For my Tuesday redo post, I went back and re-sculpted my Exercise: Not My Idea of Fun post. Now with 70% less rambling and 100% better organization! 😀
Tag Archives: opinion
Why I Hate the New Prob Rule
In 2013, the rules for my absolute favorite HeroClix power, Probability Control, changed. Just a subtle change, to the average Clix player’s eye…but for my personal playstyle and collection, it was disastrous. Here’s the official ruling from the 2013 Powers and Abilities card:
See that line saying “A character using this power must be within range (minimum range 6)?” That’s the change. Your Probability Control character must be within at least 6 squares of the character he/she is Probbing, or have a range greater than 6 so they can be farther back. (They also changed Perplex and Outwit to read the same, but my main beef is with Prob since it’s my favorite power.)
The Problem: This Hurts 0-Range Probbers
Unfortunately, there are lots of older, cheap “just-Prob” HeroClix figures with low or no range (Destiny, Black Cat, and even a Scarlet Witch or two are notable examples). For that matter, any figure with Prob and low/no range falls victim to this–they get granted a 6 range as a grace while using Prob, but they still have to be much closer to the action than you want ANY Prob piece to be.
See, Probability Control, at least for me, is a power best played from mid- to back-field, so that you can more easily protect the Prob piece from attack. Most of my Prob pieces, in particular are shorter-dialed and weaker; this new rule short-circuits my careful Prob playstyle, forcing me to bring my one-trick Prob ponies potentially into the fray.
In short, I’m having to rethink my whole playstyle, since Prob is so important to all my team builds and I’m used to playing Prob a certain way. It’s a challenge to my whole Clix mindset. Argh.
Devil’s Advocate: Why They Probably Did This
However, I can admit that I know at least one reason why they changed this rule–to stop exactly the kind of tactic I’ve been employing. Probbing from way far back on the map means that you can use a 20-point piece to effectively change the course of a 400- or 500-point game. VERY sneaky (and very funny, but that’s beside the point). I can understand how annoying that would be from an opponent’s perspective, not to be able to get to the supportive pieces to knock them out.
Moving Forward: How to Play Around This New Rule
So how do we players with no-range/weaker Prob pieces adapt? Well, after some thought (and some trial/error), here are some ways I’ve come up with?
- Pair a no-range/weaker Prob piece with a stronger piece, ideally with Flight/Carry ability, longer range, and/or Defend. The Flight will make the Prob piece more mobile; Defend will bring up the Prob piece’s defense; range will enable the stronger piece to fend off opposing pieces before they get too close.
- Position weaker Prob pieces on Hindering Terrain to give them a defense boost at range.
- Use several close-combat pieces as “tie-up” for opposing characters, so that they cannot get free and attack your Prob pieces.
- When possible, do not move your Prob piece any closer than 6 squares away from the general center of battle.
- Use Elevated Terrain to your advantage, especially when playing against a largely close-combat team; your no-range Prob piece sitting up high will enable that 6 Prob range to be used more effectively.
What IS “Flat Design” and Why Should We Use It?
After seeing several webdesign blogs mention “flat design” as a still-up-and-coming design trend for 2014, I was intrigued. “What do you mean, ‘flat’ design? Ain’t the screen flat already?” I thought, jokingly.
At first, I wondered if perhaps the CSS box shadows, pretty text bevels, and all of that had started going out of style–you know, the stuff I worked really hard to master and have just now begun implementing into my new designs. But the answer is a lot more subtle than that.
Flat Design: A Feeling Rather than a Set of Rules
The Ultimate Guide to Flat Web Design is where I began my research, and after perusing the screenshots of several different “flat design” layouts, I began to understand. Not only was flat design already a “thing” on the Web, but it wasn’t necessarily just “flat” as in boring. It was, instead, a certain minimalist approach, a “less-is-more” feeling…and it was EVERYWHERE.
A few examples:
Tumblr’s login form, for instance, has elements of flat design; the fonts are simple, the text boxes are only very slightly rounded (VERY slightly!), and the colors are basic (white, blue, and a touch of gray here and there). And yet, there’s an elegance in this simplicity–there is no high-gloss “Web 2.0” feeling, but it still looks “finished.”
My WordPress login screen is treated very similarly–subtle variations between colors, pictorial icon rather than text logo, and clear, readable fonts. Notice on the right and bottom sides of the form, there is the very faintest shadow, just barely there.
Here’s the most surprising example of flat design, at least to me–this comes from Version 13 of my own domain’s layout! In my search to give my layout a new, icon-heavy/pictorial feel, I quite by accident wove in some flat design aesthetics. You can’t call my color choices “subtle” (LOL), but the simplicity of the icons and fonts still fit.
