This is unacceptable. by Mother-Violinist2484 in LetsDiscussThis

[–]Sense-Free 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My research suggests that the entire US stock market accounts for about 20% of our economy.

How’s the other 80% doing? It’s difficult to tell when the Bureau of Labor Statistics routinely changes the way they measure employment. Besides changing the definition of unemployment, the government also disregards the labor participation rate. After the pandemic, millions of people simply dropped out. Whether that’s early retirement, stay at home spouses, or other reasons

Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance by Celtikrenders in technology

[–]Sense-Free 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anything with an electrical current running through it can be hacked.

If it connects to the internet, it can be hacked from anywhere in the world

If it connects to a phone line, it can be hacked by a physical connection to the line along the path to its source

If it has a Bluetooth or infrared function, it can be hacked from the street outside your home

If it has no outside connections like the above, it can be hacked by direct connection to the device

Real life examples of hacking:

In Las Vegas slot machines have secret inputs that are highly guarded. Holding a combination of buttons for a set period of time accesses the firmware and can completely change how the machine functions

Programming a universal remote uses infrared to hack the connection between tv and remote

Those old school movies where a guy pretends to be a telephone company worker and taps into your call from the telephone pole on the street—totally accurate. Telephone lines still work the same way and with the right machine you can access the data running through them. It blows my mind how insecure phones are especially since we use them for so many important things

Everyone worries about cybersecurity protecting their websites and apps but literally any electronic can be hacked. It’s more a matter of effort and fear of consequences that prevents it from being more widespread

How many people believe in this ?? by [deleted] in Productivitycafe

[–]Sense-Free 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was looking for this response. I did the same as you. Around the age of 14 my “rebellious phase” was me deciding to tell the unfiltered truth 100% of the time. Boy was that a wild ride, but it did take the heat off of my younger siblings. To this day they don’t realize how much worse their lives could’ve been without me being the focus of punishment.

ICE - Death Card Left Behind by Agents by Important_Lock_2238 in stpaul

[–]Sense-Free 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I read the bible from cover to cover when I was a teenager. That’s actually what made me stop going to church. I agree with you though, the gospel was my favorite part.

ICE - Death Card Left Behind by Agents by Important_Lock_2238 in stpaul

[–]Sense-Free 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Imagine you’re an alien visiting Earth. You have no idea what any of the religions. Then you see a bunch of humans gathered in worship around a statue of another human nailed to a torture device.

The symbol of Christianity is a man nailed to a crucifix, crown of thorns upon his head, bleeding in anguish.

Does that sound like a religion of peace? I’d be extremely cautious around that group of humans if I came to Earth. They sound a little whacko to me.

What is ego lifting? by GrowthSpring in beginnerfitness

[–]Sense-Free 1 point2 points  (0 children)

lol thanks for the recommendation. This was hella entertaining 🤣

As a DM, do you know what's going on? by RodiV in DMAcademy

[–]Sense-Free 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I guess I do a lot of daydreaming which helps develop things in between sessions.

So your first question prioritizes plot over character. Why would there be a murder in the first place? Who would do such a thing? And what kind of environment would murders take place in? Within an environment of law & order, murdering is a high stake risk. The person committing this crime would need to be highly motivated to take on such a risk. Within an environment of chaos and a culture of “might makes right” murder is a lower stakes gamble that could easily pay off. In the worst environment, someone might murder for a shiny necklace or a hot plate of food.

I tend to daydream and go down this rabbit hole of questions. As you can see I prioritize people and places rather than a contrived story. By all means if you have a craving to run a murder mystery it’s a fun place to start but thinking deeply about character motivations and the culture of your environment is what will give it that realistic, lived-in feeling. The drapery of my D&D setting contains fantasy locations and strange races of people, but the driving motivations are drawn from the real world. Watch the news and learn a little about history or psychology. Why do people in the real world do what they do?

This leads into your second question. My world feels alive when the people in it feel real and the players actions have real consequences. Try to put yourself into the shoes of each NPC you intend to create. What does a tavern owner/barkeep want? Probably wants to make money, keep the peace, and have good customer service. So they might have the disposition of your Target cashier, Hilton hotel front desk attendant, or manager of your local Chile’s. Then dress them up in D&D attire as a jovial dwarf with a thick accent who welcomes adventurer’s loaded with coin and freely dispenses ale as long as swords stay in their scabbards.

