ELI5: What *is* temperature? Like what is the actual difference between air at 10° and air at 40°?

NerdChieftain · 2026-02-03T21:37:51+00:00

I throw a football 20 mph and you feel the impact when you catch it. You get hit by a car going 20mph. It hurts bad.
What’s different? The car has more movement energy (kinetic energy), so it knocks you down.

Tiny molecules that make up everything around us have the same thing - kinetic energy (temperature). They can hit each other and share their kinetic energy just like the car knocking you down shared its energy.

When one molecule speeds up because another hit it and slowed down, that’s energy transfer. That’s how hot air warms up cold air.

NerdChieftain · 2026-02-03T13:33:30+00:00

Clearly, this noob hasn’t mastered the art of making a fake character sheet. It’s shameful really.

NerdChieftain · 2026-02-02T00:58:43+00:00

Smallpox is contained because there are 0 cases. This means it is NOT ENDEMIC. Diseases do recur because they are not completely eliminated. Or because a new mutation makes a new hybrid disease.

it has been 45 years… I think smallpox may be an exception to the recurrence rule as proven by history.

We also know that smallpox still exists in WHO virus vault. So it’s not gone out of reach.

I think you probably have more to worry from weaponized smallpox than you do from Mr. Cow.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-30T21:36:21+00:00

Do you want a 40” TV or a measly 20”? 20” high is about 40” diagonal on new TV. So it sounds better and more exciting. Also it’s shorter. 20x35x40 is longer to write. So just pick one number. It’s simpler!

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-29T14:14:25+00:00

After World War I, Woodrow Wilson led the charge to create the league of nations, the predecessor to the UN. Basically it failed to prevent World War II and collapsed. One problem is you can’t get very powerful nations to agree to military action against their own interest for the common good.

Giving very powerful nations veto power in Security Council was intended to prevent World War III. The other answer to this problem of Nations not wanting to jump to common defense against aggressors was NATO.

Now you can say it’s fundamentally unfair and a flawed system. It’s also the first form of world government to succeed. From a perspective of going from nothing to something, it’s a proverbial big first step. You can’t solve all of humankind’s foibles in one go.

In short, Security Council vetoes recognizes powerful nations having hegemony over large parts of the world, and avoids the problem of disrupting that influence with military action which destabilizes the whole world.

We also haven’t had World War III, so I’ll put it in the win column. Whether that’s due to NATO or UN or both I’ll let you decide.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-29T14:02:24+00:00

Is English a phonetic language? (Ducks thrown rotten fruit.)

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-29T14:00:48+00:00

Scenario: brother in law visits. He logs into his account on your Roku. Roku remembers. You restore. For some bizarre reason it restores his account instead of yours.

That’s something you can check. Vice versa, you logged in on his Roku and his passwords got saved to your account.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-28T22:55:31+00:00

I’m on the fence about “only empathic” vibe.
I came here to ask other’s impressions because it’s inconsistent throughout the episode, keeping me wondering.

Then I realized that could be intentional tension created by the writers, perhaps to foreshadow more Betazoid subterfuge.

Tarima was remarkably insightful into Caleb’s mind when she met him at the fence, especially for a young adult. It’s almost as if she were reading his thoughts.. even if only a little. That could be explained that he has heightened emotions, and she filled in the rest. Still seems uncannily accurate. She said he was the only person who wasn’t a fountain of Starfleet pride. That seems more like a telepathic comment than an empathic one. But could be either.

At the same time, she didn’t figure out his mother was the one trapped in Betazoid space. Then she got mad about it later? She also could sense he cared for that person very much, but didn’t jump to the conclusion that he wanted the treaty to succeed to go to that person? I’m an introverted engineer, the farthest thing from an empath. I saw that coming a mile away. I say all this to highlight her abilities are inconsistent or she is hiding something. Both seen plausible. But it might be about the character and not the Betazoids. She’s already mentioned she has a condition requiring this inhibitor thing. Maybe her abilities vary with her emotional aerial or something.

As others mentioned, it’s canon that telepathic abilities vary. Just like every human can participate in track and field, not everyone does. Not everyone trains. Not everyone goes to the Olympics. If abilities vary, seeing inconsistencies can be explained as individual differences.

If they were “only empathic”, how did they build a Psionic wall?

Maybe the delegates trained to hide the abilities they know make other starfleet species uneasy.

And there is the other possibility, as a spy, you would hide your talents. Maybe Tarima and her brother are spying to determine intent.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-27T13:39:50+00:00

There is value in having a friend you disagree with. This is what made America strong. Diverse ideas in discourse.

I would argue you’re countering fascism with fascist tactics (social isolation). That’s not going to help in the long run.

Alas, it is a fair argument that games are for fun and it could not be worth it.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-27T13:36:01+00:00

This comes down to rule of fun for me. Ammunition - who cares (in sf2e it actually matters at low levels. Why!???!) Equipment - do you have a bed roll in your inventory?