Basically: Flat Design = Natural Makeup
Flat design is to webpages as “natural” makeup is to faces. I know that’s a weird analogy, but it’s accurate. When you choose natural makeup, the point is to not LOOK made-up–it’s all about enhancing the bone structure and features that are already there, with skin-like shades and very careful, subtle color placement. Flat design does the same thing, with 1px strokes of faint shadows, minimal color choices and simple icons, and only the very subtlest shaping and rounding of page elements.
Where Can You Use Flat Design?
Thankfully, like all web trends, you can choose to hop aboard the “Flat Design Train” or not. The look can be too boring for some and too cold for others, especially if used all over the page. Some projects just don’t need that much minimalism (as weird as that sounds!).
That’s why I personally advocate using flat design for your basic page functions, such as navigation and web forms, and perhaps use a more striking graphic or design aesthetic for news, updates, or anything else which needs immediate user attention. Just as a makeup artist balances a strong red lip with just the barest touches of eyeliner, flat design’s concepts can provide just enough styling to your page to make it look polished, without detracting from your most important content.
Summary
Give flat design a try with your next design–toy around with shading things just right, picking simple yet effective icons and fonts, etc. Who knows, you might find your next idea hiding amid your musings!
Awesome 1-Mana Creatures, part 6: Artifacts
You might have thought the “Awesome 1-Mana Creature” series was over last week when I profiled Black, but it’s not! This week I’m profiling the few 1-mana Artifact creatures that are more than worth their salt (plus a few 0-mana Artifact creatures that just can’t be left off the list).
As always, if you know of a creature I missed, let me know in the comments! All card images came from MagicCards.info.
 It’s a 1/1 for 1, and the +1/+1 can move to another artifact creature when it dies! |
 Build this 1-mana bad boy up over several turns (or less, if you’ve got a way to untap artifacts or creatures :D) |
 Handy for getting rid of that pesky card you never want coming back to haunt you in a game. |
 Because sometimes, you just gotta shuffle. (Refraining from obvious Party Rock Anthem joke) |
 Get your mana investment back when it goes to grave…nice! |
 This is a hilarious classic in one of my boyfriend’s decks–plays well with Soul Warden and the like, plus functions as “Annoying Blocker Extraordinaire.” |
 A wall with 2 power? It’ll probably kill most of the little things that run up toward it! |
 At worst, it’s an Ornithopter for 1 more mana. But pay a little mana into its ability, and it can become a 2/2! |
 Its battle cry ability, plus its ability to evade most things that would block it make this a good attack booster! |
 A personal favorite–a 0/4 blocker for 1 mana, and no color commitment! |
 1/1 for 1 colorless is already good, but the option to gain infect for 1 black mana is POWERFUL. Many artifacts can generate black mana when needed, so this creature doesn’t have to operate just in a Black deck. |
And here are the awesome 0-mana Artifact creatures I referenced earlier:
 A classic–a 0/2 flying blocker for no mana. WOOT! |
 A 0/3 blocker is always nice, and especially for no mana cost–it means your opponent has to waste time punching through it or dealing it direct damage! |
 And for sheer ridiculousness, how about a 0/6 wall for 0 mana? Sure, it gets -0/-1 counters on it when it blocks, but it’ll be around long enough to protect you! |
Clothing Prices: The Fashion Goldilocks Zone (Infographic)
Admittedly, I’m not much of a fashion maven, but I’ve done enough shopping and worn enough clothes in my life…enough to create the above infographic based on my personal observation of fashion pricing. There are pros and cons to buying fashion of all price ranges, but I have personally found that you CAN achieve the best of both worlds by carefully choosing well-made, mid-priced clothing. They land right in the “Fashion Goldilocks Zone” (not too cheap, not too costly; not too trendy nor too basic, etc), described in the graphic above.
Sure, mid-priced clothes are not designer clothes, but they’re also not likely to fall to pieces when you wash them a few times, either (as I have unfortunately experienced). If you’re willing to look for slightly higher-quality clothing that is put together well, especially for clothes you’ll be washing and wearing a lot, you’ll actually SAVE money in the long run because you won’t have to replace your whole wardrobe every year. (You don’t have to buy the most expensive clothes to have the best quality, either, because I’ve also unfortunately found that sometimes the high-priced pieces wear out just as quick as the cheap stuff.)
More help on picking quality clothing for less money:
Six Secrets to Spotting High-Quality Clothes
Accessible Chic: 6 Places to Shop Quality Clothes Online
How to Buy Nice Clothes On the Cheap
Is Buying Expensive Clothing Worth It?
