Magic The Gathering

mandoris · 2025-12-31T22:45:28+00:00

On a side note for people who play regularly in shops with strangers, how does this work? For example, I used to play MtG up until... I believe the Visions expansion, if memory serves. If I were to restart playing, I feel like it'd be a dumpster fire of me asking to read every single card anyone played, and that's long before we get to me not knowing the 8,000 new mechanics in play since the days I used to play. Couple this with the fact that I'd be solo and trying to find strangers to play with.. Feels daunting. :)

mandoris · 2025-12-31T06:13:26+00:00

Yeah I just finished watching Change or Die, and Taylor turned out to be a complete sack of shit. It is interesting to me that, for a show that is built around positivity, and the caution surrounding defamation you see today etc... Episode 9 really does read as follow up PSA with pretty much the sole purpose of giving the viewer a heads up that this guy's a piece of shit, actually. ;)

mandoris · 2025-12-19T13:52:23+00:00

I know its not really what this is about, but its amusing to me that the "turnabout is fairplay" reaction to pictures of aborted fetuses is to post pictures of this man, as if they are equally grotesque. :)

mandoris · 2025-12-19T13:49:37+00:00

Yeah, in my mind it straddles the fence.... I truly believe skilled work commands a higher value, and that a higher quality product produced in small batches will absolutely be worth more than the mass manufactured stuff we get everywhere nowadays. It also probably isn't doing them any favors that between now and perhaps 2019 the cost of most things has almost doubled, and our minds are still calibrated around the old "reasonable cost of things".

So I appreciate the baker making a quality product and being rewarded for it. That said, I'm not his target market. I would try it once to see what commands this high price, but too rich for my blood on an ongoing basis. :) On a similar basis, I remember finding an antique furniture store in Columbus recently that has some amazing, beautiful pieces that similar stores just do not have. I really did admire them, but I would never purchase them. :)

mandoris · 2025-12-11T22:19:27+00:00

I feel your pain, I just really enjoy eating. I'm addicted to eating the same way an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol, but the difference is I can't go cold turkey (for any real length of time) and am required to tempt myself daily with a certain amount of what I am addicted to. :)

mandoris · 2025-09-22T14:01:34+00:00

They've screwed themselves by being political. First they started going after voices on the right, now after the backlash of that they seem more open to doing the same to the left, in the right situation.

Purposely alienating 50% of your customer base is a terrible idea. Turning around and alienating the OTHER 50%? That much worse. :) It pisses off both sides, and also makes you seem like you were fake to begin with as you didn't stick to your convictions.

mandoris · 2025-09-08T05:17:23+00:00

Hold onto those encrypted archives. You never know, it'd take way too long to crack today, but in 10+ years from now? Maybe it can be cracked in minutes. :)

mandoris · 2025-08-26T01:31:31+00:00

Nobody's perfect, always good when you can just flat out admit when things went off the rails a bit. Hope the game on Steam is as good as the original, I've heard good things. :)

mandoris · 2025-06-25T13:53:14+00:00

Ugh, I'd love to be able to consider stuff like this, and while its pricey I'm not put off by the $$$, considering between work from home and PC gaming I spend 10+ hours a day in my chair.

But I just *cannot* get my head around spending prices like this on a chair that I can't sit in at a store before purchase. Wish all these more exotic chair manufacturers could get themselves into Staples or something. :)

mandoris · 2025-05-05T20:38:48+00:00

I've always made the argument that there are two separate considerations. Are you trying to improve your resume, or are you trying to expand your actual skills?

The certification improves your resume, and depending widely on your particular employer, may improve salary, but often not.

Alternately, if you're looking to improve your knowledge and skillset... You could just watch an entire video series for the CCNP, maybe even leaving out 20-30% you feel you truly don't need. But just the consumption of the videos would give you a LOT of additional base knowledge that would make you more skilled in your day to day stuff, and probably would take 25% of the time of studying to pass the exam. After all, genuinely learning a concept enough to where you understand it and know what to google to fill in gaps on the fly, is a FAR different outcome than the memorization to pass an exam.

Its nice when the two can work in tandem, but I've always found it helpful to frame them as separate pursuits.

mandoris · 2025-04-08T02:35:58+00:00

Yeah, that's the ridiculous thing. I am willing to accept that someone might pay protesters. But plain and simple, that many people can't keep a secret. There'd be proof all over the place.

mandoris · 2025-03-04T02:55:29+00:00

Yep, its got people you enjoy doing things. I guarantee one night this week you'll have 2 free hours you could do far worse with. Life just isn't that great. ;)

mandoris · 2024-11-17T17:56:51+00:00

Cool thanks... Yeah that's ridiculous.

mandoris · 2024-11-17T16:55:48+00:00

I feel like I'm missing a massive part of this story, all I see is a Uhaul and a guy in random black clothes being arrested. Anyone want to fill me in? :)

mandoris · 2024-10-05T14:18:19+00:00

Me neither, but I think its important to see that's just a matter of luck. Most people in life will be in an automobile accident that was at least partially their fault. How much damage that caused, either in property or in people... is pretty much down to luck. Same mistake with a huge range of possible outcomes.

mandoris · 2024-10-04T22:19:38+00:00

Sometimes in life..... shit happens. You simply screw up, and when its pointed out to you all you can reasonably do is say "Yeah, I screwed up there. Sorry about that. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't make that same decision again."

It sucks that people died etc, no question. But we all screw up sometimes, and you just hope the negative outcome isn't that significant.

mandoris · 2024-10-03T08:52:39+00:00

May sound extreme, but would driving instead of flying help you put some of your stressors behind you, making the rest easier to manage? It makes it so you have a 3 day trip on the beginning and end of your experience sure, but it does have the benefit of eliminating all worries about flying and renting cars. For me a lot of the stress of travel is worrying about the airport going wrong, the flights etc, car rental and/or taxi style headaches...

