A Wild Lurker Appears! Hyoi's Random Banter #232

[Anonymouswizard]

Humanity, because why settle for inhabitable lands?

Look, it's good practice for when we finally leave this rockball.

Just wait until Antarctica has enough colonists to declare independence (from everybody).

[Mystic Muse]

Yes, that's the right one.

So, stop giving you second, third, fourth, etc. chances. Got it, will do.

[Anonymouswizard]

So, stop giving you second, third, fourth, etc. chances. Got it, will do.

Now be fair, he never said no third chances. Maybe we should only remove chances that are a multiple of two?

[Peelee]

Now be fair, he never said no third chances. Maybe we should only remove chances that are a multiple of two?

No second chance means there's no chance for anything after a second chance. Road ends at mile 2, so you can't get to mile 3.

[Anonymouswizard]

No second chance means there's no chance for anything after a second chance. Road ends at mile 2, so you can't get to mile 3.

Well true, assuming he doesn't take the initiative and transgresses again after we've refused to give him a second chance.

Also I don't need a road to travel three miles, just a pursuing bear [exits stage left]

[Rater202]

Death Valley isn't really inhabited except by loose definitions of the word.

Spoiler: Phoenix, on the other hand....

Show

For context, these characters are from Texas. They're used to the heat.

[Bartmanhomer]

Well, today Tamara is babysitting baby chromatic dragons and she's doing a wonderful job taking care of the baby dragons. So cute.

[Rater202]

I might have mentioned this before.

A few months ago I was awoken in the early morning by my brother opening my door, walking into my room, and just standing over me and glaring. I tried to ask him what he wanted, but my mouth wouldn't open and no sound would come out.

Then my eyes opened and my brother faded away to an identical scene sans brother and open door.

Does that sound like sleep paralysis?

[Peelee]

I might have mentioned this before.

A few months ago I was awoken in the early morning by my brother opening my door, walking into my room, and just standing over me and glaring. I tried to ask him what he wanted, but my mouth wouldn't open and no sound would come out.

Then my eyes opened and my brother faded away to an identical scene sans brother and open door.

Does that sound like sleep paralysis?

That sounds like a question for a doctor.

[Form]

For Lake Havasu City, Arizona, Wikipedia gives, for July climate data, in degrees Celsius:
Daily mean: 35.6
Mean daily high: 42.9
Mean (over 50 years) high for the month: 48
Absolute maximum: 52

This can be compared with Death Valley (Furnace Creek Station), California, where for July:
Daily mean: 39.0
Mean daily high: 47.6
Mean high for the month: 53.0
Absolute maximum: 56.7

Oh, that sounds horrible. At least it's dry heat, I think? Small consolation, I know.

[enderlord99]

TFifty degrees centigrade is over 120 degrees Farenheit, are you sure that's right?

Yes. I'm sure.

It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. That's one reason I'm glad I don't live in Arizona.

[Anonymouswizard]

Look, when we've solved the acidic atmosphere we'll offer so Arizonans land ob Venus. Shouldn't be far out of their comfort zone.

[Razade]

Not entirely sure why Lake Havasu was selected as that's in the high country where it's far less hot. Phoenix, Arizona, has hit 50C before, in 1990 and Yuma hit 51C in 1994.

Oh, that sounds horrible. At least it's dry heat, I think? Small consolation, I know.

It's not if you're in the city where there are golf courses and gardens and lawns and pools and the canals where there is water. It's not going to be as humid as the South East but it was 20% humidity today. We also have a Monsoon season in Phoenix and as anywhere it rains, the humidity gets way higher. It does lower the temp a bit, for a bit, but not long enough not to be miserable until the sun sets. The Monsoon usually hits in the mid afternoon as well, so the hottest part of the day. It is legitimately miserable but we need the rain.

Yes. I'm sure.

It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. That's one reason I'm glad I don't live in Arizona.

We had 144 days of above 110 degree weather last year. Highest being 119F.

[DavidSh]

Are you confusing Lake Havasu with somewhere else? Lake Havasu City is at 735 feet, along the Colorado River, while Phoenix is at 1086 feet. As a comparison, Flagstaff is at 6910 feet, and Yuma is at 141 feet.

