DAY: May 18 2024

• 5-18-2024 HAVE SMARTPHONES KILLED THE ART OF CONVERSATION? Once upon a time, human relationships unfolded without smartphones. The reality may be hard to recall, so profoundly have these devices transformed the way we relate to the world and others in fifteen years or so. As an anthropologist interested in modernity, I am particularly preoccupied by the impact of these devices on our conversations. In my book, “The End of the Conversation? Words in a Spectral Society” (French original: “La fin de la conversation? La parole dans une société spectrale”), I investigate the pernicious effects of this technology
• 5-18-2024 HOW TO REWARD EMPLOYEES FAIRLY AND IMPROVE TEAM DYNAMICS A recent study has shed light on how to reward employees more fairly and improve team dynamics. The study found that when less skilled employees report their performance voluntarily, they often exaggerate their achievements and ask for higher bonuses. These employees also tend to put in less effort and are less concerned about fairness when sharing their contributions voluntarily. Interestingly, the researchers discovered that requiring employees to explain their contributions leads to fairer decisions about bonus allocation and improves
• 5-19-2024 BILLIONS ARE SPENT ON EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, BUT WE DON’T KNOW IF IT WORKS During the COVID lockdowns, schools and universities worldwide relied on education technology—edtech—to keep students learning. They used online platforms to give lessons, mark work and send feedback, used apps to teach and introduced students to programs that let them work together on projects. In the aftermath of school closures, the market for edtech has kept on growing. The value of the sector is projected to rise to US$132.4 billion globally by 2032. The problem is that we don’t know very much about how effective many edtech apps or programs
• 5-19-2024 STUDY FINDS CONSUMERS WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR NATURALLY COLORED COTTON CLOTHING Research has looked at consumer attitudes toward naturally colored cotton clothing. The study found that amid increasing concerns over the environmental impact of conventional cotton processing, consumers are willing to pay more for a greener T-shirt.
• 5-18-2024 HOW AI IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SALES STRATEGIES In the fast-evolving business landscape, artificial intelligence, or AI, is taking center stage in transforming sales processes, making them more efficient and responsive to the dynamic market demands. A new University of Alabama at Birmingham study titled “AI in Sales: Laying the Foundations for Future Research” highlights the pivotal role AI is playing in reshaping the sales sector.
• 5-18-2024 WHEN CONSUMERS WOULD PREFER A CHATBOT OVER A PERSON Actually, sometimes consumers don’t want to talk to a real person when they’re shopping online, a new study suggests. In fact, what they really want is a chatbot that makes it clear that it is not human at all. In a new study, researchers found that people preferred interacting with chatbots when they felt embarrassed about what they were buying online—items like antidiarrheal medicine or, for some people, skin care products. “In general, research shows people would rather interact with a human customer service agent
• 5-18-2024 NEW STUDY REVEALS THE POTENTIAL OF COACHING EMPLOYEES TO DRIVE NEW STRATEGIC IDEAS In the landscape of modern business, inclusion isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a strategic imperative. Companies like IBM, Volkswagen and Starbucks are moving to more participative strategy development approaches that reflect a growing understanding of the importance of diversity in fostering innovative and creative strategic ideas. Yet the outcomes of inclusive strategy processes often fall short of expectations. A new study in the Strategic Management Journal sheds light on why that may be. In their study of an inclusive strategy process in a large insurance company, Violetta Splitter, along with co-authors
• 5-18-2024 RESEARCHERS SHOW WAYS TO PROPEL PRODUCT SUCCESS New research explores the key strategies that firms should adopt when launching a new product. The researchers say that these strategies depend on the current market view of the product and the firm. Employing the correct one, which might sometimes be collaborating with overtly demanding reviewers or instituting rather challenging pilot tests, ensures that the product launch will go as successfully as possible.
• 5-18-2024 RESEARCHERS DEVELOP ALGORITHMS TO UNDERSTAND HOW HUMANS FORM BODY PART VOCABULARIES An example of the study’s language sample and the words for arm/hand and leg/foot in English and Wolof. Human bodies have similar designs. However, languages differ in the way they divide the body into parts and name them. For example, English speakers have two words for foot and leg, whereas other languages express the concepts foot and leg in one word.
• 5-18-2024 STUDY FINDS AVOIDING SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE AN ELECTION HAS LITTLE TO NO EFFECT ON PEOPLE’S POLITICAL VIEWS In the weeks before and after the 2020 presidential election, researchers ran a number of tests to try to understand how much Facebook and its corporate cousin, Instagram, may be contributing to the nation’s political divide. One of those experiments—led by Matthew Gentzkow and Hunt Allcott, economics professors at Stanford University—centered on more than 35,000 Facebook and Instagram users who were paid to stay off the platforms in the run-up to Election Day. There’s a lot that researchers could glean from the social media hiatus, including whether people’s political attitudes
• 5-18-2024 USING COMPUTER MODELS TO UNDERSTAND THE DEBATE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE Different types of noise and how they act inside or outside the social interaction process. Cognitive biases are among the most important factors that prevent people from changing their minds. Climate change deniers and climate activists often tend to accept only information that confirms their respective opinions on the matter. However, opinion dynamics are also influenced by a factor that the researchers call “ambiguity noise.” Unlike biases, ambiguity noise is variable, depends on many random factors, and leads to inconsistent judgment.
• 5-18-2024 FOR SOME INDIGENOUS SOUTHERN PLAINS TRIBES, AN ORIGINAL FLUTE SONG IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARD MARRIAGE “Warrior with flute” by Timothy Tate Nevaquaya. Used with permission. Credit: Timothy Tate Nevaquaya Every love story is unique, and in traditional Indigenous Southern Plains culture, it begins with an original ballad performed on the flute. In order to win a lover’s affection, and respect among the tribe, each pursuer must compose one good flute serenade. Paula Conlon, a former music professor at the University of Oklahoma, has researched the history and cultural significance of the Indigenous flute since the 1980s. Conlon presents her work Tuesday, May 14, at 9:45
• 5-18-2024 WANT TO BE AN INFLUENCER? OUR RESEARCH SHOWS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FIRST You’re hard at work, lying in a hammock, composing the perfect selfie on the beach. The turquoise sea sets off the idyllic sunset, and just visible though the fronds of a palm tree is the logo of the hotel which is paying you to promote it to your millions of followers on Instagram. Click. The perfect shot. And another typically perfect day in the life of an influencer. Or is it? Certainly a career as an influencer can seem appealing. The work generally involves promoting products or services through sponsored
• 5-18-2024 WHY STUDENTS CHEAT IN ONLINE EXAMS Media psychologists at the University of Cologne have studied how students’ individual needs, conceptions and reasons relate to cheating behavior in online exams. Online exams have become a more common type of exam at universities, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. They are advantageous because they save time and offer flexibility. However, cheating attempts present a big challenge for lecturers. This is why universities have been working on ways to thwart cheating in online exams by putting organizational and technical measures into place.
• 5-18-2024 WHY STUDENTS CHEAT IN ONLINE EXAMS Trust and distrust in social media coexisted in the study participants. Credit: Emmaline Nelsen Are anti-misinformation interventions on social media working as intended? It depends, according to a new study surveyed over 1,700 participants in the United States, revealing that anti-misinformation features increased users’ awareness of misinformation in social media; but did not make them more likely to share information on social media
• 5-18-2024 MOST CRIME HAS FALLEN BY 90% IN 30 YEARS—SO WHY DOES THE PUBLIC THINK IT’S INCREASED? Seventy-eight percent of people in England and Wales think that crime has gone up in the last few years, according to the latest survey. But the data on actual crime shows the exact opposite. As of 2024, violence, burglary and car crime have been declining for 30 years and by close to 90%, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)—our best indicator of true crime levels. Unlike police data, the CSEW is not subject to variations in reporting and recording. The drop in violence includes domestic violence
• 5-18-2024 MOST CRIME HAS FALLEN BY 90% IN 30 YEARS—SO WHY DOES THE PUBLIC THINK IT’S INCREASED? Can we truly assess whether someone finds us attractive? Cognitive psychologist Iliana Samara discovered that men, in particular, tend to overestimate the interest of their date. She explains why this may be. “Imagine you walk into a packed bar, looking for a date. Your eyes are naturally drawn to attractive faces. If you’re a man and find someone attractive, you’re more likely to assume they’re also interested in you. “Then, when you approach them, whether you’re a man or woman
• 5-18-2024 MOST CRIME HAS FALLEN BY 90% IN 30 YEARS—SO WHY DOES THE PUBLIC THINK IT’S INCREASED? Having more education has long been linked to better individual health. But those benefits are also contagious, say the co-authors of a new working paper. “It’s not just that the individuals who have more years of education are in better health,” said David M. Cutler, Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics. “It’s that even people with fewer years of education—for example, people with just a high school degree—are in better health when they live around
• 5-18-2024 MOST CRIME HAS FALLEN BY 90% IN 30 YEARS—SO WHY DOES THE PUBLIC THINK IT’S INCREASED? Our research on children in early primary years, show they are better are writing with a pen or pencil than a keyboard. Children today are growing up surrounded by technology. So it’s easy to assume they will be able to write effectively using a keyboard. But our research suggests this is not necessarily true. We need to actively teach students to be able to type as well as write using paper and pen or pencil. Our research Our research team has published two recent
• 5-18-2024 MOST CRIME HAS FALLEN BY 90% IN 30 YEARS—SO WHY DOES THE PUBLIC THINK IT’S INCREASED? The provision of therapies for children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) can be an affectively challenging, sometimes procedurally complex, process for the various stakeholders involved. However, the efficiency and effectiveness of this process, are crucial to various outcomes, in particular
• 5-18-2024 HOW DO MINDFULNESS, COMPASSION AND NEED FULFILLMENT AFFECT SATISFACTION IN MIDLIFE MARRIED COUPLES? Many people practice mindfulness or self-compassion techniques in their everyday life as part of their normal self-care routine. Although many studies support the individual benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion, few have focused on romantic relationship outcomes. A new study published in Personal Relationships has examined how mindfulness, self- and other-compassion, and need fulfillment relate to relationship and sexual satisfaction in midlife married couples. The study involved survey results from 640 adults aged 40–59 years who were residing in Canada and were married. Mindfulness is the nonjudgmental attention and awareness to
• 5-18-2024 HOW ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS ARE ADAPTING TO GENERATION ALPHA Growing up, did you play with hyper-sexualized Barbie dolls, boys-only Thomas the Tank Engine trains, or slim, white Disney princesses? If so, you’re not alone, but this is no longer the case for Generation Alpha. Brands like Mattel, once criticized for promoting unrealistic body standards and gender stereotypes, now portray themselves as feminist and progressive. The recent Barbie movie serves as a prime example of this shift. Millennial parents are actively seeking out toys, books and movies to educate their children about life and teach them values that align
• 5-18-2024 STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA FACE CHALLENGES TRANSITIONING TO THE WORKPLACE, BUT WITH SUPPORT THEY CAN THRIVE Transitioning from university to the workplace is a critical period in anyone’s life, but it can be especially challenging for students with dyslexia. While academic settings often offer accommodations for people with dyslexia, professional environments often fall short on such support systems. Fortunately, there are strategic interventions that can be established in workplaces to help individuals with dyslexia not only adapt, but excel in their careers. It is estimated that up to 20% of the population has dyslexia and 80% of people with a learning disability have dyslexia
• 5-18-2024 BUSINESSES UNINTENTIONALLY DISCOURAGE DIVERSE IDEAS, FINDS STUDY Businesses influence the ideas they receive from external contributors by unintentionally signaling which ideas they like, a research analyzed 1.44 million ideas to understand how organizations unknowingly shape the ideas they receive. Data came from organizations that asked visitors how they could improve their websites before choosing which ideas to use. Chosen ideas were communicated for all to see.
• 5-18-2024 WHAT’S IN A NAME? A LINGUISTICS EXPERT EXPLAINS WHY SOME BABY NAMES DOMINATE THE CHARTS YEAR AFTER YEAR What do names like Noah, James, Mateo, Mia, Evelyn and Luna all have in common? They’re not only some of the top baby names in the United States, but they also seem to flow off the tongue. And that’s exactly why parents love them. On May 10, the Social Security Administration released a list of the top baby names in the United States in 2023. Liam and Olivia maintained the number one spot in their respective categories for the fifth consecutive year while Noah and Emma also retained second place.
• 5-18-2024 ACCESS TO GARDENS AND CITIZEN SCIENCE HELPS ENCOURAGE CONSERVATION AMONG CHILDREN, STUDY SHOWS Access to gardens and citizen science projects at school can help promote pro-conservation behavior among pupils, a new study shows. Offering children the chance to take part in authentic scientific ecological work and gardening encourages an interest in plants. This can change behavior—to spend more time gardening or to pursue a botanical career—and fuels a positive attitude towards safeguarding the environment, experts found
• 5-18-2024 WHAT PROFESSIONALS EXPECT FROM FUTURE EMPLOYERS Employers who want to attract new talent should recognize diversity and enable inclusion. This is confirmed by a representative study by IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU), which surveyed more than 1,200 trainees and students across Germany. The results clearly show that 75.1% of prospective employees consider it very or somewhat important that companies implement measures to promote diversity and inclusion. This suggests that companies that communicate these measures openly and transparently
• 5-18-2024 RESEARCH LINKS VOTER BEHAVIOR IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS TO HOUSING MARKET PERFORMANCE If the 21st century has proven anything to the United States electorate, it is that presidential elections are notoriously unpredictable affairs. The seeming randomness by which the country’s electorate chooses its next president has only emboldened polling outlets, talking heads, and amateur psephologists to scrutinize every conceivable variable to give their respective electoral forecasting models a much-needed edge. However, Sherwood Clements, collegiate assistant professor of real estate in the Pamplin College of Business, had an electoral theory that, to the best of his knowledge, had never been explored with regards
• 5-18-2024 RESEARCH LINKS VOTER BEHAVIOR IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS TO HOUSING MARKET PERFORMANCE If the 21st century has proven anything to the United States electorate, it is that presidential elections are notoriously unpredictable affairs. The seeming randomness by which the country’s electorate chooses its next president has only emboldened polling outlets, talking heads, and amateur psephologists to scrutinize every conceivable variable to give their respective electoral forecasting models a much-needed edge. However, Sherwood Clements, collegiate assistant professor of real estate in the Pamplin College of Business, had an electoral theory that, to the best of his knowledge, had never been explored with regards
• 5-18-2024 MECHANISTIC MODEL SHOWS HOW MUCH GOSSIP IS NEEDED TO FOSTER SOCIAL COOPERATION Gossip often has a negative connotation, but imagine you are part of a group deciding on a job candidate to hire or a local political candidate to back. Candidates who get a good reputation by helping others may be more likely to receive help in the form of a job offer or endorsement, a feedback loop known as indirect reciprocity. Gossip can facilitate cooperation. Previous research has shown that people tend to cooperate more when they think their peers are gossiping about their behavior, gossip
• 5-18-2024 SINGING RESEARCHERS FIND CROSS-CULTURAL PATTERNS IN MUSIC AND LANGUAGE Are acoustic features of music and spoken language shared across cultures? Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen have contributed to a global study of music and speech, published in Science Advances. An international team of researchers recorded themselves performing traditional music and speaking in their native language. In all 50+ languages
• 5-18-2024 NEW RESEARCH REVEALS JUST HOW FEW LGBTQI+ PEOPLE PLAY SPORTS The topic of homophobia in sport has recently made headlines in Australia, with a series of homophobic incidents involving men’s AFL players. These homophobic incidents are usually well-reported in news media, but research has rarely explored the impact on participation for LGBTQI+ people. Fresh research into the problem Our new research is one of the first pieces of academic research in Australia to document how many LGBTQI+ people play and engage with sport. We also explored current levels of discrimination across sport in Australia, and the barriers and enablers
• 5-18-2024 SWIPE RIGHT OR LEFT? HOW DATING APPS ARE IMPACTING MODERN MASCULINITY What it means to be a man is changing. Critical men or masculinity studies is an emerging robust research field that explores how men and masculinity are being transformed by shifting socio-economic, sexual and political conditions in our post-industrial world. Fascinating new male-identifying sub-cultures and communities have emerged, like mushroomcore and dandies. Yet heteronormative masculinity is typically framed as threatening, toxic or maladaptive, as in the case of fragile masculinity. In my years of swiping on dating apps, I encountered different kinds of masculinities, as well as some very offensive
• 5-18-2024 RESEARCHERS SAY AUTOMATED NEWS VIDEO PRODUCTION IS BETTER WITH A HUMAN TOUCH AI-generated videos for short messages are only as well received as manually created ones if they are edited by humans. News organizations—including Bloomberg, Reuters, and The Economist—have been using AI powered video services to meet growing audience demand for audio-visual material. A study recently published in the journal Journalism now shows that the automated production of news videos is better with human supervision. Technology providers like Wochit and Moovly are allowing publishers to mass produce videos at scale. But what do audiences think of the results? Researchers led by LMU
• 5-18-2024 HOW ‘ETHICAL INFLUENCERS’ ENGAGE THEIR AUDIENCES ABOUT SAVING THE PLANET Have a quick think back to the last time you scrolled through social media. Maybe it was this morning, last night or a few minutes ago. What do you recall? One thing you’re bound to remember is the continuous stream of influencers showing off their latest content. These could be videos of influencers discussing the latest skin-care products, the trendiest places to eat, their latest shopping haul or the PR packages they received from various brands. Much of social media influencing is about getting consumers to buy more products.
• 5-18-2024 ALLYSHIP IS ESSENTIAL TO NEW MOTHERS RETURNING TO WORK, SAYS STUDY Returning to work after parental leave can be one of the most challenging experiences for any parents, especially mothers, to navigate. Fortunately, there are simple, kind and thoughtful ways in which organizational members—regardless of formal status, parental identity or gender identity—can help mothers feel supported as they return to work, which can also benefit job satisfaction and maternal well-being.
• 5-18-2024 STUDY FINDS SAYING ‘PLEASE’ MAY NOT BE SO POLITE IN EVERYDAY REQUESTS By kindergarten age, most children have been taught that “please” is a magic word. “Please” is an expression of politeness that shows courtesy and respect, turning a potential demand into a request that will—poof!—magically be granted. But a new study on the ways people make requests of one another suggests that “please” might not be an all-purpose marker of politeness, but rather a more focused, strategic tool to manage frictions or obstacles among family members, friends and even coworkers.
• 5-18-2024 MILITARY RANK AFFECTS MEDICAL CARE, OFFERING SOCIETAL INSIGHTS: STUDY Stock project from Pexels Human relationships are inherently shaped by power dynamics, yet quantifying their impact has remained a scientific challenge. Now, a large new study published Thursday in the journal Science reveals that military doctors give more attention to higher-ranked patients, providing concrete evidence about the privileges that come with elevated status, frequently at the expense of the less powerful. “One of the things we are trying to show is that this is not a military-specific analysis,”
• 5-18-2024 RESEARCHERS DISCUSS CURRENT STATE OF HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA AND BIPHOBIA Gender-neutral bathrooms, conversion therapy and Quebec’s advisory committee on gender identity have been in the news lately. These are polarizing, hot-button issues. While there have been legislative and social advances for LGBTQ+ rights, ignorance and discrimination persist and continue to negatively affect the lives of many. On May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, UdeMNouvelles asked two Université de Montréal professors and researchers who are experts in the field to share their views.
• 5-18-2024 PICKLEBALL COURTS IN A LEGAL PICKLE OVER THE ASSOCIATED NOISE Experts recommend HOAs and communities consider the “popping” noise associated with pickleball when deciding to build courts near homes. Credit: AIP Pickleball Legal Consultant is a job title that likely did not exist a decade ago, but as pickleball courts infiltrate neighborhoods to satiate an appetite for a sport whose namesake is a snack, communities take issue with the resulting influx of noise. Now homeowners’ associations and city councils face litigation by those whose lives are disrupted by pickleball’s din. Charles Leahy, an attorney, retired mechanical engineer, and former HOA
• 5-18-2024 TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING HOW COMPANIES DO BUSINESS In the fast-paced world of modern business, technology plays a crucial role in shaping how companies operate. One area where this impact is particularly significant is in the organization of production chains—specifically the way goods are made and distributed. A new study from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business advances understanding of the U.S. production chain evolution amidst technological progress in information technology (IT), shedding light on the complex connections between business IT investments and organizational design. Advances in IT have sparked significant changes in how companies design
• 5-18-2024 HOW DOES THE US KNOW THAT FORCED LABOR IS HAPPENING IN CHINA? A SUPPLY CHAIN EXPERT WEIGHS IN The Biden administration has added 26 more companies to the list of Chinese textile traders and manufacturers whose goods are blocked from entering the United States because of their alleged ties to forced labor. The banned imports, known as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, names businesses that are said to be involved in exploiting

