Muskblog: Making the Internet better since 1995

Last week the 2nd expansion to the video game, Sid Meier’s Civilization V was released. Against my better judgement I download it on day one. I’ve only managed to finish four games since then, but that still represents substantial time and effort, especially when added to the fact all the time I’ve put in since the first game was released in the 90s. Sid Meier is my favourite video game designer and Civilization is undoubtably the video game series that I’ve spent the most time on. As a result I have more than a few thoughts on how to play the game, even though I don’t play competitively or even optimally, I still have much hard earned experience.

During my lengthy period of unemployment one of the suggestions I was given was to become an iPhone developer as I actually was a professional software developer coding in Objective-C over ten years ago. Some people must think nothing changes in the computer industry in the average decade.

Update: the second expansion Brave New World came out…

Civilization did not spring fully conceived from the mind of Sid Meier back in 1991. It was an extension of his previous work such as Pirates! and more directly Railroad Tycoon. It was also influenced by the board game Civilization, it’s successors such as Advanced Civilization and to a lessor extent History of the World. Other influences came from the literary world…

While I was trying to study, someone on Facebook posted a picture of what I thought was their friend dress as Chun Li from the video game Street Fighter 2. Turns out it was Yaya Han…

Everyone else is talking about Diablo III, but I actually started my first game of Sid Meier’s Civilization V since 11-11-6…

As someone who has put up with a lot over the last few years and believes in generally treating people decently online and offline, I have to advocate trying to keep a positive attitude and walking away from most confrontations. Bite your tongue, turn the other cheek, and walk away. Disassociate with anyone who turns nasty and spiteful in your life…

And why do he and his buddies over at Caltrops.com find this acceptable online behaviour? Until this week I’d never bothered to read Caltrops.com or really look into who was running the website and why the hell they think they are so damn clever and superior to the rest of us lesser Internet users. Fussbett Sanitario seems particularly proud of his long association with Caltrops.com and is overly enamored with with the sound of his fingers hitting the keyboard. He’s also very attached to his online Internet handle and continually uses it or variants. He and his buddies also play online video games and chat using AOL Instant Messenger of all things. Using my renewed annoyance at Mr. Sanitario and his pals over at Caltrops, last night I did some investigating…