<BREEDING A NEW CULTURE>
Ma Salle de Bain
Posted by Karen
Published: 2009-06-30 00:57:29
During an excited Tweetfest with my flock, Allyson suggested that I put my nervous energy about my new job to good use and start brainstorming design ideas for my new place in New York. For some reason, it seemed that the clouds parted and I was instantly enlightened as to the theme for my bathroom. Asian Inspiration Turned Decoration When I lived in Japan, I went to visit my pal Alex in Malaysia with my friend, Yuriko. We hit up some of the hottest tourist spots and I snapped up tons of photos like a good like globe trotter. Rifling through my... (Read More)
A Photographic Dilemma
Posted by Karen
Published: 2009-06-20 00:12:55
Last week, I started taking a digital photography with PhotoShop Elements course at the community school. Right out of the gates, I felt I was at a technological disadvantage as I have a point-and-shooter while the majority of my peers are hefting pricey single lens reflex (SLR) cameras. Though, my handy dandy Panasonic Lumix DMC FX-07 has been undoubtedly fantastic to me, I can't help but wonder if I am truly at a disadvantage with my current hardware. I am one of the many denizens who follow Geek*Sugar on the Sugar Network. Being less techno-savvy, I value and respect her... (Read More)
My Top 5 Favorite Video Games Ever
Posted by Rusty Haskell
Published: 2009-06-19 10:15:32
I love video games. If you were to total up all the time I've spent in my life doing various things, playing video games would only be dwarfed by time spent sleeping. Ever since my parents brought home that Atari 2600, I have had a controller or a keyboard/mouse combo seemingly grafted to my hands. The following list represents a combination of my personal enjoyment with the game over extended period of time with a nod toward very balanced gameplay. High replay value is a necessity for games on this list because there is no way that a game I've played... (Read More)
My Top 5 Movies
Posted by Rusty Haskell
Published: 2009-06-04 09:45:04
I give no explanation or exposition about my scale or my reasoning. They just simply are. The Breakfast Club Airplane! Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie UHF Ghost World ... (Read More)
An Open Letter To DPS
Posted by Rusty Haskell
Published: 2009-05-28 09:46:02
Dear DPS classes/specs, Let me start off by saying that I love you. You make the really big numbers show up above the monsters' heads and make them stop hitting the tank before I run out of mana. This is a critical part of any group, and I want to /hug each one of you. I would, however, like to broach a difficult subject. You see, as your party healer in a heroic instance, most of my attention has to be focused on the tank. You know, the big guy up front with all the armor and damage mitigation. If I don't... (Read More)
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-22
Posted by Rusty Haskell
Published: 2009-05-22 23:30:00
@sunnysoflo Nope. My parents are teetotalers. in reply to sunnysoflo # I started a profile on WoWInsider's new WoW.com. http://profile.wow.com/user/bactroid # Favorite WoW moment: The day that I ended up on a ship with four other druids. Without a word, we all turned into bears and started dancing. # What do you mean there's no donuts? Sad panda! # @a12yeartoast Water spirits! Hear your shaman master! Rain! Rain! in reply to a12yeartoast # Finally got around to adding my twitter posts to my blog page. http://fuzzcat.bactroid.net/ # I really need to move Bactroid.net to a cheaper hosting solution. I know I need to make the time... (Read More)
My Five Favorite Shared Universes and Storytelling Vehicles
Posted by Rusty Haskell
Published: 2009-05-11 16:01:40
Warcraft. I fell in love with Warcraft 3, and World of Warcraft just completely hit all the pleasure centers of my brain. I love the races involved. I love the high fantasy with smidges of sci-fi thrown in. The threats and villains are varied and very intimidating. The factions are well developed enough to not portray either side as completely villainous or virtuous. I want to play 4e D&D in this universe. Marvel Comics. When I was a kid, the best part about reading Marvel comics was that they all worked together to create one big narrative tapestry. The stuff that... (Read More)
Things I Will Do Differently In My Next Campaign
Posted by Rusty Haskell
Published: 2009-04-01 13:33:35
I'm very much a newbie Game Master/Dungeon Master. I've run a few short games in 3e, and now I'm running two weekly 4e campaigns. I'm very much still learning on the job though. By and large, people assure me that my games are going well, but having been trained as a critic, I tend to see flaws and things I can improve for next time. Here's a handy list of things that I can and should improve. I will keep my players' adventures contained to one area at early levels, and I will spend more time fleshing out that area. I... (Read More)
Five Topics That Will Make Me Geek Out
Posted by Rusty Haskell
Published: 2009-03-30 06:26:41
I am not normally a particularly talkative person. In fact, I go to great lengths to avoid conversation with nearly everyone. Be warned, however, that if you bring up any of these topics I won't stop talking until at least one of us is dead. Star Trek (especially Star Trek: The Next Generation). Spider-Man, the X-Men, Captain America...Pretty much any topic involving Marvel continuity from the 1960s until the present. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And if you bring up Spike, Giles, or Xander specifically? God help you. Dungeon and Dragons. Any edition. World of Warcraft. I play this game with Excel spreadsheets to back me... (Read More)
Comparing the 4e Martial Strikers
Posted by Rusty Haskell
Published: 2009-03-27 13:57:14
I wanted to offer a bit of insight into the math behind Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition. Having run the system for nearly a year now, I can tell you that subjectively the system feels pretty balanced. Subjectivity is always a bit of a rub, however. When dealing with systems governed by numbers, feelings are no substitute for calculations and arithmetic. Just for grins, I wanted to calculate the average damage per round (DPR) for the two martial strikers -- the rogue and the ranger -- to see how they compare. Both classes are, after all, designed for single-target damage... (Read More)