Reaching out to PhD, post-doc, post-grad students at ETHZ
Hello everyone 🙋 I am a non-EU/EEA citizen who is currently working as a Data Scientist in the field of Medical Imaging, and now I am again in a dilemma about whether I should apply for a PhD or go for 2nd Master's.
Allow me to set some context :
I finished my Master's on a high, and wanted to get into the field of research (specifically innovative research). There was clarity in my mind about the fact that before going proper research positions, I needed to improve my profile further and also needed to get some industrial experience to see what problems are trying to be solved and to see what goes into meeting current global standards. My original plan was to do this and later seek out PhD positions. But, as I spoke to multiple people (family and colleagues) who had either finished their PhD or dropped or thought about it decided not to go, I decided that it'd be wise for me to actually get to know the place, the people and the professors whom I would be working with. There is a particular aspect within AI that I want to do research in and was able to identify a professor in Ratsch lab whose interests very much align with mine. However, I feel like there still a few things in Deep Learning that I have not studied academically, such as Real Analysis, which is foundational to DL, so I was still leaning towards doing a Master's and gaining that confidence.
However, I am hesitant again, because I am unsure if I will be accepted into a Master's program at all given my background. My Bachelor's wasn't great AT ALL. It was essentially a general degree that I picked, which had a mix of management, commerce and programming. This is where I discovered that I have no aptitude for the management and commerce world. My thing was computers. I re-evaluated my options in the following year, and that is when I discovered Data Science and AI. It was love at first sight and I didn't care about the job prospects or anything, I just went for it. My Master's was again a general Master's but it was great, I finished with a CGPA of 9.38/10 and topped my batch along with getting to work on some NLP (DL) projects under a professor there. Since then, I have been listed as an inventor for a patent, had a poster published in ECR and will have another published in RSNA soon. Also working on solving a novel problem at my company.
I intended on applying for a Masters in Data Science(2025) in 2024 end, but based on what I have read in many places, ETH doesn't seem to give a lot of weightage to most of the good stuff on my CV, making me feel a little dejected. I am preparing for GRE at the moment in an attempt to bolster my profile and I think I have a genuine and concrete Motivation letter.
Should I just write to the professor and try for PhD instead? Or does a Master's still make sense? Are there any other options? I have looked at University of Amsterdam which seems relatively promising. I am looking for a multi-disciplinary approach to AI, so a philosophical understanding along with strong technical details when it comes to mathematics.
Any insights would be appreciated <3

