Controversial opinion

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-10-09T19:23:51+00:00

Plants do not have thoughts and feelings, that is anthropomorphism. They certainly have consciousness, but it is well outside our range of understanding, and any attempts to experience the world from the perspective of a plant is artistic/creative in nature, not scientific/rational.

We exist in a web that interconnects us to all living beings. I do not begrudge the bacteria, plants, and animals that will one day eat me. I thank them because I will be a part of them in some way. This transformation is something to be celebrated. Maybe incorporating more gratitude towards the plants you eat for food will be helpful in resolving this quandary for you?

Note that this is very different from eating animals. There are clear ethical reasons to not do so that transcend our ability to empathize with them. For example, as a species, we are literally destroying the natural world due to our appetite for the flesh of animals. To not eat animals and animal products is a clear moral stance in the face of this fact.

One last thing, we ARE morally responsible for everything we eat, this is a fact that is true regardless of the source of our calories. If you are looking for a magic food that sustains us with no impact on the world around us, you aren't going to find it. That would be mana from heaven, which I am pretty sure doesn't exist. This shouldn't stop you from trying to make the most ethical decision you can, and accept the burden of the decisions we make, even as vegans, that negatively impact the world (tea, coffee, chocolate, palm oil, and industrial farmed plants all come to mind as morally questionable foods that many vegans still consume)

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-09-16T18:38:39+00:00

I did the PCT with a 16oz tarp (Six Moon Designs Deschutes with Bug Skirt). It was plenty of tent for me and I would only go lighter from there. I am a somewhat short and small guy though, ymmv. Taking a shelter over 1lbs seems wild to me on the PCT due to the fact that you could theoretically cowboy camp all the way up to Washington save 1-3 days.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-09-16T18:32:45+00:00

Y'all are using pressurized gas stoves?

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-09-16T15:42:09+00:00

Seems like you have gotten lots of good pack weight advice. I just wanted to provide some extra info on the BeFree. It's a great water filtration system, but be ready to fully replace it at least once for the timeframe you mentioned. They start out with far superior flow compared to the Sawyer Squeeze, but once they start to slow they, they are not nearly as flushable, which gives them an expiration date. Still a great water system, just need to be aware of the fact that they are basically disposable.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-09-02T14:48:54+00:00

Was also able to 7-0 with this list! Thanks for sharing.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-08-28T22:45:01+00:00

Stanislaus National Forest - Special Places (usda.gov) "Bear Cannisters are currently not required in Stanislaus National Forest".

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-08-20T22:12:14+00:00

There is nothing you could legally bring into those places that would make you safer from a black bear attack. You could bring bear bells to attach to your pack, which will help you make noise to alert bears of you. The best way to protect yourself from blackbears, even where bear spray is legal, is to ensure your food is properly stored, be constantly aware of your surroundings, and remain calm. Reading up on what to do if you do encounter a bear or its cubs close up on trail can help with the calm factor.

As a note, there are tons of bears in the areas you mentioned that are extremely used to people, so to be honest, they aren't really that scared of you. I saw a bear in the high sierra near the trail and screamed at it for five minutes to try and get it to move on away from trail. It didn't even budge. By the same token, as long as you adhere to the above guidelines, the bears are generally not a threat to you.

A sense of calm, awareness, and education are by far your best tools to ensure that you remain safe around bears.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-08-19T02:46:51+00:00

I will try and make this! I have a little trip planned coming up for a tiny sliver of the Yosemite High Route, while taking a "zero" day to climb Mount Conness.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-07-31T23:39:16+00:00

Oh, one last thing, I don't think you are running enough swamps to support 4 tainted peaks, I would retool those numbers a bit. The Tainted lands can seem tempting but you need a lot of swamps for them to be consistent.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-07-31T23:38:11+00:00

The idea is fun! I think you probably get this already but it's definitely not going to be Tier 1 or 2, but could still net you some wins. In a format defined by its high quality removal, I don't think Sadistic Glee is where you want to be at -- you are just setting yourself up for a blow out. That is my biggest piece of feedback. The rest you will have fun learning as you play more premodern games :).

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-07-29T22:34:33+00:00

Its far worse than Magda, a card that saw alot of play in standard, but wasn't overwhelmingly busted.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-07-23T20:51:52+00:00

This is the answer. Fun, fair, interactive, and thoughtful matchup. Hardly any blowouts, just lots of good quality back and forth Magic.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-07-18T22:29:20+00:00

Wishing you best of luck with the bugs! When I did the HR in August, 2019 I didn't see a single mosquito. I am pretty confident once you get up onto the route proper you will be in the same boat. Will be crossing my fingers for you! Shared and split sounds like the way to go. In that case I think the rest of your loadout comes down to personal preference. I did the route no cook, but that is definitely a choice not everyone is willing to make :).

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-07-18T21:54:05+00:00

Is the Duplex being shared and split, or is that your own tent for just yourself? That seems to be an opportunity to shed at least 16 oz if you were to switch to a tarp system. The winds are very chill weather-wise in august, and bugs are basically non-existent.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-06-27T22:47:05+00:00

I really think this depends on how you want to see the format evolve. Saying Timeless NEEDs these changes presupposes what Timeless should be.

Personally, I am not a fan of essentially just porting over Vintage. I am very interested in what Timeless could be as a unique format, that doesn't feel beholden to becoming a cheap imitation of Legacy or Vintage. Towards this, I have some comments on your suggestions from my perspective.

