Common polygons worksheet

Cognitive Behavorial Therapy: Thinking ourselves better

2013.09.28 21:30 yellowyn Cognitive Behavorial Therapy: Thinking ourselves better

A subreddit focused on the practice of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking. CBT starts with the assumption that changing maladaptive thinking leads to change in behavior and emotions. The treatment focuses on changing an individual's thoughts (cognitive patterns) in order to change his or her behavior and emotional state.
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2008.08.27 07:36 The Latin Language

This is a community for discussions related to the Latin language.
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2024.05.20 19:22 MochiGameDesign The Magic of Pre-Production in Video Games’ Development

Ok, trying to improve my writing skills, so here is this week's article! Hope that you like it and let me know what you think!
Ah, video games. They’ve come a long way from the pixelated pastures of Pong, to the immersive worlds of The Witcher and Red Dead Redemption. But while the final product gets all the love and adoration, the real hero often goes unnoticed. No, it’s not the caffeine-fueled programmers or the sleep-deprived designers. It’s pre-production—the crucial first step in video game development that sets the stage for everything to come. Buckle up, dear reader, as we begin to understand why Pre-Production in Video Games is the secret sauce.

The Consequences of Skipping Pre-Production

Let’s paint a picture of the worst-case scenario. You’re a developer who’s just spent two years on a game. The deadline is looming, but you’re confident because the game looks beautiful, and the mechanics are smooth. Then, during final testing, you realize the story makes no sense, the main character is bland, and the levels don’t connect well. Panic sets in. There’s no time to overhaul the game, and it launches to scathing reviews and poor sales.
This nightmare is all too common in the gaming industry. High-profile flops like Anthem and Cyberpunk 2077 suffered from poor planning and rushed production. The fallout? Disappointed fans, tarnished reputations, and financial losses.

Problem: Diving in Without a Plan is a Recipe for Disaster

Imagine trying to build a house without a blueprint. You start laying bricks, but halfway through, you realize there’s no room for a bathroom. Or worse, you forgot the front door. Now you have a hodgepodge of walls, no plumbing, and an expensive mess.
Video game development is no different. Jumping straight into production without a solid plan can lead to chaos. Developers might spend months creating a character that doesn’t fit the story or designing levels that don’t work with the gameplay mechanics. The result? Missed deadlines, ballooning budgets, and a game that feels more like Frankenstein’s monster than a masterpiece.

Solution: The Power of Pre-Production in Video Games

But here’s the good news: pre-production can save the day! Think of it as the game’s foundation. It’s where the magic happens and where crucial decisions are made. Let’s break down the key components of pre-production and how they pave the way for a successful game:
1. Concept Development: The Big Idea
Every epic game starts with a spark – a captivating story, a groundbreaking mechanic, or a visually stunning world. Brainstorming sessions bring ideas to the table, sketches give your vision form, and the core of your game takes shape.
Here are some prompts to get your creative juices flowing:
  • What makes your game unique? What emotional journey will players take?
  • Is there a specific genre you're passionate about? Can you introduce a fresh twist?
  • Look at existing games for inspiration, but don't be afraid to break the mould!
Resources for Concept Development:
  • Book: "The Art of Game Design" by Jesse Schell (I personally love this one).
  • Website: Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra) - A treasure trove of articles and tutorials on game development.
2. Storyboarding: Mapping the Journey
Think of storyboarding as your game's visual script. It's where you map out the plot, character arcs, and pivotal moments. This helps developers understand the narrative flow and how players will experience the story. The roadmap guides the entire development process, ensuring a cohesive and engaging experience.
Storyboarding doesn't require fancy software. Even simple sketches or flowcharts can be effective. The key is to visualize the player's journey and identify potential pacing issues or plot holes.
Resources for Storyboarding:
3. Prototyping: Testing the Waters
This is where the magic of "seeing is believing" comes in. Prototypes are essentially stripped-down versions of your game mechanics, allowing developers to test if they're fun and functional. Imagine catching a gameplay flaw early on – much easier (and cheaper!) to fix at this stage than later in production. Prototyping ensures only the most engaging mechanics make it to the final product.
There are various prototyping approaches, from basic pen-and-paper mockups to more sophisticated digital prototypes built in game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine.
Resources for Prototyping:
  • Article: "Game Prototyping: How to Prototype Your Game Idea" (upcoming article)
  • Software: Unity, Unreal Engine - These powerful engines offer features specifically for game prototyping.
4. Technical Planning: Building the Framework
Here's where we delve into the technical aspects – the nuts and bolts that make your game tick. What engine will power your creation? Are there hardware limitations to consider? How will multiplayer functionality work? Answering these questions upfront avoids nasty surprises down the line and guarantees the game is technically sound.
Technical planning requires a close collaboration between designers and programmers. Here are some key aspects to consider:
  • Game Engine Selection: Different engines have strengths and weaknesses. Unity is known for its user-friendliness and versatility, while Unreal Engine excels in creating high-fidelity graphics. Godot is open-source with a strong community. Researching available engines and considering your project's specific needs is crucial.
  • Hardware Limitations: Identify the target platforms (PC, consoles, mobile) and understand their technical specifications. This will ensure that your game runs smoothly on the intended hardware.
  • Multiplayer Functionality: If your game involves multiplayer, consider factors like network infrastructure, online matchmaking, and server capacity. Planning this early on avoids technical hurdles later in development.
Resources for Technical Planning:
5. Budgeting and Scheduling: Keeping Things on Track
Let's face it: development costs money. Pre-production is where a detailed budget is created, ensuring your project stays financially afloat. A realistic timeline with clear milestones and deadlines is also established. This keeps development on track, manages expectations, and avoids costly delays.
Budgeting:
  • Consider all development costs, including personnel (programmers, artists, designers), software licenses, assets, and marketing.
  • Buffer in a contingency fund for unforeseen expenses.
Scheduling:
  • Break down development into manageable milestones, like completing the core gameplay loop or implementing the first level.
  • Set realistic deadlines for each milestone, considering team size and workload.
  • Regularly track progress and adjust the schedule as needed.
Resources for Budgeting and Scheduling:

Injecting Some Fun: Pre-Production Stories and Tips

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
One of the most beloved games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, owes much of its success to meticulous pre-production. The team spent months experimenting with different gameplay mechanics, story ideas, and visual styles before settling on the final concept. They even created a 2D prototype to test the game’s physics and puzzles. This careful planning resulted in a game that felt innovative and polished.
Source: Polygon: The Making of Breath of the Wild
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is another masterpiece that benefited from thorough pre-production. The team at CD Projekt Red spent a significant amount of time developing the game’s story and characters. They also created a detailed world map and lore to ensure the game felt rich and immersive. This level of detail and planning paid off, earning the game numerous awards and a dedicated fanbase.
Source: IGN: Inside The Witcher 3’s Development

Wrapping Up: The Unsung Hero Deserves Some Love

Pre-production in video games might seem daunting, especially for indie developers or small studios. But remember, even a little planning can go a long way. Start with a clear concept and build from there. Use storyboarding to map out your game’s narrative and gameplay. Create simple prototypes to test your ideas. And don’t forget to plan your budget and timeline.
Think of pre-production as an investment in your game’s success. The more effort you put in at this stage, the smoother the rest of the development process will be. Plus, you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches down the road.
In conclusion, pre-production is the unsung hero of video game development. It’s the stage where ideas are born, tested, and refined. It’s where potential problems are identified and solved before they become costly mistakes. Without pre-production in video games, even the most brilliant ideas can fall flat.
So, the next time you’re playing your favourite game, take a moment to appreciate the planning and effort that went into creating it. And if you’re a developer, embrace pre-production with open arms. Your future self (and your players) will thank you.
Happy developing!
submitted by MochiGameDesign to gamedev [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 12:17 hellopriyasharma Preschool Animal Worksheets That Are the Best

Preschool Animal Worksheets That Are the Best
Teaching young children about the marvels of animal life may be a fun and educational experience. Preschool animal worksheets are a great way to encourage young students' interest, improve their cognitive function, and help them with early reading and numeracy. This thorough book explores the many ways in which parents and teachers may utilize worksheets with animal themes to create fun and instructive activities for preschool-aged kids.
https://preview.redd.it/rkhz0bsg4k1d1.jpg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=786e2eaefec27374f88070fc8fa9c0caba06a942

Why Choose Animal Worksheets for Preschool?

Animal worksheets are not only captivating for children but also versatile in teaching various concepts, from basic biology to empathy towards living beings. They can introduce concepts such as animal habitats, behaviors, and even conservation efforts at an early age, laying the foundation for a lifetime of learning and environmental stewardship.

Key Components of Effective Animal Worksheets

  • Engaging Content: Worksheets should feature colorful and accurate illustrations of animals to capture children's attention and stimulate visual learning.
  • Interactive Elements: Incorporating puzzles, matching games, and cut-and-paste activities can make learning hands-on and fun.
  • Educational Value: Beyond identifying animals, worksheets can introduce basic science concepts, including habitats, food chains, and characteristics of living things.
  • Cross-curricular Connections: Effective worksheets connect animal themes with other areas of learning, such as Preschool Big and Small Worksheets, which can teach size comparison and sorting skills.

Incorporating Technology

With the advent of digital learning tools, incorporating technology into early childhood education has become increasingly important. A school parent app can be a valuable resource for sharing animal worksheets and other educational content with parents, enabling them to engage with their child's learning process actively. Digital platforms can also offer interactive animal-themed activities that complement traditional worksheets, providing a multi-sensory learning experience.

Tips for Using Animal Worksheets in Preschool

  • Start with Familiar Animals: Begin with animals that children are likely to recognize, such as pets and common zoo animals, before introducing more exotic species.
  • Encourage Storytelling: Use animal worksheets as a prompt for storytelling, asking children to create stories about the animals featured on the sheet.
  • Connect to Real-Life Experiences: Whenever possible, relate worksheet activities to real-life experiences, such as visits to the zoo, aquarium, or farm.
  • Focus on Conservation: Use worksheets as an opportunity to discuss the importance of protecting animals and their habitats, fostering early environmental awareness.
Selecting the Right Worksheets

When choosing Animal Worksheets for Preschool, consider the following:

  • Age Appropriateness: Ensure the worksheets are suitable for the preschool age group, with activities that match their developmental stage.
  • Variety: Offer a diverse range of worksheets covering different animals, habitats, and concepts to provide a well-rounded learning experience.
  • Quality: Select high-quality, professionally designed worksheets that are visually appealing and free of errors.

Conclusion

Animal Worksheets for Preschool are an invaluable resource for sparking young children's interest in the natural world and supporting early learning across multiple domains. By carefully selecting and integrating these worksheets into the preschool curriculum—and leveraging technology like the school parent app to extend learning beyond the classroom—educators and parents can provide children with a solid foundation for academic success and a lifelong appreciation for wildlife. As we nurture the next generation of learners, let's embrace the power of animal-themed educational materials to enrich their preschool experience and cultivate a sense of wonder and responsibility towards our planet's diverse inhabitants.
Child-centered education revolutionizes the way teaching and learning are done by placing the interests, abilities, and learning preferences of the students at the center of the educational process. By tailoring instruction to each student's specific requirements, instructors can use this pedagogical technique to guarantee that every student is motivated, engaged, and empowered throughout their learning experience. By focusing on a child's overall development as well as their emotional, social, and cognitive maturation, child-centered education aims to spark a lifelong love of learning.
submitted by hellopriyasharma to preschoolwithpriya [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 12:04 M00n_Slippers The Wisdom of Stone: Crystallians, the Crystal Cadre, The Primeval Current and Japanese practice of "Suiseki"

The Wisdom of Stone: Crystallians, the Crystal Cadre, The Primeval Current and Japanese practice of
I was looking into the ‘Wisdom of Stone’ because someone else’s Lore Question was tangentially related and I made a ‘real life’ connection to the Crystalians with Suiseki/Gongshi, AKA Chinese Scholar Stones. It’s nothing real ground-breaking, but I believe it could be convenient for some people to just have this information in one place to reference, and I do think the suiseki connection may be 'new' to the greater community. So I figured I would do a little write-up for ya’ll.

Crystalian's Aesthetic Inspiration

So there have been a couple sources noted to be likely inspirations for the Crystalians at least aesthetically.
Zullie the Witch notes that they may have been directly pulled from the game Magic the Gathering, which is a notable inspiration of Miyazaki's.
From Zullie the Witch's video \"Elden Ring - It's Probably Fine\"
They bare an extremely close resemblance to the "Crystal Warriors" of the choose-your-own-adventure style Fighting Fantasy books, right down to their game mechanics and origins:
"A crystal warrior was hewn from pure crystal, mostly in the shape of a human warrior with a helmet...Crystal warriors were usually created by powerful sorcerers or warlocks as guardians for their lairs...The structure of Crystal Warriors made them very tough opponents. Next to their durability, their crystal bodies were virtually immune to edged weapons, such as swords and axes. Only blunt weapons with strong heads, for example maces or war hammers, had any chance of damaging them."
Fighting Fantasy novel \"Heir of Skull Crag\"
There have been other notable inspirations which may have been part of their initial conception by those first creators, or tied in later by Miyazaki or Martin.
Such as the titular Golem from the German horror film "Der Golem" (1915) released in the US as "the Monster of Fate". inspired by the jewish folktale of the Golem creature, a sorcery created being with a frankenstein-like story. You can actually watch the whole thing in 4k on Youtube for free. The trailer itself is ripe with what may have been inspiration for Raya Lucaria.
Left: Film Still from \"Der Golem\". Notice the windows and ceiling shapes?
Another is the Stained Glass Knight from the film Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), notable for being the first fully polygonal CGI character in film and may also have inspired an enemy in the Castlevania series. The clip itself I linked shows a priest encountering this 'bring' in a church which itself looks like heavy inspiration for the cathedrals of Raya Lucaria. These two inspirations added together may have been key themes for the Carians and Sorcerers themselves.
Left: Stained Glass Knight scene from Young Sherlock. Are we sure this isn't the same room?

What are the Crystalians and where did they come from?