Recently there have been a lot of posts downplaying humans in versus battles. Claiming silly things like humans would lose to Goku, or humans wouldn’t be able to kill the Hulk just by outsmarting him. I’ve made this post to try and set the record straight with a full powerscaling of the Humanverse.
Strength
How strong is a human? We know a few things about the Humanverse: An “ant” is described as a six-legged monster capable of lifting 50 times its own bodyweight. It’s also considered a fodder-tier enemy to humans and other creatures, to the extent that millions of ants can be killed at a time even by an unskilled human.
Humans have a power where whenever they lift something or perform any physical activity they get slightly stronger. This can happen even through casual activities outside of a dedicated training arc. To give an idea of how fast a human can power up, in the event known as “boxing” humans often fight for multiple rounds within the span of an hour. It's not uncommon for humans to perform differently in different rounds, indicating there must have been a rapid change in their power levels because we all know that the stronger character always wins the fight. Now you must remember that humans live over 80 years frequently, so (using a low estimate) if the human only lifts things once per day, and only gets 1% stronger each time, they would be 1.53E+126 times as strong after 80 years of training because of EXPONENTS. In reality, we should expect it to be higher since humans can train multiple times per day.
It is said that humans could destroy their planet by accident with their lifestyles. In particular, it was stated in-universe that too many human babies could destroy their own Earth. A human baby scales to planetary level, possibly scaling up to universe level and beyond as they grow older.
Durability
Humans are able to survive attacks from other humans, which implies a high level of durability in itself since humans are universe busters. Even a young human can survive attacks from a very old human.
We get excerpts that suggest that humans are only considered dead when their brain dies, which suggests that humans can regenerate from just a brain. Furthermore, even attacking a human brain doesn’t cause them to necessarily die. There are cases of humans surviving attacks that destroy large parts of their brain, so really it might be necessary to annihilate a human’s body entirely to kill them.
Even so, there are examples of humans being temporarily considered dead and remaining alive after, which suggests that humans have a degree of resistance to the concept of death itself. Humans given an amount of time to live, such as “1 month to live” frequently outlast that, suggesting that some segment of the human population can warp time to extend their lifespans. Even the planet-scale enemy known as “cancer” often fails to kill individual humans, and when it does it takes months or years to do so.
Speed
How fast is a human? Humans are frequently described as dodging sniper and artillery fire on the battlefield. Sniper fire is so fast that the bullet outruns the sound of the gun being fired, which makes them supersonic, which means that humans have supersonic reaction and dodging speeds. Artillery is basically a gun but even bigger, so if we scale up the speed it means that humans are actually hypersonic in reaction and dodging speeds.
But remember, we don’t know how fast sound travels in the Humanverse. It’s said that when a human does something, it’s possible for one on the other side of the planet to hear about it in moments via technology. This is a gazillion times faster than sound normally travels, which means humans are faster-than-faster-than-hypersonic which I don’t know what that is so I’m just gonna say fuck it and put light speed.
Even if we ignore the speed of sound scaling, humans also frequently dodge cameras which do operate at light speed. There's no such thing as aim-dodging, fuck you. Now remember this is a base human without any powerups, so really we should expect a human after 20 years of training to be massively FTL.
Outerversal and Higher?
We haven’t even gotten to the juicy part yet. It turns out that human scientists discovered their universe is made of 11-dimensional objects, under a discovery they called “M-Theory”. What this implies is that humans are 11-dimensional entities. According to dimensional scaling, this means that any character with less than 11 dimensions may as well be a flat piece of paper to humans.
This may not make sense at first, since humans frequently claim to be 3 dimensional. However, clearly they’re just talking from their own perspective - and besides, downscaling doesn’t exist so we should take the higher number to be an immutable fact.
Individual humans are capable of creating fictional universes, giving them outerversal status at bare minimum. They are furthermore capable of creating characters that are themselves outerversal with the same creating power, yet are unable to affect humans in their world. Take the following scan:

And then Alice wrote a story about Bob writing a story about Charlie writing a story about Dennis writing a story.

Humans are able to outscale meta-narrative systems infinitely nested on themselves and can create characters of arbitrary power to interact with narratives on any level. There’s no doubt about it: All fictional universes exist within the Humanverse and are considered to be infinitely below even the weakest human. They meta-outscale even the strongest meta-universes to a meta-infinite degree according to my meta-matics. Something something patafictional transcendent cosmological blah blah blah I give up.
So in conclusion prime Mike Tyson solos your favorite verse.

My bf and I have been together for 4 years and for some reason he makes « jokes » that I dislike :
He worked at McDonald’s and once told me that they had a secret technique to keep the food warm.
I asked him if he already watched a certain movie and told me yes, and when I asked him about it he said « but no, I didn’t watch it »
Those are exemples. I can’t remember all of the things he made me believe but he did it more than 2 times. I already told him several times that I didn’t like it because it feels like he’s just making fun of me ? It doesn’t make me laugh he’s the only one who thinks it’s funny. I don’t know why he does that and why he keeps doing it. He just claims they’re jokes but they’re not.
TLDR: I’ve been with my bf for 4 years, but I’m frustrated by his habit of makin "jokes." Examples : Claiming McDonald's has a secret technique to keep food warm and falsely stating he has seen a movie. Despite expressing my dislike for these jokes multiple times and feeling mocked, he continues.
What am l supposed to do and why do you think he does that ?

I feel like hearing about everyone’s favourite Lord John moments from the books! We talk so much about show John on here, which is also good, but there are so many amazing moments with John in the books and I would love to hear yours!
My top John moment is between John and Stephan at the end of Brotherhood of the Blade when John asks Stephan to see the stump of his arm and he kisses it. It’s such a tender moment for those two and I adore it.
Pretty much any Tom Byrd moment.
The conversation between John and Claire at the end of Voyager is top of my list for John and Claire moments.
“What news from the Underworld, Persephone?” from Drums of Autumn makes me laugh every single time! So funny.
My favourite letter is in The Fiery Cross when he writes to Jamie and tells him of the chickens in his bedroom.
Almost any moment with both John and Hal.
The later bond between John and Claire and how similar and staunchly English they both are.
The list goes on!
What are some of yours?

First let me say, these are my opinions, I'm not doing this to start a "game is ded", "it is or isn't meta" or "skill issue" debate here.
So it's no surprise that the latest Warbond hasn't gone over with the community very well. The now closed Patreon poll sitting at 71,513 votes, 57% of voters are okay with it, while most having a complaint one way or another, with the other 42% of voters not approving of the Warbond. This isn't to start an argument over why it's good or bad, personally it's alright with me. The only weapon in it I don't like was the Purifier energy weapon. Now for the BIG but, it definitely doesn't make sense. None of the armors in it do anything for the polar planets, no easier mobility in snow or ice, no better traction on ice, nothing. They just have the same copy pasta 'Armor Passives' as everything else. And you can argue that, yeah this is still a relatively new game, I believe the community is getting a little tired of the "samey" feel with the content, especially the armors. After hearing that helmets were supposed to have unique HUD's, but were cut to launch the game, I hope this is added or brought back I guess, to help add variety and purpose to them more than just aesthetic pieces. Back to armor passives, I can understand having the same passives for different weights (Light, Medium, Heavy) and outside of Armor, Speed, and Stamina regen, nothing changes between them, for example = the light armor SC-37 Legionnaire, the medium armor SA-25 Steel Trooper, the heavy armor CW-36 Winter Warrior have the same stats for the passive. Plus 30% throwing range, and 50% limb health. So why not have a little bit of change, the light armor having the biggest throwing range bonus, with the lowest limb health bonus, and the heavy being the opposite to really define their roles. I kinda understand why, but in my opinion, if they want a risk and reward system, then I think this would help a bit more, maybe that's just me. Then factor in the types of damage in the game; acid/bile, projectile, explosive, slashing, fire, electric, gas, impact, etc. why aren't there armors with resistances to those? Sure it may be too complex to add specific resistances to specific armors, but it's not even a one size fits all, "this armor is best" deal. Think about it, you bring an armor that has say, 40% resistance to projectile damage against automatons, that's not going to help against getting butchered, punched, blown up or thrown into a rock, again, risk and reward. Now shifting away from armor for a bit, another divisive cut in the community has been the balance patches, a real hot topic for sure. Whichever side of the fence you're on, the game is about fun, first and foremost. Yeah you have the people out there who only play nothing but helldive and love the challenge and difficulty, but you also have those people who just want to chill and have a good time with their friends without having to feel pressured into using certain things because they work better than others. By no means am I saying the game should be easy, that's what the difficulties are for. But what I am saying is that weapons should be unique and competitive. The R-36 Eruptor for example, it was my favorite weapon pre-patch. It was a bit situational, had it's weaknesses and strengths, but was fun to use. Now, I don't really use it anymore unless I feel like messing around or challenging myself. Many have even been comparing the new AR-61 tenderizer with the starter AR, some saying it's worse, some saying it's better. When it's advertised as something that's "high-caliber" it should be at least medium armor penetrating OR do a lot more, very noticeably more damage than the base AR. Another hot topic, and idk if it's in the works, planned for later or whatever, and I know people will say "oh it's going to ruin the game, it's going to ruin the balance!" but I would love to see weapon and armor customization. I know people are going to complain about stuff one way or another, and it could be argued to the heavens and back the benefits and drawbacks of it, or how it could be implemented. And just looking at the digital pad for the Armory, it looks like we should be able to tweak and customize our weapons, but that could just be a set piece. Regardless, I'd like to see it for a number of reasons. Now I'm not going to advocate for fewer warbonds, but the game definitely needs some major fixing. And if that means delaying warbonds, then so be it. One of the issues I'm tired of is enemies either shooting through terrain, or popping through terrain right next to me, as well as personally getting stuck in terrain. With all that being said, it hasn't been the smoothest ride, but the devs should be commended for their work. I think there's just a lot of grouchy people out there who do nothing but play this game and complain about the slightest thing that doesn't fit them or how they play or want stuff done. But if the devs keep on it, sprinkle in some more magic, this game will go far. Again I gotta stress that this isn't to start any fights or debates (but it's the internet so, yeah) If you read this far, thanks for listening to my 2 cents.

