Greetings Ika player, and welcome to my intro thread, as promised ...
I'm a human male, and I suspect, one of the older Ikariam players. Anybody that wants to should be able to easily find out much more about me ... probably more than I'm comfortable with. The Internet never forgets. And, there are a lot of online databases too.
Anyway, here are some things to get you started:
I really do work at Google, and it's great! I’m often asked about the perks,especially if there are catered lunches. That happens. And, sometimes it's weird. I’ve variously been served yak tails, boiled giant squid eyes, genetically recovered dodo eggs, and raw snail soup. (OK, those dishes are mostly made up. Except for the yak tails, which was true. And, not very tasty.
)
A picture of me at Google, and the doc it came from.
Soon after I started working at Google, people began asking about my plans for after we took over the world. I've previously written about those here.
My first degree was in Forestry. I've cruised timber from Statenville to Fargo, Georgia. I've walked in the Okefenokee Swamp, where the ground moves like a water-bed and the trees dance around you. I've fought forest fires. I've eaten lunch in the midst of wild boar and alligators (but not at the same time). I've been chased by a water moccasin; stepped on more than one rattlesnake (but never been bit); stung by bees, wasps, hornets, and a group of Io caterpillars (those last put me on the ground!); removed ticks and leeches, been bit by more mosquitoes than I'd want to count; and I've run through so many briars my arms are covered by a network of scars. (Forestry, not for the frail!)
I've also lived in Crosby, Mississippi, and cruised timber from there to McComb to Hazelhurst.
Some other things about me.
I've been playing on Eta, at least since March 14, 2008, near the time it started up. And, that's the only server I play on.
I'm a part of The NightHawks alliance, of which I've variously been a Member, Leader, General, Interior Secretary, and Diplomat. Both of my sons became interested in Ikariam after they saw me playing, so I set it up an alliance so we could play together. At that time, there was no way to invite people to play near you. We weren't smart enough to think of building a new colony on the other side of the world, and then destroying the original town. As a result, there are NightHawks in multiple places on Eta. We've had a number of players pass through The NightHawks over the years. As they get a higher score, some of them choose to move to a larger alliance. ex-NightHawk players are seeded in some of the other alliances. I like to think that we've maintained good relations with all.
It's difficult to say exactly when The NightHawks was formed. Another player was the Leader of The NightHawks for a while, but he quit playing. At that time, there was no way to have another player take over an alliance when the Leader quit. (There is now, in part thanks to us ...) I had to ask the mods to remove The NightHawks alliance, and then I had to reform it. I am pleased to say that every member who wanted to, transferred over without a problem.
I mentioned earlier that I've only played on Eta. However, I have been in more than one alliance. Shortly after the first purge of all the inactive players, I noticed that things weren't going well. Players had gotten too used to simply pillaging the inactive towns, rather than trading.
So, I created a shadow alliance, of which I was the only member: the HOOT alliance - ostensibly composed of 16 Hooter Girls, working their way through university. (In my mind, it was The University of Florida, in Gainesville.) This is the picture I used as reference. I also had a spreadsheet I used to track information: name, area of interest, island locations, town names, next buildings, future plans, ....
I was using different accounts, and different computers at home, work, and school. Eventually, I was able to get many players all over Eta eager to trade again.
I also received many excited(!) requests to join the HOOT alliance. I politely, but uniformly turned turned all of those down. (As a side note, HOOT member towns were only pillaged a few times, and each time it was by a player professing to be female. Make of that what you will.)
Unfortunately, after a couple of months, I must have messed up somewhere, and was banned for multi-accounting (not fleet contact!). I checked with the mods, and was told the bans were associated with the accounts and not the "players." So, I started back up, and was eventually able to rejoin The NightHawks.
As part of The NightHawks alliance, I also participated in both World Wars ... Go ELoA! While we were (and still are) a small alliance, we just made the cutoff for the top 10 alliances at that time, which is what that war was limited to. There is an fun history there. I'd like to see it written one day. I know Robert Marino started doing that, but I can no longer locate what he wrote.
I also mentioned earlier that I have two sons. I've already posted some things about them. Here's another one. I gave them a couple of science fair project ideas, but they rejected them. So, I decided to do one of them myself: Which Cats Make the Best Violin Strings? And, I still plan on doing Which Concrete Makes the Best Overshoes? We've already got a fishtank and the LEGO people ...
So, that's a little bit about me, and my history with Ikariam.
Ask questions, and I'll try to answer. But, if it looks like you've just copied over a huge list and not read the questions,
I reserve the right to simply copy someone else's answers or make up random responses.
Some things to get you started:
p.p.s. I'm a proponent of brevity. I've written about that extensively elsewhere.
* Those silent letters kill me. I joked with my boys that the reason the French hate the English is they stole all their letters to add them to their words: humour, colour, analogue, encyclopaedia, moustache, neurone, manoeuvre, cheque
I'm a human male, and I suspect, one of the older Ikariam players. Anybody that wants to should be able to easily find out much more about me ... probably more than I'm comfortable with. The Internet never forgets. And, there are a lot of online databases too.
Anyway, here are some things to get you started:
I really do work at Google, and it's great! I’m often asked about the perks,especially if there are catered lunches. That happens. And, sometimes it's weird. I’ve variously been served yak tails, boiled giant squid eyes, genetically recovered dodo eggs, and raw snail soup. (OK, those dishes are mostly made up. Except for the yak tails, which was true. And, not very tasty.
)A picture of me at Google, and the doc it came from.
