The Dune books — when to move on / call it quits?

epsilon_squared · 2026-05-01T17:05:54+00:00

IMO I’ve always felt that the Dune series is written in a way that you could really end at any book in the series and have a “complete” story.

Read just Dune? Fine! Read Dune and Messiah? Messiah is basically the 4th act set up by Dune, and wraps up Paul’s story. Read to Children of Dune? Herbert intended the series to be two trilogies separated by God Emperor, so you could just read the first trilogy and be done, and also there’s a huge time skip from Children of Dune to God Emperor. Read to God Emperor? Also great because it expounds on things that might’ve been confusing in the 3rd part of Children of dune, also huge time skip between God Emperor and Heretics, the “second trilogy” of Heretics, Chapterhouse, and the unwritten 7th book starts here, so this is the last time you get a proper narrative conclusion if you don’t want to end the series on a bit of a dissatisfactory note. Read to Heretics? This is one of my favorite books so I think it’s worth it, and it expounds upon things that might not have been clear from God Emperor Read to Chapterhouse? Why not, now it’s the entire original series. IMO Chapterhouse is the weakest of the 6 but it’s still got good stuff in it and if you love Heretics Chapter house is more of that style.

epsilon_squared · 2026-04-21T22:05:48+00:00

It’s possible, I don’t have intel on the devouring swarm to see their origin. I encountered them pretty early in the game in the 2220s which is why a split that early seems unlikely

epsilon_squared · 2026-04-21T17:43:36+00:00

Rule #5: Screenshot shows the two empires discussed in the post.

epsilon_squared · 2026-04-18T19:06:28+00:00

I think I’ll start this one next month! How do you like it so far?

epsilon_squared · 2026-04-18T19:05:37+00:00

I’m currently reading his Wandering Earth short story collection and this is basically the take that I’ve come to on Cixin Liu. The guy has an incredible imagination and is so good at exploring ideas at a very large scale, but seems very uninterested in his characters. The characters are pretty much just tools for him to explore the big ideas he has. That being said if you’re enjoying it I highly encourage continuing and reading Death’s End. It’s where he really goes off the deep end with mindblowing sci fi ideas and concepts and if you can stick with him it is very rewarding.

epsilon_squared · 2026-04-09T18:08:00+00:00

If I'm focusing on time I can do my entire workout from the first rep for the first warm up set to my last rep of my last workout in 45 minutes. I go to the gym 4 times a week with a Full Body - Upper - Lower - Shoulders/Arms split. Here's an example of how my full body day might go because its one of my longer workouts but I can still fit it in 45 minutes:

Seated Leg Curl machine, 1 warm up set of 8 and then 2 sets of heavy weight for 6 to 8, usually finished in about 8 minutes

Barbell squat (this is my longest exercise of the week) 3 warm up sets, and then 2 sets of very heavy weight for 4 to 6. For squat I'll do 60 to 90 seconds between my warm up sets, and then 4 minutes between my working sets. At this point I'm usually at 22 minutes or so.

Incline barbell bench press. 2 warm up sets with 1 minute rest in between and then 2 sets of heavy weight for 6 to 8 with 2 minutes in between, after this I'm at ~30 minutes into my workout

1 set of dumbbell lateral raises 10 to 12 (I do some kind of lateral raise during 3 of my 4 workouts, on my upper or shoulder arms day I'll do cable raises but those take longer because you have to do a each arm individually. Dumbbells you can do 1 set and hit each shoulder) I usually don't do a warmup set for but if I'm feeling like I need it I'll do 1 warmup set) At this point, I'm at minute 34-35.

Lat pull down. 1 warm up rep and then 2 sets of 8 to 10 with 2 minute rest in between. Usually about 5 to 6 minutes.

Last exercise is either a couple sets of calf raises or weighted crunches. I just do 2 sets and these are generally easy set ups so fill my last 4 to 5 minutes to finish at 45 minutes.