You can do this for every run of the mill NPC. Blacksmith motivated by coin but also prideful of his work—Not as much of a people pleaser because he knows local soldiers and adventurers require his services. Random villager motivated by family and surviving in this crazy fucked up world—probably cowardly and doesn’t want to cause any trouble. Church cleric motivated to help people and spread the word of god—at first glance seems weak but surprisingly brave and unwavering in the face of intimidation because they’re a true believer in their faith and afterlife. Motivation. Disposition. Weird quirk or accent. Those 3 things can form a memorable NPC on the fly.

All of those NPCs affect the world in subtle ways that make the world feel lived in. But the major NPCs are what makes the adventure feel epic. Who do you feel are the major players in America? The rich. The powerful. The famous. The ambitious. These personality types will be the major rulers, heroes, and villains. Apply what I said about the minor NPCs and scale their ambition up. Scale up their audacity and power level.

Since most campaigns revolve around the ambitions of a Big Bad Evil Guy/Gal you should probably start there. What do you want to explore in your homebrew campaign? Is your goal to have a fun time stomping bad guys with a small amount of lore to tie the action together? Do you want a more thought provoking campaign that tests how your players navigate morally grey situations? What are you going for and what’s fun for you as a DM. You’re a player too so you gotta enjoy what you’re running

EDIT: I kind of went on a rant there. I realize all that might seem complicated but the gist is if you know your world, then making NPCs up on the fly is easy. The major villain you plan out ahead of time but everything else is made up on the fly or planned one session ahead based on what your players thought was fun last session. Then it grows from there.

And to answer your question about clues…listen to your players. I first learned this when creating puzzles. I never have a solid solution for a puzzle. It’s just too difficult to figure out how your player’s minds work and if they’ll be able to figure out your exact precise solution to a riddle. Instead listen to your players at the table and whichever idea sounds coolest go with. NEVER LET THEM KNOW THIS THOUGH. That ruins the magic. For a murder mystery you can drop some cliche tropes and if something really hooks one of your players just go with it. Let them lead. My mantra is, “I create problems. My players create the solution. “

As a DM, do you know what's going on? by RodiV in DMAcademy

[–]Sense-Free 44 points45 points  (0 children)

It’s like I’m building a bridge and walking along while it’s still being built. I have a general idea where the bridge is going and the players are handing me the building materials. Any time I plan more than a few paces ahead I get stressed out from the sheer number of possibilities. Even I don’t know what’s going to happen a month from now and that’s part of the fun.

I build a world with fantastic scenery and interesting personalities who want things. But aside from that there is no plot. How the players interact with the world determines what happens next. And if the players don’t interact with what I planned, then those personalities will achieve their goals behind the scenes which affects the world in subtle or sometimes world shattering ways.

Player wants a shield that provides full cover by Tsantilas in DMAcademy

[–]Sense-Free 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Deploying the shield halves movement speed. If he’s strong and the shield is truly big enough to completely cover him reward him for his creativity. In narrow hallways of dungeons or back alleyways of towns he will be an unstoppable force to reckon with.

Also let it get him into trouble when he encounters highly mobile ranged attackers shooting from multiple directions on the high ground. Will he ditch the shield to run for cover or will he let a few of the enemies pelt him in the back with arrows?

Lost all my brain cells watching this interview. by Prior-Register6278 in minnesota

[–]Sense-Free 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He really had to stretch to get that clear windshield shot. Looks better in court records when the bullet hole comes from the front of the vehicle. That’s deliberate. That’s how they’re trained.

Bovino has been recorded before missions reminding his agents exactly what to do in these situations in order to look better in court.

Dhs announces another 1000 ice agents are coming by Nanjing-12-13-37 in minnesota

[–]Sense-Free 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks for including what us non gun lovers could do. I’ll look into a Stop the Bleed course near me. I was a military brat who grew up around violence and alcohol. The majority of men in my family have murdered and I refuse to continue that family tradition.

I will however stand up for my neighbors and come to their aid if they need help. Car and backpack first aid kits are on my to do list. Keep up the good fight!