We actually have a lot of information about the Crystalians and their creation, strung between all of the various crystal items and other related sorceries and flavor text.
The Crystallians are inorganic beings created by sorcery, and carved from crystal glintstone\1]). As Sellen tells you, glintstone is residual life--the enduring essence of the dead that rejoined the cosmic cycle of the heavens\2])--these beings have faint cognition and deep knowledge of the life-death-rebirth cycle of the heavens that is the primeval current\1]). Sorcerers call this knowledge the "Wisdom of Stone"\3]).
[1] Shattering Crystal: The Crystalians are inorganic beings, yet they live. They cleave close to the ideals of the primeval current, and as such, they are revered guests of the sorcerers." [2] Sellen: "Our art draws upon the powers embedded in glintstone. But what is the nature of such power? Glintstone is the amber of the cosmos. Golden amber contains the remnants of ancient life, and houses its vitality, while glintstone contains residual life, and thus the vitality of the stars. It should not be forgotten, that glintstone sorcery is the study of the stars, and the life therein. A fact lost on most sorcerers, these days..." [3] Crystal Staff: Staff fashioned from pure crystal; a deed impossible for a human. Enhances Crystalian sorceries. The Crystalian's faint cogitation is known as the "wisdom of stone." This staff can only be wielded by those of intellect high enough to grasp such wisdom. [4] Crystal Sword: Sword fashioned from pure crystal; a deed impossible for a human. Enwreathed with powerful magic, its attack scales with intelligence. The inscrutable Crystalians have but one clear purpose; to safeguard their crystals unto the end. One theory posits that they yearn for the return of their creator who will carve for them new brethren. [5] Crystal Barrage: One of the glintstone sorceries of the Academy of Raya Lucaria…A sorcery of the Crystal Cadre, a group of sorcerers who pursue the wisdom of stone—the secrets locked in the faint cogitation of the Crystalians.
Who exactly created these beings is somewhat ambiguous, but we may be able to piece it together with the various hints given by the game.
The Crystal Sword and Staff\3]), say they are weapons "fashioned from pure crystal; a deed impossible for a human." This could suggest that the Crystalians themselves made the weapons, or it may be a hint that the Crystallians themselves were not made by humans. However in Elden Ring, there is some implication that anyone who can create life or give birth may be dubbed a ‘god’ (such as Marika), so perhaps they simply view their creators as gods and not human solely for this reason.
Primary suspects for the creators of the Crystalians include the ‘Crystal Cadre’. The Crystal Barrage sorcery says the crystal cadre are “a group of sorcerors who pursue the wisdom of stone.’” But who are among this Crystal Cadre?
Well, perhaps they are the Sorcerors Azur and Lusat.
The staves of these two masters\6]) explicitly mention ‘the wisdom of stone’, a phrase that keeps recurring in relation to the Crystalians, saying “only those who have glimpsed beyond the wisdom of stone may wield it [their staves]”. Azur is the founder of the Karolos Conspectus \7]) while Lusat is the founder of the Olivinus Conspectus\8]), but it seems the Twinsage Conspectus may be representative of either the two together or of those who followed both of their ideas, as the Twinsage Sorceror Ashes***\**\9])* says, “Those who study the Twinsage Conspectus are the academy's elite, capable of mastering the Glintstone Cometshard and Crystal Burst sorceries,” and it is from the text of the Crystal Burst \11]) sorcery that we are told the Crystal Cadre are “a group of sorcerers who pursued the wisdom of stone—the secrets locked in the faint cogitation of the Crystalians.”
[6] Azur's Glintstone Staff and Lusat's Glintstone Staff: Staff of the primeval glintstone sorcerer Azur. Only those who have glimpsed what lies beyond the wisdom of stone may wield it. [7] Karolos Glintstone Crown: One of the glintstone crowns bestowed upon Raya Lucaria scholars whose pursuits were deemed worthy. The Karolos Conspectus is the oldest of the academy's lineages of study, begat by the sorcerer Azur. Scholars who follow in his footsteps pursue the mysteries of comets. [8] Olivinus Glintstone Crown: One of the glintstone crowns bestowed upon Raya Lucaria scholars whose pursuits were deemed worthy. The lineage of the Olivinus Conspectus began with the sorcerer Lusat, and its adherents continue his study of meteors. [9] Twinsage Sorcerer Ashes: Ashen remains in which spirits yet dwell…Those who study the Twinsage Conspectus are the academy's elite, capable of mastering the Glintstone Cometshard and Crystal Burst sorceries. [10] Glintstone Cometshard: One of the glintstone sorceries of the Academy of Raya Lucaria…A sorcery of the Karolos Conspectus, the most venerable of the academy. [11] Crystal Burst: One of the glintstone sorceries of the Academy of Raya Lucaria. A sorcery of the Crystal Cadre, a group of sorcerers who pursued the wisdom of stone—the secrets locked in the faint cogitation of the Crystalians.
So Azur, Lusat and their followers may be the creators of the Crystalians. But are their more possibilities? Well their students who also revere the Primeval Current which the Crystalians represent may be contenders as well and a quite notable one is Sellen, the Graven Witch.
Witch-Hunter Jerren says, “You didn't...know Sellen, did you? Well, whatever the case, she's dead now. Just put it behind you. She was known as the Graven Witch. Obsessed by the primeval current, countless sorcerers fell to her hand. The most dangerous mage in the entire history of Raya Lucaria's Academy.”
Sellen herself affirms that she studies the Primeval Current and notes that her first master was Master Azur: “What's this sorcery, my apprentice? Ah, then you have seen Master Azur. Master Azur was a founding glintstone sorcerer, and my first teacher. A stern judge of men, but he must see something in you. You make us both proud.”
After finding Master Azur’s body, Sellen tells you, “Master Lusat is another founding glintstone sorcerer. And like Master Azur, he was banished from the academy. Now he languishes, imprisoned somewhere. My apprentice, can you find Master Lusat? With this glintstone key, you should be able to cross the boundary that encloses him. I need him to restore the primeval current of glintstone sorcery. He's nigh a child of the stars, such is his body now…”
It’s hard to say how much interaction that Sellen personally had with Master Lusat, but given that she is a Primeval Current fanatic and you need both schools of the founding sorcerers to fulfill her objectives, it seems likely that she may have studied with him as well. At the very least she has some knowledge of Master Lusat, enough to know where he came from and where he may have returned after his expulsion.
But she isn’t the only possibility, another strong contender is Rennala.
Rennela was able to birth Empyreans (Ranni) which suggests she may herself be a god akin to Marika in her own way, which would fulfill the characteristic of the Crystalian's creators not being ‘human’. And the Full and Dark Moon sorceries themselves seem to reflect the dual nature of the primeval current.
Despite the Moon being stronger as a motif with her, Rennala also has a big connection to the current and crystal. One of the crystalian spells, the Crystal Release says it resembles a "Crystal Sun", which could be a reference to the Moon. \12]) And the Magic Downpour spell, one of the Carian royal family sorceries, was taught to the Carian family by the Crystalian’s themselves.\13])
[12] Crystal Release: Sorcery of the mysterious Crystalians. This sorcery is used by high-ranking adepts among the Crystalians. Some also call this sorcery "the Crystal Sun." [13] Magic Downpour: One of the sorceries of the Carian royal family. Said to have been taught by the Crystalians to mark the swearing of the old concord.
Similarly there is strong evidence in my opinion, that Sellen may be Rennala's sister and may act as a dark twin and character foil, which gives Rennala another connection to Azur and Lusat.
In Japanese, her name is ‘Seren’ セレン, a name which means "star" in Welsh, and is pronounced the same as the ‘Ren’ of Rennala. Sellen may also be a reference to the Greek Goddess of the Moon, ‘Selene’.
After you defeat Radahn, Iji also tells you this: “The fate of the Carian royal family is guided by the stars*. As is the fate of Lady Ranni, first heir in the Carian royal line. But General Radahn is the conqueror of the stars. Who stood up to the swirling constellations, halting their movement in a smashing victory. And so, if General Radahn were defeated, the stars would once again resume their movement. As would Lady Ranni's destiny… Now the time has come to remind him [Jerren] of an* old promise made. With the stars of fate set into motion, a certain sorceress is dispossessed of her immortality... Finally, we can be rid of a longstanding Carian weed*..."*
And as you find out, this old promise appears to be to kill, Sellen the Graven Witch.
Jerren after defeating Sellen: “My thanks, for the aid given. I heard from Iji that Lady Ranni might have found herself a champion. But I didn't know he was talking about you. You've helped me fulfill an old promise*. This is the least I can do for you. Please, take it.”*
So like the Carian Royal family, Sellen’s fate is guided by the stars, and the halting of the stars gave her a form of immortality similar to Ranni's. Sellen and Ranni also both use the same method of maintaining their life beyond the death of their body--using Primal Glintstones within dolls. Iji also calls Sellen a ‘Carian Weed’ strongly suggesting that Sellen may be a member of the Carian family herself, acting as a blemish within their line.
This is further supported by the fact that there actually is ‘missing’ Carian Princess. As the Carian Filigreed Crest Talisman says, the Talisman was awarded to *“direct retainers to the kingdom's princesses. Now there is only one princess: Ranni, daughter of Rennala."*\14])
So there used to be more than one Princess, but now there is only one, who is Ranni. And yet Rennala is the founder of the Carian house, the first Queen of Raya Lucaria\15]) and a former Astrologer who was not always a Queen \16]). and Ranni being her only female child, suggests the existence of either a sister, daughter or grandaughter as the second, missing princess.
[14] Carian Filigreed Crest Talisman: A talisman adorned with the royal crest. An honor said to have once been awarded to Carian knights who served as direct retainers to the kingdom's princesses. Now there is only one princess: Ranni, daughter of Rennala. [15] Remembrance of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon: In her youth, Rennala was a prominent champion who charmed the academy with her lunar magic, becoming its master. She also led the Glintstone Knights and established the house of Caria as royalty. [16] Stargazer Heirloom: A talisman engraved with the legend of a queen...The young astrologer gazed at the night sky as she walked. She had always chased the stars every step of her journey. Then she met the full moon — and, in time, the astrologer became a queen.
Another notable mystery related to the Carian Royalty are three towers behind the Carian Manor, The Three Sisters, which has independently given rise to speculation that aside from Rennala and Ranni there was a missing Carian Sorceress of the Carian house. If Renna’s Tower belongs to Rennala, and Ranni’s Tower belongs to her, Seluvis’s tower may be Sellen’s which makes a lot of sense given that Seluvis was the one who helped her escape the Academy and is still in communication with her, not to mention they both share ‘Sel’ in their names.
Seluvis, asking about Nokron: “Well, well. You're asking me about that [Nokron], are you?...There's a glintstone sorcerer by the name of Sellen in Limgrave. She owes me for the help I gave her when she was expelled from the academy. I asked her to look into the matter some time ago. I'll write you a letter of introduction. Go ask her.”
There are also strong implications that Rennala may have a twin, echoed within the Jellyfish Ashes quest. In this quest, you unite the Jellyfish ashes with their ‘sister’. This sister just so happens to be located at the Stargazer Ruins, an area that shares a name with the Stargazer Heirloom which tells you about Rennala's study of the stars and moon \16]). As you enter the main building of the ruins, you will hear a girl's voice -- it's the Jellyfish's sister, and you can summon it to reunite them.
Jelly Fish sister Dialogue: "Sister... Where did you go? You promised me when we turned fourteen we'd go to see the stars. I've been waiting so long, forever and ever it seems."
After reuniting the sisters: "Ahh, Dear Sister, you're finally here. No time to waste. Let's go see the stars."
This quest unlocks a chest bearing the Primal Glintstone Blade***\**\20])*, the very same type of heretical blade which Sellen uses to transfer her soul to a new body\21]) after her original one is captured and imprisoned within the Witchbane Ruins by Jerren.
[20] Primal Glintstone Blade: An old glintstone blade that has been stained with blood. The old sorcerers would slice open their hearts with these blades to imbue a primal glintstone with their soul, and thus did they die. [21] Sellen’s Primal Glintstone: Glintstone from within the sorceress Sellen's body. Seemingly half-alive, blood vessels are visible within. In essence, a primal glintstone is a sorcerer's soul. If transplanted into a compatible new body after their original body dies, the sorcerer will rise again. "My apprentice, do you think it distasteful?"
So we know that Sellen was a student of Lusat, and possibly Azur. If Sellen and Rennala were indeed sisters, both may have studied under them. This especially makes sense as what appears to be the master’s old tower is located in the Mountaintops of the Giants not far from where Rennala encountered the Full Moon, being watched by Academy dolls and inaccessible except by magic.
Top: Stargazers Ruins, Middle: Mountain Tops of the Giants Map marking both areas, Bottom: Heretical Rise.
But there is one more potential member of the Crystal Cadre, that is Ranni herself.
Ranni is the product of two schools of Magic: The Full Moon and the Dark Moon. She seems to have learned both the cold and dark heretical sorceries of the dark moon as well as the bright, charming full moon sorceries which made her mother a Queen. While her mother is an obvious source for the Full Moon sorceries, the source of her cold, Dark Moon magic is somewhat more ambiguous.
The Snow Witch Set, which is the very same armor which is worn by Ranni herself, says it is worn by practitioners of heretical sorcery, and that the doll that Ranni uses is modeled after this secret mentor of hers\22]). Despite the fact that we never see Sellen wearing this armor, this may suggest that Sellen could be Ranni’s ‘secret mentor’, as she is a heretical sorceress, and is known to use Primal Glintstones to transfer bodies just as Ranni did.
We also know that Sellen studied under Azur, the founder of the Academy who created the first Glintstone sorcery\23]), Founding Rain of Stars, whose tower may be the Heretical Rise in the Mountaintops of the Giants, a very cold area. And if it’s true that Sellen is a Carian Royal, then she could be an obvious source of the cold sorceries which are associated with the Carian Royal family.
As the Moons ‘guide the fates’ of the Carian Royalty[24], if Sellen was a royal then at one time she may have focused on these dark, cold graven sorceries before they became taboo. It could be that Ranni learned Dark Moon sorcery from Sellen at the Heretical Rise. Then after she was expelled for her research into the Graven School of Witches, Sellen may have turned her back on her family and Dark Moon sorceries, becoming an enemy of the Carian Royal family.
[22] Snow Witch Set: Witch's pointed hat, frigid and frozen through. Of a style associated with practitioners of heretical sorcery. Strengthens cold sorcery. Once worn by the snowy crone who the young Ranni encountered deep in the woods. She was a witch, and well-versed in cold sorceries. It is said that the doll that houses Ranni's soul was modeled after her. That old witch was Ranni's secret mentor. [23] Founding Rain of Stars: The eldest primeval sorcery, said to have been discovered by an ancient astrologer. A sorcery of legendary status…Thought to be the founding glintstone sorcery. The glimpse of the primeval current that the astrologer saw became real, and the stars' amber rained down on this land. [24] Drawstring Freezing Grease: Solidified grease made using Rani's furtive arts. The women of the Carian royal family look to the moon to guide their fates. Ranni's is a moon dark and blanketed with rime. [25] Crystal Spear: Spear fashioned from pure crystal; a deed impossible for a human…The inscrutable Crystalians have but one clear purpose; to safeguard their crystals unto the end. One theory posits that they yearn for the return of their creator who will carve for them new brethren.
Alternatively, Rennala herself may be the source of both forms of moon sorcery. Ranni's Dark Moon spell says the Dark Moon, “was encountered by a young Ranni, led by the hand of her mother, Rennala. What she beheld was cold, dark and veiled in occult mystery.” If Rennala introduced Ranni to the Dark Moon, it suggests that Rennala herself may be the snow witch, with the nickname “Renna” referring to a time before Rennala was a queen, back on the Mountaintops of the Giants in the Heretical Rise, when she studied the Primeval Current as an astrologer with her sister and their Masters, when her Dark Moon sorceries were merely one side of her guiding Moon.
https://preview.redd.it/t4irpvti4k1d1.jpg?width=1374&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66b9c16fb1ce560e7cc8de9c4636013097af7fe8
Whoever created them, perhaps in order to study the Primeval Current in a way that was much safer than looking directly at them (as evidenced by the horrible fate of Lusat and Azur) the Crystalians came to strike an accord or contract with the Sorcerers and the Carian family\14]). The Sorcerors would revere and create more of the Crystalians and in return the Crystalians would aid in their protection and allow themselves to be studied or otherwise gift their wisdom \22]).
Those who studied the Crystalians closely became "The Crystal Cadre" and indeed this might apply to all five of the possible creators, maybe suggesting it was a joint venture and not actually the creation of one person in particular.
This would also hold up with the current state of Raya Lucaria, with Rennala broken down and out of her mind in grief, Azur and Lusat both Crystallized and lost, and Sellen expelled and in hiding, as well as Ranni who is missing to everyone but the player and possibly presumed dead by the Academy.
Regardless of which member created the Crystalians, all are currently lost and fled, leaving the Crystalians guarding their crystals \25]) waiting for their return so more of their kind may come into being.

