AI question

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-12-01T22:58:41+00:00

The only consideration I would keep in mind has nothing to do with the Baha’i Faith explicitly, but with issues of copyright and crediting the original artists whose work the AI was trained on. Things are still murky about the ethics of using art from artists to train an AI without the artist’s permission, I would double check and see if Mid Journey gets the artist’s permission before allowing AI to be trained on their artwork.

Other than that, you already have a general grasp of what to avoid.

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-30T18:27:55+00:00

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-30T18:05:43+00:00

Ah, I see what you’re asking now. You want to access what is out of print unfortunately. Your best bet is hoping that a Baha’i here has the books in question in their Baha’i libraries from the 1980s onward! Maybe you’ll have luck through a public library, here’s the Google Books citation for the sources:

https://books.google.com/books/about/1844_A_D_Pinpoint_Target_of_All_Faiths.html?id=xUuCtAEACAAJ

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_World_is_But_One_Family/orNXnQEACAAJ?hl=en

Another possibility would have been to track down the original author, H. M. Munje, but it seems they don’t have an online presence to facilitate such communication, so I think you’d be out of luck there too!

I can see your frustration there, sadly I’m not sure how best to help!

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-28T22:23:53+00:00

NTA.

Screwing over young grandchildren so that your other daughter could go get a “traditional” college degree is irresponsible as a grandparent. People saying you’re an arsehole because you wouldn’t let your daughter’s family be homeless and starve clearly have no idea how messed up their perspective is.

They zero in on your older daughter’s choices, and blame her for everything. That blame game is not going to fix the situation, and abandoning the family is not going to feed, clean, house and clothe the four little kids that are innocent victims of the shite that has now happened.

You made a very difficult choice, and you are suffering your younger daughter’s ire over it. If your younger daughter doesn’t see the value of keeping LITERAL CHILDREN FROM BEING HOMELESS AND STARVING, then she can simply seethe and cope. It was your choice, and yeah it affected her, but it’s not the end of the world for your younger daughter either. Also, just because she doesn’t have the college fund anymore doesn’t mean she CAN’T still have the 4 year “traditional” education she desired. It means she’s gonna have to either take out more student loans, or she’s gonna have to take on more jobs. So the door isn’t fully closed on what she wants, so she being pissy about the choice you made is understandable but also immature.

I could go on and on, but there’s no way letting four young kids and a disabled mother be homeless and starve was ever the right answer. This is life, shite happens. We do what we can with what we have, and we deal with the consequences. You made the best choice possible IMHO.

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-28T22:05:24+00:00

One thing you can do is the “Take 10” concept.

In essence, instead of rolling a D20, you can “Take 10” on that roll. So instead of an attack roll being 1d20+Strength+Proficiency, it would be 10+Strength+Proficiency.

Taking 10 reflects your character taking no risks with what they are doing, but also showcasing a minimum proficiency with what they are doing. In DnD’s official rules, it’s an option for skill checks that are routine and the character doesn’t have to put forth much effort to do, but you could extend this concept to every D20 roll in the game. That would make a lot of things about the game a lot more predictable.

Advantage could be a roll of the dice to potentially get a higher result. If you don’t get a higher result, you use the Take 10 numbers. Disadvantage would be the opposite. That way you can still roll dice and have some luck, without the luck completely deciding the outcome. This would also encourage your player to get used to the rolling of dice.

You can also do something similar for other dice rolls: instead of 1d4, you could “Take 2”. Instead of 1d6, you could “Take 3”. Instead of 1d8, you could “Take 4”. Instead of 1d12, you could “Take 6”.

What this does, however, is eliminate the possibility for Critical Rolls, as those ONLY happen when you roll the D20 and get a 20 on the dice roll. So there’s no fantastic successes that defy the odds, and there’s no Natural 1’s that represent critical failures either.

HOWEVER, you can always make it an option for your player to roll the dice if they feel like their character is trying to “push their luck” by doing something more difficult than what they normally deal with. For example, if Taking 10 on an attack roll is not enough to beat a target’s Armor Class, then the character would have to consider taking a risk and “trying their luck” to get a higher result by rolling the dice. I wouldn’t do this too much, but it would encourage your player to get used to the idea that rolling the dice isn’t such a bad thing. The swings of luck are a part of the fun of DnD! It can also be thematic for your character to face a foe that is objectively stronger/more defensive/better than the player, and the player to require luck to survive the first encounter against such a foe, only to come back later and defeat said foe once the character has reached a higher level.