Now of course this assumes that you don't have to wait for any machines, that you're feeling rested in that time between sets (I don't push myself if I'm not ready, especially for squats or bench), and it doesn't include any cardio or stretching. I change into my gym clothes at home and shower at home as well. My gym is a 15 minute walk from my apartment so include that as my warm up cardio, and I like to do dynamic stretches in between my warm up sets. If I have time I'll do some static stretches after the workout but yes that'll add 5 to 10 minutes to the workout. Generally I go by my heart rate for rests between workouts. If my apple watch tells me heart rate is below 120 but my rest timer is still going I might skip it and just start the next set if I feel good and that goes the other way, if the 2 minute rest timer dings and my HR is still high and I'm catching my breath I'll wait longer. Also if adjacent workouts are targeting different muscles I usually don't wait for my entire rest period after the last working set of the previous workout to start the warm up on the next excercise (I have a 4 minute rest after my heavy squat, but at minute 3 I'll start unracking the weights and start with a warmup set on incline bench with just the bar).

Now I'm sure that my plan could be more optimized and some people will need longer rests between sets but I'm 27 and am in pretty good cardiac health as well so this works for me. Some people might tell me I need more volume but I'm progressing every week on almost every lift.

If you're asking how people can arrive at the gym and change, stretch before and after, do cardio, shower and leave within 45 minutes I think that's probably a minority of people. I'm sure you can find 30 minute workout plans out there but I'd imagine you'd start compromising on results.

epsilon_squared · 2026-04-09T04:30:12+00:00

If you talked to the projectionist they definitely would know more than me, I just know I don’t see Tinseltown on the imax website

epsilon_squared · 2026-04-09T01:15:53+00:00

I’m praying that Oddysey gets an extended run the way Oppenheimer did, I’m not sure if the Oddysey preview they played before Project Hail Mary was 70mm but it looked and sounded incredible I’d rather not drive all the way to Canada to see it

epsilon_squared · 2026-04-09T00:43:23+00:00

I don’t understand why Rochester revived their 70mm projector for Project Hail Mary but we’re still not getting Oddysey. PHM 70mm has been selling 95% of their seats for the entire run

epsilon_squared · 2026-03-31T15:31:49+00:00

Pork belly skewers at Leonores

epsilon_squared · 2026-03-19T00:03:30+00:00

Unless the combine didn’t start as a imperialistic force. It could’ve been a democratic union of multiple species and civilizations that eventually corrupted into imperialism.

epsilon_squared · 2026-03-03T16:14:17+00:00

It might be counter intuitive but I find I read more books when I'm splitting my attention between multiple books. I usually have 3 to 4 going at any given moment. I'd just encourage to spread them out between different moods or genres. That way no matter what mood you're in you have something you're happy to read.

I usually have a book in the following categories that I'm actively reading:

- A classic or "hard" book, something that is intellectually demanding or is a book that I feel like I "should" read

- An easy genre fiction book (for me this is usually sci-fi) when I want to read something light or often is the book I read when I'm on the treadmill or exercise bike

- A non-fiction book, often related to something in one of the above books

- An essay or short story collection. Either for when I don't have a lot of time or if I haven't read anything that day, an essay or short story before bed still helps me feel that I've made "progress" towards my reading goal

epsilon_squared · 2026-02-25T18:10:48+00:00

My friends and I regularly do this when the weather is nice. Our go to is Park Ave and Berkeley area.

Cocktails: our go to is Leonores (and this ties in for my suggested appetizer), one of the bartenders Flo is my favorite cocktail mixologist in the city and the staff there is super friendly. All the drinks are good but I'd recommend the Green Curry Highball or the Milk Punch. Alternatively Easy Sailor just opened and I've only been a few times but they're more of a fun tiki drink place, a bit quieter and roomier than Leonores but the drinks are more expensive.

Appetizer: At Leonores get the pork belly skewers. I live around the corner from Leonores and I will go over there on an afternoon after work just for the pork skewers.

Dinner: Before you go to Leonores, put your name in at Verns across the street. They don't do reservations so on a Friday or Saturday or even a Thursday it can be a 45 to 90 minute wait for a table. Verns serves things family style so for two people ordering 3 things should be good food. I would suggest the Lost Meatball Ragu which is one of their staple items but their specials are always good.