The reason games make battle passes instead of a paid game they can charge existing players the longer they play. Also I’m playing a match that has a recommended rank of 675 I have 900, I’m doing nothing wrong In my run and I’m still getting second place 😂 you can’t progress in story mode without fully upgrading which is a way to get you to have to play and grind more. You also can’t play multiplayer because the sbmm will just set you up with someone higher level. On a game like this where you can’t really mess up, it all comes down to the better car. Honestly just luck if you have the best car in the match or not. And now it has ads. Why do you guys play this game? I guarantee the only people who truly like this game are all just rich and have too much time on their hands. I’m guessing the reason it’s popular was because like me, people were told it had “no ads” which they obviously do… and because it already had a good reputation. There are deceptive strategies that games will utilize to try and get more money.
Deceptive practices:
Games that require you to open a “pack”, “chest” or “crate” to get an item. The reason for this is that they can choose what they player gets despite it saying it’s “random” and lot of the time it is NOT random and the game chooses when to “pay out” kind of like those games at the arcade.
Games that give you “parts”, “pieces” or “shards” to craft an item. They do this specifically so when they finally do unlock an item, they watched enough ads and spent enough money to make the developers a profit. This will cause you to have to grind to get a whole lot of stuff later in the game rather than just slowly building an inventory over time.
Games that offer “ad bundle” or something similar. If a game is telling you to watch blank amount of ads to get an item. 9 times out of ten when you finish watching the ad it will give you more tasks to complete or more ads to watch. Think of those fake SHEIN or Temu offers that say: share the link with 5 people to get blank or blank and after you do it says invite 3 more.. so on.
I know what you’re thinking “it’s free so how do they make a profit” let me give you an example.
Fortnite is free, only things you can buy are cosmetics and the battle pass. No ads and they made millions, I’m guessing.
Now think of overwatch a game that used to cost $20 turned into a free game with no ads but cosmetics and a battle pass. Do you think they aren’t making a profit???
So, why does this game rely on ads, deceptive marketing, pay-to-win mechanics, and a battle pass? What is it about the game that makes it so expensive to maintain or market to the point we are resorting to these tactics?

I have been with my boyfriend for 4 years. Overall, our relationship has been wonderful. He’s my best friend and I can’t imagine not having him to carry me to harass me to brush my teeth when I’m half asleep in bed. However, he’s always had some commitment issues, stemming in my opinion from his parent’s divorce. I am the first person he has ever said I love you to and his second relationship overall.
His commitment issues have popped up here and there throughout the relationship. Never did I feel like he wasn’t committed to me, it was more like he was just always scared of taking the “next step” (moving in together for example). It was always something he had never really thought about and he would tell me that he just had to process it. It was genuinely like the idea of a relationship progressing had not occurred to him and once it was brought to him he would take what felt to me like an incredibly long time to figure out if he was ready for it. I first brought up living together after a year and a half together (he owned a house and I was renting) and he couldn’t really figure out if he was ready in time so I ended up signing another year lease before we moved in. Not a big deal, just an example of his processing speed.
We live together now in the house he owns and have been living together for over a year. We broke up briefly in the beginning of 2023 after a disagreement in finances but have since worked through it and things have been great. We got back together in March of 2023.
The issue is I brought up marriage and the future and I feel like the commitment issues are rearing their head again. I really value marriage (personal preference, you do you, I just want that) and he knows that. When we got back together I told him that things would move faster now because we had made this serious choice to get back together and commit to working through everything. He agreed. I asked about engagement in January of 2024 and made it pretty clear that I wanted that to happen in the next 6-7 months (so we would’ve been back together for over a year by that point.
Well, after recent conversations, he told me he’s not ready and he just needs to be sure. Which is fair but when I asked if he knew for sure that it is me and he saw me as his forever he said “I think I can get there”. Punch to the gut. Thought he was already there.
So I told him that makes me really sad and I don’t know how I can be happy knowing that after this long and the promises we made getting back together that he isn’t sure about me. I told him I might be sad until he knew for sure and that at a certain point I might get tired of waiting and decide to leave. He said that’s unreasonable and unfair. I’m torn.
So I guess the question is, is it okay to feel sad about this? How long do I wait for him to be ready before I decide he’s taking too long? If I do wait for him to be ready, how do I handle the uncertainty of my partner not being sure about me when I’m so sure about him?
When we talk about it, he talks about all the other ways he is preparing for our future, we’re renovating a house together, we’ve talked about kids and he feels like that should be enough for right now but unfortunately for me, it’s not. I want the marriage, it’s one of my values and I’m hurt that he can’t even give me a timeline or confirm that it’s ever going to happen. He says uncertainty is just the nature of relationships. It just makes me so sad and he can’t see why. Idk…how do I handle this?
TL;DR: boyfriend has commitment issues, can’t give a timeline for proposal. How long do I wait?

I've been out for 26 years. I finally filed my first time in January. I just got my results last week and I'm at 80%. I'm ecstatic and cannot explain how much this will help my life. I keep feeling like they must have made a mistake and any day they will send me a letter rescinding the rating. Being rated at 80% also opens the door for VA Healthcare. I was literally dialing the phone to make an appointment at my VA Clinic when the thought hit me...are they going to reevaluate all my items I got rated for? What if they have a different opinion than the C&P examiner? All my medical appointments will be open for the VBA to see. What if I'm having a good day and suddenly it looks like "I'm better?" Will that be a negative if/when they want to re-evaluate my ratings? I hung up the phone and haven't called yet.
I though after I was rated all the anxiousness and uncertainty would be magically lifted. It's hasn't been. It just shifted to the above. Should I be wary of the VA Healthcare and just stick to my private insurance? I do like the thought of no pay healthcare. And the local VA here is rated very good.

Hey I am kind if desperate to do some kind of to do some king of crossover Rp involving the Six of Crows characters and another fandom we both agree on. I have a full list of my fandoms I can send in pms. Any ships I want to keep within fandoms and I wasn’t to keep the characters within their own lore unless necessary etc, for example I really don’t want anyone asking for us to play characters from Six of Crows as characters from other fandoms and no comparing the characters from Sic of Crows to characters from other fandoms either, especially villains, it makes my uncomfortable, especially when Kaz, he’s too good for that and I desperately want to play Kaz for this.
For Kaz only ship I am comfortable with is Kanej, no exceptions sorry. I have a la list of ships and the characters I can play for other fandoms I can send over in pms when we discuss which fandom to crossover with. If interested leave me a comment here or pm me, preferably both. If we’re playing more than one character each from each fandom we can discuss how we split that I am absolutely comfortable discussing who plays who outside of Kaz and Inej and I much prefer my rp partner to play Inej and I have a stronger muse for Kaz. I tend to lean into Kaz’s trauma and PTSD, etc, like I feel bad for him yes but he wouldn’t be him without that backstory so please be fine with me doing this.

I was never able to perform consistently in school due to mental health issues that went untreated because my mom was strongly against psychiatric medication of any kind. From ages 16-21 (Coincidentally also years 2016-2021), my grades in university classes were all over the map, sometimes an A, sometimes an F, and eventually I dropped out. Now as an adult who has had those issues officially diagnosed and treated, I'd like to transfer credits from the classes I passed to an undergrad program and finish my degree, then get my Master's degree. My understanding is that since I won't be able to transfer failed classes, they won't impact my GPA, but I will still have to send in transcripts from all universities I've attended when applying to grad school which will show spotty performance.
Do you think I'll get automatically rejected from competitive programs? If I'm trying for only top 25 U.S. schools for example, would a great GRE/GMAT score, spotless performance in my final attempt at undergrad (e.g. straight As for my final 3 semesters), and a letter explaining the situation with perhaps a letter from my doctor to validate my story work? Or will an algorithm auto reject me?
For added context I'm looking at IT and Business related programs at South Eastern universities (GA Tech for Cyber Security, Duke Economics program as examples. Not interested in an MBA or Law School).

(as of the May 19, 2024 version of Fortnite Festival – standard controllers only)
Why this Matters:
Having improper calibration settings can adversely affect your enjoyment of Fortnite Festival, but unfortunately, the built-in tool for calibration is sub-par for actually getting your calibration right. Moreover, everyone’s audio, visual, and gaming equipment setup is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all setting that can be universally applied. One must spend the time and effort to get the calibration settings correct in order to turn missed notes into “Good” hits…and “Good” hits into “Perfect” hits.
But how does one do that? A frustrating fact is that the results of a song’s gameplay session give you data about your A) note hitting accuracy and B) your offset (early or late)… but many people don’t know how to apply this information to make the right kinds of adjustments. This guide attempts to help players do that in a systematic way.

What Exactly is Being Calibrated?
The game has an interplay between three things:
1) What you see on your screen
2) What you hear when the music is playing, and
3) Your button presses
Ideally all of these line up, which is the whole point of calibration. The game registers a “hit” note when it receives the button press at the same time as the falling note gem hits the very button of the screen at the same time. So, theoretically, you could play Fortnite Festival with the audio off and just simply concentrate on hitting the notes when they hit the bottom of the screen, and simply ignore the song.
But who wants to do that? No one!
The whole fun of the game is HEARING the music and pressing the button at the same time you HEAR the note in time with the music. That is why this is called a “rhythm game” not a “visual note dropping button pressing game”
So, the game registers “hit” notes based on the falling gem, but your brain registers its own “hit” when it hears the beat of the music, and both are tied together with a button press – e.g. you press the button when you hear the beat, and that button press should also be at the same time the note gem hits the bottom.
If all is properly calibrated, then everything flows perfectly and you have a fantastic groove session with most notes being hit or missed based on your SKILL, and NOT a mismatch between the audio, visual and button input.
So how do we get there? Read on…

Step 1: Have the Tune-up Roadie Help You
In the organ lobby, do the in-game calibration using the Roadie. She will not give you the best settings, but the thing is, we need somewhere to start from and this is as good a place as any. Do your best and don’t worry about whether the settings are any good – we’re going to fix this all later.
As you take the steps below, you will change the track speed, A/V offset, or Input Offset in the settings screen (accessible in the organ lobby, results screen, or during a song itself).

