I was lucky enough to be gifted a month-long premium membership (thanks again to *GloomyUnderwoods) and have had fun with using the extra perks here and there. Polls are fun, aren't they?

But today, the latest Bug Fixes report featured details on something new: a New Thumbnail system. I wasn't really 100% on what that meant, and it was for Beta-Testers only, so I didn't really think much of it.

Then I noticed at the bottom of the screen, where the Top Journals are listed, a journal specifically about the new Thumbnails, so I gave it a click.

New deviantART ThumbnailsHey folks!

You may remember a while back we showed off some brand new thumbnails in #hq's Journal. Well, after many weeks of porting and tweaking based on community feedback, we finally got these brand new thumbs ready for beta testing!

The new thumbnails

For those of you who didn't see the new thumbs when they were previewed a month back, here's a recap.

The current deviantART thumbnails (the smaller versions of deviations) have served the community well for years; however, there's always room for improvement.

Some of the problems with existing thumbnails are: they leave a lot of blank space around them, there isn't a lot of room for te

As you can see, there's a large image previewing the new thumbnail system. And, if you do click on the actual journal, you'll no doubt find a few commenters railing against it.

But why? It certainly doesn't look that bad. Everything's really clear and offers a nice visual. In fact, I probably don't even have to click on the image to get a full-screen of it.

Hold that thought for a minute, I'll come back to that.

Anyway, so because I do currently have a premium membership, I'm able to opt in to Beta Testing. Why not? I thought. I'll actually get to see what the whole fuss is about.

So I went to my Settings, and clicked the little box and became a Beta. Then I went to my gallery.

...

Two minutes later I went right back to Settings and clicked the hell out of Beta.

The new thumbnails looked atrocious! I have no idea how they were able to cobble together that ^ preview photo up there, but I couldn't even stand to browse my own gallery. My own gallery.

How can I explain this... You know how right now, everything is in rows with 5 equally-spaced columns, with things at approximately the same height? Try squishing everything together, having no maximum width, no columns at all, and the last row not centered. It looked like a mess.

Am I alone here on the symmetrical aesthetic charm of dA? I like how galleries look organized - I don't want a page that looks like I've pinned everything to a bulletin board.

And remember that point about not having to click on images to see them fully? Well, when a site's main search feature is based on popularity (aka number of views and favorites), then wouldn't you want more people clicking on your artwork to see it better? Kinda shooting yourselves in the foot here, aren't you dA?

But once these thumbnails are done in Beta, dA plans on putting them everywhere. Our searches, our galleries, and our inboxes. Oh, please no!

Thankfully, I'm not alone in my horror.  

Thumbnails : No Changes Needed:smoking: ... Because everyone smokes when they write big long important letters and shit that deviantART wont read.  (we might get lucky?)

Dear deviantART?

No. No and No. Period.
Just stop it already.

Thank you. But No.
You're selling cookies we dont want.
They're shiny! Ugly but shiny. But no.

(for the 100th time)

Have a comment or two?

- "messy, unprofessional, disorganized, scattered"
- "a miserably played and very failed game of tetris"
- "i'd never link anyone to my gallery here"
- "what will visitors think?" <-- thats a big one

- "how about a hover feature?"
- "larger thumbs but keep them aligned"
- "how about we keep it

<- Here are a few more reasons why these thumbnails should be sent packing. I've added my name to the list, how about you?

Just a quick request from a Potter-junkie

Pottermore is now open to all! If you haven't signed up for an account, you totally should!

I just went through and deleted all my friends who I don't know personally and professionally (or who I didn't know I knew), shrinking my friends list from 255 to 14. Now it's a lot easier to find people I actually know to duel or share potions with.

If you'd like to be my friend, please contact me beforehand! I'd like it if I could nickname all my friends instead of relying on random usernames and my fickle memory.

My username is HallowSpell149. Hope to hear from you!

Ever get tired of reading about damsels in distress? Wish you could find some stories featuring strong, independent women? Then look no further!

This challenge is to discover and read books written by or featuring heroines. What constitutes being a heroine? Perhaps it's being able to swashbuckle, cast spells, mix poisons, control minds, joust, spy, or protect just as well as (or better than!) her guy friends. Perhaps it's having a won't-back-down attitude, a penchant for getting into and out of sticky situations, or a desire to change the world. Or perhaps it's simply the courage to tell her story. It's up to you to decide.

The Rules

• Books must contain a heroine of some sort. Could be the narrator, the main character, the villain, a prominent side character, or the author. I won't be quizzing you on why you picked each and every book. But please, use a little discretion and don't count damsels in distress.


• Challenge will run January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. Participants can join at any time throughout the challenge.


• Create an intro post, linking back to this post.


• Sign up with the Mister Linky below with your intro post, not your blog home page.


• All forms of books are acceptable (audiobooks, eBooks, etc.).


• Counting books read before joining the challenge (but still in 2012) is allowed.


• You don't need a blog to participate.


• Reviews, while always appreciated, are not mandatory.

The Levels

Dame            ~      Read 5 books
Lady Knight  ~      Read 10 books
Baroness      ~      Read 15 books
Countess      ~      Read 20 books
Duchess       ~      Read 35 books
Queen          ~      Read 50 books
Empress       ~      Read 50+ books

Sign Up @ The Wolf's Den

I'll be shooting for the Duchess level, myself. Feel free to leave your own recommendations below and spread the word!

1. Vamplayers by Rusty Fischer
2. The Dig by Audrey Hart
3. Settling by Shelley Workinger
4. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
5. Crushed by K.C. Blake
6. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi