Only thing that's irking me about the forum change is going down to 25ppp, from 60ppp. Irritates me a little when I'm a mod in a tournament, although I don't have to worry about that part for much longer.
This is set by the admins now on a forum by forum basis. They will be updating them over time from user feedback, so if you'd like a specific PPP on a certain forum, please let them know.
What's the reasoning behind taking this choice away from the users?
Does Modern have any life in Boston considering Legacy is dead?
Not that I'm aware of. The last I heard Pandemonium also discontinued its Modern events due to attendance issues. I also just never enjoyed it there; very cliquish and not friendly to outsiders.
I go to grad school in Cambridge and live in Somerville, and I'd be up for playing casually.
Define "Altering" or "Alter" please. Before you do that this conversation will be pointless. I see people argue about this only to realize after a few days that one person is talking about hand painted alteration and someone else is talking about a basic island with a foil sticker of Tundra pasted on top... those are such different activities that it causes confusion.
Ah hah. I'm guessing this case was closer to the latter than the former?
Interesting catch. I know many users here alter cards for cash or trade, and others sell or trade already altered cards. I'd be curious to hear some more details on this; I'm sure it's an odd situation and that there's a good reason behind it.
The size of the border changed along with the change in printing processes between Fallen Empires and Fourth Edition; the black borders got thinner at that point, then the card frame itself changed in Mirage & Fifth Edition to make the rules text box as wide as the art box.
0_o
Somehow I'd never noticed that the pre-Mirage text box was narrower than the art box. Now I can't un-notice it and I'm filled with twitch-inducing rage every time.
While I was preparing for case interviews at consulting firms, quick mental math was heavily emphasized in all the material I read. I'm not naturally gifted at mental arithmetic, so the only solution I had was simply to practice constantly. The good news is that because it's such a common part of the case interview process, there are lots of online tools to help practice. A quick Google for "consulting math practice" or some variant should give you tons of results. Good luck!
Some background: I'm 28 and have been playing for nearly two decades (since 1996). I've never followed the story, read a novel, or spent money on any supplemental product / brand outreach (clothing, comics, video games, etc.). I'm strictly a paper player, and I'm only interested in cards for their power level and/or play value. Top-down design means nothing to me.
I'm incredibly excited for Theros.
As a side note, some people enjoy making broad claims about what "old" or "new" players like and/or don't like. Those people are misguided and don't help the discussion. Ignoring them is generally the best tactic.
For reference, I'm in my final year of an engineering PhD program. Your take-away from this thread should be everything that Senori has said. His answers are completely accurate, sufficiently detailed, and entirely grounded in reality.
I have a hard time believing that 90% of kids died from not taking a vaccine. There has to be outliers in data and other factors that led to the death (cancer, other medical conditions, birth defects, unknown ifections). What interests me in not taking the vaccines, besides tetnus shots, is that the vaccine is not for "you". It is made in a lab that does not use your DNA for the virus to populate and die in. Thus what DNA are you receiving in the culture? I don't know or can really test if the conditions you described are caused by vaccines, but it bothers me that no tests have occured or been released by a non-benefited third party. I just want to be extremely careful what I put into my body, and advice from you or a person working for a vaccination company feels biased to me.
A couple of points on this:
1. You're not receiving anyone's DNA in a vaccine, at least not in the way you seem to be thinking about it. For viral vaccines, some type of living cell is needed to grow the virus -- remember that viruses can't replicate by themselves. For many viral vaccines, the virus is grown in chicken eggs, which is why people with egg allergies can't take many vaccines. The part responsible for making the vaccine is the virus particle itself, not the DNA from the host in which it was grown. The Washington Post has a nice infographic explaining the process for the flu vaccine, and the CDC recommends this flash tutorial. So if you're worried about being injected with DNA from another person, that's not happening.
2. You claim that no tests have been conducted by a non-benefited third party. Do you not consider peer reviewed journal articles in scientific publications to qualify? If you do, I can provide you with dozens of studies; if not, could you please tell us what type of study you would trust?
