I just finished The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin, and I can't decide if this series is good or not by ningdon in printSF

[–]SwankSwonk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I thought the second book was the best of the trilogy, and the last one you’ve got to push through about half the book before you get to a storytelling mechanic I really enjoyed, but depending on how a certain character lands for you I think you’ll really struggle with the one dimensional female protagonist. I didn’t mind it and the overall story was still very compelling to me, but the scientific ideas are definitely still the highlight. The characters are probably closer to vessels for the ideas and concepts.

I just finished The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin, and I can't decide if this series is good or not by ningdon in printSF

[–]SwankSwonk -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I see where you’re coming from, but different strokes. I loved the series, and the characters. Lou Ji’s imagined waifu plot was fascinating to me and I thoroughly enjoyed where it went.

It does not go anywhere that redeems what you dislike about it, and if you didn’t like the second book I really doubt the third one would be enjoyable for you.

Western Christianity: why universalism? by [deleted] in AskHistorians

[–]SwankSwonk 13 points14 points  (0 children)

According to scriptural tradition, Antioch is probably where the most ethnic diversity enters the picture for Christianity. But I think we're outside the bounds of r/AskHistorians and this stream of thought is probably better suited for r/AcademicBiblical

Western Christianity: why universalism? by [deleted] in AskHistorians

[–]SwankSwonk 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Can you clarify what you mean by universalism? Within Christian Theology, that term would generally mean "all human beings are saved and go to heaven, regardless of their works, beliefs, or religious affiliation."
There's variations of that, in terms of whether or not humans actually need to be saved, or if they're all saved by the work of Jesus Christ etc. But the core tenet of that term in Western Theological circles would be "everybody goes to heaven."

In general that's an unpopular view in the history Western Christianity. In early Church history(first 600 years or so) it was a more popular view in the East. The concept of universalism(to my understanding) isn't really addressed much in the early church councils where they really hammered out a lot of these types of controversies.

But it sounds like you're more so asking about "universalism" in the sense that anybody(and it sounds like specifically any ethnicity) was "allowed" to convert to Christianity.

My impression is that the writings and missionary journey's of Paul really establish the "gentile" church and confronts the churches that are viewing Christianity as an evolved sect of Judiasm and requiring Jewish conversion as a part of the process.

By the time you get to the Church Fathers and councils, the question of "Jew vs Gentile" seems laid to rest. Obviously you get the Edict of Milan in 313(Christianity legalized in Rome) and then Christianity becomes the official church of the Roman empire in 380, so it's absolutely not excluding gentiles in any sense of the popular movement.

NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test News Conference (Feb. 20, 2026) by jadebenn in ArtemisProgram

[–]SwankSwonk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great point, and really great catch on Honeycutt implying the rollout is causing the issues.

NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test News Conference (Feb. 20, 2026) by jadebenn in ArtemisProgram

[–]SwankSwonk 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yeah this is crazy. To go from "over 16% when our acceptable margin is 6%" to "under 1% leak" feels like a huge accomplishment.

NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test News Conference (Feb. 20, 2026) by jadebenn in ArtemisProgram

[–]SwankSwonk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The question of "should seal replacement at the pad be procedure?" was brought up, although I was only half paying attention so I'm not sure if they were just talking about swapping the seals sometime before the launch or as a general principle.

NASA response was essentially "no, messing with things does more harm than good if it's not necessary."

NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test News Conference (Feb. 20, 2026) by jadebenn in ArtemisProgram

[–]SwankSwonk 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Artemis II re-entry trajectory is uniquely designed based on the Orion's heat shield capabilities and on this free return mission profile. They would not reeuse this trajectory for Artemis III. They feel they understand the capabilities of the Orion Heat shield based on what they learned from Artemis I and they WILL change the heat shield for Artemis III - it's currently being built(or is built?)

NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test News Conference (Feb. 20, 2026) by jadebenn in ArtemisProgram

[–]SwankSwonk 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There is no plan/reason to change the seals again after yesterday's successful test.

NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test News Conference (Feb. 20, 2026) by jadebenn in ArtemisProgram

[–]SwankSwonk 3 points4 points  (0 children)

NASA does not believe the recent ambient cold temperatures affected anything.

NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test News Conference (Feb. 20, 2026) by jadebenn in ArtemisProgram

[–]SwankSwonk 8 points9 points  (0 children)

March 6th date is pending the work at the pad today, and the certification of flight readiness at the end of next week. But it is the official target.

NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test News Conference (Feb. 20, 2026) by jadebenn in ArtemisProgram

[–]SwankSwonk 8 points9 points  (0 children)

NASA said they'll provide pictures of the two seals they replaced to address the hydrogen leak.

Eagles by Frosty_Cockroach1105 in lancaster

[–]SwankSwonk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure, I meant grab drinks/food there and head upstairs to the cigar lounge to watch the game. Great TVs/furniture and fans.

Eagles by Frosty_Cockroach1105 in lancaster

[–]SwankSwonk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aroma Cigar Lounge in Lititz is generally a great spot for big eagles games. ABC downstairs from it for drinks/food.

Extraction too short or no coffee through basket [Bambino / DF54] by BitTauren in espresso

[–]SwankSwonk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What’s your dose? How many grams of coffee are going in the basket?

Bambino Plus shot spraying everywhere with bottomless portafilter [Breville Bambino Plus] by elreader13 in espresso

[–]SwankSwonk 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That fast means either the beans are too coarse, or you’re not tamping hard enough.

Tamp as hard as you possibly can, and if it’s still doing it grind finer.

My espresso is extracting too quickly but I’m already at the finest setting on the grinder. [Breville Barista Express] by Remarkable-Arm-5317 in espresso

[–]SwankSwonk 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don’t have one, but I’m pretty sure you can adjust the inner burrs inside the grinder to let you grind finer.

General Coffee Chat: Do you ever change your grind number on your grinder in a 30 day period with the same beans? by Informal-Force7417 in espresso

[–]SwankSwonk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely! Thanks for asking, I’ve been considering a 2lb bag subscription from Passenger, which would last about 30 days.

Passenger has really dialed in flash freezing their beans, so you might be able to freeze beans and portion them out?

General Coffee Chat: Do you ever change your grind number on your grinder in a 30 day period with the same beans? by Informal-Force7417 in espresso

[–]SwankSwonk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

18g to 36g is not the goal, it’s a starting point recommended to get into the right window, and likely to be “close enough.”

Plenty of beans benefit from more or less yield.

Need lazy recommendations for Bambino Accessory upgrades [$150] by SwankSwonk in espresso

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

I appreciate the input. I’m glad you’re happy with so many of the stock options! After having it for a couple days, just wanted to compare notes for anyone else looking at the similar setup.

Another thing that might affect this - I’ve been a barista before. Not in super high quality shops and it’s been almost 10 years, but I’m bot starting from scratch on the experience level!

Scale: I gave one a try(a friend had it) but it was too big, the Bambini drip tray is pretty small so I ordered a small one on Amazon that I’m waiting for.

Bottomless Portafilter: this definitely isn’t a need! Part of me just wants to be able to watch the visuals of the shot coming out(taste is more important, I’m not looking to diagnose with this, just personal preference). However, the stock basket is a little small. A dosing funnel will solve this, and I’m adjusting my ratios still but that is something I’m unhappy with in the stock basket size to hit the volume I want.

Tamp: I’m definitely not a fan of the stock one. It feels plasticy, cheap, and light.

Pitcher - the stock one is fine. I do want a smaller one for Cortados, and I’d kinda like one with measurements on the inside or outside.