[Metastachydium]

Does that sound like sleep paralysis?

Yes, in fact. It does sound a lot like sleep paralysis.

NIt's not going to be as humid as the South East but it was 20% humidity today.

That's not exactly what I'd call high.

[Rater202]

I am of the opinion that any attempt to make super-soldiers, in real life or in fiction, should include regular health examinations, allergy tests, routine tests to see how they handle stress, and regular therapy and/or spa treatments to keep their 'average resting stress' low and in general monitor and bolster their mental health.

I mean, you wanna spend five million dollars making a drug that'll give you a super strong soldier only for him to die because his heart couldn't take the stress or because you didn't know he was allergic to one of the preservatives in the serum? Or for a successful test subject to crack under the pressure and go on a homicidal rampage?

In works of fiction. 90% of the time it seems that the people making supersoldiers don't seem to consider stress levels, mental health, or the physical health of the test subjects.

[Anonymouswizard]

I just saw a description of WFRP noting that character creation will more likely give you a bunch of roving thugs than adventurers.

That's... not unlike most D&D parties I've seen. Plan 1 is generally 'hit something', plan 2 is generally 'set fire to something', and plan 3 is generally 'if the shineys still aren't yours grab what you can and run'.

[Fyraltari]

I just saw a description of WFRP noting that character creation will more likely give you a bunch of roving thugs than adventurers.

That's... not unlike most D&D parties I've seen. Plan 1 is generally 'hit something', plan 2 is generally 'set fire to something', and plan 3 is generally 'if the shineys still aren't yours grab what you can and run'.

Well yes but my understanding of WFRP is that it's unlikely your characters are competent at anything.

[Anonymouswizard]

Well yes but my understanding of WFRP is that it's unlikely your characters are competent at anything.

So basically it's just first level D&D (but slightly less lethal).

[2D8HP]

[...]We had 144 days of above 110 degree weather last year. Highest being 119F.

Days, @Razade?

Not say minutes?

144 days above 110 F?

That sound hellish!

I'm understanding more and more why land in "There-be-dragons" U.S.A. is so cheap!

Again;

Civilization = Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, and places immediately adjacent.

Frontier: areas beyond civilization that are within a daylight walk from a BART train station.

Far-frontier: areas beyond civilization that are within a daylight walk from a Cal-Trans train station.

There-Be-Dragons Outlands: almost everywhere else.

Last week I drove 114 miles to view a motorcycle I wanted to buy, and saw again that mostly what is beyond civilization is dry grass.

Places that look like civilization that are far from it, may be called "foreign civilizations", examples of that include Montreal, Quebec, and Seattle, Washington.

What I've seen of Los Angeles, California it doesn't look like civilization, supposedly there's a downtown that may look like it, but I didn't see it, even the biggest art museum in L.A. looked like it was in the equivalent of the frontier, all but a very few blocks of Washington, D.C. looked more like frontier land as well.

Pictures of Boston, London, and New York City look more like civilization than they do frontier or outlands, but until and unless I visit there I withhold judgement on them and class them as "unexplored mysteries, possibly lost foreign civilizations".

[halfeye]

I am of the opinion that any attempt to make super-soldiers, in real life or in fiction, should include regular health examinations, allergy tests, routine tests to see how they handle stress, and regular therapy and/or spa treatments to keep their 'average resting stress' low and in general monitor and bolster their mental health.

I mean, you wanna spend five million dollars making a drug that'll give you a super strong soldier only for him to die because his heart couldn't take the stress or because you didn't know he was allergic to one of the preservatives in the serum? Or for a successful test subject to crack under the pressure and go on a homicidal rampage?

In works of fiction. 90% of the time it seems that the people making supersoldiers don't seem to consider stress levels, mental health, or the physical health of the test subjects.

Most fictional supersoldiers seem to be made with nanites that basically heal all problems and rebuild the body, it's not possible for stress to injure them.

[Bartmanhomer]

This is such a relaxing day for me. On Friday, I train a trainee to be a receptionist.

[Keltest]

Days, @Razade?

Not say minutes?

144 days above 110 F?

That sound hellish!