The Crystalians and "Suiseki"

Given all of this information about the Crystalians, I think I've found an additional inspiration which gives new insight into the "Wisdom of Stone", that being "Suiseki". It is similar to another practice called Gongshi from China, as well as Suesok from Korea, and in english are sometimes called "Scholar’s Rocks".
Suiseki ( 水石, made up of the Kanji for Water and the Kanji for stone) is a japanese practice of appreciating rocks for their aesthetic and decorative value, somewhat akin to Bonzai in their shared appreciation for the elements of nature. However where Bonzai embraces the ‘hyper real’ and allows the plant to be altered to better resemble natural, full-sized trees found in nature, Suiseki allows no alteration. These stones were of completely natural origin usually found in oceans, rivers and karst areas--all places where water has eroded stone, hence the name suiseki or 'water stone'. Suiseki were chosen for their artistic and decorative value and used for viewing on multiple scales, such as desks, viewing alcoves for votives or even large scale gardens. They were popular among Confusian and Buddhist scholars, as well as those of the upper class, hence the name "Scholar's stones."
This practice was common in Japan during the reign of Suiko-Tenno, the first of 8 Empress Regnants and the 33rd Monarch of Japan. Her Regnal name Suiko 推古 uses the Kanji for "Conjecture, theory, supposition," and "old". This sui is a homophone with the sui from suiseki, and ko is also a homophone with child (子), the dead or deceased (故) and daughter (娘). Empress Suiko seems to have been linked with water in her lifetime as some artistic renderings show her wearing blue and green with artistic ruffles to imitate water. Given Suiko's connection with water and her status as an Empress and mother, she may be an inspiration for Rennala herself.
Left: Empress Suiko (592-698 CE). Is there a resemblance maybe?
Suiseki itself is a reflection of the japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, or beauty in natural imperfection, which gives rise to many other aesthetic practices such as Kintsugi, or golden repair. Bi (美 ) means beauty, thus wabi-sabi is the beauty of wa 侘 and sa 寂, both meaning loneliness, silence and grief. Essentially wabi-sabi is finding in the cycle of life and death, the appreciation of the natural order which includes both the sweetness of nature as well as the bittersweetness and grief of passing things. Finding the beauty in things which are not perfect or everlasting, and which show the wear and passage of time, is the key to the Buddhist Nirvana, or the transcendence of suffering. It also makes suiseki and other artistic forms which use this practice physical representations of the Dao, or The Way of Heaven in Daoism.
Wabi-Sabi arts: Kintsugi \"Golden Repair\", Suiseki stone, Karesansui \"Zen Rock gardens\", Haiku poetry, Rikka Flower arrangement
So here we can see the similarities that suiseki has with the Crystalians. They are both stones formed of water (in the Crystalians case, Glintstone), which are kept by scholars (sorcerers) and may be a tribute to the Empress, or Queen of their time. They are both treasured for what they represent, the cycle of nature or the Primeval Current, and it is believed that meditating upon their meaning can impart knowledge or nirvana, that being ‘the wisdom of stone.’
Neither can be made by human hands, with suiseki only qualifying as such when it is completely a product of nature, while the Crystalians may be have been made someone who was greater than human, a god–or with the knowledge of this new connection, perhaps Crystalians can only be naturally created through the natural cycle of life and death, which has been halted in the lands between for some time. Their reasons for guarding crystals maybe to facilitate the creation of more Crystalians, by keeping humans from harvesting their crystal. Perhaps the accord they made with the Carians was to guarantee the protection of certain patches for the Crystalians alone, only harvesting glintstone from areas which the Crystalian’s allowed.
Crystalian's guarding what may perhaps become their future brethren.

The Wisdom of Stone

So after everything, what is the Wisdom of Stone? It is knowledge of the natural order, of the inevitable cycle of life and death, and the bittersweet ephemerality of existence.
We are told the Crystalians, “cleave close to the ideals of the Primeval Current”\1]). ‘Cleave’ is an extremely interesting word because it can mean both ‘marriage’ or 'to adhere', as well as ‘cleavage’ as in the splitting of rocks and stone. So it is a word which is its own opposite.
In this way it well describes the Primeval Current as well as the Crystalians themselves, as being directly connected to the Primeval Current and yet being disconnected fragments created from it. This perfectly illustrates the divine paradox and dichotomy of what the Primeval Current actually is.
After Sellen asks you to find her Masters Lusat and Azur, she says, “It warms my heart. That you still think of me. Yet I still yearn for you to find Master Lusat. His body is needed. At the academy, to hone the primeval current…”
This may be an echo to the Law of Regression, “Regression is the pull of meaning; that all things yearn eternally to converge.”
And the Karolos Glintstone Crown says, “The Karolos Conspectus is the oldest of the academy's lineages of study, begat by the sorcerer Azur. Scholars who follow in his footsteps pursue the mysteries of comets.”
‘Begat’ is a word typically used to describe the relationship of child to sire–the sire begat the child. It is perhaps most well known as the word used within the long lists of lineages within the Bible to signify family descent. This may be an echo of the Law of Causality, which says, “Causality is the pull between meanings; it is the connections that form the relationships of all things.”
Nature creates and nature destroys. Azur’s Founding Rain of Stars\23]) marks the founding of the Academy of Raya Lucaria. While Lusat’s Stars of Ruin, marked it’s creators end\26]).
[26] Stars of Ruin: Legendary sorcery devised by Lusat, primeval sorcerers.Fires twelve dark shooting stars that pursue the target. When Lusat glimpsed into the primeval current, he beheld the final moments of a great star cluster, and upon seeing it, he too was broken.
Rennala who had her time in the limelight as Champion of Raya Lucaria and Queen of Liurnia, as wife of Radagon and mother of Ranni, Rykard and Radahn–found her end mourning her dead and incomplete creations, her children dead or broken, her husband wed to another, her strength in the past, her grand academy becoming her prison and her kingdom in shambles.
All things have their rise and fall, just as the tides follow the cycles of the moon, all things follow the cycle of nature.
The Two Laws which govern the cosmos, which govern the golden order, which govern the Primeval Current, are thus: the inevitability of both birth and death, an eternal cycle of ephemeral existence. This is the Wisdom of Stone.
submitted by M00n_Slippers to EldenRingLoreTalk [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 11:08 adulting4kids Dead Sea Scrolls Study Guide -Unedited

The War Scroll, also known as the "War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness," is a unique text within the Dead Sea Scrolls that portrays an apocalyptic battle between the forces of good (Sons of Light) and evil (Sons of Darkness). This scroll provides insight into both historical and symbolic elements.
Historical Accuracy:
The War Scroll, while containing detailed military tactics and an epic narrative of the ultimate confrontation, doesn't explicitly reference any specific historical event or timeframe. Some scholars believe it could be a product of the community's anticipation of a future messianic conflict or a reflection of their own community's struggles against opposing forces during their time. Interpreting the historical accuracy of the scroll often involves exploring the context of the Qumran community and the turbulent times in which they lived.
Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:
The War Scroll goes beyond a mere description of a physical battle. It portrays a cosmic conflict between the forces of light and darkness, reflecting not just a literal warfare but also a symbolic and spiritual struggle. The text emphasizes righteousness, divine intervention, and the victory of good over evil.
Within the study guide, activities and exercises could involve dissecting the symbolic elements present in the War Scroll, exploring the deeper meanings behind the battle tactics and the metaphysical implications of the conflict. Understanding the symbolism could involve group discussions, comparative analysis with other ancient texts with similar themes, and exploring the impact of this symbolic representation on the community's beliefs and practices.
Here are a few activities and exercises to explore the symbolism and historical context of the War Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls:
  1. Symbolism Analysis:
Provide excerpts from the War Scroll and encourage participants to identify and discuss the symbolic meanings behind elements like the "Sons of Light" and the "Sons of Darkness," various weapons, and the strategies outlined for battle. Group discussions or written reflections can help participants explore the deeper layers of meaning.
  1. Comparative Analysis:
Compare the War Scroll's themes with similar apocalyptic or eschatological texts from different cultures or religions, such as apocalyptic passages in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible or apocalyptic texts from other ancient traditions. Create worksheets or discussion prompts to highlight similarities and differences in themes, symbols, and beliefs about cosmic battles.
  1. Historical Context Exploration:
Present historical information about the era when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. Discuss the political, social, and religious climate of that time, including the turmoil in the region, to understand how these factors might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll. Encourage participants to consider the possible motivations behind the text's creation.
  1. Creative Interpretation:
Encourage creative expression by asking participants to create artwork, poems, or short stories inspired by the themes and imagery found in the War Scroll. This exercise allows individuals to engage more deeply with the symbolic elements and interpret them in their own unique ways.
  1. Role-playing or Debates:
    Organize a role-playing activity where participants take on the roles of "Sons of Light" and "Sons of Darkness," debating their ideologies, motivations, and strategies for the ultimate battle. This exercise helps in understanding differing perspectives and interpreting the conflicts presented in the scroll.
Interpretative variations regarding the river's crossing in different ancient texts reflect the unique religious, philosophical, and cultural perspectives embedded within these narratives. These differences in interpretation offer insights into diverse worldviews and varying theological frameworks present in ancient texts:
  1. Mesopotamian Context:
  1. Biblical Context:
  1. Gnostic or Apocryphal Context:
  1. Greco-Roman Interpretation:
These varied interpretations highlight the richness and diversity of religious, philosophical, and cultural frameworks present in ancient texts. The river's crossing serves as a flexible symbol that adapts to different narratives, conveying themes of transition, judgment, liberation, or cosmic transformation based on the unique perspectives of each tradition.
Exploring these interpretative variations allows participants to appreciate the complexity of symbolism within ancient texts and provides insights into how different cultures and belief systems interpreted common motifs like the river Euphrates. It showcases the intricate interplay between religious, philosophical, and cultural elements shaping the symbolism and theological implications embedded in these narratives.
The river Euphrates, a prominent geographic feature in ancient texts, embodies universal themes that transcend specific cultural contexts. Identifying these universal themes helps reveal shared human concepts of transition, boundaries, and transformative events across diverse ancient traditions:
  1. Threshold and Transition:
  1. Boundary and Separation:
  1. Transformative Events:
  1. Symbol of Power and Control:
  1. Metaphor for Spiritual Journeys:
These universal themes associated with the river Euphrates highlight fundamental aspects of the human experience—transitions, boundaries, transformative events, power dynamics, and spiritual journeys. The river's symbolism in ancient texts speaks to shared human aspirations, struggles, and beliefs that transcend cultural boundaries and resonate across different epochs and civilizations.
By identifying and discussing these universal themes, participants gain a deeper appreciation for the profound symbolism embedded in ancient texts and recognize the timeless relevance of concepts such as transition, boundaries, and transformative events in shaping human narratives and aspirations.
  1. Historical Context:
  1. Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:
  1. Comparative Analysis:
  1. Parallelism in Biblical Texts:
  1. Community Beliefs and Practices:
  1. Cultural Significance of Cosmic Battles:
  1. Interpretive Variations and Unique Perspectives:
  1. Personal Reflection and Modern Relevance:
  1. Theological and Philosophical Implications:
  1. Literary and Symbolic Analysis:
- Analyze the narrative structure and symbolic elements present in specific passages of the War Scroll. How do these elements contribute to the text's overarching themes and meanings?
These study questions aim to provoke critical thinking, promote in-depth exploration of themes, encourage comparative analysis, and stimulate discussions on the multifaceted nature of the War Scroll's content and its significance within ancient and contemporary contexts.
  1. Archaeological and Linguistic Analysis:
- How does the physical condition of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, impact our understanding of their preservation and historical context? - Discuss the linguistic peculiarities or unique textual features found within the War Scroll and their implications for translation and interpretation.
  1. Apocalyptic Expectations and Messianic Concepts:
- Explore the portrayal of messianic figures or anticipated saviors within the War Scroll. How do these concepts align with or diverge from contemporary expectations of a messianic figure in other ancient texts or religious traditions?
  1. Impact of Apocalyptic Literature:
- Analyze the enduring influence of apocalyptic literature, such as the War Scroll, on subsequent religious, literary, or cultural traditions. How have these texts shaped later beliefs or inspired artistic and literary works?
  1. Ethical and Moral Frameworks:
- Discuss the ethical or moral implications of the cosmic conflict depicted in the War Scroll. How do the themes of righteousness and wickedness contribute to the text's underlying moral framework?
  1. Role of Prophecy and Revelation:
- Explore the role of prophecy and revelation within the War Scroll. How do the prophetic elements contribute to the text's portrayal of future events and cosmic justice?
  1. Experiential and Ritualistic Elements:
- Investigate potential ritualistic or experiential dimensions associated with the teachings or beliefs conveyed in the War Scroll. How might the community have engaged with these teachings in their religious practices or communal activities?
  1. Literary Genre and Interpretation:
- Discuss the classification of the War Scroll within the broader genre of apocalyptic literature. How does its classification influence our understanding and interpretation of its themes and symbolic elements?
  1. Relevance in Modern Scholarship:
- Reflect on the ongoing scholarly debates or discoveries related to the War Scroll. How have modern interpretations evolved, and what implications do these new perspectives have on our understanding of the text?
  1. Intersection of Faith and Scholarship:
- Consider the interplay between faith-based interpretations and scholarly analyses of the War Scroll. How might religious convictions or theological frameworks influence academic research and vice versa?
  1. Future Research and Interpretative Avenues:
- Propose potential avenues for future research or areas of exploration concerning the War Scroll. What unanswered questions or unexplored aspects merit further investigation?
The composition of the War Scroll, along with other Dead Sea Scrolls, was likely influenced by several historical events and societal conditions prevalent during the time of its writing, which is estimated to be between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE:
  1. Hellenistic Rule and Cultural Influence:
  1. Political Turmoil and Resistance Movements:
  1. Religious Sects and Spiritual Expectations:
  1. Anticipation of Cosmic Redemption:
Regarding the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery, its significance lies in multiple facets:
  1. Preservation of Ancient Texts:
  1. Insights into Jewish Sectarianism:
  1. Confirmation of Scriptural Accuracy:
  1. Impact on Biblical Studies and Scholarship:
The historical context of political upheaval, religious expectations, and the preservation of texts within the Dead Sea Scrolls contributes significantly to understanding the milieu in which the War Scroll was written. It provides a backdrop against which the themes of cosmic conflict, eschatological anticipation, and religious fervor within the War Scroll can be comprehended.
submitted by adulting4kids to writingthruit [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 08:28 APeacefulWarrior Shadow Hearts (PS2) - A so-so start to a nearly-forgotten cult trilogy

