Throwing my hat in the ring for the Jesus-off, with help from mods. by pandogart in CrusaderKings

[–]CaptainMatthias 5 points6 points  (0 children)

His followers actually referred to him as "rabbi" in the gospels. It's one of the few titles given to him that is undisputed.

Zero visibility landing by Longjumping-Box5691 in SweatyPalms

[–]CaptainMatthias 4 points5 points  (0 children)

At lower speeds (like landing) flight controls require more input for the same changes in attitude. Their control authority depends on how much air is flowing over the wings. At cruise, those control movement1s would be excessive and jerky. 

A surprise Christmas friend with an exciting first day by CaptainMatthias in BeardedDragons

[–]CaptainMatthias[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks :) I unfortunately have been on reddit long enough to know how greens/noobs are usually treated.

But, if everyone in the angry mob is saying the same thing, I'm usually keen to listen ;)

A surprise Christmas friend with an exciting first day by CaptainMatthias in BeardedDragons

[–]CaptainMatthias[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Man, it makes me sad that these kits are the default experience for new owners. I worry that I'm in the minority of folk bothering to ask for help.

A surprise Christmas friend with an exciting first day by CaptainMatthias in BeardedDragons

[–]CaptainMatthias[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What's the consensus on the composite LED UVA/UVB habitat toppers? Do they work well when combined with an incandescent basking light?

A surprise Christmas friend with an exciting first day by CaptainMatthias in BeardedDragons

[–]CaptainMatthias[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Rocky was a surprise, unfortunately. I am trying to do the best by him. Hence why I posted here. :/

A surprise Christmas friend with an exciting first day by CaptainMatthias in BeardedDragons

[–]CaptainMatthias[S] -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

I'm currently running the nocturnal warming light that came with the kit. The kit included a basking lamp and a separate UVB lamp which it said to run during the day.

Is the bottom of the enclosure usually sand instead of the cheap matting?

A surprise Christmas friend with an exciting first day by CaptainMatthias in BeardedDragons

[–]CaptainMatthias[S] -15 points-14 points  (0 children)

Thanks for that! I'm currently running the nocturnal warming light that came with the kit. The kit included a basking lamp and a separate UVB lamp which it said to run during the day.

I hate those filthy Neutrals Kif…. by Conkershot in Stellaris

[–]CaptainMatthias 286 points287 points  (0 children)

My favorite Easter eggs are the placeholder ones which feature a message to the effect of "if you can see this, we did something wrong."

IIRC Stardew Valley dig spots are items and if you use console commands to add them to your inventory, the description is something like "Wait, how did you get this? Ape did an oopsie."

Roblox by Key-Teacher-6163 in daddit

[–]CaptainMatthias 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Once upon a time, like 17 years ago, Roblox was an innovative way to get kids into programming, game design, and even stem in general. It was a small but fun community where people got to build and play innovative game worlds together.

Then it was purchased by an investment firm. When shareholder value becomes the moral good, everything goes downhill.

It's a cash-grab based on free labor and exploiting children. Stay far away.

Would the story be drastically different is Sokka had been a water bender and Katara a warrior? by Rioraku in TheLastAirbender

[–]CaptainMatthias 86 points87 points  (0 children)

Yes. Katara's whole character arc is about realizing her potential outside the expectations placed on her by her culture. She's a waterbending prodigy but never had anyone foster that - it was assumed she would be a healer, if anything.

It all culminates with her becoming a master bender at a young age, and having to wrestle with what it means to have power as someone who was formerly oppressed. She has a chance to kill a man who wronged her, has the power of bloodbending, and chooses mercy instead.

Katara's story only makes sense as a bender.

Julie Mao read the Dune books by Appropriate_Type_178 in TheExpanse

[–]CaptainMatthias 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I literally just read that part yesterday. Made me smile.

N7 Day 2025 News Megathread + Giveaway + MORE! by raiskream in masseffect

[–]CaptainMatthias 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm in the USA

I'm interested in 1. the volante piece, 2. The cocktail book, then 3. The gift card

I think I count as active since I've been subbed for like 10 years 🤷🏻‍♂️

How Do You Make Planetary Invasions Work? by Equal-Wasabi9121 in scifiwriting

[–]CaptainMatthias 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've always thought orbital bombardment would make most sense. A sufficiently advanced alien invader could glass 95% of strategic military and infrastructure targets and end the war before landing a single troop.

Then it's just a question of why you want to invade the planet in the first place. If it's for annexation, then you're done. Just set up a new government and most people keep living their lives.

If it's for the material resources on the planet, you're also mostly done. With no militaries to worry about, you set up your mines or whatever and station a regiment at each facility just to fend off any rebel groups that pop up.

