Thank you for your interest in my campaign to be part of CSM 6. It is my intention to work diligently, effectively, and tirelessly to bring the concerns of the player base to the CSM, to CCP, and back to the players.

The following is a user submitted request for my stand on a topic important to them. I have given thought to the topic and formulated my opinion, but it’s just that; my opinion. Nothing more. There is no guarantee the opinion expressed herein will ever see the light of day.

My platform isn’t one of issues, but rather one of integrity, tenacity, and the willingness to hold the CSM and CCP accountable  to the players that support everything we do. I will not push my own agenda, unless it coincides with what the majority of the player base wants for a given topic.

Never start a fight you can win. #RocTheVote

QUESTION: Here’s a question that will undoubtedly bring more wrath your way. What is your view on microtransactions?

My Game vs Your Game

I can answer this one easily; I’m all for microtransactions, provided they don’t affect the game play of others.

I’m going to use Captains’ Quarters as my example. If I have to pay $2.99 to have the corpse of the last Amarr I killed made into a coffee table within my personal quarters, for my own morose enjoyment, that’s my business.

If I want to pay $4.99 to have my Rifter painted hot pink, still my business. If I want to pay $9.99 for a pre-animated exotic dancer to pole dance in my living room, again, my business. None of these things affect you in any way.

I would actually hope for microstransactions to become a part of Incarna, allowing me to interior decorate my quarters differently from yours. It would also finally let me get my facial tattoo back, since CCP obviously thought it would be funny to have unmarked Brutors walking around, denying us our cultural heritage and emasculating us all in front of the other races. Hell, I’ll pay for stylish glitter pants, and a slaver hound to strut around with me everywhere I can eventually go.

We already know microtransactions were proposed for DUST 514; the game itself would be free, but ingame items would be  microtransactional.

Your Game vs My Game

I do not support microtransactions when it involves upsetting the balance of game play. See that incredibly rare Officer warp scrambler on my ship? I bought that for $14.99 in game. No. Not acceptable. At all.

Anything that can affect the performance of one player against another should never be made microtransactional. Ever. Ever. Being able to buy an advantage over another cheapens game play, and while CCP may see that an opportunity to profit (I really don’t know if they do or not), it should never be allowed. What will inevitably happen is that everyone will have to start purchasing items in order to stay competitive, and as we see so often now, larger alliances will benefit from this type of approach.

Now for CCP, the profit makes sense if everyone is buying items, but for me, I like having a set monthly amount for my EVE experience. The clothing and exotic dancers? That’s my own personal fun. Forcing me to spend additional money each month in addition to my subscription just to be able to play on equal footing with other players? Not fun at all.

But who knows? Maybe Eve Online will become free to play, and CCP will make its money from microtransactions alone. That might work, if done properly. But I’d rather not see that on the drawing board at all.

It’s already here

Here’s the kicker; microtransactions already exist in Eve Online. We call them PLEX. Essentially players pay real money for ISK. That ISK can then be spent on anything ingame. To me, that constitutes an advantage. I spend a few hundred dollars, I can go buy that faction cruiser, and appropriate fittings to go with it, and well, you didn’t spend real money so you can’t … I win.

Am I the only one that’s thought about that?

Thank you for your interest in my campaign to be part of CSM 6. It is my intention to work diligently, effectively, and tirelessly to bring the concerns of the player base to the CSM, to CCP, and back to the players.

The following is a user submitted request for my stand on a topic important to them. I have given thought to the topic and formulated my opinion, but it’s just that; my opinion. Nothing more. There is no guarantee the opinion expressed herein will ever see the light of day.

My platform isn’t one of issues, but rather one of integrity, tenacity, and the willingness to hold the CSM and CCP accountable to the players that support everything we do. I will not push my own agenda, unless it coincides with what the majority of the player base wants for a given topic.

Never start a fight you can win. #RocTheVote

QUESTION from CCP Manifest: What kind of workout regimen can you provide to me that will help me lose the next 15 pounds to reach target weight 🙂

Basic Math & Physics

Despite what the entire diet industry tells us, it’s really quite simple to lose weight without any help:

1 pound of fat = 3500 calories = 7 days in a week = 500 calories per day

1- 2 pounds of fat loss per week is considered safe, and as you can see, the reality of it is to eat 500 calories less per day to accomplish that.

Any pill or powder that tells you it will help you lose weight is a lie and not good for your body.

How does that work?

That’s where the physics comes in.

The first law of thermodynamics states that the flow of heat is a form of energy transfer. There are only two ways to shed fat: thermal and kinetic.

Eating 500 calories less per day is sufficient for the thermal, as digestion accommodates thermal energy transfer.

But you cheated!

You actually sabotaged yourself with your question though. I cannot give a complete answer because there wasn’t a complete question.

You stated the amount you wanted to lose, but not when you wanted to lose it by.

body change x timeframe = goal

So let’s look at your question again.

If you want to lose 15 pounds in 15 weeks, then the caloric reduction will work.

If you want to lose 15 pounds before Fanfest, which is 6 weeks away, then:

(15 lbs x 3500 calories) / (7 days x 6 weeks) = 52500 calories / 42 days = 1250 calories less per day

You cannot safely lose that through diet alone. This is where increasing your thermal and kinetic transfer comes into play. There are many exercises you could do to burn 700 calories per day:

• run 10k
• do a HIIT routine
• spin class
• Tabata
• Zumba
• Kinect Your Shape: Fitness
• Martial Arts (high intensity form)

This is just a partial list.

Where do I start?

The first thing I recommend is to spend an entire week accurately tracking your caloric intake. There are many devices that do this, as well as many great apps. If you are on the iPhone, I recommend DailyBurn; it’s free and it’s fantastic!

At the end of that week you will have an accurate picture of what your eating habits are like, as well as your average caloric intake. Be honest with yourself. Track everything.

From there, set your goal. What do you want to change, and by when?

Then do the math, figure out if  you can accomplish this with caloric changes alone, or if you need to supplement your efforts with exercise.

The logic is simple. You didn’t gain the extra 15 pounds overnight; you’re not going to lose it overnight. Don’t be discouraged if it’s tough at first; it gets easier. You just need to get out there and get active!