They could, if they wanted to. This is somewhat an example of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”.

A lot of that is the fact that Linux is run incredibly lean. Replicating that isn’t cheap. They absolutely can, but since Linux is free and they can even modify it to suit their needs, its far simpler to do that.

Android is the best example. Google wanted a phone OS, so they bought Android Inc, who was making one. They could’ve spun up their own with their own talent, hired more, etc, but just absorbed one instead. That talent was making a phone OS based on Linux, because, again, they could’ve delved into the details of OS creation, but it was far easier to take a free OS, change the bits you want changed (like adding touchscreen support, which to my knowledge, wasn’t in the Linux version Android started with), and run with the new version you’ve made.

It’s also worth pointing out that Google has spent a lot of money on Android, and other large companies spend a lot on developing their own custom Linux Distro. It’s not like they have one software engineer for Android who downloaded Linux once and changed it. These companies are willing to do what you describe, they just didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. The Linux kernel, thanks to the community behind it, is incredibly secure and efficient, and there just wasn’t any reason to change it or copy it when it exists and is free to use.

All that sounds great.

I personally like a good tank Tarrasque. The encounter is more puzzle than combat. The players are hardly noticed until they deal something like 10% of its HP. With a solid regen, that’s a significant scratch.

Of course, this version would be boring in a vacuum, so there’s a time pressure of it destroying a city.

This naturally gives it three stages. Stage 1, players are basically safe. They can try strategies, do shenanigans, and the Tarrasque will be at worst impeded, but likely relatively unaffected. The goal is just to get its attention at all. Any turns it spends targeting the players are turns the city is safe. Maybe give the city a magical artillery piece that needs to be set up.

Stage 2, they’ve delayed the city’s destruction. Now the problem is the Tarrasque is looking their way. Their main goal shifts to some form of “survive”. A clever party can lure the Tarrasque out of the city, perhaps into a trap if they had time. A lot of actions are spent maneuvering, escaping, setting up the trap if it exists. It’s likely the Tarrasque fully heals during this stage, although that doesn’t make it revert to stage 1. It may do so if it cannot get to them in any way, like a flyer 300’ up.

Stage 3 is whenever it catches them or springs a trap. This is a final fight. Unless they straight up run away, this is when the big damage comes out, when that artillery may show up, when the trap springs. If they cannot do consistent damage, they will run out of resources and lose. If they can, they’ll win, job well done, they get the keys to the city, a celebration, all that.

Well you see there’s no flash drive drivers preinstalled so you actually need to start here to get Windows, and then insert an Ethernet cable into one of the esophageal ports to establish internet. From there, you can upgrade to XP, and if your key verifies you can do an OTA upgrade to service pack 1 which has WiFi if you spread your fingers out.

Once you do that, you’ll have a browser that can connect to Microsoft services and you’ll be able to insert a flash drive up your nose to begin standard installation.

True I forgot that detail. Sacred flame would do fine, as well.

Those level 1 aarakocran clerics might die by being tapped and falling the whole distance but they’ll bag a tarrasque no problem.

As for the 2024 Tarrasque, they downgraded it to resistance against physical damage, instead of immunity to nonmagic physical. I mean, it’s nice that it resists magical physical, now, but any source of advantage to cancel the disadvantage of being in long range lets you kill with any bow/crossbow.

Repeating would still be ideal, for ammo usage, but it needed its regeneration back. At least if you needed 100 aarakocran to start reducing its HP meaningfully, it’d be beyond the scope of “first time player who thought flying sounded cool”.

Not with Wish, that’s for sure.

Ive heard it said that anything past level 15 or so, they just didn’t intend for real gameplay, and I have to agree. The Tarrasque is defeated with a Fly spell and a bow, Wish can technically be used for other things but really is just Lesser Wish from older editions, only spell replication, and capstones tend to be meh and really feel tacked on most of the time.

RAW, it’s not replicating a spell, so the effect weakens you, 1/3rd chance it burns out, all that, except the DM doesn’t rule on possibility, since it is called out as possible.

I treat every effect that specifically call out Wish as removing it as using Wish to replicate a spell. Unless the intent was to only allow a Wishing magic item to work, it’d be pretty ridiculous otherwise.

Yes.

Floppy disk drive.

A and B were reserved and your first hard disk drive was C.

The two disk drives had fixed memory addresses because they were often specific ports on the motherboard, and loaded the OS, etc. Things after that were more dynamic.

I agree with the sentiment but not with the advice “commit a felony to avoid maybe getting a felony”. There isn’t a chance you’ll get charged with destroying evidence if they’re already looking at you under a microscope like your hypothetical.

Anyone that concerned needs to just not store sensitive data on their phone, and use a messaging app that doesn’t permanently store messages, either. That way you didn’t erase your phone, AND they find nothing. Attempting to secure your data from the cops while you’re already under the lens with a warrant is far too late.

Another case is if they get a warrant for whatever’s on your phone, you knew, and then erased your phone.

Warrants make more sense, because a warrant can be issued just due to probable cause. They need that cause, but that cause doesn’t have to be directly related to your phone. Once you know they have a warrant to search it, you would qualify as “knowingly” altering or destroying evidence.

That is genuinely hilarious. Very successful bait.

Would’ve pissed me off, too.

Dang I didn’t know they got that cheap.

Thanks for the search advice.

Honestly I feel this was always the goal (one of several), but R&D is expensive. Shipping an odd phone that people still buy keeps the shareholders happy while the multi-year research process can eventually produce more usable results.

Single-flip phones were the awkward teenagers, now this phone can be the 18-20 age young adult, fully featured, but needing refinement. Next gen or the one after this will add a lot more robustness.

Worth a reminder that *'s get converted to italics. At first I saw the 2+58-55 and was very concerned for your education.

I’m reasonably sure it’d be a list of numbers that just translate.actual die rolls to a new set.

123456 416352

Roll a natural 6 on a d6, look at that simple table, you got a 2. Roll a natural 3, get a 6.

Ratcheting the table would be moving a row, so ratcheting this table by 1 would make it

123456 163524

So now you have a new arrangement.

The boring but truthful answers of “I have bills that can easily soak it all up without an issue (mortgage, student loans, car, etc)” have been said, so assuming I cannot use it to repay any debts, and I have to make actual new purchases, I’d buy things that I could pay for now but enjoy for a long time. 3-year VPN plan, multi-year phone plan, gift cards to restaurants (especially with a bulk discount like at a Costco), etc. Upgrade my cockatiels to a cage that goes wall to wall with real plants hanging out and all that. The little things that cost enough that I don’t get them but not enough to be a life-changer. Probably be a good amount left, I’d get a moped or electric bike of some kind, and I’d upgrade my laptop to a stupid powerful one.

Sort by date and at least vaguely remember when I downloaded it.

Its like archaeology

Didn’t know this, this is good to know

Well I have no reason to doubt her. Plenty of reason to doubt employers, but not the people working the shifts, so OK. Good to know.

Yeah I dont think 12 hours is feasible, anyway.

By hour 10, are people really working with the same level of care as when they started?

In healthcare that’s a much bigger concern than some middle-manager in a corporate office.

Three 8:15 hour shifts, instead of two 12:15 hour shifts. Seems much more reasonable, adds 15 minutes total to work time.