I'm understanding more and more why land in "There-be-dragons" U.S.A. is so cheap!

Again;

Civilization = Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, and places immediately adjacent.

Frontier: areas beyond civilization that are within a daylight walk from a BART train station.

Far-frontier: areas beyond civilization that are within a daylight walk from a Cal-Trans train station.

There-Be-Dragons Outlands: almost everywhere else.

Last week I drove 114 miles to view a motorcycle I wanted to buy, and saw again that mostly what is beyond civilization is dry grass.

Places that look like civilization that are far from it, may be called "foreign civilizations", examples of that include Montreal, Quebec, and Seattle, Washington.

What I've seen of Los Angeles, California it doesn't look like civilization, supposedly there's a downtown that may look like it, but I didn't see it, even the biggest art museum in L.A. looked like it was in the equivalent of the frontier, all but a very few blocks of Washington, D.C. looked more like frontier land as well.

Pictures of Boston, London, and New York City look more like civilization than they do frontier or outlands, but until and unless I visit there I withhold judgement on them and class them as "unexplored mysteries, possibly lost foreign civilizations".

I'm willing to vouch for the presence of dragons in philladelphia and Pittsburgh. Don't be fooled by the tall buildings or history, they barely even speak English! Especially Pittsburgh.

[Rater202]

Most fictional supersoldiers seem to be made with nanites that basically heal all problems and rebuild the body, it's not possible for stress to injure them.

Notice how Steve is screaming in pain for part of the transformation, and even after coming out of it he's exhausted to the point of being barely conscious.

Realistically, a man who is 90 pounds soaking wet and so sick that he regularly coughs up blood would probably have died from the strain. The comics averts this by its perfect supersoldier serum being basically magic and by Steve not being that unhealthy, but the way the movie depicts it that should have killed him.

In the comics, the vast majority of super-soldiers either die or go insane due to bad reactions due to there being no screening process for test subjects. You watch Falcon and Winter Soldier? They toned down what happened with Isaiah Bradley and the other test subjects with him significantly.

[Razade]

Are you confusing Lake Havasu with somewhere else? Lake Havasu City is at 735 feet, along the Colorado River, while Phoenix is at 1086 feet. As a comparison, Flagstaff is at 6910 feet, and Yuma is at 141 feet.

No. The high country isn't elevation, it's the north part of Arizona as opposed to the Valley or the Sonoran.

Days, @Razade?

Not say minutes?

144 days above 110 F?

Yep. 144 days above 110. We didn't get a Monsoon last year sadly.

I'm understanding more and more why land in "There-be-dragons" U.S.A. is so cheap!

Compared to Cali, prices are low but housing in Phoenix is not cheap sadly. Been on the market for a house for a while.

[2D8HP]

I'm willing to vouch for the presence of dragons in philladelphia and Pittsburgh. Don't be fooled by the tall buildings or history, they barely even speak English! Especially Pittsburgh.

As I suspected!

No. The high country isn't elevation, it's the north part of Arizona as opposed to the Valley or the Sonoran.



Yep. 144 days above 110. We didn't get a Monsoon last year sadly.





Compared to Cali, prices are low but housing in Phoenix is not cheap sadly. Been on the market for a house for a while.

Wow.

That's WAY too freakin' hot!

[Peelee]

13 minutes, 30 seconds. Already shaved a full minute off yesterday's run, which itself beat the required time. Booyakasha.

Can't stop training though. Can't stop won't stop never stop.

[Bartmanhomer]

13 minutes, 30 seconds. Already shaved a full minute off yesterday's run, which itself beat the required time. Booyakasha.

Can't stop training though. Can't stop won't stop never stop.

Cool. Anyway I'm very happy that it's going to be another work week plus Summer is coming soon.

[Rater202]

As I think about it, being impervious to harm from an element is probably more useful/impressive than controlling that element.

There are very few situations where you need fire but have no means of making it... But almost all of those situations have a risk of being burned.

[Bartmanhomer]

As I think about it, being impervious to harm from an element is probably more useful/impressive than controlling that element.

There are very few situations where you need fire but have no means of making it... But almost all of those situations have a risk of being burned.

That's so true. I agree with you.