TL;DR: Shadow Hearts is at its best when its reveling in its weird scenario and unusual character lineup, but suffers from a lot of issues common to early 6th gen JRPGs - and its biggest sin is that the combat is downright boring.
Shadow Hearts is one of those franchises that constantly comes up on 'best games you never played' lists, yet despite seeing three back-to-back releases on PS2, it somehow never even hit enough critical mass to even count as a cult classic. Instead, it's largely sunk into the memory hole.
Is it due to its first true entry being a pretty mid game? Maybe.
The Good
Shadow Hearts makes a strong first impression with its genuinely unique setting - the real world, in the late 1910s. Moreover, the first half of the game takes place in China while it was under Japanese occupation. I've never seen another game to ever have that as the setting, much less one from a Japanese developer! (They don't like talking about the Imperial days.) On top of that, the game is fundamentally horror themed, with a really interesting mashup of Victorian gothic, Lovecraftian, and Daoist horror tropes.
So if you want a JRPG with a totally unique setting, Shadow Hearts definitely has that going for it.
The game also features one of the more unusual casts of heroes to show up in a JRPG. By the end, your party includes:
  • A loveable (sometimes) jerkass as our protagonist, who can transform into demons
  • A British Christian woman who prays her way to victory while smacking enemies with her Bible
  • An ancient Chinese master of Daoist magic
  • An overenthusiastic mercenary lady who likes explosives a bit too much
  • A friendly vampire who's mostly there because he was bored from centuries cooped up in his castle
  • A Dickensian waif, complete with newsie cap
Later on, the game's action moves to a grand tour of Europe, including Germany, France, and England. You get to cover a lot of ground in this one! The artwork was clearly drawn without much in the way of reference material, more of a dreamlike reimagining of the early 20th century.
Graphically, it's nothing special. It continues the 5th Gen method of using pre-rendered backgrounds with polygonal characters on top, and CGI cutscenes for major events. Honestly, at times it just feels like an upscaled PSX game, and rarely makes good use of the PS2's power. Still, the artwork is generally nice, within this style. Plus, the monster designs are genuinely creative, with some of the most interesting creatures I've seen outside of an Atlus game.
And it features one gimmick unique to this franchise: The Judgement Ring. It's basically a QTE, with a line sweeping around a round dial, and you have to hit the X button when it passes over certain hit zones. Every time you attempt to attack, or do any other battle action, you have to hit 1-5 marks on the dial for the action to succeed. Small red areas, much harder to hit, add power to the action, much like a crit.
The Ring of Doom also gets used for various other actions, such as haggling in shops, or performing actions on the map. Basically, you'll be spending a lot of time doing precise button-presses.
Unfortunately, this is where the game's good aspects mostly stop.
The Bad
Many of the game's problems are simply due to it being an early-2000s JRPG with the issues common to that time - such as battles being filled with overly-long repetitive magic spell animations that get very old, very quickly. Worse, because of the nature of the combat and its QTEs, you can't just play the game on fast-forward in an emulator. At least, not without constantly toggling FF on and off.
Making the combat worse is that it's simply boring. They don't actually do anything interesting with the Ring of Honor. It's just there to slow down your commands and punish you for not constantly giving the game your full attention. Otherwise, the combat is absolutely bog-standard stuff, with two lines of combatants taking turns wacking each other.
In theory, elemental weaknesses come into play, but their effect on battles seems absolutely minimal. Even the hero's demon transformations just grant a couple extra magic powers and extra-powerful standard attacks. The only other halfway interesting aspect is that the enemies are ruthless about spamming status effects, including ones which can make the Dial of Destiny invisible to prevent you from attacking! Which is just obnoxious, frankly.
To its credit, at least the game keeps the encounter rate fairly low. But that's faint praise.
Plus, of course, all the bosses are big sacks of hit points, leading to tedious 15+ minute battles as you whittle down their health. Attack, attack, heal. Attack, attack, heal. Attack, attack, heal. Neither side has enough attacks or buff options to actually make the fight interesting. Either you go into it with sufficient magic and consumables to survive, or you don't.
Likewise, while I love the setting and scenario, the actual plot is a silly cliche storm. A bad guy wants to destroy the world to save it. Our plucky heroes have to kill god. You've seen it a million times. I found the game was actually more interesting in its episodic moments, when the heroes wander into a town that's haunted by an evil spirit or such, and have to deal with that. By the end, the combination of the rote story and annoying/boring combat made me really hate trudging through the obligatory too-long final dungeon.
Piling onto the issues, I also really disliked the soundtrack. The main battle theme in the first half is genuinely one of the worst I've ever heard. It would have been OK as a one-off bespoke boss battle track, but it became downright grating quite quickly. Most of the rest of the tracks were unexceptional, and occasionally felt out of place (like a bouncy happy theme for a London slum?), with very little standing out.
And while the English voice dubbing in cutscenes and battles does have that early-aughts cheesy charm, it's surprisingly inconsistent on what got dubbed. Some characters even switch between English and Japanese during their battle cries!
Then on top of everything else, the game is absolutely FULL of missable content, including entire side-quests in new locations. Even important stuff like how to unlock your most powerful demons and attacks are gated behind completely unintuitive actions. And if you want to see the good ending, you pretty much have to follow a guide - not unless you're willing to religiously go back to every previous area and talk to every previous NPC, over and over after every plot beat.
In Conclusion
Can Shadow Hearts be recommended solely on its own merits? I'm not sure it can. The unusual scenario and Red Ring of Death gimmick just weren't enough to hold my interest, even with its relatively short 25-30 hour playtime, when the rest of the game design was just so mid. However, it seems that the sequels are considered much better games, so at least I'm still interested in continuing the franchise. Although I think I'll take a break before playing the next one.
submitted by APeacefulWarrior to patientgamers [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 19:54 Charchit_005 Macro VBA[Excel]

Ok so I used ChatGPT to write this macro for me, which is only working for like 30%. I would really appreciate some help on how to improve this code or if anyone can suggest some better way to do this: Goal is to compare two files and copy the common data to a tab already provided in the second file. So I have 2 files- 1. Configuration _file 2. macro
The first file have multiple tabs which gets updated by some other team, these tabs are details of different states and it specifies when a certain fee is charged over claim. There are 4 type of main fees: 1. Title fee 2. Registration fee 3. Plates fee 4. Additional fee Under these there are sub fees which gets applicable and non applicable depending on the state this is indicated by columns populated to the left of these fees. And always these fees are ended by a bold line after which irrelevant data is provided.
I am only concerned with applicable fees, even if in either of columns applicable is mentioned, it is relevant and the rest is not a concern.
Now coming on to the next file, here 2 static tabs are provided:
  1. Links
  2. CCC_tool
In the second tab of this file Column A to I entails detail about a particular claim and column E specifies states, after column I to column AI are different types of fees and these are or same format as in file 1. I want only relevant columns to get copied in other state tabs of this file(which I will create every time).
The code provided below only copies Column A to Column I and all of the column headers are getting copied with no data under it.
I would really appreciate if anyone can solve this issue
Below is code:
Sub FilterAndCopyRelevantData() Dim wsConfig As Workbook Dim wsCCC As Worksheet Dim wsState As Worksheet Dim wsConfigState As Worksheet Dim ws As Worksheet Dim lastRow As Long Dim feeStartRow As Long Dim state As Variant Dim feeName As Variant Dim headerCol As Long Dim i As Long, j As Long, k As Long Dim configFilePath As String Dim stateList As Collection Dim colNum As Long Dim feeDict As Object Dim key As Variant Dim relevantFees As Collection ' Get the folder path where the macro workbook is stored configFilePath = ThisWorkbook.Path & "\Configuration_file.xlsm" ' Open the Configuration file On Error Resume Next Set wsConfig = Workbooks.Open(configFilePath) If wsConfig Is Nothing Then MsgBox "Configuration file could not be found or opened. Please check the file path.", vbCritical Exit Sub End If On Error GoTo 0 ' Set the CCC_tool worksheet Set wsCCC = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("CCC_tool") ' Create a collection of state names from the existing sheets (excluding "Link" and "CCC_tool") Set stateList = New Collection For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets If ws.Name <> "Link" And ws.Name <> "CCC_tool" Then stateList.Add ws.Name End If Next ws ' Loop through each state tab For Each state In stateList ' Set the state worksheet Set wsState = ThisWorkbook.Sheets(state) ' Clear existing data in the state tab wsState.Cells.Clear ' Copy column headers from CCC_tool to the state tab wsCCC.Rows(1).Copy Destination:=wsState.Rows(1) ' Copy columns A to I for the specific state With wsCCC lastRow = .Cells(.Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row k = 2 For i = 2 To lastRow If .Cells(i, 5).Value = state Then ' Copy columns A to I For j = 1 To 9 wsState.Cells(k, j).Value = .Cells(i, j).Value Next j k = k + 1 End If Next i End With ' Create a collection to store relevant fee columns Set relevantFees = New Collection ' Find the relevant fee names from the Configuration file On Error Resume Next Set wsConfigState = wsConfig.Sheets(state) On Error GoTo 0 If Not wsConfigState Is Nothing Then feeStartRow = 13 ' Loop through until the bold line indicating the end of relevant fee rows and ignore empty cells j = feeStartRow Do While wsConfigState.Cells(j, 1).Font.Bold = False And wsConfigState.Cells(j, 1).Value <> "" feeName = wsConfigState.Cells(j, 1).Value ' Check if any of the condition columns have "All" If Application.WorksheetFunction.CountIf(wsConfigState.Range(wsConfigState.Cells(j, 3), wsConfigState.Cells(j, 9)), "All") > 0 Then ' Add the fee name to the collection relevantFees.Add feeName End If ' Move to the next fee row j = j + 1 Loop ' Copy the relevant fee columns to the state tab For Each feeName In relevantFees headerCol = Application.Match(feeName, wsCCC.Rows(1), 0) If Not IsError(headerCol) Then ' Copy the header to the state tab colNum = wsState.Cells(1, wsState.Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column + 1 wsState.Cells(1, colNum).Value = wsCCC.Cells(1, headerCol).Value ' Copy the data to the state tab k = 2 For i = 2 To lastRow If wsCCC.Cells(i, 5).Value = state Then wsState.Cells(k, colNum).Value = wsCCC.Cells(i, headerCol).Value k = k + 1 End If Next i End If Next feeName End If Next state ' Close the Configuration file wsConfig.Close SaveChanges:=False MsgBox "Data copied to state tabs successfully." End Sub
submitted by Charchit_005 to vba [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 06:27 Entire_Brother2257 Over-reliance of textual sources versus polygonal masonry as evidence

Over-reliance of textual sources versus polygonal masonry as evidence
Too much credence is given to ancient texts. Case in point:
  • Cyclopean does not mean big, nor one-eyed.
https://preview.redd.it/uimq12bh8b1d1.png?width=822&format=png&auto=webp&s=9833c986ca7991cc7ba0ca79517ca55302bb07e6
Well, nowadays it does, because that’s the way language works, changing overtime in a way words can even go to mean the opposite of what they originally meant.
Originally:
-One eye would be Monocular.
-and big rock be Megalithic
-Cyclopean was not about one nor big.
Walls in Mycenae are said to be cyclopean, and this is justified because the Greeks were impressed with the big size of the rocks moved there. That’s the most common answer found online.
However in Athens there is a wall in the Pnyx hill, with bigger stones that hardly anyone would call cyclopean.
So, what did the ancient sources see in Mycenae to start using the name Cyclopean? And not apply it to Athens, or Delphi for that matter.
Cyclop, as a word, comes from round, like in cyclone, or bicycle, and applied to walls it would mean encirclement, not big, not fitted. A cyclopean wall, with cycle, was thus a wall all around the city. That much we can see in Mycenae or Tiryns. And not in Pnix-Athens, nor in Delphi, the later ones, are just one-sided retainer walls, although polygonal and big.
This Cyclop thing, meaning built by giants, is the result of a mistranslation. Most of the texts used as sources, like Aristotle, are copies of copies of comments made by third parties a thousand years later, in totally different contexts.
For that reason, Aristotle, and others, as a source, should be taken with more care, than for example 100 meters of finely cut, 3d puzzled stone wall. It’s not because Romans would (later) call cyclopean to Mycenae and not do so to Pnix in Athens, that they are from different dates. Pnix is not an encirclement, that’s just it, other conclusions on dating need further proof, stronger proof.
Beyond that it’s fun to make jokes about the one-eyed giant (got it?) the mistranslation comes as a cautionary tale not to give textual sources meaning they were not meant to have. Stones can be louder than words.
More about mistranslations:
https://youtu.be/KYYI7pHihcc
submitted by Entire_Brother2257 to AlternativeHistory [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 14:57 Class_Act2023 Interesting change to ERAS for 2024-2025 applicants