Step 2: Get Your Video Settings Right First and Foremost
Now, the FIRST thing to calibrate is make sure that a note hitting at the bottom during a song seems like it is truly hitting the bottom at the same time as the beat of music. But this is kinda hard to do with the naked eye. It also requires you to still play the notes so you can see when the note light “flashes” when it actually gets to the bottom The best way to really see if this visual component looks right is by cranking up the track speed as high as you can as you’re playing a song.
“But Mad Dog” you say, “I can’t play a song with 2.5x track speed to do this - it’s too fast” No problem – what you will do here is play a song that meets the following criteria:

1. You know it really, really well
2. It has a DRUM element that is around 1, 2 or 3 bars (in other words, relatively straightforward patterns)
3. You play it on a difficulty level that is not beyond your capability (ideally you can get 100% every time – doesn’t matter if it’s Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert – just hit most or all the notes)
4. The song has a simple, constant repeating pattern for most, if not all of the song’s length.

I like to choose drums on “Call Me Maybe” or “Blinding Lights” on Expert when I do this, but you can use whatever song and difficulty setting you like as long as it meets this criteria (the criteria also is just a suggestion, not a requirement).
Play the song with highest speed you can tolerate (faster is better) and as you’re playing, watch closely to see where and how the note gem is falling in time with your music. Play your button presses as you would normally to the audio cues of the song, but notice if the gem seems (to your eye) to be hitting the bottom at the same time as the intended beat, or if it is falling a little late, or is falling and hitting the bottom early. Unless your video calibration is accidentally perfect right off the bat (unlikely), you will notice that the gems fall and hit the bottom either early or late. A faster track speed will allow you to see this much better than a slower track speed, so this is why I recommend as fast as you can tolerate.
Based on what you’re seeing, go into the settings and make the following adjustment to the A/V Offset:

• If the gem is getting to the bottom too quickly as compared to the music beat (early - you see the note hit bottom before the beat), then **ADD** 5 or 10 milliseconds to the value of the A/V Offset.
• If the gem is getting to the bottom too slowly as compared to the music beat (late - you see the note hit bottom after the best), then **SUBTRACT** 5 or 10 milliseconds to the value of the A/V Offset.

Don’t worry about the Input Offset setting AT ALL here. Don’t mess with that part in this calibration stage….all you’re focusing on is how the gem LOOKS In terms of it getting to the bottom in time with your music, and making adjustments ONLY to the A/V Offset. You can do this after the song is over, or in the middle of the song (recommended) so you can see if the gem is really getting to the bottom at the right time.
You may have to play your song a few times and make real-time tweaks to the A/V Offset for a while, but eventually you should be able to get the gem to look like it’s falling and hitting the bottom in time with the music. Again, you are concentrating on the VISUAL component here. Make adjustments by 5 or 10 milliseconds at a time to the A/V Offset until it looks right.
After a while, you should get to a point where the falling gem is hitting the bottom exactly at the right time with the beat. Congratulations! You’ve now figured out the most important thing which is aligning your “visual targets” of the falling note gems to the beat of the music.
IMPORTANT!!! Once you’ve gotten to this point DO NOT ADJUST THE A/V OFFSET ANY FURTHER. All future offset value changes should be done to the input offset only (because you are now sure that if you miss a note, it would be because your skill is off or your button input offset setting is off, and not because the gem is not hitting the bottom in time with the music).
On to the next step.
Step 3: Figuring Out Input Offset Settings
The Input Offset accounts for the tiny (but significant) delay between your press of the button when you are trying to hit a note, and how the game registers that press as accurate or not as compared to the falling gem. If the setting is off, then the game may score your press as a miss (or a “good” instead of “perfect” hit) even if you have great rhythm and hand-eye coordination and are truly pressing the button in time to the actual music.
Moreover, it’s difficult to adjust input offset settings because you don’t know if your timing is off because of your SKILL or because of your INPUT LATENCY. But don’t worry, we have a plan:
Now that you’re sure the video component is good, change your track speed to whatever speed you prefer. It doesn’t matter at this point because the falling gem will always hit the bottom at the same time as the beat no matter the track speed, so the goal here is to have the track speed be as comfortable as possible for you.
Then, play a song that has the following criteria:

1. You know the song really, really well
2. You know the song’s chart really, really well
3. Pick any instrument for that song which you’re best at (or prefer most)
4. Pick a difficulty level as high as you can pick and still feel confident that you can get 99% or 100%

Song choice and pattern choice don’t really matter here. What matters is that you could probably get 100% repeatedly with it over and over again. It’s totally fine to do this with an Easy difficulty, but I encourage you to use a higher difficulty if you can because that will get you more “data points” (e.g. notes to hit) that you can use to reference when making your adjustments.
Play the song all the way through. Try to get 100% accuracy (don’t worry if they are Good or Perfect hits….just get all the hits).
If you successfully play the song to 100% (or 99% - we don’t need to be this picky, just pretty close to 100% will do), then observe and WRITE DOWN the “Avg Offset” data you see when you press the “More Details” button on the after-song results screen.
Now, sit back and play a few songs like you normally do when you play Fortnite Festival just for fun and aren’t trying to do a bunch of calibration stuff. BUT, start writing down your results FOR EACH SONG by listing:

1. Your current Input Offset number in the settings, and
2. Your “Avg. Offset” number on the results screen, and then,
3. The SUM of each for a particular song playthrough.

For example:
Say I played a song and my Input Offset when I played it was set to 55ms and the results screen when I was done showed my “Avg Offset” was -15 (late), I would write the following
55-15 = 40
And then I play another song and my Input Offset when I played it was again set to 55ms and the results screen when I was done showed my “Avg Offset” was +10 (early), I would write the following
55+10=65
I then play a bunch of different songs (let’s say 8 songs) and get a “data point” listing like this:

• 55-15-=40
• 55+9=64
• 55-21=34
• 55-17=38
• 55-2=53
• 55-14=41
• 55-10=45
• 55-3=52

I then want to take the average of the SUM of all these latency/offset scores and that would be the likely “correct” Input Offset setting number I should use.
Example:
40+64+34+38+53+41+45+52 = 46 average.
Which means I should now go into the settings and make my Input Offset number as close as possible to that figure, which in this case is 45 (since Input Offset values only change in 5 ms increments).
Repeat as necessary and ONLY MAKE CHANGES TO THE INPUT LATENCY! (NOT the A/V Offset!!) until you are consistently getting “Avg Offset” results that are within a range of -10 to +10.
NOTE: For best results in this step, be sure to only use data (scores) that are resulting from play-throughs that result in a “Flawless 100%” rating. If your skill in the game is such that you can’t get 100% flawless that often, either lower the difficulty until you can, or just do the best you can and only use “data points” from song playthroughs with as high an accuracy score close to 100% as possible.

Step 4: Fine-Tuning for Maximum Awesomeness
You should now have A/V Offset and Input Offset values in your game settings that are probably pretty good for your system setup. You can now be (relatively) confident that if your “Avg Offset” is higher than +10 or lower than -10, it's probably you and your skill that caused the discrepancy, and not because you were fighting the calibration settings.
Remember, if your accuracy and “Good”/”Perfect” percentages are not where you want them to be, it could be because you just didn’t have a good song session, or you just need more practice with that song chart. Finding great calibration settings doesn't directly translate to higher accuracy or scores...it translates to a more *accurate representation* of your accuracy and skill level.
There’s also been some anecdotal reports here on Reddit of some songs having a different “feel” to them in terms of the built-in song latency and note “hit” registering being a little different than other songs, even with spot-on calibration settings. Who knows? I am intrigued by this and would like to explore this further, since I could see it as entirely possible that different individuals at Epic are creating song charts for different songs, where, if their own systems are calibrated differently to each other, that could that perhaps affect the scoring and gem hit registers for different songs. I am not sure, but I am open to the idea. More likely, though, (in my mind) is that people still have video calibration issues that are unresolved when they are seeing this in their own experience. But then again, who knows?
Anyhow, as you’re playing, keep a tally log of your song Avg Offset scores. Note your sum total of your existing Input Offset setting combined with your Avg Offset results and use these numbers to determine if and when you should tweak your Input Offset setting. If you think you need to make an Input Offset value adjustment, only do so because you’re seeing figures indicating such an adjustment is needed over MULTIPLE playthroughs (and not because you just had one poor performance session). In order words, only make an adjustment if you CONSISTENTLY see Avg Offsets being generally higher than +10 or generally lower than -10.
REMEMBER:

• If the Avg Offset result is NEGATIVE/EARLY then **DECREASE** the Input Offset value.
• If the Avg Offset result is POSITIVE/LATE then **INCREASE** the Input Offset value.

ALSO:

• Repeat the entire process in this Guide if you ever change ANY of the components of your audio, video, controller or gaming system. This includes using a headset or not. For me, I have to use different settings when I use my soundbar in my living room versus when I use my wired headset plugged into my PS5 controller, even if I am using the same screen and controller (because it's a different audio setup)
• If you EVER feel the need to change the A/V Offset value in settings, realize that you MUST then start collecting and using new Input Offset and Avg Offset data to fine-tune your accuracy.

Now Go Have Fun
I know this sounds tedious, but trust me, the payoff is worth it. There’s no better feeling than watching your scores climb the leaderboard because the system settings are accurately reflecting your skills, and knowing that a poor performance is because of YOU and not your game settings.
Hope this helps! If you want to friend me and challenge me to a bass duel, you can find me on Fortnite Festival under MadDog182, often wearing the Relaxed Fit Jonesy skin.
Enjoy! And Thank you Epic for bringing this game to Fortnite!

