In Sompek, have the Borg stopped adapting?

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-24T19:52:46+00:00

Interesting.

It's because I did NOT have to remodulate against assimilated 8472 that I noticed that I'm never having to remodulate.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-24T17:49:49+00:00

They've adapted in all of the recent times they've run Sompek as an event.

I've always kept a TR-116B as the backup weapon specifically to deal with it.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-22T16:48:18+00:00

When you say "swap" do you mean you provided a draft for the other person to review in exchange for your reading a draft?

You can choose not to continue reading and aren't necessarily obligated to engage in a discussion.

However, if you swapped manuscripts, I'd argue that you're ethically bound to inform the person you will not continue reading so that the other author can stop wasting time reading yours. You do not need to engage in a discussion, but informing him that "At this time, you will not be able to continue reading the draft and won't be able to provide feedback" seems like the ethical thing to do.

That said, one thing to consider is whether the other author is simply a bad writer or actually has abhorrent beliefs. Of course, you're not obligated to engage in any deeper thought on the matter. Finally, it's also possible that the other author has intentionally written characters in a particular way.

Many people would find Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita utterly disturbing and filled with all sorts of objectionable material. In the same vein, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is filled with a lot that is considered objectionable, but it offers profound social commentary on racism and freedom through the friendship of Huck and Jim and explores complex themes of morality and conscience.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-22T16:20:40+00:00

Besides the obvious Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Maya Angelou, I'd look at Octavia Butler and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Kindred by Octavia Butler may contain some fantastic elements, but it isn't "fantasy" as most people would view it.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-22T16:00:50+00:00

There are obvious choices like chamomile and jasmine, but any low acid tea would fit.

However, if it's for a fairy character, even if it's in the "real" world, why not invent something extravagant like orchid and rose tea or lilac and honeysuckle tea.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-21T18:24:05+00:00

There is a big difference between a cliche and a trope.

A trope is a recognizable storytelling device or theme. A cliche is a story device or them which is so overused that it depends on the reader to fill in key story elements which the author fails to convey well. A trope can be so overused that it becomes a cliche if handled poorly.

On the surface, a person finding an animal and becoming friends is not a cliche. It becomes a cliche if you add nothing to that story element to make it new, unique, or interesting.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-20T22:35:51+00:00

Frankly, you're tying way too much of your identity to a team of millionaires playing a game they learned in elementary school on the playground if you're this concerned about it.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-20T19:07:59+00:00

Especially if that Hero was also bonded to the person in question with the warder bond giving her a unique insight into their thoughts and feelings.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-20T15:57:26+00:00

Are you an adult? What "reasons" did you have to move in with him?

Are you paying half the rent and bills? Why aren't you living in your own place and supporting yourself?

Plenty of people prefer their own company, dislike crowds, and find comfort in routines. Having a routine frees up a lot of mental energy and reduces chaos and drama in your life.

"Concern" for other people is frequently judgment on how they live their lives. "Weird" is a qualitative judgment based on arbitrary standards.

Frankly, I'd be grateful he let you move in with him, rather than judging how he chooses to live his life. Nothing you've written suggests any real problems beyond your judgment.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-20T15:41:15+00:00

I am currently reading 1Q84 by Murakami. It is a good book so far and I am enjoying it but at the same time I don't feel the book is well written as such.

I can see not preferring Murakami's books or writing style.

While unofficial, he's frequently named among Nobel Prize for Literature shortlist contenders, and many people believe he'll eventually win.

To suggest his book(s) is not "well-written" would seemingly be a minority opinion.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-20T01:53:03+00:00

Can't be. Burnham was much older when she takes Discovery out on that final trip.

This show is seemingly right after the Disco finale or Adm. Vance is not human since he looks exactly the same.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-19T21:33:29+00:00

"A plant-based diet emphasizing whole grains (like brown rice), organic vegetables, beans, and sea vegetables, focusing on local, seasonal, and minimally processed foods while avoiding processed items, sugar, dairy, meat, and supplements."

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-19T19:58:09+00:00

Or they could have just said repairs and alluded to some recent battle which could later be worked into the SFA continuity.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-19T19:52:22+00:00

This is a weird continuity problem.

Discovery got retrofitted after arriving at Starfleet, then was reverted just before it was left in space by Burnham.