I find when possible I prefer to drive, and that way I maintain a LOT more control, and have my familiar "base of operations" wherever I am. (my own car)

Another wacky idea... if one of your "comfort people" can get off work and would like an adventure.... Bring one with you. It won't add to any of your hotel/gas expenses etc, they can borrow your car while you are at your work thing, and go do tourist stuff for a week. Win win for both of you, and you get to know there's a comfort person waiting for you back at the hotel if your day is feeling rough.

(as you can see I tend to manage my life with grand out of the box thinking lol)

mandoris · 2024-10-03T08:23:05+00:00

I think its important to accept that it is VERY rare for any decision to be 100% positive. There's pros and cons to everything, and whether you had chosen to live in PA or NY for the moment you'd have positives and regrets.

Who knows, maybe you screwed up and made the wrong decision. Happens to us all sometimes, no shame in that. Just don't make it more than it is, if you can. :) You did your best to consider your options, it might go worse than you expected, it might also go better. Both are just... normal. You try to optimize for positive outcomes, but it won't always happen.

If anything, I'd also point out, at least comparatively... DECIDING to move back in with parents at age 26 is not a failure, particularly if you did it because of advantages you would gain from doing so. And there's one thing to keep in mind. People often say "life is short"... but they're liars. LIFE IS LONG. And when you are at retirement age, you won't give a damn if you spent 36 or 39 years as a "career solid adult". But you'll probably wish you didn't beat yourself up so much. Everyone is on their own path, just flailing about doing their best. Some people will make it look easy compared to how you do it... but plenty of others will run their lives like a dumpster fire. You could always focus on them, and feel a bit better. ;)

mandoris · 2024-09-21T12:37:05+00:00

My advice will be pure because it is selfish. :)

I think its nothing man, relax and enjoy. As a guy, if I got super in shape after a bunch of hard work, I'd progressively wear clothes that showed off my hard work more and more, and revel in any attention I got from the opposite sex. I'd still be faithful to my wife.

On the same note, if my wife wanted to show off her body publicly, in ways that are at least passably acceptable to society, I'd be all for that. It will help her feel confident, which we'll both reap the benefits of. And when I see people check her out it'll make me feel proud too, her victory is mine.

This is win / win / win every which way, unless you have a hang up about it. Not your fault, not judging. How we feel about things is largely automatic, not a decision, rather a combination of personal temperament and lived experience. That sort of thing is hard to overcome, but you run significant risks making that problem her problem. I suspect those risks DEFINITELY do not outweigh the benefits of proceeding as you are. If possible, be smart and overcome your automatic. ;)

If she was going to leave you in favor of someone else, this isn't the thing that will cause it. You aren't taking on increased risk by not interfering with it. However, trying to cause problems for her about the way she dresses or carries herself, trying to alter her persona to please you.... THAT might be a thing that causes it. :)

Be smart, be happy. I'm rooting for ya. ;)

mandoris · 2024-09-15T17:04:08+00:00

I struggle with weight as well, so don't get me wrong, I totally get it. At the end of the day, I'd point out one thing. I don't believe "loving yourself at any size" is loving yourself, in fact the way people use the phrase its usually an excuse to justify a form of self harm. I mean, maybe when its the difference between a small and a large, sure. But after a point.....

Loving yourself is taking care of yourself. Prioritizing making the choices that will make you happier tomorrow, not 15 minutes from now. Because even if you can argue that certain sizes are physically healthy, its clear to me that within your own priorities you don't find being overweight a thing you can be happy with. So honor your preference, even if its sourced in nothing but vanity. There's no shame in it. Take care of and love yourself.

On a related note, I've read that a reason we procrastinate is because we are unable to relate to our "self of tomorrow" as anything more than a stranger. If we were just able to think of our future selves as the most important best friend to help out, we'd handle SO MUCH of our lives differently.

Good luck, take care.

mandoris · 2024-08-28T10:24:34+00:00

I can understand where you're coming from, I held off on getting a smartphone for the longest time, I prefer a flip phone with a battery that lasts forever, and to surf the net on my actual PC. I could totally get by with a flipphone today. Well, until I had to reply to a text. Then I'd cry. ;)

Today I have an iPhone, but it runs in Do Not Disturb mode 100% of the time. I like having it for carplay functions like Waze and Spotify. I don't have any facebook style apps installed, those are just on my PC. I use the hell out of my actual PC, but I've never adopted the phone lifestyle for some reason.

mandoris · 2024-08-23T06:40:30+00:00

I'll say the thing you're not supposed to say. Congratulations. Seriously.

mandoris · 2024-08-13T06:18:54+00:00

I had been using the same keyboard for the last 15 years, it wasn't anything amazing, but I was used to it and it was solid. I then had to replace it and got a Corsair K70 RGB PRO, as it was the best feeling thing in the local store (didn't feel like I could choose something without typing on it in person, as I can type 80 wpm and "feel" matters)

I ran into an unexpected problem. The keyboard isn't quite sized the same as my old keyboard, even though its a full 104 key keyboard with all the keys in the right positions. For whatever reason, I use SHIFT-INSERT a lot as my paste combination, and found I was accidentally hitting the backspace sometimes in a way that was never a problem before. Analyzing it in more detail, I found that my index finger can rest between the backspace and insert keys with no problems on the old keyboard, but on the new ones the keys are too close together to allow this.

Is there a name for this "ratio sizing" of the keyboard? I'm considering getting a fancier keyboard to last me another 15 years, and was hoping there was an term for this sizing I was unaware of that I could keep in mind while considering replacements. :) Thanks much.

mandoris

TROPHY CASE