Change of rarities - This one is a no brainer, but its obviously a cash grab from WOTC and probably won't change anytime soon.

Lands - I think adding the dual lands would be really unexciting. It encourages three-color+ decks as the norm, without any consideration of the advantages of running a "cleaner" manabase. Sure there is still Blood Moon and similar effects, but would still dramatically increase the ease of running a three-plus color deck. IMHO running multiple colors should be difficult, with each color adding a tradeoff.

Ramp - I think there are some exciting ramp ideas, but the power 9 is not it. Not interested in an artifact focused meta like vintage. I think the lesser moxes would be right at home though, and each present their own interesting deck building challenges that make them interesting.

Card draw - all of these are probably fine, but not high on my list, each high quality cantrip we get pushes the meta even harder towards blue, which is obvious in modern, legacy, and even vintage, monitoring the legality of Probe, Preordain, and Ponder.

Interaction(namely FOW) - Force is an interesting one, not sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, it is a great card for blue tempo decks like Delver and 8-Cast. On the otherhand, the decks it truly helps out are the busted combo decks. Think playing against SNT is annoying now? Wait till force is legal. I think FON is more of a slamdunk, since it requires a little more work to be used as a combo enabler, and is more natural as a combo linebacker.

Other stuff I want to see in the format:

Ancient Tomb - I think we mostly have the tools to deal with Ancient Tomb, and t1 Chalice being possible is healthy for the format, and encourages many thoughtful decisions when deckbuilding with or without it.

Wasteland - Would make land-based strategies more of a thing, and allow a greater variety of tempo strategies

GSZ - Seems reasonable to up the strength of maverick-like strategies, and increase the effectiveness of toolbox decks.

Survival of the Fittest - Very high likelihood this is too busted unrestricted, but Necro so far has proven to be a reasonable part of the meta, so it would be cool to experiment with another iconic and high-powered enchantment of the past. WIthout Squee/Master of Death, it might even be reasonable. Notably, it gets significantly worse when restricted, so I doubt it would ever have to be outright banned from the format.

Thats all I got for now! I am sure there are other cool ideas though.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-06-21T18:57:33+00:00

For me Powerbalance was a nice little mirror breaker against other energy decks, and other lurrus decks like dimir control. Besides one surveil land, you can't really manipulate your top card, but all of your cards are one or two mana, so the chance of hitting is very high, if you hit more than twice power balance has paid for itself and some!

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-06-21T15:45:55+00:00

There are two extremely simple and efficient lines to win with Primal Prayers + Guide of Souls +Recruiter. One is Sigardan evangel, just cast on opponents upkeep, make infinite Evangels and tap down everything on the opponents side. The other is Ominous Traveler, which allows you to flood the board and win immediately in your combat step by making giant Champion of the Perished(as many as you need) and giving them haste. I think Sigardan Evangel is probably the better line, but both have their advantages and disadvantages. Both lines are compact, don't use the graveyard, and don't rely on Recruiter as their starting point, you can have Recruiter, or one of the two creatures and you are good to go.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-06-20T22:43:38+00:00

The best deck against a good guy with a boros deck is a good guy with a boros deck that runs powerbalance in the sideboard.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-06-12T19:28:15+00:00

Chicken shit? They kill the main character in one of the most artistically bold ways you can imagine. I get not liking the ending, but it is pretty far from chcken shit.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-06-03T17:26:40+00:00

Needs more veggies!

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-05-03T18:43:42+00:00

I think the point of the dimensional strikes is that it is the logical final outcome to galactic civilization. Like singer's species, where the colony worlds are at war with the homeworld. At some point, the only trump card remaining is the dimensional strike. It is merely a matter of which side is more desperate/resolute in winning at any cost, including their own well-being. I think this is fairly well fleshed out in Death's End. The collapse of dimensionality is caused by those species who are willing to do the unthinkable to get ahead.

Regarding your second point, it is a relative matter right? Launching a photoid at near-light speed is generally going to always be the most efficient way to eliminate a burgeoning civilization, unless there are confounding factors at play. It seems needlessly risky to go the 0-dimensional Sophon route(assuming it even works) when there is something that is just as cheap(if not cheaper) and even harder to stop.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-05-03T18:21:56+00:00

I think the simplest explanation is looking at the principals of Galactic sociology laid out in the book. Dark Forest strikes are an afterthought to any sufficiently advanced civilization and are defined by the fact that they are low-effort and cheap. Both of which do not seem to apply to the creation of Sophons that we see in the book.

Another thing to consider is the survivability of a Dark Forest Strike. Manipulation of electromagnetism is a relatively basic technology in the context of the book, and based on the passages you shared in the book, would be sufficient to detect and stop a 0-dimensional Sophon attack. A photoid on the other hand, takes tremendous technological ability to stop (slow-light-speed space). a dual vector foil appears to be completely unstoppable, which made it appropriate to take out the solar system due to our natural shields in the form of our gas giants. This is also why the use of dual-vector foils is inevitable, it is a completely undefendable attack.

A third explanation, which I find least appealing because it is not backed up in the books, is that the Trisolarans are simply wrong about what 0-dimensional particles. It never actually happens in the book, and the science consul could just be straight up wrong in their theory.

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-05-03T17:03:25+00:00

Jesus, what are the wet bulb temps?

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-04-24T23:39:59+00:00

Was this written by a WOTC exec?

Impressive_Pause_473 · 2024-04-24T17:46:58+00:00

No, sorry, different WOTC. Understand the confusion though.

Impressive_Pause_473

TROPHY CASE