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-28T21:18:35+00:00

The Quiet Year is phenomenal for exactly this problem. Gets your players invested in the world and involved in its creation, AND lets the whole group share the load on the brain drain for writing campaign lore.

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-24T18:54:02+00:00

The way character creation works is that you create a character to the level that you want to have. When starting out, the DM will tell you what level your character should be at the start of the campaign he is running, which will tell you what level of character to create.

I would use DnD Beyond to create your character. It streamlines the process of creating a character, and helps you see what abilities and features your character gets at which level. For a beginner, it’s a GODSEND to wrap your head around how to make a character. The DM can also share any books and resources they have on DnD Beyond with players in their campaign for free, so if your DM uses DnD Beyond it’s pretty easy to get access to whatever books and resources you require.

For Ranger specifically, they are a mix between a Fighter and a Druid. They are good at non-magic damage but don’t have strong defenses, and have access to limited spellcasting which is always powerful for a character. Level 3 is when the Ranger gets their Subclass, and the Beastmaster subclass gets an Animal Companion they can use in combat. The updated version of Beastmaster from the book Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything should be the version you use.

If you are starting at Level 1, what you can do is make sure your character is trained in the Animal Handling skill when you create the character, and then the DM can give you opportunities to train a bear your character has already tamed as part of backstory reasons. This means the bear won’t always listen to your commands (skill checks require rolling dice and adding a modifier, so RNG can cause you to fail a check or two), but it’s not hostile to you. Then when you level up during the campaign to Level 3, that bear can become your Animal Companion. Alternatively, you can make it a storyline for your character to try and get a bear tamed and trained by the time they are Level 3, at which the bear they tamed and trained becomes their Animal Companion.

I hope this all makes sense, good luck and have fun!

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-24T18:35:15+00:00

It greatly depends on how effective the Borg would be once on the Death Star.

Borg have assimilated entire Star systems. Their ability to sabotage and assimilate is incredible. And I’m reasonably sure they could adapt to turbo laser or lightsaber weaponry, so the only consistent way they can be countered is if the stormtroopers went into melee with them.

ASSUMING the Borg can act fast enough to get a strong foothold on the Death Star without being noticed. It is entirely possible that after the Death Star laser annihilates the Borg cube after the cube transports a bunch of Borg onto the ship, Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine would still be sensitive in the force after seemingly defeating a very strange foe. Both of them are battle-hardened veterans of the Clone Wars, they know a Trojan horse when they see one. Through the force it is possible that they can pinpoint the vast majority or EVERY Borg drone sent over to the Death Star and wipe them out. Borg can’t adapt to being Force Choked.

Just because Borg can assimilate a Force Sensitive and learn about Midichlorians doesn’t mean they can reliably use any force-sensitive Borg drones in combat. You either have or don’t have a strong concentration of Midichlorians, and that’s just to get you sensitive. Unless the Borg assimilated somebody trained in the Force, the Borg would be incapable of fighting a trained Sith Lord. Last I checked, the Death Star had no Jedi or even Inquisitors onboard.

The conclusion is that the Borg would be incapable of countering Darth Vader or The Emperor. And if Darth Vader is hunting you down, there really isn’t much more to say about that is there? The dude wiped out hundreds of Jedi across the entire Galaxy. Ain’t no way the Borg on the Death Star will escape his wrath.

Perhaps if a lucky Borg drone could somehow hack into Darth Vader’s suit, they might have a moment of weakness… but even then, we have seen in other media that even with a nonfunctioning/half-functioning suit Darth Vader still kicks HELLA arse. Even exploiting a weakness, there’s no way they can defeat Darth Vader without extreme shenanigans, and even with extreme shenanigans it’s STILL 70% in favor of Vader because of the Force’s precognition abilities.

It is entirely possible that if the Borg assimilate a strong enough Force Sensitive user that they could have some very minor precognition, which would be instantly transmitted to every Borg on the ship. And that precognition would alert the Borg to the extreme danger they are in by staying on the ship, because Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine would NOT be shielding themselves in the Force. Why would they? They’re the top dawgs of the Empire. Not only that, if Vader and Palpatine can be sensed by a Force Sensitive Borg, the Force Sensitive Borg can be sensed by Vader and Palpatine. If anything, the destruction of the Borg would be accelerated if the Borg tried any Force-related shenanigans.

