notion. "Science fantasy" was coined to discern between "hard sci-fi" (The Martian) and make believe (Star Wars), right? How about: Conspiracy - - fact: stuff we know, like nicotine and climate crisis - theory: likely but as yet "unproven", like a RICO case going to trial. - fantasy: ancient civilizations, flat earth, X-Files, QAnon, etc. - bullshit/lies: stuff we know is bullshit, like Holocaust denial - mystery: we just don't know (yet?), like maybe Havana Syndrome Acknowledging that "conspiracy theory" was coined to (successfully) cast "conspiracy fact" as "conspiracy bullshit". Like COINTELPRO. Acknowledging that misuse and abuse of terms is the norm. Like how "hackers" morphed from tinkerers and inventors to criminals. But at least when I say something is "conspiracy bullshit", my people will know what kind of conspiracy I'm talking about, without further explanation.

As far as I was aware, "mystery weapon" was the consensus, and this reaffirms it in the first two paragraphs. Looks like a clickbait title.

by Izkata 2y ago

As far as I was aware, "mystery weapon" was the consensus, and this reaffirms it in the first two paragraphs. Looks like a clickbait title.

elicash 2y ago

No, you should read the article. They cite the previous review by seven intelligence agencies. That had been publicly reported, so for folks who had been following it, the consensus was most recently that it wasn't a mystery weapon.

ggm 2y ago
Another part of this is that these agencies by temperament hedge their answers and were remarkably unequivocal, noting "new evidence could change their mind" -and they have become less unequivocal. This strongly suggests new evidence, but since this is in the secrecy-strategic space, we're not going to know. It could be somebody senior said "change tone of voice" or it could be something new was found. We can't know.
whycome 2y ago
We’ve really blurred the meaning of: facts, consensus, winning, truth

sanderjd 2y ago

Nope! Most people think this is a conspiracy theory. Maybe it is maybe it isn't, but it's interesting for both sides to keep in mind the actual state of play as this continues to develop. For you, who thinks "duh, everyone knows this was a weapon", it's interesting to know that no, your perspective is being skewed somehow, probably by the media you consume. For me, who thinks "duh, everyone knows this was a paranoid conspiracy theory", it's interesting to follow the actual investigation into it, because maybe we're wrong.

specialist 2y ago
Your comment gave me a notion. "Science fantasy" was coined to discern between "hard sci-fi" (The Martian) and make believe (Star Wars), right? How about: Conspiracy - - fact: stuff we know, like nicotine and climate crisis - theory: likely but as yet "unproven", like a RICO case going to trial. - fantasy: ancient civilizations, flat earth, X-Files, QAnon, etc. - bullshit/lies: stuff we know is bullshit, like Holocaust denial - mystery: we just don't know (yet?), like maybe Havana Syndrome Acknowledging that "conspiracy theory" was coined to (successfully) cast "conspiracy fact" as "conspiracy bullshit". Like COINTELPRO. Acknowledging that misuse and abuse of terms is the norm. Like how "hackers" morphed from tinkerers and inventors to criminals. But at least when I say something is "conspiracy bullshit", my people will know what kind of conspiracy I'm talking about, without further explanation.