This is just a small part of the research I’ve been working on for quite some time regarding the Soviet Union. My investigation covers various aspects of its history and ideology, as well as the narratives that have influenced how we view this complex entity. By examining primary sources and historical accounts, I’m trying to piece together a more nuanced understanding of the Soviet experience and its lasting effects on global politics.
—Tina Antonis
CZ urges Elon Musk to ban bots on the X social media platform
Read More »The crypto community has been asking Musk to tackle the bot problem since he bought the platform in 2022. However, little has been done to curb the issue.
Who said, “It is necessary sometimes to take one step backward to take two steps forward”?
The phrase “It is necessary sometimes to take one step backward to take two steps forward” is often attributed to Vladimir Lenin, the Russian revolutionary leader. He used a similar concept when discussing strategic retreats in politics and revolutionary movements. The idea emphasizes the importance of making temporary concessions or setbacks in order to achieve greater progress in the long run.
What work of Lenin’s is this from?
The concept of taking a step backward to take two steps forward is associated with Lenin’s 1904 pamphlet titled “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” (“Шаг вперед, два шага назад”).
However, the phrase itself is somewhat reversed from the popular saying. In his pamphlet, Lenin was critiquing the internal disputes within the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP) and addressing what he saw as a setback in the revolutionary movement. The idea he conveyed was that a temporary retreat or setback could ultimately lead to a stronger and more unified movement.
The more popular version of the phrase, emphasizing a temporary step back to move forward, likely evolved from this original concept rather than being a direct quote.
Most readers will know the news by now. DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, released an AI model called R1 that is comparable in ability to the best models from companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta, but was trained at a radically lower cost and using less than state-of-the art GPU chips. DeepSeek also made public enough of the details of the model that others can run it on their own computers without charge.
Previously:
Interview with Deepseek Founder: We’re Done Following. It’s Time to Lead
Interview with Deepseek Founder: We’re Done Following. It’s Time to Lead
An Yong: After your price cuts, ByteDance was the first to follow, suggesting they felt threatened. How do you view the new competitive landscape between startups and giants?
Liang Wenfeng: To be honest, we don’t really care about it. Lowering prices was just something we did along the way. Providing cloud services isn’t our main goal—achieving AGI is. So far, we haven’t seen any groundbreaking solutions. Giants have users, but their cash cows also shackle them, making them ripe for disruption.
Related:
This time I asked it to make me an image of a girl listening to music with cats.
Fico sees coup plot behind protests, but Slovaks take to the streets anyway
Prime Minister Robert Fico keeps claiming that Slovakia is facing an orchestrated attempt to destabilise his government, alleging that opposition-linked NGOs are plotting a “Slovak Maidan” as part of a broader, foreign-backed strategy. Citing a secret service (SIS) report he described as evidence-based, Fico issued a stark warning during a press conference on Wednesday, following a cabinet meeting.
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Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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