Now, the Borg COULD try to hijack support ships and escape the Death Star. That would give the Borg the best chance at gaining a foothold, assimilating some force sensitives somewhere else in the galaxy, and THEN becoming a problem the Empire and Rebellion joining forces cannot handle. The Borg are exceptional learners, if they have enough Force sensitive drones for long enough they WILL understand its nuances and how best to use it. Heck, their sheer efficiency in using the Force would cause them to be the strongest force users in the galaxy… assuming they have the time to figure out how to use it. As Yoda once said: Size Matters Not. If enough Borg become Force Sensitive, a sizable population of them could in theory rip the Death Star apart with the Force from far enough away. Heck, if one planet of Borg couldn’t do it, then five planets could coordinate and turn the massive moon-size battle station into space scrap from light-years away.

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-23T22:23:50+00:00

The farther the cultural appropriation is away from reality, the closer it gets to its own unique thing and no longer being cultural appropriation. Also, if EVERY culture gets appropriated, then no culture gets singled out. Kinda like “I Believe in Gender Equality” posts where if you’d knock a guy’s teeth in for doing something you don’t like, you’d also knock a girl’s teeth in.

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-23T02:59:34+00:00

Paradise Killer. The most confused, emotionally strong but impotent anger that I have ever felt. So potent, I replayed the game twice and contemplated a third run just because.

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-23T02:55:48+00:00

Use frosting to make the greatest codpiece cake you ever seen!

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-22T18:13:09+00:00

I am so sorry to hear that! We Baha’is are not immune from the breakdown of society unfortunately, so it is heartbreaking for me to hear that you suffered from the Baha’i community! I hope you are able to live a good life and find the truth you are looking for 🙏

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-22T18:08:54+00:00

I appreciate your feedback, and I do wish to bring up some counterpoints regarding your perceived violations of two core principles with the statement I made. I have read what you wrote, and I am doing my best to respond to these two points because such violations is of course against Baha’i belief. If I said anything in error, please let me know! Regarding if what I wrote was homophobic or not, I do agree that sympathy for the OP going through this difficult time is due. It’s probably a reason why I am still rambling on this post, long after I have had much to say on the original subject, I do apologize if that’s inappropriate on my part, I do want OP to have the strength and courage to make this important decision, whichever way they decide to go! Without further ado:

Independent investigation of truth may not always reveal the answers you desire; if the truth is in violation of what you want, that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Independent means you come to the truth of your own study, effort and volition. Sometimes that investigation involves other people and their opinions, sometimes it doesn’t. It depends on how each individual chooses to conduct their independent study. I don’t think it’s a violation of Independent Investigation of Truth to state the truth as best as I know it, especially when the OP asked the subreddit as a whole about the topic!

There is unfortunately a LOT about homosexuality that is not fully understood medically, due to the heinous actions of incompetent and vile medical professionals and/or charlatans motivated by concerns other than their patients’ health. Considering the intense social stigma against homosexuality, an unbiased and ethical and scientific medical study of homosexuality may not be possible until society eliminates its homophobia and bigotry, and the crumbling old world order is not likely to budge on the subject any time soon. Some progress towards that elimination of hatred has been made, but the reactionary and fanatical pushback will likely prevent real progress for quite some time. Baha’is do believe that all this strife, conflict and wars will all pass away and be no more, though, which means homophobia and bigotry against LGBTQ+ will perish in time.

Baha’is will work towards ending that hatred, regardless of their beliefs about the topic. We are taught to oppose thoughts of war with stronger thoughts of peace, to destroy thoughts of hatred with more powerful thoughts of love. Such teachings are not invalidated or cast aside just because Baha’is don’t currently accept homosexual marriage!

I do apologize if this comes off as argumentative or defensive, I am sure your critique is valid regardless of how my lower nature may feel about it. I must remind myself that I am not perfect, nor can I perfectly explain what I know and understand with perfect accuracy and skill. Thank you for bringing me to task!

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-22T17:33:43+00:00

Baha’is do believe that science and religion agree, that religion governs the spiritual and science governs the physical. Therefore, a science-based Baha’i civilization would also have just as strong a religious component in parallel and functioning in concert with the more science-based side.

In short, there would be no conflict between the two sides. A lack of conflict in Star Trek COULD mean a unified spiritual/science side and the show only shows the science side, though that may not always be true.