How to Spot Quality Clothing
Awesome 1-Mana Creatures, part 5: Black
In Magic: the Gathering, Black is not necessarily known for its creatures, and usually what creatures it gets are not cheap to play. But there are some little 1-mana gems hiding away in Black! Check out the list below! (And don’t forget to check out the other colors I’ve profiled so far: White, Blue, Green, and Red.)
All of the card images came from MagicCards.info; if you know of a 1-mana black creature that ought to be on this list and isn’t, let me know (nicely) in the comments!
 Play it first turn and activate it second turn for an early-game life-drain jumpstart. |
 Good way to both fill up your graveyard and put your opponent at a disadvantage–even first turn! |
 Great for multi-color decks to balance out your mana. |
 When you just REALLY NEED that 1 extra mana. Or you need a cheap blocker. |
 Keep an opponent’s creature down for a turn with this one. |
 Messing with graveyards is traditional Black territory–and for a 1-mana investment up-front, not bad! (For a newer reprint, see Rag Dealer.) |
 For 1 mana you have a creature whose power and toughness can snowball over several turns. Who cares that it can’t block? |
 Great for re-balancing life totals, or for gaining an advantage. |
 If your deck already deals with a lot of “Sack this creature” effects, this would be a great little addition. |
 Though it’s hybrid, there’s still plenty to interest a mono-Black deck here. Getting rid of lands, instants, and sorceries from the graveyard? NICE. (And if you happen to run a little Green in your Black deck, all the better) |
 A quick and cheap way to make your opponent ditch a card. |
 Exalted is rare enough to find in Black, let alone Exalted and Regenerate. Great for boosting up another creature and sticking around! |
 Though its tap ability are pretty expensive, making an opponent ditch two cards is pretty fun. And late-game, you can Channel this little guy to make them ditch four instead! |
 Equal-opportunity disadvantage–great for a group game, and just fine for a one-on-one game. |
 Level this guy up, and you get a pretty powerful creature removal tool! |
 GREAT way to get Black mana early-game, especially if all you have are colorless or non-black mana sources. (For a newer, Black/Red option, see Manaforge Cinder.) |
 Like Drainpipe Vermin, but this says “ditch at random”–a small but possibly more dangerous change for your opponent! |
 Exiling cards when tapped, and being able to untap when a black spell is played…how is this guy just 1 mana again? |
 1/1 flying, which Black usually needs! |
 Because Black can always use a touch of Lifelink, given all the “pay X life to do something awesome” types of spells. |
 1/1 swampwalk is great for its cost, since Black has plenty of ways to make an opponent get a Swamp. (See Zodiac Rat for another example) |
 1/1 fear is pretty strong for Black–great for getting through hordes of creatures (unless they’re artifact or black). |
 This is better than it sounds–drain a life from EVERY opponent, AND potentially do some combat damage, too? Woot! |
 Give it flying for a few turns and you should have threshold for extra fun! |
 It’s as good as Plague Beetle if you don’t multi-kick it, and if you do multi-kick it, it’s a HUGE upgrade. Yay for options! |
 A Black creature giving first strike (traditionally a White ability)? WOW! And the +1/+0 is nice, too 🙂 |
 Ah, yes, this little lady is lethal when combined with enchantments that keep her from attacking and blocking for your opponent. (My boyfriend uses Sleeper Agent to great effect with Pillory of the Sleepless…argh! LOL) |
 You can either pump up this Shade and use it as a killing blocker, or you can ditch all the cards out of your hand and start swinging with it. Either way, it’s GOOD. |
 This is like a walking Throne of Bone, but for life loss instead of gain. Neat! |
 Mess with your opponent’s upcoming cards…good ability on a 1-mana creature! |
 The Extort is a nice touch, and the tap ability can either bring something of yours into play quicker, or keep your opponent’s counter-centric combos from going off too soon. |
 Play this guy, and then start targeting him with any kind of spells…FUNNY for a group game especially. |
 1/1 unblockable for 1! WOW! |
 1/1 deathtouch…small but mighty. 🙂 |
 0/1 flying that can become a 2/1 with some mana investment. (See also: Pit Imp, Phyrexian Battleflies) |
 Being able to scry is usually a Blue ability, so it’s nice to see it pop up in Black. |
 0/1 flying that can regenerate! A classic. |
The Accessible Kitchen: One Solution to My Cooking Problem
My lack of cooking prowess is rather legendary; try as I might, my fear of being burned trumps my usage of the stove more often than not, and because I hate wasting food and money, I don’t often attempt new dishes. But the biggest stumbling block to my cooking, by far, is the condition of my lower body.