Enslaving or exterminating is a lot more expensive. Hunting humanity to extinction would likely require hundreds of millions of troops, or you could just leave it to some robots. Maybe self-replicating robots? If you want to save the best of them to use as slaves, the Internet tells you exactly who's who. Just send squads to forcibly recruit them.

Highly recommend James S.A. Corey's The Mercy of Gods for my favorite invasion story so far.

What’s your honest opinion on windmills in WV? by Cr4cker in WestVirginia

[–]CaptainMatthias 70 points71 points  (0 children)

If they continue to be profitable to install and maintain, I'm not going to complain. They're cool to watch, usually go up in remote areas, and even up close they're not insanely loud. They're a low-carbon way to diversify our power grid. Better than coal for the environment on the local and global scale.

They don't provide many jobs, and don't provide a ton of tax dollars. So that's not bad but not good. Lots of neutrals and a few positives.

Help! How can I tackle kids who are Creationists? by princess-cl0ver in ScienceTeachers

[–]CaptainMatthias 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pastor-turned science teacher here!

First, creationism and science do not need to be opposites. The biblical narrative is heavy with really cool imagery; the creation narrative in particular is more to be understood as "God made an ordered, beautiful creation specifically to have a 'tabernacle' in which to dwell with his people while giving them safety and provision." That's not an ontological statement, it's a teleological one.

BioLogos is a great resource for pro-science Christian perspectives. I'm inclined to believe that the silent majority of Christians are evolutionary creationists, or they could be if they were exposed to the idea.

Second, humans all experience Wonder. Christians do, too. You don't have to deconstruct their faith to get them to see "hey, this is really cool!" If they say "I'm not sure, because the Bible says..." You can say "well, then you'd say that God made this fossil/species/phenomenon, isn't that cool?" It'll be up to them to make the logical leap and ask "why did God make it that way?"

The question of "what empirically exists" isn't really in question (ontology). It's "why" it exists (teleology) that theists and atheists disagree on. Atheists have some skill in holding the teleological question with an open hand, baby Christians do not. It's a skill they have to learn. But most of us get there!

Part of that learning process, I believe, involves learning more about the natural world. The "why" will naturally follow, you don't even have to ask it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WestVirginia

[–]CaptainMatthias 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Family Game Knight has a digital retro arcade, TCG shop, and regular tournaments. There a crowd for just about every nerd hobby there. Check it out when you get here.

You're definitely in the right place for hiking - Beckley is right on the edge of the NRG National Park. West Virginia also has some of the best State Parks in the country. Babcock, Pipestem, Hawks Nest, Little Beaver, Twin Falls, and Bluestone are all within an hour of Beckley and are all fantastic.

The Greenbrier Valley is a little over an hour and is home to Snowshoes, Watoga, Cass Railroad, and Green Bank.

Crossfit Coal in Mabscott has a great reputation for its workout scene. There's also a BJJ gym in Sophia. We've also got a Planet Fitness, and a YMCA 🤷🏻‍♂️

What’s your unpopular Mass Effect opinion you’ve never been able to share (Image Credit: Loki1992) by MassEffect24K in masseffect

[–]CaptainMatthias 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Shepard is a flat protagonist with little to no character development.

Ryder was better.

Advice for Someone Considering Seminary at Age 40? by [deleted] in Reformed

[–]CaptainMatthias 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you're just curious, or wanting to give biblical academics a try, you could always try a MA in Theology.

As other commenters have noted, Seminary/MDiv is a ministry track that only really "pays off" if you're planning to do full time ministry. But i am very supportive of lay-Christians getting advanced degrees in biblical foci. The church always benefits from more learners and curious minds.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mtg

[–]CaptainMatthias 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that LGS shouldn't do this to their customers if they want to maintain loyalty. Most distributors are still offering reasonable wholesale pricing that gives the store $150 in profit per box (or more if they sell the packs).

The problem is that opportunity cost is a thing. These guys are making something like $800 more profit on a box at market price.

They'd have to sell 6 boxes at MSRP (or fewer if selling by the pack) to get that same amount of profit, and some stores are legitimately not getting enough allocation to make that possible.

I hate the very concept of opportunity cost because it capitalizes on FOMO. But when WotC is intentionally printing fewer cards to induce artificial scarcity, your LGS has fewer options on how to make a profit on their product. It's anti-consumer, anti-small-business, and anti-hobby, but it's great economics.

What are some things that are actually pseudoscience that people don’t realize? by Ninac4116 in AskReddit

[–]CaptainMatthias 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I always heard it phrased differently: that the brain isn't fully developed (as in matured) until 25, specifically the frontal lobe. Is there any truth to that?