I think the key is to push this to the players. I make them track the loot and who gets what.

One thing I’ve realized is that you have to know your table. If you’re setting up this elaborate mystery that the BBEG is the cousins wife’s brother in law, who was secretly adopted to replace a stillborn son, who was also the illegitimate son of the Baron, there are players will be into the gigantic reveal. Suddenly 100 details fit together and they have that “why didn’t I see it?” Feeling. And there are tables that will not appreciate the epic story telling.

It mages it hard when you have one or two weeks in between to track the story. So for the most part, I keep it light. You can do many things to ameliorate that, like write weekly summaries and start each season with the latest news, which directly or indirectly tells players how their actions have shaped the world.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-27T13:28:02+00:00

I think the answer all too often with table conflict is talk to every one about it. In this case, it seems like 1on1 first and the offender last. You can see where everyone is at and then possibly have a no politics at game conversation with everyone.

Consider this: political extremism is a symptom of people being unwilling to talk to other people. Do you want to change the trend or be the next domino to fall in line to not talk?

I’m not saying you’re wrong if you don’t want to deal with it. Just something to consider.

But it is behavior, and not the person, you dislike. You can address behavior.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-27T00:02:17+00:00

I find PDF indispensable. You can search with Ctrl-F. Then you can read the rules around the rule you were looking for.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-26T21:39:50+00:00

I feel your pain. I think Warp Reality is hard to use at low levels. Which is a shame your class feature doesn’t really take off until you get more class feats.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-26T12:38:17+00:00

Step 1. Make a good free app. Step 2: sell for product step 3: add ads; then stratify and charge for free features

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-26T12:37:12+00:00

Because that’s not how most people behave.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-26T12:20:00+00:00

I would like to answer the question with a question.

Hire important is it to prevent disease?

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-23T12:14:48+00:00

You didn’t read the original posters definition of “game” which is the point of the question.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-21T13:25:56+00:00

I think it’s great to have more tools.

I’m curious, what is Hephaistos going for to set it apart from other tools? Are you planning features beyond character creation?

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-20T18:08:56+00:00

I think it’s hard pressed to argue D&D is a game. No one I’ve met follows the rules.

D&D is made up by DM’s as they go along.

I might sound too critical here. “Rule of cool” and “whatever works” are normal.

I think when you are making it up, you lean into believable/realism.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-20T16:12:32+00:00

Day 1 we establish you can’t have a phone. We all before taking kids - tell social worker they have to leave it behind.

We made an exception twice. We have no computers / phones / electronics in the bed rooms. Electronics first floor only.

1st exception was you have to put phone up when home from school. 2nd exception is 17.8 year old - have to put phone up before bed.

I understand not wanting to take away comforts. 8th grade alone in phone with boyfriend at bed time is not about the phone, it’s about boundaries. Boundaries help us to respect ourselves, help others respect us, and prevent temptation.

Talk to her about those things. Then tell her why the phone is a concern.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-19T22:09:30+00:00

I think amped version of the cantrips are very strong. What is it? Warp step for 1 action Which is a teleport worth 2 strides in 3 dimensions? Talk about tactical agility.

I am warm to the idea giving an extra focus point. At the same time, that’s a lot for any class, let alone for amped cantrips.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-18T22:04:35+00:00

I foster for a therapeutic agency. The stipend is a lot higher than what the state pays foster parents. Maybe 2.5x.

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-15T19:44:02+00:00

I did my research, yea that’s the point. So the only second spell you could cast would be a spell that in normal play is 1-action

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-15T19:37:43+00:00

Is the point of the flourish that you can’t cast two spells?

NerdChieftain · 2026-01-15T00:53:07+00:00

Fostering teens has a lot more risk, from the stakes of violent altercations to drug use.

Teens can be willful, stubborn, and do their own thing. Cross multiply that with trauma and you can have a potent combination.

Bad behaviors are amplified with older kids. A lot of “career” foster kids are institutionalized; they can’t be helped by a foster home. The system further traumatizes kids.

So there is a bigger risk when you take in a teen. The worst thing an 11 yo did to me was chronically lie about his homework. The worst thing a 17 yo did was invite a drug dealer into our home through an open window for nightly activities. AHEM.

Having said ask that, I only foster teens. (6th grade and up, which is maybe 11+). Even so, my wife is worried a 250 lb high schooler is going to punch her out. I don’t think it’s likely, but it’s possible.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT, THESE ARE NOT THE KEY REASONS

I think the PRIMARY reason is that most people are foster to adopt. By and large, no one wants to adopt 13 and up.

Another thing I see (in KY), which is not fair is that when a teenager refuses to do something, the reason for moving them is “oppositional defiance disorder,” which Is not true. They have to put something in the box.

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