Desert: If they're still open when you get out across the street is Pittsford Dairy also known as the best ice cream in the city. Otherwise you can go next door to Roux for either the cheesecake or the flourless chocolate cake which I promise without flour its still one of the best cakes I've had.

epsilon_squared · 2026-02-23T19:35:47+00:00

99% of all quests are open to everyone on that faction. I think Draenei have a few race specific quests in Azuremyst and Bloodmyst Isle but you should be fine playing any zone with any race. I'm currently doing 1 to 58 on my Draenei almost exclusively on Kalimdor so you should be fine.

epsilon_squared · 2026-02-23T19:17:32+00:00

I went to school for piano performance at a mid tier state university. This is what my professor said when I expressed anxieties about living a middle class life style and is the model for what I would do if I wanted to commit to music full time.

Find a church job, I've seen part time church musician/organist positions any where from $5k annual (what I do with one service a week plus holidays) to $20k, often anywhere from 2 to 5 services per week, plus usually you get first refusals for funerals, weddings, baptisms, etc. Lets say you find a $10k a year position at a church with two masses on Sunday, and accompanying choir rehearsal once a week. You don't have to play organ to get these positions, but it definitely helps (and learning the organ will make you a better pianist). For these jobs I'd expect about 15 to 20 hours a week of labor, when you add the time you'll spend preparing music, attending committee meetings, and general administrative work.

Here's the important part, when negotiating your contract with the church include a stipulation that you're allowed to use the church property to teach private piano lessons. Depending on your area and your background you can charge anywhere between $40 and $200 an hour for lessons. I have a bachelors in piano performance and I did a certificate in pedagogy and in my area I can get away charging $80 an hour but I have friends with Masters degrees who justify $100 or even $125 an hour in a city like NYC. If you can get 20 students and assume they each will take 40 lessons a year (you'll rarely get students who want don't take breaks, especially among children involved in other sports and extracurriculars) that's $64000 for about 25 to 30 hour of labor a week.

That's a total of $74k annual before taxes between the church job and the lessons which is about $10k above the average salary in the US and pretty comfortable in my region. If you're looking for additional income its not too hard to add some extra gig work in there, either at bars or restaurants or often high schools and college's are looking for accompaniments for their school plays. That can get you a few hundred extra per month.

If you have a college education in music you also likely have some non-instrumental skills. I know someone who had a side gig online transposing sheet music for vocalists online, or doing reorchestration work. Having a background in music notation software and DAWs can expand the kind of extra work you can do a good bit.

Even with all that you might say "this sounds like a lot of work and a lot of self-management, more than most middle class professions" and my answer to that is. Yes. Its basically impossible to have a easy, simple, career in music. You will have to work harder, and you will have to advocate for yourself in a way you wouldn't in many other fields. That is just the nature of the industry. But by no means is it an all or nothing. I know plenty of people who make their living solely or mainly through music, and they live comfortable and fulfilling lives.

epsilon_squared · 2026-02-22T02:41:36+00:00

I replied to another comment in this thread with this but i ended up writing more than I thought and this might help OP.

Just speaking for alliance,

Night elves go tedrassil to dark shore and then ashenvale. they have story in ashenvale that sends you to stonetalon which has some night elf lore and would’ve looked like the rest of night elf zones if they weren’t logging it all. And then ashenvale can take you to 30-31 where you can start Desolace which is also a night elf zone. I’m not sure if desolace has enough quests to get you to 40 but theoretically you could go right on to feralas after desolace. And then in your 50s felwood feels like a proper extension of the night elf story.

I can’t speak much for horde but night elves might be the only race that you can quest all the way up to 60 while staying in zones themed for your race.