Most people scoff at this. “What is so strenuous about cooking?” they ask. “All you do is stand there and stir!”
That’s exactly right. You have to STAND…and STAND…and STAND…and by the way, STAND. Which is all well and good, unless you have twisted both ankles at least 5 times and have crunching, pre-arthritic knees. When standing for long periods of time (more than 15 minutes) causes extreme pain, you tend to avoid standing when possible. And in most kitchens, standing or sitting on one of those wooden suppositories people call “stools” is your only option.
(Seriously…these things are NOT comfortable unless you are under the age of 10 and/or have a butt less than 5 inches wide.)
So, after thinking over this problem a few days ago, it struck me: I’m already considered handicapped enough to warrant a handicapped parking permit, even though I don’t use a wheelchair. How do people in wheelchairs use kitchens? How could a kitchen be modified for handicapped purposes?
Kitchen Accessibility: Lowered Counters, Special Appliances, and Creative Storage Solutions
One of the most literally painful chores for me in the kitchen is food prep. I start hurting within 5 minutes, as my knees and ankles swell from standing on them; the swelling and pain then make me hot and tired (and very cranky/impatient, as you might imagine). Thus, before I’ve even started really cooking, I’m already frustrated and in a lot of pain, which no pain pills can really touch. To combat this, I could definitely benefit from roll-under/sit-under cabinet tops, which give plenty of room to work while sitting. Plus, the upper-cabinet shelves that extend down would mean I wouldn’t have to keep getting up and down on a sore ankle/knee.
A roll-under/sit-under sink and stovetop could help with actual cooking and cleaning; suddenly, hand-dishwashing and food-stirring/watching wouldn’t be the impossible tasks that they seem to be right now. (I also like the idea of an induction cooktop, so I don’t burn myself reaching over the stove for pots and pans.)
Finally, putting utensils in creative lower-cabinet storage is a more accessible kitchen design, since it puts everything close at hand and limits stretching/getting up and down. Anything I can do to stop stressing out my joints would be nice!
More Details and Ideas
Accessible kitchen design is more than just counters and cooktops, however–many more details have to be taken into account! The following pages give more advice and ideas:
AccessibleLifestyle: Kitchens
AgeInPlace: Kitchen Ideas
GE Appliances: ADA-Compliant Appliances
Awesome 1-Mana Creatures, part 4: Red
Today, we get to see Red’s wide array of 1-mana creature greatness, just as we’ve seen White, Blue, and Green earlier in this series. With lots of little Goblins and Orcs running around, Red, like Green, has quite a few options for cheap but useful creatures!
If your favorite 1-mana Red creature isn’t featured here, drop me a (nice) line in the comments! All card images came from MagicCards.info.
 Play this guy, then start targeting him with spells and watch your army assemble. |
 1/1 for 1, with Firebreathing for 1R. Nice! |
 Good way to get rid of 1/1 grounded token armies! (*cough*ELVES*cough*) |
 Great first-strike option for Goblins, and good creature all around. |
 ROARRRR. Now I suddenly need to build a deck around this guy. |
 Here’s one flavor of 1/1 Mountainwalking creatures: others include Goblin Mountaineer, Mountain Goat, and Zodiac Goat. |
 The “making another creature mostly unblockable” ability is great, especially when it comes into play for such a low mana investment! |
 With the 0/2 toughness, this little guy can withstand a bigger punch; with the 1-mana-per-point Firebreathing, he can pump up the power quicker. |
 Great way to get rid of one of the big-mama blockers in the way! |
 With this thing, you can deal potentially 4 damage to a player with one card! |
 The haste and bouncing-back-to-hand means this is one hard-to-pin-down creature annoyance for your opponent! |
 Since flight is so seldom seen at low mana costs in red, you’ve got to get it where you can! Yay for blocking a dragon with a bunch of goblins in a hot-air balloon! |
 A constant source of 1 damage, for 1 mana! |
 GREAT for putting out lots of Goblins in few turns. |
 If you need your Goblins (or Dragons, or Orcs, or Dwarves) to deal double damage, use this guy! Just make sure you have a Goblin to sack somehow, if you’re not completely reliant on the creature type. |
 Fiddle with your Artifact-wielding opponent’s combo strategy, for 1 mana. Hee hee! |
 Blocking a regen ability? Doesn’t sound that “durr hurr” to me! LOL |
 Play this guy and start laying out the cheap spells to keep your creatures from being blocked… |
 If Wolvie gets through, 1 damage to player. If he gets blocked, still 1 damage to player. No drawback! |
 Because sometimes you’ll be facing a Red-playing opponent with your Red deck. |
 A classic for Red/Green decks. |