She’s showing off a scrub daddy kit.
Cash is yelling in the background. Now he’s on screen with her in a “clean” but stained shirt.
The tv is blaring in the background.
Cash is off screen and back to yelling in the background.
I guess he walked up to her. She asked him what he wanted and then she immediately offered him pancakes.
Cash just screamed ow. She didn’t even pause the live to check on him just yelled “what happened did you step on a letter”
Said they’re gonna go to the trampoline park at 5. Does anyone have a copy of the schedule she posted? I don’t think 5:00 on a school night is time to go to the trampoline park.
She asked for prayers for Colt because he has a test coming up but then didn’t explain about the test.
Now HG is yelling for her and she didn’t even acknowledge him.
I guess Colt’s test is something about math. I genuinely hope he does well and is gaining something from going to school despite constantly missing days and probably being exhausted when he is there cause Judy never lets him sleep.
Colt might get into ABA therapy because of something his school initiated the paperwork. Again, I hope it works out for him and whatever happens with custody she doesn’t pull him out and try to homeschool him.
Someone just asked about established meal times 😂. Who was it. Now she’s saying Cash fell asleep late and slept late so he woke up late so meal time had to be moved back. I have a toddler who thinks sleep is a fun option. You know what I do when she falls asleep late? I still wake her up around the same time everyday so that way those late nights are an exception not the norm.
Saying Colt is aggressive and she knows she’s gonna catch shit for saying that. No shit Joanne. She’s saying Colt got aggressive with Cash yesterday.
The background sounds so chaotic. It’s overstimulating me and I’m in a dark room with no extra noise letting my daughter nap.
She said this is gonna be a commercial live. Whatever that means.
Said she has no motivation today. But said when she’s more motivated chit chatting with “us”. As someone with ADHD I get that. But podcasts and audiobooks help me stay on task. Body doubling videos were suggested because they do work. She said she uses them but idk when she would. She’s always on live “cleaning.”
She just told Cash to say “buy a scrub daddy”.
ZM is in her live talking with her like everything is okay.
She’s back to shilling the scrub daddy kits. She said she uses them everyday.
Said Colt has anxiety about going to the barber that’s why they gave him one at home 🙄. And he likes the way his hair looks. Even the anxiety about going to the barber is true they could’ve at least used scissors and not fucking clippers to cut his hair ?
Just told cash to say “go buy this” again.
Said Colt says kids at school are mean but he says she’s mean when he doesn’t get his way. Way to invalidate your kid telling you he’s getting bullied Joanne.
Said she has to talk about the kit every 45 seconds or she’ll get a violation and she’s already had two because she wasn’t showing it.
Saying she’s tired but needs to clean with her scrub daddy kit.
Cash is still hovering behind her. She told him again to say “go buy this.”
Someone I’m guessing Cash wants her phone. She offered him his iPad or the computer but letting any of the kids have her phone is a hard no today.
Okay sorry yall. I gotta wake my daughter up so she isn’t up all night

Hello and greetings once again my fellow CUEnthusiasts!
I’m going to cap off this series with Part 2 of Building your Collection and working towards Completion. This time I’m going to go over some tips and strategies for cards you already have at your disposal in your collection. Again, much of what I cover will pertain to many types of collectors and their goals. I’ll elaborate and differentiate as needed.
Some of what I’ll cover in this post I may have gone over in greater detail in a previous post, so I won’t go much further into it so it’s not redundant. Previous Coaches Corners can be found in this sub, or my post history :)
The first thing I would like to go over, is what you’re working towards (your goals for your collection) and how to approach trading cards in your collection to help achieve these goals.
I would also like to take a second to add and emphasize that having access to or being on a platform like discord or here etc, will be integral for a good amount of what I cover today. It’s the most efficient way to leverage and get the most out of cards you already own for what you’re looking for.
Now there’s many different types of collectors in the game. I’m going to narrow this down and focus on a couple of key ones in regard to today’s topic. Again, some of what I’ll go over will be applicable to a wider range of collectors, so it may be worth a read regardless.
A completionist is someone who is typically trying to get at least 1 of every card. They tend not to trade their singles. I’m a completionist first and foremost so I lock(protect) every card I only have 1 of. To me, there would be nothing worse than trading a card I already had, and need to chase it again. Especially if the card is scarce. The main goal for a completionist should always be to fill holes in your collection, not create one to fill one, regardless of the offer.
Someone who’s just working on decks to play tend to trade singles and look mainly for cards to play. The benefit here is they have singles at their disposal to leverage for cards they’re after. Collecting cards they need is usually secondary, or not applicable at all except for ones they want to use/play.
Now, how do we use what we already have to get the cards we’re looking for outside of the obvious posting in game?
And this is where it’s paramount to leverage a platform. Because there’s certain traders/collectors that you’ll be looking to deal with, as it can be of great benefit to your end goal. And, as I’ve discussed before and this is where it’ll be most applicable. This is where you’ll work out a trade before a card is ever sent. It’s the most streamlined way to trade if you know values and how to navigate trades. (Hopefully my past posts will have helped a bit with this).
What you stand to gain out of being on a platform is the ability to see clearly, offers and what people are wanting and have to offer. Watch for offers and collectors/traders that can help you work towards your goals while trading with them for mutually beneficial trades. And I’ll detail a couple to keep an eye out for.
The Heavy Traders and Veterans: These folks spend a lot of time moving cards and trading. They tend to have larger, and most of the time, complete collections and many duplicates. They’re usually very easy to deal with if you have some knowledge of card values(because trust me, they do). They also post offers on their platform of choice detailing exactly what they offer and what they’re wanting. Pretty straight forward if you’re looking to do a trade that aligns with them too. I will add, some also will pull extras of new cards or packs in general to add to their catalogue of tradable cards, so again, it’s good to check in from time to time. Again, they are usually very easy to deal with as long as values are spot on, especially when taking them up on an offer or making one yourself. And once more, to drive it home lol. It’s very important to learn the value system as best as you can on your platform of choice.
One Card Collectors/Hoarders:
Quick Disclaimer: I’m doing my best to write this without bias as I am a one card collector. However I was, and still am, a completionist first. Even before I started hoarding on this app. And the reality is, these folks are some of the easiest people to deal with on any card app. Most of my dealings, as I’ve mentioned before, have been with them, just because of the ease in obtaining cards you want if they have.
It’s worth while to find out exactly what they offer and trade them the cards they collect, because they will typically trade exactly what they say they will, and it makes obtaining cards you need very easy. The catch is, and this isn’t always the case as I’ve mentioned before when I went into detail about one card collectors/hoarders, you’re going to want to trade them the cards they collect for best results. Same as heavy traders, but these folks usually make solid offers for their cards, and when you’re sticking to what they offer in their post, it’s most likely to result in an accepted trade.
Some will even pull so they can trade for their cards too. I, and many others who have experience with hoarders, spent time tracking down their cards to fill our own card needs and wants. They also tend to pay well for quantities of their cards for a quality card, and this is the only time I feel quantity for quality applies lol. This is a good opportunity to use low value dupes that may not move to get good cards you need.
Typically they don’t trade singles, but there are some who do, as they only play to collect numbers of their cards, but what cards they do offer for their collect cards are usually some of the easiest to obtain.
There many types of players of all levels on a platform, and trades are relatively easy to work out. Other than the couple of collectors I’ve mentioned to keep an eye out for, here’s some other benefits and things to watch out for on the platform of your choice that you can leverage to work towards your goals.
There will always be players trading dupes for needs, working together towards their collection goals. These are usually straight forward, especially if values are known by both players or a value system is leveraged to balance values. Typically the cards traded are what I call filler cards, ones that don’t have demand or playability but are wanted just to round out your collection. It’s usually straight forward 1:1 card for card, matching both rarity and type. Pretty basic stuff but on a platform, can be highly efficient filling out your collection as you can typically put through multi card trades.
Many players chasing completion or filling needs tend to want to knock off the high value ones asap, because this is also a tcg, and they may want to use them to play right away. When they have most or all the higher value stuff and they end up with dupes of them, they’ll sometimes post to break down a value card for quantity of equal value cards they need. This can be paramount to how you get good/value cards for a very reasonable price. Again watch for it to be offered and don’t just send lol.
While a bit less prevalent on this app, there are a few people who run some kind of swap shop(all they do is trade cards, usually of same rarity and type for the same in return). They usually have their own system in place and some don’t use any values for cards other than rarity and type and I’ll provide a couple of examples I’ve seen and done myself (I formally ran swap shops on most card apps I’ve been on). Some will and do trade singles, again, it helps to read and understand their post prior to sending a trade. Adhering to what they post can make obtaining cards from them extremely easy.
Some may offer to give 1 of any card for 2 cards of the same rarity/type as the one you took in return. Some will trade a card of same rarity/type they have over a set amount of dupes of for ones they need or have under a set number of dupes of a card. There’s a few different ones and they’re typically good to leverage for a hassle free trade as they tend to adhere to what they post.
The importance of a platform, even though the player base on them is small compared to the overall population on the app, is the fact that most veteran players and heavy traders/collectors tend to be on them. The ability to work out trades and obtain the cards you want is far more effective than just posting in game. And again, the capability to work out a trade without ever sending a card first is amazing. And the ability to do so with cards you already own is the most economical way to build and/or fill out your collection.
I’m going to wrap up with a few tips for those focused on completing their collection.
I want to stress this point again, as I feel it’s important for a completionist. I did this on any app I tried to complete. Do not trade your singles. While offers may seem, and can be very generous, unless you know you can replace a single with ease, the risk of it being very tough to find again, I’ve found, isn’t worth it. I’ve experienced myself and seen many times a single was traded and the regret afterwards in doing so, not to mention the time investment that may be needed to get it back. And logically speaking, you’ve already found the card once and have it, why would you want to chase it again just to not chase a card being offered? It’s not really progressing towards your goal of completion, it’s just keeping your cards collected at the same number when your goal is to increase that number until you have everything.
What to target to complete first?
This is completely up to you. What I will offer is some brief insight into each limited rarity, mythics and all basics/fusions, I’ll work my way from lowest rarity to highest.
Fusion/Basics: These are so abundant, have no value and are always available. Dupes for needs, rarity for rarity, type for type these are some of the most basic and straight forward trades possible as basics/fusions have no value. The only exception is maybe a new one, but even then, its value is just because it’s new and typically won’t fetch anything of value.
One point I’d like to make and it’s most people’s preference, trade type for same type, so fusion for other fusion, basic for other basic. It’s only because fusion will be used to obviously make a red or ultra fusion. Again it’s more preference. Also consider, as new red fusions are released, some basics become fusion cards to make a new red. So no real damage can be done if you don’t care too much.
In my opinion, basics and fusions (legendary rarity and below) shouldn’t be a focus. Not many are playable, you’ll always get them from almost every pack, and they’re very easy to obtain and complete. I’d say if you’re down to a few left you may as well wrap it up, but you’ll naturally fill out most of them as time goes.
From time to time it can be normal for someone to offer a limited you need for basic/fusion cards. This is ok. I would caution not to send basics/fusion to someone for a limited card unless it was discussed pre trade. There’s an in game decline response that relates to this for a reason xD
Limited Common and Rare- I lumped these 2 together because they’re both relatively similar at least from a completion standpoint. As I’ve said before, these 2 rarities are relatively easy to complete, there’s maybe a handful of meta/playable cards amongst them but they don’t hold a high value. These are usually good to start the journey with as completing them allows the opportunity to use dupes of these rarities to trade to keep them complete and/or to roll up for higher rarity needs sometimes.
Limited Epic and Legendary: These are 2 of the hardest to complete. The reason again being, the majority of value/meta/playable/scarce cards are of these rarities. These would be my last focus simply because with time your collection will grow and that will help to make completing them easier.
My advice when trading your dupes of high value is to get a like value card you need for it. Breaking them down and diluting their value into lesser value needs can actually make the higher needs harder to get if most of your dupes are lower in value. Nothing wrong with it, but just my take. I mention this because as you near completion, you don’t want to be stuck only needing high value cards and having mainly low value dupes for trade for them. It’ll take a while to find someone wanting a breakdown, especially if what you need is scarce. This just helps ensure you have and get value cards knocked off your need list as you go. And always keep an eye out for someone wanting to break down a high value card too. The more value dupes you can retain for high value cards you need is in your best interest to complete efficiently.
Mythics- Again a harder one to complete but not usually as hard as epic and legendary. The majority of Mythics have been around for a long while, mainly the newer ones are harder to get. Now the reason I consider these a bit easier than epic/legendary is because mythics are always being traded. And lots of people on platforms are wanting to break down higher value ones into multiple lower value ones.
Mythics are obtained with time just pulling so I wouldn’t focus too much on them early, as you close out low rarity needs and start getting dupe mythics or rolling up limited cards into Mythics, they’re relatively easy to transact with and fill out. Newer ones are the slight exception as they may be scarce, but again, with time will be more available and as well tend to get cheaper.
Again, preference plays a part and many people just trade Mythics for other Mythics, and I’d urge you to do the same with your mythic dupes until they’re complete or just missing a couple of new ones. Once they’re done or close to it, you can use your dupe mythics to pick off the higher value limited cards you need.
One last completionist note I’d like to make as it relates to mythics.
Mythics cannot be target pulled, meaning, unlike new limiteds/basics, mythics are random and don’t have a fixed pull rate. When you do get one, it’s could be any 1 that’s currently available. They are the main chase when people are trying to stay complete for this reason.
Typically, as I mentioned in another post, it’s not uncommon to see an Anubis, or multiple high value stable Mythics be traded for a new mythic in the early days after its release. If you’re wanting to be complete again asap, you’re going want to manage your Mythic dupes in preparation for a new one. You’ll want to look into rolling up lesser value Mythic dupes into a high value stable one a few times if not more, just so you have a competitive offer early on. If it’s no big deal and you can wait, over time, more copies of a new mythic become available and the price tends to drop until it’s stable.
This, I hope, in combination with what I went over in Part 1, will help you expedite getting the cards you’re wanting/looking for and hit your goals!
As always, thank you for your support and taking the time stop in. Always feel free to comment below if there’s any questions or if there’s any Trading or Collecting topics you’d like me to cover. I’ll do my best to respond. You can find me on the main discord server, link is in the sub description. Happy Trading and keep it Cue, see you in game!
I’m going to be taking a brief break while I try to come up with more talking points or trading/collecting topics to discuss as I seem to have tapped myself out lol. I’ve been working diligently to get all these out asap so they may be used to help you out or at least have a better understanding of this aspect of the game.
I’ve covered most of what’s come to mind and I hope these at least provide a solid foundation that will help you to be successful trading/collecting and get more enjoyment out of this wonderful app!