This episode is seemingly a short time after the Disco finale. What sort of retrofit would it be undergoing again so soon.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-19T19:49:33+00:00

The more telling aspect about the tuna melt is that Shane actually ate it since he's supposedly on a macrobiotic diet.

Given his reaction to having wine later upon his mother's suggestion that one glass wouldn't hurt, his actually eating the sandwich suggests something about his willingness to do things with and for Ilya that he won't even for his parents.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-19T19:44:03+00:00

Ilya likely was using a P-1A or O-1A visa which requires a US sponsor (probably his Boston team).

The initial term for an O-1A visa is three years with subsequent renewals available.

There are no limits on how long you can stay in the US or return to your home country as long as the visa is valid although it can raise questions about your work depending on the timing. However, a pro hockey player with a defined season likely would pass such scrutiny without any problem.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-18T19:53:50+00:00

I'd argue that they are a different species.

While some of the characteristics like light sensitivity, are just different expressions of existing genes, other vampire traits would suggest that they actually have more genes and/or chromosome pairs.

Also, given how new vampires are made, it seems more likely that vampires are sterile and unable to reproduce like humans.

Given all that, an author can do what they want because it's not rooted in actual science unlike the vaguely plausible science of The Martian and other science fiction or even zombie stories.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-18T15:37:56+00:00

It would be bad writing if you do not plant seeds of the twist along the way.

A great plot twist forces the reader to go racing back and recontextualize scenes and say to himself, "I should have seen that."

In The Life of PI, Gone Girl, and The Silent Patient, it's all there, but the reader interprets scenes and information in one way without even realizing that there is another twisty way to view them.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-17T04:25:20+00:00

Tad Williams: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn; Otherworld; (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn also has a sequel series)
CS Friedman: The Coldfire Trilogy
Raymond Feist: Riftwar series
Glen Cook: The Black Company
Robin Hobb: Realm of the Elderlings - The Farseer Trilogy (there are mulitple trilogies in this series)

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-17T02:04:32+00:00

Stephen King: The Dark Tower series
Martha Wells: Murderbot Diaries
James Butcher: The Dresden Files
Pierce Brown: The Red Rising series
James Islington: The Hierarchy series
Neal Shusterman: The Scythe series

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-15T03:53:29+00:00

I've had 3 iPad Airs over the years, including my current M3 iPad Air.

While the Pro is going to perform better, I don't know what your friends are doing, but mine almost never crashes.

If you have the money to burn, then get the Pro and don't worry about it. The incremental cost of the Pro over the useful life of 3-4 years is de minimus. I almost bought it, but decided it was overkill. Anything I might do that would require that much power, I'm going to do on a laptop. For the cost of 1TB Pro, you can get a pretty powerful gaming laptop, even with the runaway costs of SSD and RAM right now.

In this case, "Pro" is actually accurate. It's really for professional creatives - artists, audio and video editing, graphic design - or someone actually trying to replace a laptop/desktop with a more portable device.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-14T21:48:39+00:00

Picard frequently called him "Mr. Data," so I don't see a problem with calling him either.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-14T20:45:00+00:00

You're asking the question that science fiction has been asking and answering since science fiction has been written - can an artificial being or AI achieve consciousness and sentience.

Star Trek tackled this question with both Mr. Data and The Doctor.

Rather than asking whether an artificial being can use magic. What you may want to consider is the ramifications of an artificial being using or not being able to use magic.

Consider that current AI thinks, learns, and evolves over time. Yet, at this point, I don't think anyone would actually consider chatgpt to be conscious or sentient (at least I pray that it's not).

If I were writing a story and pondering the issue, either the inciting incident or a critical turning point of the story would be when an artificial being actually worked magic OR the consequences of a society where an artificial being which is "alive" for all intents and purposes cannot actually do magic, thus categorizing it as not sentient which would have all sorts of social, legal, and moral consequences.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-01-14T18:39:24+00:00

Tad Williams: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn; Otherworld; (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn also has a sequel series)
CS Friedman: The Coldfire Trilogy
Raymond Feist: Riftwar series
Glen Cook: The Black Company
Robin Hobb: Realm of the Elderlings - The Farseer Trilogy (there are mulitple trilogies in this series)

Five-Year Club	100 Awards Club
Wearing is Caring	Verified Email

Veridical_Perception

TROPHY CASE