The AAMC recently told everyone about changes to the ERAS application. They mentioned moving the "Medical Education/Training Interruption" area to the Education section, but they did not mention the massive change in context.
In previous years, the question simply asked if your medical training was extended or interrupted in any way. This allowed people to cite Covid delays, personal illness/loss, financial struggles, etc., offering reasonable explanations about why their education "took longer than it should have." Now, the question is (see page 10 of the ERAS worksheet):
"Have you had any unplanned professionalism or academic issues in your medical education or training that caused an interruption or extension? Note: This section is not intended to solicit information about your health, disability, or family status."
Dr. Carmody started a conversation about this via Twitter that's very insightful and offers a lot of critiques on this change.
My thoughts:
I wonder if the intentions were good. Perhaps "they" decided that extensions of education are common (especially for IMGs). People often take extensions for USMLE prep and clinical rotations, or for the reasons noted above like loss and financial struggles. So...perhaps this change is saying, "It's fine if you had an extension for a reasonable circumstance. However, if your course of education was longer because you had professional or academic disciplinary issues, we want to know about it here."
Another thought is that extensions are often discussed in the Impactful Experience section as they can be considered "hardships that influenced your journey to residency" (quoted from the ERAS worksheet, page 17). I wonder if they were seeing a lot of repetition in these two areas of the application.
What does everyone think?
Tiffany
submitted by Class_Act2023 to IMGreddit [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 06:48 ImpressionReal6727 SAT Tips for Upcoming Writers + My Experience

Since the June DSAT is coming up I thought I'd make a post on tips and resources I used to help me study for the May 4th sat. This post goes into decent depth so read it all carefully and remember what worked for me might not work for you.
If you're like me and procrastinated studying until now then this post is definitely for you. All my prep for the May 4th test was done in like 14 days and I expect a score of 1540 or above.
My scores for the college board practice tests:
Practice Test 1: 1220
Practice Test 2: 1190
Practice Test 3: 1530
Practice Test 4: 1360
Practice Test 5: 1460
Practice Test 6: 1530
PRACTICE TESTS EXPERIENCE: Practice Test 1 and 2 were done without desmos since I didn't even know I could use it, so I basically wasted those two. I did test 2 after doing khan academy, test 3 was done using desmos and I did it after I grinded through like 80% of khan academy. Practice Test 4 truly humbled me and I realized how unprepared I really was which was when I started watching more youtube videos. I took the practice test 5 only 2 days after test 4 and my score increased like crazy which made me confident again.
NOTE: PRACTICE TEST 4, 5, AND 6 ARE THE CLOSEST IN DIFFICULTY TO THE REAL DEAL, TEST 1, 2 AND 3 ARE VERY EASY COMPARED TO THE REAL THING.
BASICS FOR BEGINNERS: If you have not studied yet at all you should start with basic concepts on Khan academy, grind through the lessons and videos, do the practice questions in the foundation section and medium section. Also learn how to use desmos, I used desmos for things I didn't even know was possible. Learning how to use desmos got rid of easy constant questions, inequalities, system of equations. Make sure to watch the 3 part desmos videos I talked about below in the youtubers section, it truly helped me a lot.
YOUTUBE: Youtube was one of the key reasons my score increased, I watched videos on the dsat constantly, while I ate food, even on my breaks I just watched videos running through the practice test I had already taken over and over again. I went over each practice test and the mistakes I made probably like 3 - 4 times throughout the 15 days.
QUESTION BANK: After I finished every practice test provided by the college board, ONLY THEN did I go to the college board question bank. This is because a good amount of the questions off of the practice tests are in this bank so without knowing it your brain could memorize how to do it and recognize it when doing the practice test which would inflate your marks. I probably went through hundreds of questions from the question bank (English and math) within the last 3 days before the may 4th test.
EXTRA TIPS: Sleep and exercise are also very important and something that I think isn't talked about enough, this applies more to people who are in my boat and are studying last minute and want a really high score. I slept crazy every night and it really helped me retain more information. Exercise is an amazing break even a walk works, anytime I hit a wall during my study periods I'd just go to the gym for 45 minutes to and hour and I would always come back refreshed ready to study again.
Youtubers I used:
Not promoting these guys in any way but they're just the only youtubers I used and I think other people here would probably find them useful.
Here are all the youtubers I used, Scalar Learning, Settele Tutoring, Tutorllini Test Prep, Strategic Test Prep, Method Learning.
Scalar Learning: He has some decent videos teaching basic concepts and his shorts have some good practice questions that he goes through.
Settele Tutoring: Settele was the one I watched the most, he went through every single question (in separate videos) on every single practice test given by the college board, I also watched some of his free concept learning videos on english, I think he explains a lot of the stuff pretty well. He’s amazing at english and helping you learn english, he made something called a “dumb summary” which I actually used a lot on my may 4th sat, it’s essentially a method where you can summarize a massive paragraph in like 30-40 seconds easily.
Tutorllini Test Prep: Has some good concept videos and also goes through all the math questions on all the practice tests really well, sometimes giving like 2-3 different methods you can use to solve a single question. He also goes through some of his own worksheets that he’s made and some of them are pretty good practice.
Strategic Test Prep: She gives some good test day tips and tips and shortcuts in general for the SAT, her explanations on the practice tests are also pretty decent.
Method Learning: Method Learning is what I’d say really boosted my score in the very beginning stages of my studying. This is only because of his 3 part desmos videos, I didn’t watch any of his other videos but that 3 part seriously was a game changer. The desmos tips he gives are amazing. An example is if a question gives you a linear or quadratic equation and then a constant in it, you can plug that exact equation into desmos and move the slider around to find what the constant is, this takes no more than 30 seconds.
Formulas I memorized for the DSAT:
You will have to memorize some formulas for the DSAT and some will make your life easier.
Sum of interior angles in a polygon: 180(n-2)
Area of a sector: πr^2 ⋅ θ/360
Arc Length: 2πr ⋅ θ/360
Mass/Volume/Density: m = v(d)
X cord. of vertex: -b/2a
Sum of solutions: -b/a
Product of solutions: c/a
If anyone needs any tips or anything just let me know I'll try my best to respond.
Whatever score you want is possible if you're willing to put in the work and time.
submitted by ImpressionReal6727 to Sat [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 06:46 ImpressionReal6727 SAT tips for upcoming writers

Since the June DSAT is coming up I thought I'd make a post on tips and resources I used to help me study for the May 4th sat. This post goes into decent depth so read it all carefully and remember what worked for me might not work for you.
If you're like me and procrastinated studying until now then this post is definitely for you. All my prep for the May 4th test was done in like 15 days and I expect a score of 1540 or above.
My scores for the college board practice tests:
Practice Test 1: 1220
Practice Test 2: 1190
Practice Test 3: 1530
Practice Test 4: 1360
Practice Test 5: 1460
Practice Test 6: 1530
PRACTICE TESTS EXPERIENCE: Practice Test 1 and 2 were done without desmos since I didn't even know I could use it, so I basically wasted those two. I did test 2 after doing khan academy, test 3 was done using desmos and I did it after I grinded through like 80% of khan academy. Practice Test 4 truly humbled me and I realized how unprepared I really was which was when I started watching more youtube videos. I took the practice test 5 only 2 days after test 4 and my score increased like crazy which made me confident again.
NOTE: PRACTICE TEST 4, 5, AND 6 ARE THE CLOSEST IN DIFFICULTY TO THE REAL DEAL, TEST 1, 2 AND 3 ARE VERY EASY COMPARED TO THE REAL THING.
BASICS FOR BEGINNERS: If you have not studied yet at all you should start with basic concepts on Khan academy, grind through the lessons and videos, do the practice questions in the foundation section and medium section. Also learn how to use desmos, I used desmos for things I didn't even know was possible. Learning how to use desmos got rid of easy constant questions, inequalities, system of equations. Make sure to watch the 3 part desmos videos I talked about below in the youtubers section, it truly helped me a lot.
YOUTUBE: Youtube was one of the key reasons my score increased, I watched videos on the dsat constantly, while I ate food, even on my breaks I just watched videos running through the practice test I had already taken over and over again. I went over each practice test and the mistakes I made probably like 3 - 4 times throughout the 15 days.
QUESTION BANK: After I finished every practice test provided by the college board, ONLY THEN did I go to the college board question bank. This is because a good amount of the questions off of the practice tests are in this bank so without knowing it your brain could memorize how to do it and recognize it when doing the practice test which would inflate your marks. I probably went through hundreds of questions from the question bank (English and math) within the last 3 days before the may 4th test.
EXTRA TIPS: Sleep and exercise are also very important and something that I think isn't talked about enough, this applies more to people who are in my boat and are studying last minute and want a really high score. I slept crazy every night and it really helped me retain more information. Exercise is an amazing break even a walk works, anytime I hit a wall during my study periods I'd just go to the gym for 45 minutes to and hour and I would always come back refreshed ready to study again.
Youtubers I used:
Not promoting these guys in any way but they're just the only youtubers I used and I think other people here would probably find them useful.
Here are all the youtubers I used, Scalar Learning, Settele Tutoring, Tutorllini Test Prep, Strategic Test Prep, Method Learning.
Scalar Learning: He has some decent videos teaching basic concepts and his shorts have some good practice questions that he goes through.
Settele Tutoring: Settele was the one I watched the most, he went through every single question (in separate videos) on every single practice test given by the college board, I also watched some of his free concept learning videos on english, I think he explains a lot of the stuff pretty well. He’s amazing at english and helping you learn english, he made something called a “dumb summary” which I actually used a lot on my may 4th sat, it’s essentially a method where you can summarize a massive paragraph in like 30-40 seconds easily.
Tutorllini Test Prep: Has some good concept videos and also goes through all the math questions on all the practice tests really well, sometimes giving like 2-3 different methods you can use to solve a single question. He also goes through some of his own worksheets that he’s made and some of them are pretty good practice.
Strategic Test Prep: She gives some good test day tips and tips and shortcuts in general for the SAT, her explanations on the practice tests are also pretty decent.
Method Learning: Method Learning is what I’d say really boosted my score in the very beginning stages of my studying. This is only because of his 3 part desmos videos, I didn’t watch any of his other videos but that 3 part seriously was a game changer. The desmos tips he gives are amazing. An example is if a question gives you a linear or quadratic equation and then a constant in it, you can plug that exact equation into desmos and move the slider around to find what the constant is, this takes no more than 30 seconds.
Formulas I memorized for the DSAT:
You will have to memorize some formulas for the DSAT and some will make your life easier.
Sum of interior angles in a polygon: 180(n-2)
Area of a sector: πr^2 ⋅ θ/360
Arc Length: 2πr ⋅ θ/360
Mass/Volume/Density: m = v(d)
X cord. of vertex: -b/2a
Sum of solutions: -b/a
Product of solutions: c/a
If anyone needs any tips or anything just let me know I'll try my best to respond.
Whatever score you want is possible if you're willing to put in the work and time.
submitted by ImpressionReal6727 to SATACTprep [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 01:25 Hamster729 Unwrapping Wormhole WETH

This is not exactly a Solana topic, but most W discussions seem to happen in this subreddit, so here goes.
I'm trying to make sense of how Wormhole WETH is supposed to work. I have figured out how to bridge it from SOL to ETH L2's and back (though bridging back is problematic, because the claim transaction often has to be performed several times before it "sticks".)
What I don't quite get is how I am supposed to use it on the receiving end. I've tested it on Base and Polygon, and in both cases it arrives at the destination as a "Wrapped Ether (Wormhole)", distinct from native/wrapped ether. I found that Uniswap has pools for swapping Wormhole WETH for normal WETH in both cases, but it gives me "infrequently swapped token" warnings, and those pools have virtually no activity (they average ~1 transaction per hour).
Is this really how they are intended to be unwrapped (and it's just something that no one ever does), or am I missing some other, more common option?
submitted by Hamster729 to solana [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 23:12 fanofhistory2029 The Platonic Ideal Life Path

