I stumbled across this site while looking for other things. It details a young woman’s motorcycle travels through “the dead zone” around Chernobyl. Incredible. Simply incredible. The images are so stark and her commentary is so matter-of-fact that it borders on surreal. It gave me the chills.
To quote Elena: “Perhaps future archeologists will compare this Ghost Town to Pompeii. The Soviet era is forever preserved here – in the deadly radiation that will last for many centuries.”
Long time no post. Too much life clouding my creativity, I guess.
This one is worth the wait. Glenbot has launched the Haiku Dojo. Very cool. My favorite so far:
my random thoughts knock
like pebbles on your windshield
tossed by a dump truck
Go Glenbot …
I recently picked up a copy of Civilization III, a computer game that allows you to build an empire. It didn’t take long for me to get addicted. My fledging Roman empire already has wiped out the hated Egyptian and I’m now battling Greece. Those bastards. They sacked and pillaged one of my southern cities, took my catapults and used them against me and have cavalry units that are causing me no end of pain. I become so obsessed that I’ll sit down and start playing and realize several hours have passed.
It’s really a mix of chess, Risk and Dungeons and Dragons without all the tedious dice throwing. Some of the subtleties they’ve built into the game really are impressive. Attacking armies gain advantage based on the terrain they hold, and units gain power with each victory they score. It also allows for building monuments and other features that add a neat dimension.
I learned quickly that it’s important to build features that help ensure domestic order or your cities will dissolve into revolt and disorder. After a few failed attempts, I built my next city near vineyards and immediately built roads to them, giving my Roman citizens an ample supply of wine. That’s keeping those suckers happy while I wage war against Greeze.
Apparently, you can take a civilization all the way up to the modern day. I’ve never been much into computer games. Until now.
Today, Greece. Tomorrow, the world.