Edit: Also, to clarify a bit, the middle parts of Valarin's quote where he's talking about health having no effect on ability to fight off infection are from his discussion with me. I agree that the lack of attributions makes it difficult to follow.
I never said it compared to vaccination; in fact, I explicitly declared vaccination to be unparalleled in its safety and efficacy. I merely feel compelled -- as a person that studies infectious diseases -- to correct your inaccuracies. The innate immune system is capable of killing viruses. Some pathogens can evade these mechanisms, but that does not mean they never work. Vaccinations are an incredibly important part of preventing infections, but they are by no means the only method. Such a viewpoint is overly reductionist and inaccurate.
Edit: Since there was no reply overnight, I'll add a short summary. You made two claims that are demonstrably false. First, you claimed that overall physical health has no effect on a person's susceptibility to infection, which is untrue (for a recent peer-reviewed example, see this paper). Second, you implied that the adaptive immune system is the only mechanism capable of preventing infection, which is untrue (see my description of the innate immune response).
My point has nothing to do with vaccinations; I simply wanted to correct inaccurate claims about the immune system. Nobody benefits from the spread of misinformation, even if it's designed to encourage a beneficial action.
What's the reasoning behind taking this choice away from the users?
I'm not sure if it will help, but for what it's worth, I too would really like these options back.
Not that I'm aware of. The last I heard Pandemonium also discontinued its Modern events due to attendance issues. I also just never enjoyed it there; very cliquish and not friendly to outsiders.
I go to grad school in Cambridge and live in Somerville, and I'd be up for playing casually.
Ah hah. I'm guessing this case was closer to the latter than the former?
0_o
Somehow I'd never noticed that the pre-Mirage text box was narrower than the art box. Now I can't un-notice it and I'm filled with twitch-inducing rage every time.
In all seriousness, this is wonderful. It's especially nice to see a Wizards employee officially acknowledge it.
I'm incredibly excited for Theros.
As a side note, some people enjoy making broad claims about what "old" or "new" players like and/or don't like. Those people are misguided and don't help the discussion. Ignoring them is generally the best tactic.
The fact that a staff member demoted himself because of Curse blocking does not bode well for the problem being solved.
QFT. I put on my carpal tunnel gloves for nothing.
Correct. I assume he's taking that number from this CDC report from May of this year; a citation would've been helpful.
A couple of points on this:
1. You're not receiving anyone's DNA in a vaccine, at least not in the way you seem to be thinking about it. For viral vaccines, some type of living cell is needed to grow the virus -- remember that viruses can't replicate by themselves. For many viral vaccines, the virus is grown in chicken eggs, which is why people with egg allergies can't take many vaccines. The part responsible for making the vaccine is the virus particle itself, not the DNA from the host in which it was grown. The Washington Post has a nice infographic explaining the process for the flu vaccine, and the CDC recommends this flash tutorial. So if you're worried about being injected with DNA from another person, that's not happening.
2. You claim that no tests have been conducted by a non-benefited third party. Do you not consider peer reviewed journal articles in scientific publications to qualify? If you do, I can provide you with dozens of studies; if not, could you please tell us what type of study you would trust?
Edit: Also, to clarify a bit, the middle parts of Valarin's quote where he's talking about health having no effect on ability to fight off infection are from his discussion with me. I agree that the lack of attributions makes it difficult to follow.
Edit: Since there was no reply overnight, I'll add a short summary. You made two claims that are demonstrably false. First, you claimed that overall physical health has no effect on a person's susceptibility to infection, which is untrue (for a recent peer-reviewed example, see this paper). Second, you implied that the adaptive immune system is the only mechanism capable of preventing infection, which is untrue (see my description of the innate immune response).
My point has nothing to do with vaccinations; I simply wanted to correct inaccurate claims about the immune system. Nobody benefits from the spread of misinformation, even if it's designed to encourage a beneficial action.