I've recently been reflecting on my efforts at being more productive and started writing some longer form content to help structure my thoughts.
I wrote up the below in the past few days and wanted to share. Perhaps some of you have also found yourself hindered by an ongoing search for the ideal life path vs. just enjoy the journey.
Hope you find this helpful!
Despite your inflated sense of yourself, you are not, amongst all other humans, impervious to being brainwashed. This is a hardwired feature of your mind and a circuit that is operating at all times, if you allow it to do so. You aren’t being brainwashed in the cartoonish mode of being made to act like a chicken or empty your wallet. However, you are being brainwashed nonetheless.
Replace the word “brainwashed” with “influenced” and you may start to see my point. If you read me, you are not a fan of the influencers for stupid people (a la Andrew Tate) but perhaps you have more refined taste (Huberman, Attia, Ferriss, Jocko, Peterson, Newport). If there are any such personalities you are a fan of, I assure you that in your efforts to live a more productive, successful, disciplined life… you have been brainwashed.
I want to focus on how quickly the messages that you hear from these sources transition into “shoulds” that run in the background of your daily self-talk. These sources are an unending stream of great ideas for how you should wake up, how you should work, how you should eat, how you should exercise, how you should have sex, how you should meditate, how you should partake in leisure and so on. Notice that they don’t always come in the form of a statement that says “you should do x.” They may come in the form of “my typical daily routine looks like y”. Either way, your mind is primed and ready to sponge it all up.
If you were but a simple peasant farming in Ye Olde England six hundred years ago, your life was governed by a very rigid set of “shoulds”. There was the Bible, there were social norms, the rules of the king, and so. However, these were still a relatively manageable list of rules that one could live by, and it was not unreasonable to assume that you could mostly stay on the Righteous Path. Fast forward to the algo-influencer age and all bets are off. Open up any platform and within minutes, you’ll be bombarded with more “shoulds” than you can possibly keep in mind at once. This observation comes with no value judgment on the quality of what we are being told, I am only commenting on the volume.
You are wrong if you tell me that you are effective at curating the good stuff that will improve your life from the algo-influencer-Youtube-podcast-x regime. I know you think you are because, as we noted, you are a fan of the high class, refined content. The good stuff. The science backed stuff. Here’s the thing, once a source of information finds some sort of “resonance” with your subconscious, you are going to suck it all right up. All the great stuff you hear will immediately seep into your subconscious and become a constant quiet voice in the back of your mind berating you with a litany of “shoulds.”
Alas, you object - it’s all good stuff. Huberman has me locked onto managing my dopamine levels, Attia has me optimizing my diet, Dr. Zoidberg has me keeping limber, and Cal Newport is showing me how to live a deep life. I want to point out three problems with what is going on here.
Problem #1 - Your mind is not actually asking what end purpose is being served by adopting the idea that you “should” be doing a given thing.
Let’s cue Jocko Willink on this one. I am someone who, for many years, felt it was important to wake up at 4:30am because of… discipline. Why? Well, I must get up early to be up before the enemy and for freedom. I note that discipline is the ultimate meta-”should”. Discipline means getting yourself to do all the “shoulds” on your list. Can anyone tell me what outcome I’m missing out on by not partaking in a daily cold plunge, heat plunge, ice bath, or looking at the sun within 15 minutes of waking up?
Problem #2 - Even if you have a desired end goal, your mind is not doing a rigorous job of assessing whether or not a given “should” will get you there.
Most of us would like more control of our daily schedule in order to have more freedom and flexibility. The grindset types on Youtube, or on X have a common solution for us. I am not likely taking a huge leap in that one “should” you have picked up is something to do with entrepreneurship. Ok, have you really considered whether starting your own business will give you more freedom? Maybe it will… I just suspect you picked up this idea without really looking at the pros and cons.
Problem #3 - Even if you’ve been bequeathed a fantastic, grade A, “should” from someone… you’ve got more than you can handle already.
If a “should” that you heard on Youtube or read in a book resonates for some reason, your mind will take it up and start beaming you subconscious messages to do that thing. Your mind will also happily send you 10 of these at once. Are they contradictory? Who cares? I “should” wake up at 4:30, and I should sleep at least 8 hours with no alarm clock. I should also consider being a night owl creative type, and stay up late to grind if life demands it. Some “shoulds” probably aren’t even really defined to any precision. I should be more driven, more mindful, more dynamic. I genuinely feel all those impulses and can’t even begin to tell you what it would like to actually do them. Mr. Brain has no problem with cognitive dissonance, and will dutifully tell me to live up to all of these.
Let’s now talk about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (as an aside, yes I also feel a “should” to be more religious, spiritual, and penitent). Well, really I want to talk about The Promised Land. I know you… you are the hard driving, disciplined type. You like to punish yourself for not living up to your expectations. Alas, you are on the verge of getting there. If you could just get a few days in a row where you nail all your “shoulds,” it will all fall into place. One perfect day will lead to the next and the next. Then, I’ll have made it. I’ll be in the land of enlightenment (and oh so productive). Fellow pilgrim, I’m right there with you on the Righteous Path.
Wait a second, something feels off. Did I say above that our mind will happily adopt any set of “shoulds” no matter how contradictory or ill-defined they may be? And, did I also say that I’m striving to get to The Promised Land by doing “All the Shoulds”? If The Righteous Path is the road that leads to The Promised Land, I’ve got some bad news for you. You are permanently off The Righteous Path. This, my friend, is why you constantly feel like you are not living up to your expectations. They are impossible - you never had a chance. It’s ok though - Jesus died for your sins and there is still a path to salvation.
Oh, but, I’m not ready for salvation, I want to rock on. Here’s what we’d all prefer to do when faced with that sensation of being off the Path. It’s time to hunker down, and go to war, and GRIND. Don’t tell me I can’t do it all. When fate whispers, “You cannot Withstand The Storm,” the Warrior Whispers, “I am the Storm.” I’m feeling chills (no really, it’s a great quote). That’s how we roll. We man up and get that shit done. Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but if that worked you wouldn’t still be in the market for motivational content. You are still lost… no Youtube video is going to get out of the bottomless deep of the “should.”
Back to Jesus (gasp - you didn’t warn me this would be a borderline sacrilegious article). It’s okay, Jesus is fair game in the algo-world. This is that obnoxious pause point in a self help book where there’s a worksheet page and you are asked to write stuff down. Take 10 minutes and make yourself a list of all the “shoulds” that you are feeling at this point about your life. I’ll help you get going with some prompts: businesses to start, podcasts to create, books to read, daily rituals to adopt, food to eat/not eat, workout routine to start, races to run, people to call, projects to do. You get the idea.
More work for you. Now imagine your perfect day. I mean a day that checks all the boxes. I despise rap, but seek inspiration in imagining the productivity version of the Ice Cube hit, “It was a Good Day.” How would you spend your time? Think about it hour by hour, minute by minute. When do you wake up? What do you do after waking up? How much time do you spend working? What sort of work? What else do you do? Map it all out. Imagine this as a day where you fully control your schedule.
Are you still with me? Probably not. This is too many words for the internet and I’m asking too much of your lazy ass. You should be less lazy. See what I did there? Ok, next step. Map your perfect day onto reality. Take any of the days from the past week where you had real life commitments such as work meetings, errands, childcare and ask yourself how you would map this perfect day onto that reality. Where would the three hours of Cal Newport Deep Work fit? How would you wake up at 4:30am after being up late because your kid was sick or your friend from out of town was visiting?
My point is, of course, obvious. However, don’t underestimate what I am saying. I am not saying that you can’t always have your perfect day. I am saying you can never have the perfect day. You are imposing unrealistic expectations upon reality. This conflict has always existed and you had two choices: 1) Dig deeper and muscle through because you are failing as a person to be sufficiently disciplined, or 2) Accept that your “shoulds” were always impossible to fully satisfy, and try something different.
Here’s the last thing I want you to do for now. Go back to your “should” list from the first step and take a critical eye. I give you permission to cross out as many as you’d like. If you are unsure before you cross it out, ask yourself: Where did this idea come from? Does it help me lead a happier life? Do I even agree with the premise? When in doubt, cross it out and feel the freedom.
I’ll leave you with one last message - you are probably doing just fine. Are there improvements you can make in your life? Sure, we all can. However, you aren’t failing, you aren’t straying from The Righteous Path, and there is no Promised Land. There’s just the lower case p path, and that is alright.
submitted by fanofhistory2029 to productivity [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 10:24 Azariagalvin [SHARE COURSE] Viral Video Course – Yasin Mammeri

Source By: Viral Video Course – Yasin Mammeri

What You’ll Learn In Viral Video Course?

submitted by Azariagalvin to Skilldevelopt [link] [comments]

2024.05.16 05:03 Chance-Ground-2023 Where Can We Find Cumulative Frequency?

Cumulative frequency, the running total of frequencies in a frequency distribution, is a valuable statistic used in data analysis. It is commonly found in cumulative frequency distributions, cumulative frequency polygons, and cumulative frequency curves, which provide a graphical representation of the distribution of data. By examining these cumulative frequency plots, researchers can quickly identify the proportion of data points below or equal to a given value, making them essential tools for understanding the distribution and spread of data.
submitted by Chance-Ground-2023 to YesCode [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 04:03 Producing_It Steam Deck OLED vs Asus Rog Ally Screen Resolutions

Yeah, I know how much better OLED tech is compared to the eventual LCD, and I’m not disagreeing with it at all.
I have both the OLED and Ally, and for sure the decks black levels, brightness, and color representation definitely significantly passes the Ally in every way.
But my god does the Ally look sharper! Yes, I know the Ally does have a 7 inch 1080p screen, compared to the OLEDs 7.4 inch screen. On paper, of course the Ally is going to be sharper. It has a higher smaller resolution display, so the pixel density will be higher. Though the difference is way more staggering than I thought.
The OLED looks so much more pixelated in reality. So much so that I think it may even make the improvements not worth it, and they are already pretty huge! Games just look worse, and the textures and polygons pop out so much less than on OLED. I’m not trying to actively pixel peep everything I play, but wow is it noticeable to me. Don’t even get me started on text!!!
I don’t think this is a very common opinion since I haven’t seen much people talk about it. What do you guys think? Why does the OLED look that much more pixelated than the Ally? I don’t think it should be that much of a difference.
submitted by Producing_It to SteamDeck [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 21:45 sysilver Drawing Polygons?

Hello, I am looking for a package that can let me draw polygons. I have attacheda link to illustrate the functionality (written in JS). To me this seems like a basic, common functionality (maybe I'm wrong), but I haven't been able to find anything other than a free-form example shown here and a plethora of pre-chosen points/magic numbers. Neither of which meets my criteria. Any help/pointers would be appreciated. Thanks.
submitted by sysilver to flutterhelp [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 21:04 armish Historic listing prices and reverse-split ratios for biotechs

Historic listing prices and reverse-split ratios for biotechs
Did you know that most biotech start-ups undergo a "reverse stock split" right before IPO to stay within the $10-$15 listing range (so the stocks look more appealing)?
https://preview.redd.it/vctmd368xf0d1.jpg?width=2618&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b59940f5e54e56c99c097a4e0382f5181e2ada2b
Until a few years ago, I did not.
Talking to other people, I now realize that most people also do not know about this common practice; but talking about these things is such a taboo that nobody wants to dig into the details due to shame. There is also not much on the Google about pre-IPO splits as post-IPO reverse splits are more common.
So, I got curious: what were the pre-IPO reverse split ratio for biotechs that have IPO'ed during the last 10 years? (spoiler: median is around 4)
https://preview.redd.it/tj65j847xf0d1.jpg?width=2032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25b32019698ef3f28033ce78544e9e0b72984361
Post-IPO reverse split events are available on Polygon API but pre-IPO ones required thorough mining of the SEC filings for all biotechs. Unfortunately the way the reverse splits are mentioned in the filing is messy (e.g. 1-for-2, 2-for-1, one-for-two, 1-for-2, ...); so, don't mind the outliers.
So, if you are naively thinking that that 10,000 stock options (with a strike price of $1, for the sake of the argument) you got offered initially will translate into ~$140K (10K * ($15-$1)), you are probably wrong.
An average biotech company that will IPO (at a listing price of $15) will undergo a 1-for-4 split, meaning that your 10K shares will become 2,500 shares with a strike price of $4. So these options will translate into a gain of $27.5K (2500 * ($15-$4)).
It is actually not that uncommon to have a rever split at 1-to-8 ratio (third quartile), which will make your gain even worse: $8,750 (1250 * ($15-$8)).
If you are an optimist, the ratio can be as good as 2 (first quartile), which will translate into a modest gain of $65K (5000 * ($15-$2)).
All right -- I know some of you will say: "HOW COULD FOLKS NOT KNOW THIS?!?!?" You are right: folks should know this and ask what percent of the company that 10,000 shares correspond to before accepting the offer. That way there is less guesstimation (and just a bit more knowing).
BUT: most companies try really really hard to not communicate this information, especially to a junior and relatively unexperienced scientist (like me back a few years ago). And when you ask these questions, you get a lot of hand-waving. This happens because without knowing about the reverse split, that 10,000 number can look good on paper and can convince a candidate to hop on board.
SO: this is just another reason why you should treat your stock options as a lottery ticket and negotiate accordingly, my friends.
Corollary: note the biotech boom in 2020 (high listing price relative to other years) which is more apparent when you break it down by the registration form used.
*F*oreign (e.g. F-1A) registrations have a lag and have their share of the boom in 2021 instead:
https://preview.redd.it/e9rq7qn5xf0d1.jpg?width=2508&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31e94bbfa91f051334bbc0dcf43c89fac3eac04f
From: https://twitter.com/armish/status/1790180374976311409
submitted by armish to biotech [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 19:47 TheUrbanEnigma Steam Server help