I’m so tired of seeing people try to dunk on things that might be slightly disappointing but still good (Starfield for example), while endlessly praising FromSoft games. I will admit, however, FromSoft has actually achieved something truly remarkable in terms of building a fanbase and weaponizing them with the idea that anyone who doesn’t like their games is just bad. Like, you can’t bring up any critiques of these games whatsoever without people trying to attack you personally, which is something I have never seen to this extent with any other franchise.
There are plenty of games that are insanely difficult that are actually fun (see Ghouls ‘n Ghosts); but Souls games are nothing more than rote exercises in trial and error where you go around and whack the same zombie/soulless husks/zombie like dudes with a hammer despite having absolutely zero context or motivation to do so, game after game after game (I’m aware the bosses are different, but you get the idea).
The crazy thing is, even the dev’s must agree that it’s simply rote trial and error because they made a system for you to warn other players about unfair instant deaths in the game instead of you know… actually making their game balanced or fun. Back in the 90’s when dev’s implemented unfair leap of faith deaths that were entirely trial and error, people criticized them accordingly. Now they use this exact same kind of unbalanced gameplay to gatekeep which is honestly hilarious. Games can be made difficult with arbitrary deaths.
Everything about these games reeks of laziness and marketing bs. They couldn’t be bothered to ever actually make a story and so just wrote random pieces of lore and hoped the players would make up the story for them. Elden Ring’s whole selling point is “Dark Souls but open world” when Dark Souls’ whole selling point was “Demon’s Souls but open world”…. Their open worlds feel like empty places. They don’t feel lived in at all. They don’t make you feel like you’re in another world.
Truthfully, none of this would matter to me at all if not for the fact that these games are actively destroying the industry imho. The last two Zelda games are pretty much FromSoft games in design, where you run around and mindlessly whack enemies with almost zero context or motivation to do so, again in an open world that does not feel lived in whatsoever (even Ubisoft games are better in this regard). They couldn’t even be bothered to do actual dungeons because “open world”. Somehow despite spitting in the face of everything Zelda has always been, these games are more popular than ever due to FromSoft fanboys, and more and more games are going to go this route (see Jedi Fallen Order, though not quite as bad at least in motivation/context department).

Yeah, I know he is dirty. but hear me out I have him since 2020 summer and he is almost 4 year old. If you’re wondering how this little bug is still alive, he is not alive and he is not dummy he is just dry up and literally well preserved. So it’s started when I with my family traveled by car in a miles away from my home and we stopped in a one cafe getting some energy. in a back way my dad decided to look at a front car where bunch of bugs just squashed (common situation when you driving) but in a front car net something unusual. Dad showed as this insect. It’s not moved. and I literally took it and started resourcing what is this. this is blue orchard bee this insect is save but I still scared anyway. Maybe he turned like this because of high temperature anyway I took him to home and put bee in a little box which he still preserves there.family forgot about this but I’m not. So this is a story how I find him. This little bug doesn’t have 4th wings by my little accident. And right now after 2 years letter I find out blue orchard bee is becomes less in quantity every year and in my country its in red book( rare animals) so I wanna hear what zoologist thinks about that.

Intro

This thread is a discussion series at the tail end of the week for each newly introduced Spotlight card. This gives us nearly a week of hindsight to build a consensus and help inform players if they should open their caches for a given week. Ideally, we are looking for proven results (which can understandably be difficult to achieve in a week) more than theoretical applications to help reach this consensus, so players know what becomes less accessible to them after the Spotlight rotation.
​

This week's card: Sage

Energy: 3
Power: 0
On Reveal: +2 Power for each different Power among all other cards here.

​

Background, High-level Strategy, and Use Cases

I have good news and bad news about Sage: the bad news it that her only ability is to provide Power; the good news is that Power wins games of Marvel SNAP.
Sage joins a class of cards at 3-cost that scale to high ceilings with some support, including Bishop, Wolfsbane, and Hit-Monkey. Unlike her peers, Sage reaches great heights without much effort. She has a "natural" ceiling of a whopping 14 Power when you and your opponent's lanes are filled up just right, which is head and shoulders above the other cards in this category.
I'll walk through each example to illustrate the point. Bishop needs to come down on turn 3 and needs 2 cards played to match each 1 card needed to boost Sage, whereas Sage can scale off your turn 1 and 2 plays, and gets better drawn later while Bishop gets worse. Wolfsbane doesn't see competitive play, and only outshines Sage in a scenario where you are filling lanes with a bunch of the same Power, like with Brood, but she doesn't scale at all with your opponent's presence; the unfortunate reality is that Sage is very much the same card, just reborn at a series-5 power level. Lastly Hit-Monkey still holds a meaningful competition with Sage, and as the decklists below will illustrate, the two are often played together. We can somewhat demonstrate that Hit-Monkey has a "ceiling" of 10 Power when no discounts are involved; this is a turn 6 with Mysterio and a 1-cost for support. We can see that Sage compares very favorably to the other scaling 3-costs that act as win conditions in these decks packed with low-cost cards (i.e. Beast and/or Kitty decks).
To re-iterate a concept I briefly mentioned in Valentina's release, the above comparisons can be thought of like a "value over replacement player" statistic. From Wikipedia:

In baseball, value over replacement player (or VORP) is a statistic popularized by Keith Woolner that demonstrates how much a hitter or pitcher contributes to their team in comparison to a replacement-level player who is an average fielder at that position and a below average hitter.

Considering Sage does not bring a unique effect, even if she is the best-in-class for this effect, you must determine how much it's worth to you (in Spotlight keys) to have that extra margin of premium stats over a replacement-level card like Bishop. Depending on the deck -- especially if it's a strategy other than Bounce -- Sage is quite replaceable by a card like Gladiator, who also boasts premium stats with a different set of strengths and weaknesses.
Speaking of weaknesses, you may have dismissed Sage altogether due to this season's villain: Leech. He's a real problem for a card you want to hold in your hand for a late-game On Reveal effect. While I don't have a crystal ball, Leech has been changed three times since April 2023 (from 5/3 On Reveal: Remove all abilities, to a 5/3 with trigger on turn 6, to a 5/3 On Reveal: Remove On Reveals, to the current 4/2 On Reveal: Remove On Reveals) and I would expect him to continue to get changed to where he's less of a metagame-defining card. If/when Leech is no longer a problem for Sage, her value goes way up as a card that can turn around a lane on turn 6.
Another important dimension helping to future-proof this card is her synergy with Ravonna "the new Zabu" Renslayer. Ravonna has seen play in a wide variety of archetypes, including Mr. Negative, Tribunal, Patior, Junk, and those oddball Havok decks. There's even a Ravonna Surfer list below, where Sage is the perfect intersection of two deckbuilding requirements. Playing out this card at a discount further pushes her as an elite rate of stats.
And lastly, on the note of stats, sometimes that's all you need for a card to be great. Since starting this series, the cards I've covered that are "just stats" include Red Hulk, Mockingbird, and Cull Obsidian, which have all had noteworthy competitive performances. Sage might be the next addition to this powerful roster, but I'll leave that question to the discussion below: Is the juice worth the squeeze?
​

Sample Decklists

1. Bounce
2. Falcon-Focused Bounce
3. All-in Junk
4. Nova Surfer
5. Ravonna X/Ball Ravonna Surfer Daredevil Junk
6. Goose Surfer
7. Jane Negative
8. Jane Hammers
9. Ultron
10. Mill
11. Wong+Odin Combo
12. High Evo

These decklists come from a variety of sources but generally the top 1k of ladder; some are more proven than others.
​

What's your verdict?

Is Sage worth the key(s) now, or should players wait until a future Spotlight rotation?
Is Sage a sleeper hit waiting to be rid of the metagame menace?

F/31 My husband applied for paid family leave in California middle of March. We’ve sent in all the appropriate documents and filled everything out to the best of our ability and we haven’t had any movement on it since then. When we login online, it says that no file claim has been submitted, and we don’t know what to do because we’ve been calling the state of California for weeks. We’re behind on our bills, or at risk of losing our car at this point because we haven’t been able to pay it for two months. We don’t know what to do at this point and we feel like this is criminal. Do we have any legal grounding to send a letter or even file some kind of lawsuit or is that just silly? Does anyone have any experience in this area ? I’m so desperate I don’t know what else to do.

