🏗 Bridgemas Came Early!

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Hello Fellow Engineers!

If you’ve ever thought, “Why go around a continent when you can just slice it in half?” then you’re in the right place. This time, we’re taking a look at the Panama Canal — the world's priciest shortcut that makes engineers proud and architects a little salty.

We’ve got bridge reviews that’ll make you question why circles and masts are a thing, indie game picks to feed your procrastination, and, of course, Bridgemas sweaters guaranteed to make any architect sweat.

Let’s dive into it 👇

A Massive Thanks to Everyone Who Jumped Into This Week’s Giveaway!

Now, without further ado (cue the drumroll)… 🥁🥁🥁

Congratulations to “freshalextv”! 🎉 You’ve snagged a copy of Industry Giant 4.0! 

Get ready to build empires, manage resources, and casually dominate entire industries. Remember: with great logistics comes great power (and probably a few questionable monopoly tactics).

More keys will be up for grabs each week, so keep those strategic brains churning and join in this week’s Bridge Review poll for your chance to win! 👇

👷‍♂️ Truss Me, I’m an Engineer…

The Panama Canal

We’re slicing straight through history today with the Panama Canal - the ultimate shortcut. In the early 1900s, American engineers, joined by thousands of sweaty, bug-bitten workers decided, "Why go around South America when we can just split Panama in half?"…

Inspired by the Suez Canal’s success, the U.S. shelled out millions (or today's equivalent of a small country’s GDP) to turn this mosquito-ridden nightmare into one of the The American Society of Civil Engineers’ modern wonders of the world. Teddy Roosevelt nixed plans for Nicaragua due to, well, volcanoes, and bought a failed French project instead. Nothing screams "easy fix" like picking up someone else’s colossal mess.

The result? A 51-mile marvel of locks and gates that lifts ships over mountains like a giant water elevator. Sure, it cost $375 million back then (or $11 billion today), but now ships skip the 8,000-mile detour around South America. Consider it the world’s priciest toll road, made possible by stubborn American grit and a total lack of architectural “flair.”

Fun Fact Bonus! The Panama Canal’s locks are no joke — 46 gates, each up to 662 tons. The Miraflores Gates are the tallest, thanks to Pacific tides, while every passing ship requires 52 million gallons of fresh water, with no architectural nonsense slowing things down.

⚡ Cool Links

👀 25 Upcoming indie games from October’s Steam Next Festival
Steam Next Fest is serving up the goods! V.A. Proxy lets you parry nukes, houses, and probably anything else you can imagine—a wild character action adventure. Neon Blood blends 2D pixel art with 3D cyberpunk vibes, bringing Blade Runner meets turn-based combat. And Tinkerlands? Survival sandbox meets tree-punching fun with pixel-perfect charm. This lineup’s so stacked, my Steam wishlist needs a breather.

🏰 A Medieval County-Builder where you develop an entire county instead of just a single city
Finally, a medieval builder is in the works where you’re not just a mayor of one city but a medieval big shot managing entire counties. From peasant huts to bustling markets—plus regional recipes and procedural cultures— a refreshing take on city builders, but with more plague and less WiFi.

✂ Cross-section of the Golden Gate Bridge cables
Here’s something you don’t get to see every day - a cross-section of the Golden Gate Bridge cable! It’s 27,000+ wires twisted together, working overtime to hold up what was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time it was built! Engineers designed it for maximum flexibility and strength— essentially like a rope, but on steroids.

🎄 Early Merry Bridgemas!!!

Sure, it might be too early to celebrate Christmas... BUT who cares when BRIDGEMAS IS COMING?! 🎉

This year, we’ve got THREE new colours that’ll make architects sweat when they see you. Don’t miss out on your chance to flex the ultimate Bridgemas sweater and celebrate like a true engineer—knitted to order for that perfect fit of festive glory.

🚨 Order by November 15th (tomorrow!) for standard delivery or November 23rd for expedited delivery to guarantee arrival before Christmas.

Don’t be the only one left sweaterless at the Bridgemas bash - Order before the deadline to guarantee yours arrives before Christmas!

👉 Get yours before it’s gone HERE!

🐕‍🦺 Paddy’s Corner

Paddy vs. the Path

When the woodland path isn't wide enough for your prize stick, but giving up isn't an option.

👾 Indie Game of the Week:

Ever wanted to force humanity to evolve by... stacking cards? Well, I did, and it got weird real fast in Stacklands! From putting my humble villagers on berry bushes and stacking structure to battling all sorts of nasties—I’m basically a god now, but with more cardboard.

If you missed this week’s Mega Edit Monday, fear not! I condensed my hours of chaotic gameplay into a 1.5-hour Mega Edit masterpiece.

Check out Stacklands here too!

It’s time for a Bridge Review!

Alright, folks, gather ‘round. Today we’re reviewing the Cirkelbroen Bridge in Copenhagen, which loosely translates to “Circle Bridge” in English — and oh boy, do architects love their literal names. Designed by artist Olafur Eliasson (yes, artist — not an engineer), the bridge is a pedestrian walkway made up of five circular platforms connected by cables and masts.

Each platform is meant to represent a ship’s sail. Beautiful? Sure. Practical? Questionable. Necessary? Not really. And don’t even get me started on why we need masts on a bridge that doesn’t actually sail anywhere.

First impressions: it’s definitely eye-catching, but mostly because you’re trying to figure out if the designer just spilled some compasses on the drafting table and called it a day. To its credit, Cirkelbroen does let you walk and cycle across the Christianshavn Canal in a stylish fashion. But the circular platforms are like a polite way of saying, "Slow down and admire this architectural flair." Thanks, but we’re just trying to cross the canal.

Structural integrity? Solid enough, but it’s a pedestrian bridge. Low stakes for engineering thrills. And while I respect any bridge that brings people together, I’m deducting points for architectural flair. The whole “ship mast aesthetic” feels like it was shoehorned in to justify an art grant. You know the architects were high-fiving themselves over how “innovative” it looked, while the engineers just sighed and made it work.

Final Score: 3.7/10
Would’ve been higher if it actually sailed. Loses major points for unnecessary circles and masts. It’s a bridge, not a floating art gallery, but hey, at least the pedestrians seem happy.

🏗 r/realcivilengineer Spotlight

Thanks to u/_KingBeck_ for submitting this STRONG intersection 💪