diff --git a/docs/rh-log.txt b/docs/rh-log.txt
index 394cfd496..c4e63ab68 100644
--- a/docs/rh-log.txt
+++ b/docs/rh-log.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 December 8, 2007
+- Changed the PowerTimeFreezer "blink" effect back to checking against
+  EffectTics (now + 1), because I wasn't convinced of the correctness of
+  using level.time.
+- Fixed: SC_CheckNumber() considered the empty string "" as the number 0.
 - Reverted the 'None' name change from r569.
 
 December 6, 2007
diff --git a/src/g_shared/a_artifacts.cpp b/src/g_shared/a_artifacts.cpp
index 4744afe22..2783c74c8 100644
--- a/src/g_shared/a_artifacts.cpp
+++ b/src/g_shared/a_artifacts.cpp
@@ -1428,14 +1428,14 @@ void APowerTimeFreezer::DoEffect( )
 	{
 		return;
 	}
-	// [RH] The "blinking" needs to check against level.time, not EffectTics,
-	// or it will never happen, because InitEffect ensures that EffectTics will
-	// always be odd when level.time is even.
+	// [RH] The "blinking" can't check against EffectTics exactly or it will
+	// never happen, because InitEffect ensures that EffectTics will always
+	// be odd when level.time is even.
 	if ( EffectTics > 4*32 
-		|| (( EffectTics > 3*32 && EffectTics <= 4*32 ) && (level.time & 15) != 0 )
-		|| (( EffectTics > 2*32 && EffectTics <= 3*32 ) && (level.time & 7) != 0 )
-		|| (( EffectTics >   32 && EffectTics <= 2*32 ) && (level.time & 3) != 0 )
-		|| (( EffectTics >    0 && EffectTics <= 1*32 ) && (level.time & 1) != 0 ))
+		|| (( EffectTics > 3*32 && EffectTics <= 4*32 ) && ((EffectTics + 1) & 15) != 0 )
+		|| (( EffectTics > 2*32 && EffectTics <= 3*32 ) && ((EffectTics + 1) & 7) != 0 )
+		|| (( EffectTics >   32 && EffectTics <= 2*32 ) && ((EffectTics + 1) & 3) != 0 )
+		|| (( EffectTics >    0 && EffectTics <= 1*32 ) && ((EffectTics + 1) & 1) != 0 ))
 		level.flags |= LEVEL_FROZEN;
 	else
 		level.flags &= ~LEVEL_FROZEN;
diff --git a/src/sc_man.cpp b/src/sc_man.cpp
index 4ed641758..b2226240a 100644
--- a/src/sc_man.cpp
+++ b/src/sc_man.cpp
@@ -545,7 +545,12 @@ bool SC_CheckNumber (void)
 	//CheckOpen ();
 	if (SC_GetString())
 	{
-		if (strcmp (sc_String, "MAXINT") == 0)
+		if (sc_String[0] == 0)
+		{
+			SC_UnGet();
+			return false;
+		}
+		else if (strcmp (sc_String, "MAXINT") == 0)
 		{
 			sc_Number = INT_MAX;
 		}