General

This subreddit is North American focused. If you would like to provide information from other countries, please leave it in a comment below or contact the moderators.
 
What is a perfusionist and what do they do?
A perfusionist’s central role is to operate a heart-lung machine during open heart surgeries or other surgeries where blood flow may be impaired or interrupted. Examples of surgeries or devices that may require perfusionists most commonly include:

• Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)
• Heart Valve Repair or Replacement
• Congenital Heart Defect Repairs
• Organ Transplants
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
• Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD)
• Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps (IABP)
• Chemoperfusion

 
What is the salary and job outlook?
Salaries for perfusionists are generally higher than $150,000 per year. There are a wide variety of pay structures that will affect total compensation packages.
The future of perfusion is unclear, mostly due to concerns of market saturation. A search through /Perfusion will reveal a wide variety of opinions on the matter. The American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP) publishes an annual report listing the number of certifications gained and lost. Included in the most current report (2023) is a historical list going back to 2000. Included in the 2022 report is the number of students admitted and graduated in 2021 and 2022.
 
Professional Organizations and Resources:  

• American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology  
  
• The American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion  
  
• The Canadian Society of Clinical Perfusion  
  
• The Tiny Perfusion Letter
  

 

Education and Credentialing

 
How do I become a perfusionist?
To become a practicing perfusionist in the United States, you must become a Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP). This credential is governed by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP) and is awarded after passing two board examinations: the Perfusion Basic Science Examination (PBSE) and the Clinical Applications in Perfusion Examination (CAPE).
Qualification to sit for the board exams is achieved by completing a certified program. The accrediting body for programs is the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and a current list of programs may be found by going to this page, selecting “Profession” and choosing “Perfusion.” Unfortunately, this does not include programs that are defunct or programs that are undergoing the preliminary accreditation process. All schools require an undergraduate degree before entry regardless of outcome: degree or certificate.
The list of schools maintained at Perfusion.com and at SpecialtyCare are not current.
Programs currently undergoing preliminary certification include (alphabetical):

• Emory School of Nursing
• Lawrence Technological University
• Northern Kentucky University
• University of Southern California

Program lengths vary from 18 to 21 months and cost varies from approximately $30,000 to $140,000.
 

Common Questions About the Application Process

 
Is it competitive?
The application process is extremely competitive. Schools are typically receiving several hundred applications and most take 20 or fewer students.
When does the application cycle begin?
The application cycle is different for each school, but typically start as early as June 1 for start dates the following year.
That means that for the beginning of the 2025-2026 academic year, applications will begin opening on June 1, 2024.
When do applications close?
Again, each program will be different. Some programs close earlier than others. Some programs have processes that take awhile to complete, so it is advisable to complete your application before the process closes.
Which school should I apply to?
You should apply to every school you're qualified for.
What prerequisites are required for perfusion school?
Each of the programs have different requirements. Contacting each of the programs with program specific questions is going to result in much more accurate answers than asking here. Programs can and do change requirements on an ongoing basis.
Nearly all programs require at least a documented conversation with a perfusionist or shadowing a case as part of the application process.
How do I find a perfusionist to shadow?
LinkedIn is your best resource. You may also post a request for a specific geographical area using the flair “Shadow Request.” You can also try contacting hospitals that do open heart surgery and arranging to shadow a perfusionist.
What kind of work experience is useful when applying to perfusion school?
Perfusion assistant jobs are sometimes referred to as a “golden ticket” for admission to a school. Many schools seem to value healthcare experience, through what type varies from school to school. Traditionally, RNs with critical care or operating room experience and respiratory techs seem to have a high degree of success. Other perfusion / OR adjacent jobs like anesthesia techs also seem to correlate with higher acceptance rates. As the application process becomes more competitive, it may be worth reaching out to current students to see what class make ups look like or Program Directors to see what advice they may give. Unfortunately, the application process is a “black box” and each institution has different qualities, traits, and experience they seem to value.
What are my chances of getting into School X? / Should I apply this year or wait until I have more experience?
No one knows. Your chances of getting into a school that you haven't applied to are zero. Contact the program for specific questions and guidance about your situation. The application process is a "black box" process with only the Program Directors and Admissions Council Members knowing how they work and what they are looking for in the current cohort. If you have specific questions about feedback you have received, feel free to ask them. Generic "what if" questions have a low likelihood of being approved in this subreddit.
Social Media
Look over all your social media accounts. Clean them up. Present yourself well online.
Additional Resources
/prospective_perfusion - subreddit dedicated to the application process and questions
/perfusion_accepted - subreddit dedicated to accepted students
 
 
Thanks to ghansie10 for the original thread - if you see this, please DM me!
Please report broken links or incorrect information to the moderators.
Feel free to post questions or information below.

This is from a comment I made over in the main sub yesterday. I’m working through my own understanding of this and an interested in feedback and criticism. If this doesn’t fit under philosophy, then let me know. But part of my view is a critique of the moral/civil/ceremonial division of the law. I understand that a division of the law is seen by both Sts Augustine and Thomas Aquinas (though a bit differently). I’m not debating the patristic tradition, but rather the underlying logic those saints used.
I also recognize there is another tradition which states most of the laws given at Sinai were given because of the golden calf incident and thus were abolished by Christ (this is found in the apocryphal apostolic constitutions If I remember correctly). But again, I question the logic.
The reason I question this logic is this: why would Matthew include the “fulfill not abolish” language in his Gospel if this statement ceased to be of importance after the ascension (when the book was written).
Anyway, on to my proposition. I don’t claim to have patristic evidence for this framework. But this framework does arrive at a very similar effect for the average Christian as the tripartite division does, but it gets there in a very different way, one that makes WAY more sense in my brain. So if y’all can poke holes, please do. If yall can show I’m wildly misunderstanding the tripartite division, please do.
This particular area I’ve been doing A LOT (last 6-9 months) of soul searching/prayer and study on because I don’t like the “moral/ceremonial/civil” distinction. I don’t think the Torah makes any such distinction and that the distinction only works when read back onto the Torah in light of church teaching. Which is FINE and good for arriving at an answer as a Catholic. But I don’t think it’s the logic the 1st and 2nd generation church would’ve used.
We keep the whole law of the Old Testament; Christ came to fulfill, not abolish. The difference is that it doesn’t quite look the same because

1. ⁠We assume the ancient Israelites enforced the Torah EXACTLY the way it’s read. Break a law? Straight to stoning. But this isn’t how it worked. There were courts and burdens of proof. AND there was a chance for repentance. King David, a man after God’s own heart commits murder AND adultery (and tacitly admits to it when confronted) and yet he repents! By some modern folks reading he should’ve been executed according to the Torah.
   
2. ⁠Christ has come. The thing that the entire OT was building up to happened. So our understanding of things changed. The covenant with Noah didn’t negate the covenant with Abraham, but things certainly look different after Noah. Same with Noah to Abrahamic covenant. Same when the covenant is given through Moses as Mt Sinai. The old is not abrogated, but it is built upon and things after look very different.
   

So, where are all the cleanliness laws, sacrificial laws, feasts, ritual washings etc etc? Well, it’s baked into the new covenant and by extension the church. Some examples:

1. ⁠Sacrificial law: Christ IS most of those sacrifices. He is a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Eucharist literally means thanksgiving), a sacrifice for sin (by his stripes we are healed), a Passover sacrifice (through which we are spared death and brought to life), the day of atonement sacrifice (he is both goats, the goat that takes away the sin and the goat who’s blood purifies the whole camp, now understood to be the whole earth). We still have morning and evening sacrifices (Lauds and Vespers, sacrifices of praise, in the Latin tradition). We still do incense offerings even at Mass and more traditional lauds and vespers celebrations.
   
2. ⁠Cleanliness: this one is entirely wrapped up in the day of atonement. If his blood cleanses the whole world, how can something be called intrinsically unclean? This means that nothing (including food, clothing, or people) are intrinsically unclean. Rather we (and objects) are defiled by what we do (or how it is used). Thus we are still not to have anything to do with unclean things, but what exactly is unclean has changed. You can see this in the fact we purify/cleanse altars that have been desecrated.
   
3. ⁠Ritual washings: baptism, holy water before entering the church, sprinkling over people at high feasts, foot washing
   
4. ⁠Feasts: Pentecost was an Israelite holiday that we still celebrate, Passover is Easter, feast of booths is transfiguration, etc. we just have them renamed for they BECAME to us through the establishment of the new covenant
   
5. ⁠Tabernacle/temple construction: traditional church architecture still abides by the general layout. Holy of Holies: tabernacle and sanctuary. Holy place: knave. Inner court: vestibule. Outer court: the world. Through Christs redemption everyone has moved a step closer to God. Those of relegated to never being in the temple are always in the outer court. But we can all enter the inner court (vestibule). The holy place is not relegated to just priests, but the priesthood of all believers (Catholics in the knave). The priests can all now go into the holy of holies (sanctuary/tabernacle). And instead of one priest once a year going in to God, God comes out to us in the Eucharist.
   
6. ⁠As for the remaining punitive laws, most people only have issue with the penalties assigned. But we’ve already talked about under what circumstances those penalties would be enforced. Basically you had to be unrepentant. So in the Christian understanding, what is consequence of sin? Death. What is death? Well there’s physical death (separation of soul from body) and there’s spiritual death (separation of soul from God). A person who lives in sin without repentance is dying or dead (venial vs mortal sin). And when recognized by the church in a lot of cases an excommunication would be pronounced. This separation from the church, separation of a branch from the true vine. A branch separated is dead. So we don’t execute people as the church, but the church long recognized the civil government’s authority to do so. And even without that, sin is death, and excommunication is death. But it’s important to note that in NO way was the average Israelite running around pronouncing death penalties on people. They had courts and priests that did this. Same as we have tribunals and priests and bishops who do this.
   
7. ⁠Circumcision: this is fulfilled with baptism. It’s the outward sign of entrance into the people of God. Circumcision to become a part of the OT people of God and baptism for the New covenant people of God.
   
8. ⁠A lot of the specifics are alterable with time and circumstance (Jesus gives the apostles this authority with the ability to “bind and loose”). Even in the OT this happened between exodus law in the wilderness vs changes that happen with Leviticus and Deuteronomy since they’re readying to enter the promised land and not be a nomadic people in the wilderness. And even by extra biblical accounts, the specifics had changed a bit in the rituals by the time of the second temple era. Yet Jesus still tells the people to submit to the valid authority of the religious leadership of the day; he notably doesn’t tell them to interpret the Torah for themselves and correct the instructions of priests and rabbis.
   

So practically speaking, yes the triple category can still be laid out. Our ceremonial law is more governed by our liturgical books than Leviticus on a literal front, and our civil law is found in Canon law now, and moral laws (as we have defined the moral life) is still found in the OT among many other places. But all of it is still rooted in what the people of God have been practicing since Mt Sinai though.