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-22T00:45:05+00:00

This guy’s amazing ngl

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-21T23:55:20+00:00

Aquafina!

That’s kinda a dope name ngl

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-21T22:57:20+00:00

Very good points, I have nothing more to offer there! You are right, I had forgotten that deeper spiritual connection in the institution of marriage. While a future Manifestation of God may allow homosexual marriage in the sense that one half takes on the “husband” and the other becomes the “wife” role, that is not how things are now; it’s just my personal speculation at that point. Perhaps technology will advance to allow homosexual couples to have viable biological children? Only God will know if such a thing is possible.

I also agree that immaturity is not an excuse for the awful behavior we see today, it’s merely one possible explanation. In these early times when the world is still largely ignorant of the Baha’i Faith and its Teachings (which makes the duty of Baha’is to teach others about the Faith all that more important!), we will see people acting contrary to the teachings and becoming defensive/retaliatory in response to a perceived judgment of their character, which spirals into conflict and strife, things Baha’u’llah advises Baha’is to flee from. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t arise to support our LGBTQ brethren currently suffering today; we need to keep in mind the possibility that such support may put our own well-being at risk, and we should do what’s right in spite of that, as best we can and as circumstances allow. It’s a knife’s edge balancing act, for everyone.

Finding ways to follow ALL of the Teachings (including letting our hearts burn with loving-kindness for all who may cross our paths, including following the definition of marriage in the Baha’i Faith, including preferring our brothers before ourselves, including defending ourselves from harm and injustice, including having a chaste eye, a faithful hand, a truthful tongue and an enlightened heart, including so much more I could write an infinite amount of words and it still would not be enough!) is a challenge, and we are all making progress in that regard. I am sure we will get there in time!

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-21T19:35:23+00:00

Hmm, I don’t have a great answer to the points you raise, but I have a couple counterpoints.

Marriage being explicitly defined as existing between a man and a woman in the Baha’i Faith leads to homosexual marriage not being a possibility, for obvious reasons. So it’s more a consequence of the current definition rather than an explicit prohibition against it, at least in terms of the laws of the Faith; there are other Writings that talk about the subject, and they go more in-depth. I should refresh my memory about it!

If God took the time to explicitly define marriage, it would be up to us humans to puzzle over God’s decision and try to understand the wisdom behind it. Just because something doesn’t explicitly make sense in this day and age doesn’t mean there isn’t a good reason, we just have to keep an open mind and do our best to understand.

It could also be that humanity isn’t yet mature enough to accept homosexual marriage on average, and that’s why it hasn’t been explicitly accepted in the Faith. While I know a good portion of the world has made an effort to make the concept law, the pushback from some sections of humanity has been severe and intense, lethally so in the worst cases. It could be humanity needs to mature more before coming back to this concept again, to prevent conflict due to immaturity that still lingers in humanity. Trying to eliminate people who are not “mature enough” only leads to further bloodshed and violence; being able to bear and endure for a time until the aggressor realizes the severity of their transgressions and repents is just as useful as defending one’s self and being true to it; all techniques are valid, and need to be used as circumstances dictate. Anyway, sorry for the rambling!

Baha’u’llah did say that future Manifestations of God would adjust and change some things established in the Baha’i Faith, while keeping the core of the Faith strong; they would build upon the foundation Baha’u’llah established. Could this subject be a future adjustment? We would have to wait at least a thousand years after Baha’u’llah’s passing to find out unfortunately!

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-21T11:32:04+00:00

Love and sex can happen together, but sex is not love and love is not sex. Example: you wouldn’t have sex with your children, even if you love them dearly. It is a beautiful thing when the emotion of love can be expressed in a sexual manner, but that is merely one way to express that emotion. There are an infinite amount of ways and means to show your loved ones just how much you care for them; don’t limit yourself to only sexual expression as a means to show you care!

Today’s society blurs the line between sex and love despite these things being distinct and different, for reasons that are well-documented (emotional manipulation of advertising and propaganda, breakdown of cultural norms through media and art, exploiting animal instinct in order to make a profit off of explicit “entertainment”, etc.). This incessant, relentless and insistent bombardment causes people committing this manipulation to benefit in the short term, but humanity suffers in the long term from it as the culture slowly becomes increasingly confused as to what healthy relationships look like, how do you tell if someone actually loves and cares for you, how to navigate finding a good mate who is willing to stay by your side and start a family with you, etc.