I'm using the Steam Valheim Dedicated Server, and before update worked just fine. The world I'm trying to use on the server works just fine with Ashlands, but when trying to utilize the server I just get this in the Command Window (scroll all the way down once you've read a dozen or so shader warnings). I truly have no idea what to make of this, I don't know anything about coding. I figured out just enough to get the server running in the first place. No mods.
​
"Starting server PRESS CTRL-C to exit"
[UnityMemory] Configuration Parameters - Can be set up in boot.config
"memorysetup-bucket-allocator-granularity=16"
"memorysetup-bucket-allocator-bucket-count=8"
"memorysetup-bucket-allocator-block-size=4194304"
"memorysetup-bucket-allocator-block-count=1"
"memorysetup-main-allocator-block-size=16777216"
"memorysetup-thread-allocator-block-size=16777216"
"memorysetup-gfx-main-allocator-block-size=16777216"
"memorysetup-gfx-thread-allocator-block-size=16777216"
"memorysetup-cache-allocator-block-size=4194304"
"memorysetup-typetree-allocator-block-size=2097152"
"memorysetup-profiler-bucket-allocator-granularity=16"
"memorysetup-profiler-bucket-allocator-bucket-count=8"
"memorysetup-profiler-bucket-allocator-block-size=4194304"
"memorysetup-profiler-bucket-allocator-block-count=1"
"memorysetup-profiler-allocator-block-size=16777216"
"memorysetup-profiler-editor-allocator-block-size=1048576"
"memorysetup-temp-allocator-size-main=4194304"
"memorysetup-job-temp-allocator-block-size=2097152"
"memorysetup-job-temp-allocator-block-size-background=1048576"
"memorysetup-job-temp-allocator-reduction-small-platforms=262144"
"memorysetup-allocator-temp-initial-block-size-main=262144"
"memorysetup-allocator-temp-initial-block-size-worker=262144"
"memorysetup-temp-allocator-size-background-worker=32768"
"memorysetup-temp-allocator-size-job-worker=262144"
"memorysetup-temp-allocator-size-preload-manager=262144"
"memorysetup-temp-allocator-size-nav-mesh-worker=65536"
"memorysetup-temp-allocator-size-audio-worker=65536"
"memorysetup-temp-allocator-size-cloud-worker=32768"
"memorysetup-temp-allocator-size-gfx=262144"
Mono path[0] = 'C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Valheim dedicated servevalheim_server_Data/Managed'
Mono config path = 'C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Valheim dedicated serveMonoBleedingEdge/etc'
[Physics::Module] Initialized MultithreadedJobDispatcher with 15 workers.
Initialize engine version: 2022.3.17f1 (4fc78088f837)
[Subsystems] Discovering subsystems at path C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Valheim dedicated servevalheim_server_Data/UnitySubsystems
Forcing GfxDevice: Null
GfxDevice: creating device client; threaded=0; jobified=0
NullGfxDevice:
Version: NULL 1.0 [1.0]
Renderer: Null Device
Vendor: Unity Technologies
Begin MonoManager ReloadAssembly
- Loaded All Assemblies, in 0.092 seconds
- Finished resetting the current domain, in 0.001 seconds
ERROR: Shader Sprites/Default shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
Microsoft Media Foundation video decoding to texture disabled: graphics device is Null, only Direct3D 11 and Direct3D 12 (only on desktop) are supported for hardware-accelerated video decoding.
ERROR: Shader Sprites/Mask shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
There is no texture data available to upload.
UnloadTime: 0.447400 ms
Privilege Multiplayer is not known on this platform. Privilege therefore is granted without check...
Privilege UserGeneratedContent is not known on this platform. Privilege therefore is granted without check...
Privilege CrossPlay is not known on this platform. Privilege therefore is granted without check...
05/14/2024 10:41:39: Set background loading budget to Low
ERROR: Shader TextMeshPro/Mobile/Distance Field shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'TextMeshPro/Distance Field' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader TextMeshPro/Distance Field shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'TextMeshPro/Distance Field' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader GUI/Text Shader shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
Unloading 5 Unused Serialized files (Serialized files now loaded: 9)
UnloadTime: 0.117500 ms
05/14/2024 10:41:39: Fetching PlatformPrefs 'GuiScale' before loading defaults
05/14/2024 10:41:39: Fetching PlatformPrefs 'GuiScale' before loading defaults
Unloading 172 unused Assets to reduce memory usage. Loaded Objects now: 2502.
Total: 1.355700 ms (FindLiveObjects: 0.106300 ms CreateObjectMapping: 0.053500 ms MarkObjects: 1.114900 ms DeleteObjects: 0.080700 ms)
​
05/14/2024 10:41:39: Starting to load scene:start.unity (169d7618616154c03be07e9ad3af5893)
05/14/2024 10:41:39: Set background loading budget to Normal
05/14/2024 10:41:43: Set background loading budget to High
The referenced script on this Behaviour (Game Object '') is missing!
The referenced script on this Behaviour (Game Object '') is missing!
Couldn't create a Convex Mesh from source mesh "default" within the maximum polygons limit (256). The partial hull will be used. Consider simplifying your mesh.
Couldn't create a Convex Mesh from source mesh "default" within the maximum polygons limit (256). The partial hull will be used. Consider simplifying your mesh.
The referenced script on this Behaviour (Game Object '') is missing!
Unloading 1 Unused Serialized files (Serialized files now loaded: 1133)
ERROR: Shader Legacy Shaders/Particles/Alpha Blended Premultiply shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Legacy Shaders/VertexLit shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Legacy Shaders/Diffuse' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Legacy Shaders/Diffuse shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Legacy Shaders/Diffuse' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Heightmap' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Heightmap shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Heightmap' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Unlit/Lighting shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Trilinearmap' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Trilinearmap shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Trilinearmap' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Bonemass' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Bonemass shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Bonemass' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Distortion' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Distortion shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Distortion' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Particles/Standard Unlit' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Particles/Standard Unlit shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Particles/Standard Unlit' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Blob' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Blob shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Blob' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Standard (Specular setup)' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Standard (Specular setup) shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Standard (Specular setup)' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Standard' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Standard shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Standard' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/SkyObject' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/SkyObject shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/SkyObject' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Unlit/Invis shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/WaterMask' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/WaterMask shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/WaterMask' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/LitParticles' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/LitParticles shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/LitParticles' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/ParticleDecal shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Autodesk Interactive' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Autodesk Interactive shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Autodesk Interactive' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Particle (Unlit) shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Custom/Decal shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Particles/Standard Unlit2' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Particles/Standard Unlit2 shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Particles/Standard Unlit2' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Legacy Shaders/Particles/Alpha Blended shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader UI/Heat Distort shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Custom/AlphaParticle shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Custom/Piece shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Custom/Tar shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Water' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Water shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Water' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Vegetation' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Vegetation shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Vegetation' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Lux Lit Particles/ Tess Bumped shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Custom/FlowOpaque shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Custom/Mesh Flipbook Particle shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Player' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Player shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Player' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/ShadowBlob' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/ShadowBlob shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/ShadowBlob' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Unlit/Color shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Legacy Shaders/Particles/Additive shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Standard TwoSided' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Standard TwoSided shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Standard TwoSided' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/StaticRock shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Grass' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Grass shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Grass' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Gradient Mapped Particle (Unlit) shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Clouds' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Clouds shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Clouds' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Unlit/BeaconBeam shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Custom/LitGui shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Custom/Creature shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Particles/Standard Surface2' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Particles/Standard Surface2 shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Particles/Standard Surface2' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Flow shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Lux Lit Particles/ Bumped shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Yggdrasil_root' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Yggdrasil_root shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'Custom/Yggdrasil_root' - All subshaders removed
WARNING: Shader Did you use #pragma only_renderers and omit this platform?
WARNING: Shader If subshaders removal was intentional, you may have forgotten turning Fallback off?
ERROR: Shader Custom/Rug shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Custom/GuiScroll shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader TextMeshPro/Distance Field (Surface) shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
ERROR: Shader Unlit/WeaponGlow shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
05/14/2024 10:41:56: Set background loading budget to Low
UnloadTime: 5.545900 ms
Only custom filters can be played. Please add a custom filter or an audioclip to the audiosource (Amb_MainMenu).
HDR Render Texture not supported, disabling HDR on reflection probe.
05/14/2024 10:41:57: Missing audio clip in music respawn
05/14/2024 10:41:57: Get create world TreeGenocideIsReq
ERROR: Shader TextMeshPro/Mobile/Distance Field shader is not supported on this GPU (none of subshaders/fallbacks are suitable)
05/14/2024 10:41:57: Using environment steamid 892970
05/14/2024 10:41:57: Using steam APPID:892970
submitted by TheUrbanEnigma to valheim [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 15:41 RoxyAndFarley Canine Mammary Grade III Anaplastic Carcinoma

Species: Dog, mixed breed rescue
Age: 11 years old
Sex: Female, Spayed (she was spayed later in life than is recommended)
Weight: 40 lbs, very lean and has never been overweight
Relevant History: She has a history of both benign and malignant lumps including benign skin tags (4 years ago), benign mammary duct ectasia (4 years ago), malignant mammary tumor that was low grade/very small and caught early removed 2 years ago, had chest x-rays every 6 months since and all have been clear of indications of metastasis or reoccurance. The type of cancer this tumor was is considered a low to medium risk of metastasis or recurrence.
Current Presentation: About 5 weeks ago I noticed during a regular inspection for lumps and bumps that my dog was developing a skin infection near her rear most mammary region. She did have a run in with some fire ants so I assumed it had been an ant bite that got infected. When I brought her to the vet, the vet noted what felt like a tumor directly below the infection. It was hard to feel/palpate when the dog was in most positions, but she was able to feel it was there. The recommendation was to treat the skin infection and then, once clear of infection, proceed with lumpectomy and biopsy. She completed a 14 day course of cefpodoxime oral antibiotics but the infection did not improve. She was given a second course of the same but after 5 days it was getting worse rather than better. The vet prescribed oral clindamycin instead to see if that would clear it. She did a full course of that and when it was clear the infection was persisting we were advised to consider moving forward with the lumpectomy in case the tumoassociated hormone impact/immune impact may have been causing the infection resistance to improvement.
She had surgery on May 8th to remove the lump and some of the infection damaged tissue. Since then, her incision has stayed looking good (no swelling, no unusual colored discharge, appears to be closing up nicely) but as of yesterday, she developed an odor that I can only describe as smelling like infection. I might be wrong as I am not sure what a normal odor from a surgical site might be, but from an instinct level, it just seems off to me. She is still on clindamycin and the skin itself does not appear infected despite the odor. She does not have a fever or any other infection symptoms.
Her energy level is good and normal (she's still a highly active dog/more active than most young dogs we know), has a good appetite, and healthy bowel movements. She has no other health issues besides this. We have been keeping her confined other than potty breaks so she does not run and jump and ruin her stitches.
With all this context, yesterday we received the histopathology report from her lumpectomy. It does not sound good at all. The vet has offered a referral to an oncologist.
Clinical Report: I don't know how to attach the histopathology report directly, so I am copy/pasting the relevant sections below.
Description Haired skin, masss left caudal mammary chain: Elevating the epidermis and extending from the superficial dermis into the subcutis is a densely cellular, unencapsulated, poorly demarcated, infiltrative neoplasm composed of polygonal cells with distinct cell borders arranged in lobules, islands, nests, loose sheets, and rare tubules on a dense fibrovascular stroma. Neoplastic cells have a moderate amount of eosinophilic cytoplasm and a single round, centrally positioned nucleus with finely stippled chromatin and 1-3 prominent, round, basophilic nucleoli. Anisocytosis and anisokaryosis are moderate. Four mitotic figures are noted in ten high powered fields. Occasionally, neoplastic cells have karyomegaly, are multinucleated, or contain bizarre mitotic figures. Multifocally, throughout the superficial dermis and subcutis there are neoplastic emboli in the lumens of lymphatic vessels. Throughout the mass are small areas of hemorrhage and necrosis. The overlying epidermis is ulcerated and covered by a serocellular crust. Neoplastic cells abut and continue through the medial and caudal surgical margins.
Histopathologic Diagnosis Haired skin, mass left caudal mammary chain: Mammary gland anaplastic carcinoma – grade III (high grade) - incompletely excised - with vascular invasion.
Comments
The left caudal mammary chain mass is consistent with a grade III (high grade) anaplastic mammary gland carcinoma. Neoplastic cells abut and continue through the medial and caudal surgical margins, and surgical removal of this mass is considered incomplete. Many dermal and subcutaneous lymphatic vessels also contained neoplastic emboli, and there is concern for local or distant metastasis of this neoplasm. Full clinical staging of this dog is recommended. Mammary tumors occur commonly in female dogs, particularly in those that are intact or were spayed at an older age, and ~50% are malignant. In intact animals, tumor growth can be hormonally influenced. Mammary gland carcinomas can metastasize, most often to the local lymph nodes followed by distant sites such as the lungs and other viscera. This carcinoma is classified as grade III (high grade) according to the most recently proposed grading system. Grade III mammary gland carcinomas have the highest rates of metastasis, recurrence, and cancer-related death. The histologic pattern of this carcinoma is consistent with an anaplastic carcinoma subtype. Anaplastic carcinomas are the most malignant subtype of mammary gland carcinomas and all are classified as grade III. They have very high rates of metastasis and a reduced median survival time (~3 months). This patient should be examined for evidence of regional and distant metastasis.
My Questions for this community:
1) Based on the grade and type of cancer, what are the chances that an oncologist can help prolong things for a reasonable amount of time? I don't want to put my dog through chemo or procedures/etc if it will only add weeks or months, on the other hand, if it could add years of high quality of life than of course that could be the right choice for her. I want her final chapter to be comfortable, joyful, and peaceful. I do not want to put her through unnecessary stress just for my own sake of having more time. Her best interest is my only basis for decision making.
2) Given the odor but otherwise lack of infection symptoms, how likely is it that the cancer has weakened her immune system so much that she won't recover from the infection?
submitted by RoxyAndFarley to AskVet [link] [comments]

2024.05.13 14:32 mcm8279 [Opinion] POLYGON: "Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes where no Trek has gone before by saying religion is... OK, actually" "[Episode 3x6] ‘Whistlespeak’ breaks from Trek tradition to be pretty chill about believing in a higher power" "Spirituality is what you make of it."

"Spirituality is what you make of it, whether that's on an individual or community level. Religion can do harm, but it doesn’t have to, so long as its leaders and its believers are willing to embrace uncertainty. In this way, at least, science and religion can find some common ground. [...]
Would Christianity collapse if their leaders recognized that some of their flock don’t fit into the gender identities described in their holy texts, or that human intervention is required to undo human-made damage to the Earth? Probably not, and their inflexibility is only doing harm to their community. It’s not necessary to hold onto harmful policies or practices, nor is it necessary to throw out an entire system of beliefs because of new, contradictory, or unanticipated information."
Dylan Roth (Polygon)
Link:
https://www.polygon.com/24151113/star-trek-discovery-religion-whistlespeak
Quotes:
POLYGON: "Star Trek’s future is a secular one. Franchise creator Gene Roddenberry was an avowed atheist, and the series and its spin-offs have routinely criticized organized religion as manipulative, illogical, and detrimental to the evolution of a society. Individual members of the human race may have an undefined spirituality, a curiosity about the afterlife, or a sense of wonder at the unknown or unknowable, but specific religious beliefs are typically reserved for alien cultures.
But, if Trek’s fervently pro-science and anti-superstition has remained constant, so have the attempts by different storytellers within the franchise to approach religion from other, more tolerant angles. And the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, “Whistlespeak,” may present Trek’s most even-handed take on faith to date.
[...]
The streaming era of Star Trek under executive producer Alex Kurtzman, which began in 2017, has seen some new, minor references to religious practices in human society. For example, an unnamed background character serving aboard the USS Cerritos on Star Trek: Lower Decks can be seen wearing a hijab, indicating that some semblance of Islamic tradition is still observed in the 24th century. Not long after we meet Captain Christopher Pike during the second season of Star Trek: Discovery, we learn that his father taught both science and comparative religion.
But “Whistlespeak,” which comes midway through Discovery’s fifth and final season, returns fully to the Original Series’ territory of a classic “weird alien religion” episode, and with a much more multi-faceted approach. Captain Burnham and her crew visit the planet Halem’no. which is nigh-uninhabitable except within the radius of a tower-like device that was secretly installed by a Federation scientist centuries earlier. The planet’s surviving inhabitants are a peaceful and friendly pre-warp civilization who believe that the towers are temples built by their gods.
[...]
Though Starfleet officers are forbidden to interfere in the development of pre-warp civilizations, Burnham isn’t about to let Tilly (or Ravah) die to satisfy some arcane ritual. However, rather than tearing the whole society down like Kirk might have done, Burnham appeals directly to the community’s leader — Ravah’s father, Ohvahz — and implores him to stop the sacrifices, explaining the tower will do its work whether or not his child gives their life. Ohvahz is, naturally, open to the idea of not killing his child, but fears that revealing that their temple is actually an alien artifact will shatter his community and lead to violent conflict. What is their civilization without their faith and traditions?
“Better off,” is how Picard would probably answer. But Burnham’s response is more measured.
“There is still what you believe. Nothing we’ve shown you means gods don’t exist… it’s just that you know that there’s also us… Beliefs can evolve. Denying that can cause almost as much chaos as the worst storm.”
It’s probably no accident that Ravah, the teenager who’s supposed to be sacrificed in this episode, is gender non-binary, a trait which is not controversial for the Halem’nites but is condemned by many conservative religious groups here on present-day Earth. There’s also a parallel to the climate crisis, as the Halem’nites will need to learn to maintain the alien weather tower in order to keep their world safe. Would Christianity collapse if their leaders recognized that some of their flock don’t fit into the gender identities described in their holy texts, or that human intervention is required to undo human-made damage to the Earth? Probably not, and their inflexibility is only doing harm to their community. It’s not necessary to hold onto harmful policies or practices, nor is it necessary to throw out an entire system of beliefs because of new, contradictory, or unanticipated information.
Meanwhile, aboard Discovery, Dr. Hugh Culber has been trying to make sense of his own spiritual awakening, a feeling of connection to a higher power that has lingered with him since an out-of-body experience on a recent away mission. As a scientist, Culber’s first instinct is to investigate, understand, and catalog this sensation, but the explanation eludes him. He seeks the advice of his friend Cleveland Booker, a non-human with his own spiritual life, who essentially asks him, “Why do you need to understand it?” With this guidance, Culber decides that the value of his new spirituality is in how it feels, not where it comes from.
The approach to religion in “Whistlespeak” does not broadly condemn religion like The Original Series or The Next Generation, or rationalize and tolerate faith as a quirk of the other, like Deep Space Nine. Instead, “Whistlespeak” questions why a philosophy that is rooted in the unknowable should be attached to absolutes. Spirituality is what you make of it, whether that’s on an individual or community level. Religion can do harm, but it doesn’t have to, so long as its leaders and its believers are willing to embrace uncertainty. In this way, at least, science and religion can find some common ground."
Dylan Roth (Polygon)
Link:
https://www.polygon.com/24151113/star-trek-discovery-religion-whistlespeak
submitted by mcm8279 to trektalk [link] [comments]

