Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote "do the thing and you will have the power."

To that end, I have begun the process of reinvesting in myself and my career as a web developer. I 'm experimenting with new techniques, such as Ajax and of course, ColdFusion. In the next few weeks I will be rolling out some new features and applications on continuumedia. Some you will be able to see, others will be more background process to make the site run smoother overall.

The first of these enhancements is the revamping of Delta Source...my Star Wars sub-site. I will be adding a Star Wars Miniatures application that allows one to look up any figure based on various criteria and build squads. This isn 't unprecedented functionality, I have some inspirations to look to, but what makes this application 'special ' is that it will use Ajax techniques to make calls to the server without reloading pages where appropriate. In the Web Development world, demonstrated ability is everything...well, almost everything.

I will also be unveiling a CFC powered Random Battlefield Condition Generator for HeroClix games where you want to use one battlefield over the entire game, or you can generate two in different windows...randomly.

I have some other ideas percolating, but these two will keep me busy for a week or two. Remember, do the thing, and you will have the power!

Wizkids has released the Alternate Team Ability cards via their Print and Play initiative based on 4 popular teams introduced the Marvel Heroclix: Web of Spider-Man booster expansion. These alternate team ability cards are tournament legal as of their release.

DC HeroClix: The Brave and the Bold has been released, and with the Blackest Night upon us, the dead have risen! Enter Kal-L, the Superman of Earth-2!

Weighing in at a hefty (but not unbelievable) 254 points, Kal-L brings serious power to the HeroClix table, but not without some suprises for a figure of his considerable cost. First off, the suprises. This is the only figure at this point level (250-275) that doesn 't possess at least a click of Impervious or Invulnerability. Instead, Kal 's less...living...form has a total of 8 clicks of Toughness backed by 3 of Regeneration. This isn 't necessarily a bad thing, given that his dial toploads at a 19 defense score, never dropping to less than 16. Still, he comes apart a bit easier at the seams than he did before his death at the end of Infinite Crisis.

As a Black Lantern, Kal-L can recover from virtually any injury to continue manipulating the emotions of his targets. This is partially evidenced in his Trait -- Power Levels Rising: Whenever an opposing character is KO 'd within 4 squares of Kal-L, you may heal Kal-L of 1 damage. Between this and Regeneration, Kal-L can make the most of his high cost by KO-ing figures (or being near KO 'd opposing figures) after he is damaged. He also has a synergy with the Black Hand figure (via the Avatar of the Black special power) and the Black Lantern Special Object. With the right circumstances (and a little help from the Golden Age Auto Regeneration Feat Card), Kal-L can conceivably heal up to 7 clicks of damage with just those elements in play! It will be much more common to heal one click or perhaps two, but that is an extremely potent ability in any case.

As much as can be made of Kal-L 's defensive abilities, he is very much a powerhouse offensively, worthy of the "S" Shield he created. Starting with 5 damage and never dropping below 3, Kal-L is an extremely hard hitting figure, which is even more devastating with the implication of the powers that go along with those statistics. Still faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, Kal-L starts with Charge and Super Strength. And because he can READ THE EMOTIONAL SPECTRUM, he deals penetrating damage via Exploit Weakness. His attack value is a respectable 10, and he possesses the Indomitable ability, but his dial is very tempting when it comes to 'optioning off ' Indomitable and allowing the click of damage to occur on a push. His 10 attack raises to 11 and grants him use of another special power: FENDING OFF TWO SUPERMEN. Now, Kal-L can Charge and use Flurry for 5 base damage, and then use Force Blast as a free action on successfully hit opponents. This is advantageous because it allows Kal-L a measure of protection against a figure he may have damaged, but might not want to remain adjacent to when the attack resolves. With a little luck, Kal-L will possibly heal back to his first click at any rate.

Once he reaches mid-dial, he loses Fending off Two Supermen and gains Hypersonic Speed and Regeneration (where the auto-regeneration feat card comes highly recommended for games that it is available). His attack dips to its ' lowest 9, but he is still dealing 4 base damage at that point.

Thanks to Wizkids new figure inclusion code, I can do reviews on certain figures without going through the 'joys ' of getting the dial to be visible without undue work.