Soon after I started working at Google, people began asking about my plans for after we took over the world. I've previously written about those here.
My first degree was in Forestry. I've cruised timber from Statenville to Fargo, Georgia. I've walked in the Okefenokee Swamp, where the ground moves like a water-bed and the trees dance around you. I've fought forest fires. I've eaten lunch in the midst of wild boar and alligators (but not at the same time). I've been chased by a water moccasin; stepped on more than one rattlesnake (but never been bit); stung by bees, wasps, hornets, and a group of Io caterpillars (those last put me on the ground!); removed ticks and leeches, been bit by more mosquitoes than I'd want to count; and I've run through so many briars my arms are covered by a network of scars. (Forestry, not for the frail!)
I've also lived in Crosby, Mississippi, and cruised timber from there to McComb to Hazelhurst.
Some other things about me.
- I'm a co-developer of the pastime of stump-riding.
- The first car I bought was a 1974 CJ-5 Renegade Jeep, with a manual shift. I learned to drive it on the way home. I was stopped by the police. I also got a ticket with it, for turning donuts on Daytona Beach. Who knew that was illegal? ... and that the police there drove unmarked white pickup trucks?
- I have a US software patent (5,719,795) issued in my name, but it's since expired. When the company spun off a subsidiary, the patent was transferred, for a price. So, I found out what it was worth: $1!
I've been playing on Eta, at least since March 14, 2008, near the time it started up. And, that's the only server I play on.
I'm a part of The NightHawks alliance, of which I've variously been a Member, Leader, General, Interior Secretary, and Diplomat. Both of my sons became interested in Ikariam after they saw me playing, so I set it up an alliance so we could play together. At that time, there was no way to invite people to play near you. We weren't smart enough to think of building a new colony on the other side of the world, and then destroying the original town. As a result, there are NightHawks in multiple places on Eta. We've had a number of players pass through The NightHawks over the years. As they get a higher score, some of them choose to move to a larger alliance. ex-NightHawk players are seeded in some of the other alliances. I like to think that we've maintained good relations with all.
It's difficult to say exactly when The NightHawks was formed. Another player was the Leader of The NightHawks for a while, but he quit playing. At that time, there was no way to have another player take over an alliance when the Leader quit. (There is now, in part thanks to us ...) I had to ask the mods to remove The NightHawks alliance, and then I had to reform it. I am pleased to say that every member who wanted to, transferred over without a problem.
I mentioned earlier that I've only played on Eta. However, I have been in more than one alliance. Shortly after the first purge of all the inactive players, I noticed that things weren't going well. Players had gotten too used to simply pillaging the inactive towns, rather than trading.
So, I created a shadow alliance, of which I was the only member: the HOOT alliance - ostensibly composed of 16 Hooter Girls, working their way through university. (In my mind, it was The University of Florida, in Gainesville.) This is the picture I used as reference. I also had a spreadsheet I used to track information: name, area of interest, island locations, town names, next buildings, future plans, ....
I was using different accounts, and different computers at home, work, and school. Eventually, I was able to get many players all over Eta eager to trade again.
I also received many excited(!) requests to join the HOOT alliance. I politely, but uniformly turned turned all of those down. (As a side note, HOOT member towns were only pillaged a few times, and each time it was by a player professing to be female. Make of that what you will.)
Unfortunately, after a couple of months, I must have messed up somewhere, and was banned for multi-accounting (not fleet contact!). I checked with the mods, and was told the bans were associated with the accounts and not the "players." So, I started back up, and was eventually able to rejoin The NightHawks.
As part of The NightHawks alliance, I also participated in both World Wars ... Go ELoA! While we were (and still are) a small alliance, we just made the cutoff for the top 10 alliances at that time, which is what that war was limited to. There is an fun history there. I'd like to see it written one day. I know Robert Marino started doing that, but I can no longer locate what he wrote.
I also mentioned earlier that I have two sons. I've already posted some things about them. Here's another one. I gave them a couple of science fair project ideas, but they rejected them. So, I decided to do one of them myself: Which Cats Make the Best Violin Strings? And, I still plan on doing Which Concrete Makes the Best Overshoes? We've already got a fishtank and the LEGO people ...
So, that's a little bit about me, and my history with Ikariam.
Ask questions, and I'll try to answer. But, if it looks like you've just copied over a huge list and not read the questions,
I reserve the right to simply copy someone else's answers or make up random responses.Some things to get you started:
- Favorite color - blue, a vibrant, dive-in blue: #0000CD
- Favorite movies - many, but they include The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension! (that's my Black Lectroid name above my avatar) and Monty Python's Holy Grail (well, all Monty Python actually, since I like silliness); I have a longer list that I'm trying to get my boys to watch.
- Despite being in a church choir when I was younger, I don't like to sing.
- I'm not musical, but I like to listen to music - mostly raucous rock-n-roll, but I invariably keep my music devices set to "random."
- I don't like opera.
- I'm multi-lingual: 'merican, Pig Latin, English, and I retain a little French*. Also, Fortran, COBOL, Basic, PL/1, Pascal, Prolog, FP, C, C++, Perl, Java, Ruby, Python, and many other computer languages.
- I'm a local Pokemon League Leader.
- I also like comic books, Legos, hiking, birding, camping, ... holding hands, and long walks on the beach.
p.p.s. I'm a proponent of brevity. I've written about that extensively elsewhere.
* Those silent letters kill me. I joked with my boys that the reason the French hate the English is they stole all their letters to add them to their words: humour, colour, analogue, encyclopaedia, moustache, neurone, manoeuvre, cheque
