computer games

Carmen Sandiego Computer Game
Vintage Geek

Vintage Geek: What I Learned From '80s Computer Games

It was a gorgeous weekend here in San Francisco, so I took advantage of it to go on a night walk with some friends.
by

It was a gorgeous weekend here in San Francisco, so I took advantage of it to go on a night walk with some friends. We started talking about how Jupiter was the closest to Earth in 50 years (if you noticed a bright star close to the moon last week, that was it!) and how you could see four of Jupiter's moons with just binoculars. I realized that everything I knew about these moons was straight from one of my top geeky computer games of yesteryear — Where in Space is Carmen Sandiego?

That feisty fugitive taught me a lot of facts about space, not least of which are that Io looks like a pizza and that Europa is a frozen ball of ice with water underneath. Who knew that while I was chasing all those V.I.L.E henchmen around I'd actually retain the information years later?

So, fellow Carmen Sandiego fans, which game was your favorite? Where in Time? Where in the World? Or did you have another go-to geeky computer game?

Want to reminisce about the olden days of tech? Join our Vintage Geek Group and get in on the fun, and your story could be featured on GeekSugar!

 

Photo source: Moby Games

Computer Games a Threat to Bhutan's New Democracy?
News

Computer Games a Threat to Bhutan's New Democracy?

The Asian nation of Bhutan has banned members of parliament from bringing laptops to work since they apparently cannot control their urge to play computer games.
by LibertySugar

The Asian nation of Bhutan has banned members of parliament from bringing laptops to work since they apparently cannot control their urge to play computer games. The lawmakers in the new democracy reject the accusation, saying that their computers are needed and do not distract them from their work. But their protests do not compute with the National Assembly's Speaker credited with the ban, reports BBC.

Eating, smoking, and other electronic gadgets are also banned at the National Assembly. The isolated Himalayan country just got Internet and television nine years ago, and held its first elections last March. A Bhutanese contingency traveled to Washington, DC, this week, with plans to introduce the small Buddhist constitutional monarch to America.

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Would you rather have a lawmaker who is distracted by computer games, or one who cannot use a computer at all? Do you think motivations for the ban on food and technology, likely to result in less time spent at the Assembly, go beyond innocent? Could a mix-up over computer games shake up this fragile democracy?

Source

Library of Congress Classification Game to Tests Your Wits
computer games

Library of Congress Classification Game to Tests Your Wits

No really, I'm not kidding.
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No really, I'm not kidding. If you have a few minutes to spare check out the Library of Congress Classification Game, which offers a timed test of your knowledge of the Library of Congress classification system (yes, it's different from the Dewey Decimal System you learned in grammar school). Sure, it sounds less than extraordinary, but it's actually a ton of fun. You pick up the books from the cart with the cursor and have to place them on the right shelf, in the correct spot in an allotted time frame. First the Library of Congress joins Flickr and now this?! I'm sensing a geek trend.

Statetris: It's Tetris On A Map Of The US
Video games

Statetris: It's Tetris On A Map Of The US

In search of your afternoon distraction?
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In search of your afternoon distraction? Check out Statetris, a free Tetris game based on a map of the United States.

You chose "easy," "medium" or "hard" options and proceed to fit descending state pieces into a map of the U.S. The "easy" option provides you with both a colorful state piece and its name, while the "hard" option shows just the state piece without any name. Clearly, I took the easy route.

See if you remember anything from third grade. I dare you.

Source: Neatorama