 Since you have to ditch a card to make this work, this could be good for Madness decks! |
 If you’re attacking first turn with this guy, he’s pretty great. If you’ve got him and two or more buddies attacking…he’s SILLY. 😀 |
 One-upping Bloodfire Dwarf with a little more mana investment. |
 Another classic for most Red decks! |
 Great 1/1 for 1 Kinship creature for Goblins. |
 Fix your mana (especially in a Red/Green deck) with this guy! |
 Most of Sensei’s Divining Top’s ability, with legs! |
 The option to play this Unleashed is what sets this apart. |
 Play this, wait 4 turns, and you have a 3/3 flying Bird–in Red, no less! |
 Red gets Wither? Yep, through creatures like this! |
 The Multikicker option is great, but even if you can’t kick it, you’ve still got a 1/1 haste for 1. |
 Hilarious fun with Shatterstorm. |
 Smaug, much? LOL |
 The ability to shuffle your library–in Red–seems pretty rare, and very useful. |
 It’s like a baby Ball Lightning! Aww, what a cute little bundle of destruction! |
 Deal damage to a player, and then damage a creature to boot–for 1 mana! |
 The Soulbond option is what makes this simple little creature good. |
 Either your opponent takes 4 right away, or you get a 4/3 creature for 1 that’s going to smack them in the face every turn until they deal with it. Good options! |
 Great for those times when you just need ONE MORE RED MANA. |
My Sense of Humor, Visualized (Infographic)
This chart is about as accurate as I could muster! I’ve been told many things about my sense of humor (i.e., that it doesn’t exist, or that I don’t laugh at things that are “clearly funny”), but as you’ll see, the “funny” side is just as filled out as the “non-funny” side! Check out the things that will make me wrinkle my brow with disgust, as well as the things that will have me making uncontrollable squeaky laughs of belly destruction. 😀
(And yes, I am well aware that the non-funny side includes very popular comedy styles/shows, but hey, everyone’s got an opinion :D)
Don’t Let Anyone Kill Your Art
This post arose out of a conversation I had with my little cousin (who is now 19 and in her second semester of college, so I guess she’s not so “little” anymore, lol). Around Christmas I asked her how her art classes had gone, knowing that she had planned to major in Art and had likely faced a rocky transition into college art classes. Boy, I didn’t know the half of it.
“Oh, I changed my major,” she replied when I asked her. “I took an art class and the teacher basically killed my desire to do any more art.” She went on to describe how the art teacher had insisted on each student doing dozens of drawings each week, ostensibly to “practice their skills,” but then apparently had used the opportunity to harshly critique rather than build their skills up.
She seemed pretty buoyant about the whole thing, and about her future in her new major, but I was sad about it. While we spoke, I encouraged her to keep at her art, even if it was only a hobby, and not to let it go just because of one teacher, whose opinions were not fact (and whose art teaching methods seemed a bit suspect).
Now, my advice, while perfectly fine, is easier said than followed. How often has my enjoyment of my own art been tainted because I didn’t get the reaction I expected from my audience? How often have I doubted myself and my abilities because of an offhand judgmental comment from someone else? When I make art, I am literally displaying part of my soul…and when someone else finds it unworthy or is indifferent to it, I am wounded as a result, even if I gamely try to continue on.
This is a dangerous path for us artists to travel; once we start prioritizing others’ opinions of our works (especially the ones that seem meant to destroy our desire rather than perfect our skill), then we can easily lose the passion for our art that we began with. And yet, many of us fall victim to this specifically because our art is so close to our selves. We have to actively combat this problem, otherwise the creative fountain within us will be stilled–not by lack of ability, but by the anxiety that comes from wondering whether anyone else will like what we make.
I leave you with this point: art, in whatever form it takes, is a subjective thing–the beauty of a piece can’t be quantified completely. Thus, no one else’s opinion is more unbiased than your own opinion when it comes to your artworks. If you like your work, and other people like it, that’s great. If you like your work, and you’re the only person in the world who likes it, so what? Art is meant to soothe, to inspire, and to be enjoyed rather than to be cut apart and analyzed to death like a dissected frog in a lab. If it only soothes, inspires, and brings enjoyment to its creator, then it has done what it was designed to do already; other people’s positive opinions are just icing on the cake (and the critical people don’t deserve a slice of the cake).
…
(now I just have to follow these words of wisdom when it comes to this blog! LOL)