2024.05.13 12:54 Cheerbitcoin Project Summary

[CheerBitcoin, building a happiness economy]()
CheerBitcoin is a token that aims to create a decentralized economy of happiness.
It is designed to promote the well-being and fulfillment of individuals within a preserved planet: CheerBitcoin allows donations, encourages positive behaviors, the practice of gratitude, mutual aid and actions beneficial to humanity.
Based on the Polygon zkEVM blockchain that is fully compatible with Ethereum, the token developed in the Solidity language, once listed on exchange platforms, will allow donations to charities to be made in a transparent and secure way.
CheerBitcoin implements, thanks to the Blockchain and the votes of the token's holders, a system of rewards for positive actions, thus promoting commitment to the common good.
With a community-centric token distribution and its blockchain-secured voting system, CheerBitcoin is focused on organic, participatory, and democratic growth.
CheerBitcoin aims to be accessible to everyone.
[Tokenomics, number and distribution]()
The maximum token supply will not exceed 2,100,000,000 (two billion one hundred million).
The provisional breakdown is as follows:
- 20% (420 million) for development and marketing,
- 15% (315 million) to replenish the reserve intended for donations,
- 15% (315 million) for rewards to the user community and positive actions,
- 10% (210 million) for initial liquidity on centralized exchanges,
- 10% (210 million) for initial liquidity on decentralized exchanges,
- 20% reserved for founder,
- 10% reserved for the rest of the Management Committee.
The Board of Directors may decide to burn tokens that will not be used during the life of the project.
[Governance]()
The steering committee (5 seats) proposes future developments of CheerBitcoin's features in line with the project's value proposition. It offers a list of charitable organizations intended for donations.
The user community votes to confirm:
- decisions on future developments,
- donations proposed by the Board of Directors to charities,
- Rewards for positive actions.
[The key functions of CheerBitcoin]()
  1. Transparent donations to charities: thanks to a dedicated reserve, topped up from the creation of the CheerBitcoin and then replenished by 0.1% of the amount of transactions, the CheerBitcoin token is used for donation campaigns to charities in a transparent and secure way, using blockchain technology. CheerBitcoin holders vote for the charity that will receive a donation.
  2. Reward for community participation: A significant portion of the token supply is reserved for the community, which promotes organic growth and user participation.
  3. Stimulating positive behaviors: CheerBitcoin rewards, via a voting system, users for positive actions and beneficial contributions to the common good, which encourages positive behavior and active participation.
  4. Accessibility: CheerBitcoin is a useful token with a clear value proposition that aims to be easily accessible to everyone via decentralized and centralized exchanges.
  5. Inclusivity: CheerBitcoin fosters an economy that values the happiness and well-being of all its participants. Exchanging CheerBitcoin provides the assurance of doing good indirectly via the donation mechanism. Holding CheerBitcoin gives the right to vote for the best contributions to the community. The maximum number of CheerBitcoin tokens is set at inception and CheerBitcoin's unique value proposition paves the way for mass adoption for a significant increase in the token's value following its adoption.
  6. The Blacklisting of an address allows CheerBitcoin assets to be frozen in the event of proof of money laundering or terrorist financing in accordance with Article L. 562-4 of the Monetary and Financial Code.
  7. Limiting the maximum amount of transactions on DEXs is the most pragmatic method found to fight money laundering in accordance with Article L. 561-2 of the Monetary and Financial Code.
Together, these features make CheerBitcoin more than just a token: it's a tool to foster positivity, community engagement, and a happiness-centric economy in compliance with French crypto asset regulations.
[Project development phases]()
The first phase is materialized by the programming of the first version of the CheerBitcoin (C) smart contract, its registration on the chosen blockchain (Polygon zkEVM), the creation of the website (www.CheerBitcoin.org), social networks and the listing on a decentralized exchange(s) (DEX).
The initial costs, according to a frugal and controlled development plan, will be covered by the contributions of the founders or relatives: contributions in industry or contributions in cryptocurrencies, in particular for the liquidity pools required for listing on DEXs.
The subsequent phases consist of:
These subsequent phases will be financed by the success of the first phase. It is the valuation of the token on the exchange platforms that will allow a gradual and measured sale, the objective being to cover the financing needs to increase the utility and thus the creation of value of the token for the entire Community.
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2024.05.13 11:08 adulting4kids Dead Sea Scrolls Study Guide -Unedited

The War Scroll, also known as the "War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness," is a unique text within the Dead Sea Scrolls that portrays an apocalyptic battle between the forces of good (Sons of Light) and evil (Sons of Darkness). This scroll provides insight into both historical and symbolic elements.
Historical Accuracy:
The War Scroll, while containing detailed military tactics and an epic narrative of the ultimate confrontation, doesn't explicitly reference any specific historical event or timeframe. Some scholars believe it could be a product of the community's anticipation of a future messianic conflict or a reflection of their own community's struggles against opposing forces during their time. Interpreting the historical accuracy of the scroll often involves exploring the context of the Qumran community and the turbulent times in which they lived.
Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:
The War Scroll goes beyond a mere description of a physical battle. It portrays a cosmic conflict between the forces of light and darkness, reflecting not just a literal warfare but also a symbolic and spiritual struggle. The text emphasizes righteousness, divine intervention, and the victory of good over evil.
Within the study guide, activities and exercises could involve dissecting the symbolic elements present in the War Scroll, exploring the deeper meanings behind the battle tactics and the metaphysical implications of the conflict. Understanding the symbolism could involve group discussions, comparative analysis with other ancient texts with similar themes, and exploring the impact of this symbolic representation on the community's beliefs and practices.
Here are a few activities and exercises to explore the symbolism and historical context of the War Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls:
  1. Symbolism Analysis:
Provide excerpts from the War Scroll and encourage participants to identify and discuss the symbolic meanings behind elements like the "Sons of Light" and the "Sons of Darkness," various weapons, and the strategies outlined for battle. Group discussions or written reflections can help participants explore the deeper layers of meaning.
  1. Comparative Analysis:
Compare the War Scroll's themes with similar apocalyptic or eschatological texts from different cultures or religions, such as apocalyptic passages in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible or apocalyptic texts from other ancient traditions. Create worksheets or discussion prompts to highlight similarities and differences in themes, symbols, and beliefs about cosmic battles.
  1. Historical Context Exploration:
Present historical information about the era when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. Discuss the political, social, and religious climate of that time, including the turmoil in the region, to understand how these factors might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll. Encourage participants to consider the possible motivations behind the text's creation.
  1. Creative Interpretation:
Encourage creative expression by asking participants to create artwork, poems, or short stories inspired by the themes and imagery found in the War Scroll. This exercise allows individuals to engage more deeply with the symbolic elements and interpret them in their own unique ways.
  1. Role-playing or Debates:
    Organize a role-playing activity where participants take on the roles of "Sons of Light" and "Sons of Darkness," debating their ideologies, motivations, and strategies for the ultimate battle. This exercise helps in understanding differing perspectives and interpreting the conflicts presented in the scroll.
Interpretative variations regarding the river's crossing in different ancient texts reflect the unique religious, philosophical, and cultural perspectives embedded within these narratives. These differences in interpretation offer insights into diverse worldviews and varying theological frameworks present in ancient texts:
  1. Mesopotamian Context:
  1. Biblical Context:
  1. Gnostic or Apocryphal Context:
  1. Greco-Roman Interpretation:
These varied interpretations highlight the richness and diversity of religious, philosophical, and cultural frameworks present in ancient texts. The river's crossing serves as a flexible symbol that adapts to different narratives, conveying themes of transition, judgment, liberation, or cosmic transformation based on the unique perspectives of each tradition.
Exploring these interpretative variations allows participants to appreciate the complexity of symbolism within ancient texts and provides insights into how different cultures and belief systems interpreted common motifs like the river Euphrates. It showcases the intricate interplay between religious, philosophical, and cultural elements shaping the symbolism and theological implications embedded in these narratives.
The river Euphrates, a prominent geographic feature in ancient texts, embodies universal themes that transcend specific cultural contexts. Identifying these universal themes helps reveal shared human concepts of transition, boundaries, and transformative events across diverse ancient traditions:
  1. Threshold and Transition:
  1. Boundary and Separation:
  1. Transformative Events:
  1. Symbol of Power and Control:
  1. Metaphor for Spiritual Journeys:
These universal themes associated with the river Euphrates highlight fundamental aspects of the human experience—transitions, boundaries, transformative events, power dynamics, and spiritual journeys. The river's symbolism in ancient texts speaks to shared human aspirations, struggles, and beliefs that transcend cultural boundaries and resonate across different epochs and civilizations.
By identifying and discussing these universal themes, participants gain a deeper appreciation for the profound symbolism embedded in ancient texts and recognize the timeless relevance of concepts such as transition, boundaries, and transformative events in shaping human narratives and aspirations.
  1. Historical Context:
  1. Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:
  1. Comparative Analysis:
  1. Parallelism in Biblical Texts:
  1. Community Beliefs and Practices:
  1. Cultural Significance of Cosmic Battles:
  1. Interpretive Variations and Unique Perspectives:
  1. Personal Reflection and Modern Relevance:
  1. Theological and Philosophical Implications:
  1. Literary and Symbolic Analysis:
- Analyze the narrative structure and symbolic elements present in specific passages of the War Scroll. How do these elements contribute to the text's overarching themes and meanings?
These study questions aim to provoke critical thinking, promote in-depth exploration of themes, encourage comparative analysis, and stimulate discussions on the multifaceted nature of the War Scroll's content and its significance within ancient and contemporary contexts.
  1. Archaeological and Linguistic Analysis:
- How does the physical condition of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, impact our understanding of their preservation and historical context? - Discuss the linguistic peculiarities or unique textual features found within the War Scroll and their implications for translation and interpretation.
  1. Apocalyptic Expectations and Messianic Concepts:
- Explore the portrayal of messianic figures or anticipated saviors within the War Scroll. How do these concepts align with or diverge from contemporary expectations of a messianic figure in other ancient texts or religious traditions?
  1. Impact of Apocalyptic Literature:
- Analyze the enduring influence of apocalyptic literature, such as the War Scroll, on subsequent religious, literary, or cultural traditions. How have these texts shaped later beliefs or inspired artistic and literary works?
  1. Ethical and Moral Frameworks:
- Discuss the ethical or moral implications of the cosmic conflict depicted in the War Scroll. How do the themes of righteousness and wickedness contribute to the text's underlying moral framework?
  1. Role of Prophecy and Revelation:
- Explore the role of prophecy and revelation within the War Scroll. How do the prophetic elements contribute to the text's portrayal of future events and cosmic justice?
  1. Experiential and Ritualistic Elements:
- Investigate potential ritualistic or experiential dimensions associated with the teachings or beliefs conveyed in the War Scroll. How might the community have engaged with these teachings in their religious practices or communal activities?
  1. Literary Genre and Interpretation:
- Discuss the classification of the War Scroll within the broader genre of apocalyptic literature. How does its classification influence our understanding and interpretation of its themes and symbolic elements?
  1. Relevance in Modern Scholarship:
- Reflect on the ongoing scholarly debates or discoveries related to the War Scroll. How have modern interpretations evolved, and what implications do these new perspectives have on our understanding of the text?
  1. Intersection of Faith and Scholarship:
- Consider the interplay between faith-based interpretations and scholarly analyses of the War Scroll. How might religious convictions or theological frameworks influence academic research and vice versa?
  1. Future Research and Interpretative Avenues:
- Propose potential avenues for future research or areas of exploration concerning the War Scroll. What unanswered questions or unexplored aspects merit further investigation?
The composition of the War Scroll, along with other Dead Sea Scrolls, was likely influenced by several historical events and societal conditions prevalent during the time of its writing, which is estimated to be between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE:
  1. Hellenistic Rule and Cultural Influence:
  1. Political Turmoil and Resistance Movements:
  1. Religious Sects and Spiritual Expectations:
  1. Anticipation of Cosmic Redemption:
Regarding the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery, its significance lies in multiple facets:
  1. Preservation of Ancient Texts:
  1. Insights into Jewish Sectarianism:
  1. Confirmation of Scriptural Accuracy:
  1. Impact on Biblical Studies and Scholarship:
The historical context of political upheaval, religious expectations, and the preservation of texts within the Dead Sea Scrolls contributes significantly to understanding the milieu in which the War Scroll was written. It provides a backdrop against which the themes of cosmic conflict, eschatological anticipation, and religious fervor within the War Scroll can be comprehended.
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