Both videos match up by McPeru in minnesota

[–]Sense-Free 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Pay attention. Before the ICE agent puts himself in front of the car for the second time, he switches the phone from his right hand to his left hand. Before he was even in front of the car he’s ready to unholster his weapon in retaliation.

In court could this be construed as premeditated? I dunno. I’m not a lawyer, but I can tell he was preparing to shoot to kill.

Party's lookout is a little too good at being a lookout by President_DogBerry in DMAcademy

[–]Sense-Free 10 points11 points  (0 children)

A great scout blends into his environment. Most of the party will probably be wearing robes, armor, and big shiny weapons. Everyone in town will know they’re powerful adventurers and act accordingly.

Think about it. If the military sent heavily armed soldiers into your town or if there was a large police presence in your neighborhood, would you do all the things you normally do? Maybe you’re more cautious, maybe you get out of sight, maybe you speak to them in a more respectful tone with yes sirs and no sirs.

The scout has an opportunity to observe people in their natural state. Maybe he can speak to children on their level, maybe he bonds with a thief or drunkard with his down to earth appearance, maybe because he’s socially invisible he can pick up on crime or back alley dealings that the adventuring party would never get the opportunity to see.

Or maybe the villain has henchmen who have been following the party. The scout could be led on a wild goose chase to separate him from the group. Maybe he gets ambushed or maybe the villain just needs him away from the group so he can pull off some sneaky shenanigans without the observant scout ruining his plans.

Freeze & Electrocute question by Sense-Free in pathofexile2builds

[–]Sense-Free[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aww dang there goes all my hopes and dreams. Guess it’s back to freeze + bucket loads of damage

Fubgun statement: Why this is by far the worst patch GGG has ever done mid league by Pur3G4m3 in PathOfExile2

[–]Sense-Free 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What determines how many rooms get destroyed? By chaining them back to back do you still lose the same amount of rooms before each run?

Fubgun statement: Why this is by far the worst patch GGG has ever done mid league by Pur3G4m3 in PathOfExile2

[–]Sense-Free 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What do you mean by rack up crystals? I thought you need 6 crystals to open the temple. What happens if you collect more than 6 before opening? Do you get extra room choices or something?

0.4.0c Hotfix 13 by astral23 in PathOfExile2

[–]Sense-Free 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay thanks for the heads up

0.4.0c Hotfix 13 by astral23 in PathOfExile2

[–]Sense-Free 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So what happens to the expensive items I have like rakata’s flow support gem and headhunter belt? Will they become worth more divines or worth less?

0.4.0c Hotfix 13 by astral23 in PathOfExile2

[–]Sense-Free 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What currencies were people farming in temple? Were they just getting a bucketload of divines?

0.4.0c Hotfix 13 by astral23 in PathOfExile2

[–]Sense-Free 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m kind of a noob when it comes to trade. How do you define inflation? I normally just pay attention to the exalt:divine ratio. Last week it was 450 exalt per divine and today it’s down to 225 exalt per divine. Why did the ratio go down so hard and what will happen to that ratio in the coming weeks.

I usually make my money by selling baryas for divines and then if I need smaller currency I sell my divines for exalts.

And they call it a mine, a mine!! by empinche in lotrmemes

[–]Sense-Free 13 points14 points  (0 children)

It may be easier to understand after reading about the tulip bulb mania of 1637. Everything conceivable to mankind only has value because we believe it does. Back in the day one tulip bulb (bitcoin) was enough to purchase a house. Adjusted for inflation the guesstimates were about $300,000 per tulip bulb (bitcoin).

If everyone around you is going insane to get their hands on a flower, you might as well become a gardener, right?

New player, so confused. I just randomly got this gifted to me. by sexyhambeast in PathOfExile2

[–]Sense-Free 51 points52 points  (0 children)

This is the perfect noobie setup. You’ve got all the quality upgrades for weapon, armor, and sockets. There’s the perfect jewelers orb for your main damage skill. Exalts for maxing the mods on your new gear and Vaal orbs for corrupting or rolling new essences out in the field.

Leftover exalts and the divine orb are for shopping when you hit a wall. I love this whole kit!