Author: Eric

Basically I have too many interests. I like to read, play PC games (ESO, wow and various builder / factory type games), watch movies, listen to music, and tweak PC's, browse the web and read news on X and hang out on twitch and discord. My dayjob is Software Engineer!

Civ IV: Beyond The Sword

The new civilization IV: Beyond the sword expansion is coming soon. In preparation I played a few games of Civ IV warlords again and I must say, it’s still very good. Beyond the swords will add a lot of nice new features. Especially the corporations and improved new AI sounds good. I preordered my copy from gameplay.co.uk, and it’s usually delivered around the official release date.

Civfanatics – Excellent site with a load of information and a great forum
Beyond the sword – Official site
** UPDATE **
A very nice history and an interview can be found at Gamasutra

Building a PC

Nice post on putting together a PC on codinghorror.

I have always put together PCs from parts, since you can at least pick what parts go into it. And it used to be cheaper, but that argument isnt valid anymore. Once you’ve put one together, you start the endless upgrading cycle. Bigger harddrives, new videocard, and eventually a new motherboard + CPU and maybe a new powersupply that can power all your devices.

Downside of this is, while upgrading you end up with all these spare parts, enough to put together a new PC. So you use that as a home server. Ok fine, oh more parts: you end up with a Multimedia PC hooked up to the TV. So far that’s all functional, but you also get these pcs that are ‘meant for testing OS [insert an OS here]’ and get booted maybe once a month ;).

Why not sell those spare parts on Ebay then ? I have done that in the past, but these days, they are hardly worth anything anymore. You cant sell a 40/80Gb drive or an Nvidia FX5700 (for which you paid E150) for a reasonable amount, that makes it worth the packaging and all the hassle that goes along with it.

Did I mention I also got a stack of leftover old scsi server stuff ? 😉

Rod Beck dies at 38

Very sad to hear this, during today’s Yankees – Giants game. Always enjoyed watching him pitch. He was found dead, alone in his home in San Diego.
Beck dies at 38

Nicknamed “Shooter,” Beck played for the Giants (1991-97), the Chicago Cubs (1998-99) and the Boston Red Sox (1999-2001) before finishing his career with the Padres (2003-04). Beck reportedly was living in a camper behind the Iowa Cubs’ center-field fence when San Diego called.

Sport’s Illustrated
CBS Sportsline news
Beck’s Statistics

Top 100 Movies

Kane PosterThe American Film Institute has released their annual list of the Top 100 Movies.

1 CITIZEN KANE
2 THE GODFATHER
3 CASABLANCA
4 RAGING BULL
5 SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
6 GONE WITH THE WIND
7 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
8 SCHINDLER’S LIST
9 VERTIGO
10 THE WIZARD OF OZ

Their site has a nice tour of the top 100 and some other nice info / trivia. Can’t find much wrong with the list.

It’s remarkable Raging Bull has now entered the Top 10. The Searchers (John Wayne) from 1956 charged the chart from 96 to 12 !

American Film Institute Top 100 Movies