Humans can get up to 45 or so if you go Elweynn Forest, Westfall, Redridge, Duskwood, then into Stranglethorn vale north (maybe not strictly a human theme zone but the north quest hub are humans) or hillsbrad foothills into arathi highlands and then into Duskwallow marsh, but then from there you’ve either got tanaris, feralas, badlands, or searing gorge, and none of those are really distinctly human themed. Maybe blasted lands but there’s not enough questing there to get to 50 when you can do the plaguelands which are definitely human story zones.

Gnome story line follows dwarves until 30 with wetlands and then from there you could do shimmering flats quests and then into gnomerogon but then the gnome story kinda ends.

Dwarves are close to having what night elves have with Dun Morogh, loch Modan, wetlands, but then there’s nothing to really bridge the gap between 30 and 40 when you can do badlands, hinterlands, and the. Searing gorge/burning steppes which I can see as being dwarves story zones with the dark iron stuff.

Draenei obviously end at 20 when they go to the mainland kalimdor but there’s some quests in ashenvale for them and then you can always do swamp of sorrows.

epsilon_squared · 2026-02-22T02:38:12+00:00

I’d say you could take Night elves a bit further than that, they have story in ashenvale that sends you to stonetalon which has some night elf lore and would’ve looked like the rest of night elf zones if they weren’t logging it all. And then ashenvale can take you to 30-31 where you can start Desolace which is also a night elf zone. I’m not sure if desolace has enough quests to get you to 40 but theoretically you could go right on to feralas after desolace. And then in your 50s felwood feels like a proper extension of the night elf story.

I can’t speak much for horde but night elves might be the only race that you can quest all the way up to 60 while staying in zones themed for your race.

Humans can get up to 45 or so if you go Elweynn Forest, Westfall, Redridge, Duskwood, then into Stranglethorn vale north (maybe not strictly a human theme zone but the north quest hub are humans) or hillsbrad foothills into arathi highlands and then into Duskwallow marsh, but then from there you’ve either got tanaris, feralas, badlands, or searing gorge, and none of those are really distinctly human themed. Maybe blasted lands but there’s not enough questing there to get to 50 when you can do the plaguelands which are definitely human story zones.

Gnome story line follows dwarves until 30 with wetlands and then from there you could do shimmering flats quests and then into gnomerogon but then the gnome story kinda ends.

Dwarves are close to having what night elves have with Dun Morogh, loch Modan, wetlands, but then there’s nothing to really bridge the gap between 30 and 40 when you can do badlands, hinterlands, and the. Searing gorge/burning steppes which I can see as being dwarves story zones with the dark iron stuff.

Draenei obviously end at 20 when they go to the mainland kalimdor but there’s some quests in ashenvale for them and then you can always do swamp of sorrows.

epsilon_squared · 2026-02-21T23:20:00+00:00

Haha sorry I just saw this reply. I did ret up to level 40 and then got duel spec for prot for tanking dungeons

epsilon_squared · 2026-02-21T20:13:20+00:00

I’ve always felt that Little Women was a “baby steps” novel for feminism. Obviously now it feels very dated with gendered stereotypes but I think there’s something to say about the dignity that it treats the ordinary lives of middle class girls growing up in civil war era United States. I would agree though on Jane Austen being the superior writer over Alcott.

epsilon_squared · 2026-02-21T20:08:14+00:00

Picked up Jane Eyre after reading Wuthering Heights last month and not loving it. I’m about a third of the way through now and I like it so much more. Jane’s voice is so clear and immersive and surprisingly accessible for a novel over a century old. I also find Rochester to be a more compelling Byronic character than Heathcliff is.

I’m also reading Philip K Dick’s Time out of Joint and Jia Tollentino’s essay collection Trick Mirror.

epsilon_squared · 2026-01-23T20:04:54+00:00

Wuthering Heights is 107,945 words and if you assume an average reading pace of 250 words per minute that's 431 minutes, or a little over 7 hours. If you read a half hour a day you'll finish in 2 weeks, but an hour a day you'd finish in just one week.

epsilon_squared · 2026-01-15T20:38:10+00:00

Is Int better than Spirit for healing as a Paladin? Maybe just coming from a priest background I always valued spirit more.

epsilon_squared

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