It is impressive when you think about it.  July 20, 1969.  Computers were huge and took up an entire room.  This mechanical marvel called Apollo 11 took three men all the way to the moon and back.   Although we’ve seen great strides in Astronomy, including a privately launched space flight, we can stand in awe at this most auspicious of occasions, the 40th anniversary of a small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind.

Apollo 11 prepares to launch in Cape Canaveral, FL.

I started a 14 day trial of this spectacular game this weekend.  It is a difficult learning curve at first, but once I got the hang of the mechanics it was a fantastic voyage into deep space!  I think it’s something I am going to keep around for awhile.

For those who don’t know, it is a game where you are a pilot of a spacecraft, and as you proceed through space missions (which usually entail mining, salvaging, or combat), you gain SK’s (which is the game’s money), where in turn you can buy upgrades for your spacecraft, and mine more (or kill more).

Unlike other games however, this one continues to improve your character even when you’re offline drinking beer!  I like this because it means I don’t have to kill thousands of skeletons in order to advance my skills.  Learning is a lifelong process, after all, and EVE understands and gets it like no other MMO I’ve played.

Try for yourself!  You can get a 14-day free trial here:  https://secure.eve-online.com/ft/FreeTrialSignup.aspx?aid=104104

EVE Online Screenshot

According to the FCC, World of Warcraft may be the reason why Universities are experiencing higher than normal drop out rates.  In a transcription of this speech, FCC Commisioner Deborah Taylor Tate states that games, such as Warcraft, are causing kids to be addicted to video games and failing out of college.

Oddly, it reminds me of the work of this guy:

Who said:  As many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected. From the strong principle of inheritance, any selected variety will tend to propagate its new and modified form

Distractions of college age students have been around … well forever.  For me it was beer and women.  For them, it is World of Warcraft and if it wasn’t it would be something else.

Luckily for us, humans are becoming obsolete!

http://www.projectaiko.com