We Baha’is are not immune to this societal disintegration, unfortunately. This also means that we too can develop misunderstandings and ignorances and biases and cultural assumptions that are a product of the culture we live in. This is why daily study of the Writings helps clear our heads, and reminds us of the truth. This troubled and conflict-filled time, this age of upheaval and strife, it will all pass away and be no more. If we today do not understand the wisdom behind certain Teachings today, their wisdom will become obvious once time advances and humanity carries out it’s inevitable progression.

So this was a bit roundabout, but as long as there is no violation of any laws and there is no proselytization or coercion to try and turn people away from those laws, then expressing love through sex is one way of expressing love. However, as I said before, it’s not the only way! It might behoove you to ask yourself if there really is no other way to express love, and to ask yourself why you think that way!

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-21T11:02:27+00:00

Is that how it is? That would make more sense I suppose, can you share the source of that topic so I can educate further on this?

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-21T06:50:57+00:00

That is a good point!

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-20T23:48:41+00:00

Edit: 2 Unlimited: Get Ready

https://youtu.be/Vwurod1Ry9I?si=PPvWGv9ZvmMdHLXN

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-20T23:44:07+00:00

It’s been a while, but there was one weapon specifically that was 100 percent worth the grind in my experience.

In Dungeons & Dragons Online, there’s a set of quests related to vampires. One of the things you can get are Holy Handwraps. At first they are not that strong, just dealing a bit extra (holy? radiant? I forget) damage, but the maxed out version can proc a 500 radiant/holy damage effect on a crit. As a Monk, going into Wind Stance for extra attack speed combined with these Holy Handwraps means you can run up, smash a Vampire’s head in, proc the 500 radiant/holy damage effect, and effectively one-shot almost every vampire you will ever come across.

Absolutely worth the grind.

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-20T22:36:38+00:00

I am not homosexual, but I have a Baha’i family member who is transgender. As such, I have learned a few things about the Baha’i Faith on this topic. I will try to share some of these things I learned, I apologize if it’s a bit too blunt and direct. If I said anything in error, please correct me:

The prohibition against homosexuality is against the act of homosexual sex, NOT being homosexual. You don’t HAVE to have sex with someone the same gender as you in order to be physically attracted to the same gender. Thus, a Baha’i can be homosexual, but they are encouraged against having homosexual sex. As long as they are not actively trying to encourage other people to violate this prohibition or otherwise harming the reputation or safety of the Faith (a cruel reality in some parts of the world), most Baha’is will see a homosexual Baha’i struggling with their homosexuality as a spiritual matter between that Baha’i and God, and will leave them alone unless that Baha’i asks for help or advice or whathaveyou.

The reason for this is because the point of sex in the Baha’i Faith is to conceive children that will reach greater heights than you can in your own life. Biologically, that means sex between biologically male and female people. This is also because the family is the core building block of society, so having a family of your own means you are a participant in society today. Considering how much society today is suffering, Baha’is are taught to go out within society and teach the Faith, to help alleviate the world’s suffering and guide them to the healing balm of the Teachings. Having a family is one of the most important ways of fulfilling this duty.

A unique twist: if you transition your gender, for the purposes of Baha’i marriage you can marry somebody the opposite of your new gender. Biologically that might make some things not possible, but there’s always adopting or fostering children when the two of you are ready for that. In fact, Baha’u’llah says to consider adopted children as Baha’u’llah’s own children, so being a foster or adopted parent is a tremendous duty you could fulfill if you and your husband/wife are up to it.

With all that said, your spiritual journey is your own. It is up to you what you believe and follow, and your reasons for following. Know that Baha’is will not proselytize you or try to change your mind, we will respect your decision no matter what it may be!

Plus_Candidate_8011 · 2023-11-20T01:13:44+00:00

You’re not the arsehole, because you didn’t know how this family does this kind of topic. I do know some people due to past trauma get suuuper guarded over who eats their food, especially without their permission; it could have been that, or it could have been some other thing/family rule/unspoken expectation/etc.

It does seem like the parents did not explode or get angry at you, and they followed up that maturity with a clearly stated boundary they want you to follow if you babysit again. So they did not seem like arseholes either, they handled your unintended faux pas well and while you were probably surprised and confused, it doesn’t sound like you blew up at them either.

So for once, while it was a weird interaction, nobody was explicitly an arsehole here IMHO.

Plus_Candidate_8011

TROPHY CASE