It’s all a game to me – Blogfest

Mouse Trap (board game)Image via Wikipedia
$10 dollars at the toy store (circa 1981)

My favorite games of all time:

1. Mousetrap – the boardgame. This is the game I remember loving as a kid because I had to save up and buy it myself when I was about 10 years old.

ShadowrunImage via Wikipedia

2. Shadowrun – a roll-playing game we played in the early nighties for a few weeks. We had used up our enthusiasm for Dungeons and Dragons. Shadowrun, in a few words, is Blade Runner meets Dungeons and Dragons. Very cool. Requires your full attention and creativity.

3. Crazy 8’s – the card game my mom taught me and my kids are learning. Best thing: No batteries.

READ Favorite Games in the “It’s All Fun & Games Blogfest”

My family chimes in:

Red1 – Howrse, Spore, and Sims 3

Red2 – Howrse, Zoo Tycoon, Spore Galactic Adverture

Mrs. SFDada – Solitaire, Gin Rummy, Sorry

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Visions of the Future Presenting Themselves

Location: Atlanta, GA, USA (central park in At...
Image via Wikipedia

Architecture.  Urban sprawl.
We’ve all gotta go some where. Fortunately there are some true visionaries, like Vincent Callebaut, around  thinking about what to do with all of us people.

If we leave it up to us (and the Walton’s) we just might be in trouble or find ourselves camping out and off the grid because there won’t be one!  {Settle down… you’re scaring the kids.}

Popular Science‘s Gallery of the cities of the future is a fun romp with the kids. Still no flying cars, but we have the moving sidewalks.

The link that inspires this post:
Archive Gallery: Cities of the Future | Popular Science

Red2 (6 years) OOO! Flying cars! Moving sidewalks! They look like the Sims! Can we play Sims?

Love looking at the urban planning books in the book store. Epcot’s Future World was complete when it had Horizons. Loved flying through the ocean dwellings and the orange groves in the desert. Neat stuff. I spent lots of time Arcology doodling when I was a kid. Arcology still isn’t even in my word processor’s dictionary. But it’s a real thing. Arcosanti.org wouldn’t want you to think they are a just a doodle in a notebook.

Modern searching for these new visions reveals we’re still at it. And that’s a relief. My rain barrels, worm bins and rain gardens around my circa 1960’s ranch house will suffice for now, but hurry up with these plans, ladies and gentlemen. My retirement community needs to be out of your notebooks and on the drawing board soon. You have about 30 years. Go!

{Note to self: This post is quickly getting out of hand. It’s becoming its own theme link-park.  I’ll make it stop soon, but first…}

Part Two: What’s happening now?

It’s really cool to see some smart urban planning happening around me. In Atlanta, there are several instances of forward thinking, but is it enough?

Smyrna, GA’s city website is beautiful, they’ve recently redefined the entire city. Smyrna Market Place is pretty amazing, but they don’t have their site quite up, but you can ‘walk’ through town…


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What’s happening in your area that you’re proud of? 

The Sims 3 and Spore

We’re so excited about this summer. Even though these games are a huge time suck, they really teach some fun and hidden lessons.

In Spore, we’re designing creatures: anatomy, finances, strategy, design and color.

In The Sims, it’s mostly about fashion. The girls have started creating fewer NEW people and feel more like staying with their existing people. Caring for babies and pets is IN.