🏗 I think I might be a PAWN ADDICT

RCE Merch | Patreon | Join My Discord

Hello Fellow Engineers!

Strap on your hard hats, folks, because this week’s newsletter is stacked with engineering feats, amazing views, and a very good boy 🐕.

We’re revisiting the Space Needle’s 64th anniversary, marveling at a 3,300-year-old bridge that’s sturdier than your IKEA furniture, and laughing at my pawn addiction.

Oh, and don’t miss our Game of the Week, where digging a hole is somehow an existential journey. There’s also news on Steam bans, zombie carnage, and fancy chimney explosions.

Let’s dive into it 👇

Surprise! This week’s mystery game is Ominoflux, and we’re giving away 5 copies! 🎲✨ If you love puzzles and mind-bending challenges, you’re in for a treat.

And now, it’s time to announce the winners… drumroll please 🥁

🎉 louisianamojoman2012 🎉
🎉 eqlionelle 🎉
🎉 madisonlainelucas 🎉
🎉 marrets1 🎉
🎉 adamcloutierleblanc12 🎉

Check your emails for your game key and start puzzling away! 🧩💡

Missed out? Don’t worry—more giveaways coming soon!

Submit a bridge in the poll below for your chance to snag the next prize! 🎮🔥

👷‍♂️ Truss Me, I’m an Engineer…

The Space Needle, Seattle

64 years ago this week, construction began on one of the most iconic engineering feats of all time—the Space Needle. It’s tall, it’s shiny, and it’s proof that engineers can take an architect’s “Uhh, make it look futuristic!” and turn it into something that doesn’t fall over.

Originally dreamed up for the 1962 World’s Fair, the Space Needle was supposed to embody this slick, sci-fi future where we’d all have flying cars by 1985. Spoiler alert: we’re still stuck in traffic. But let’s give credit where it’s due—those engineers cranked out a 605-foot-tall structure in under a year, complete with a rotating restaurant at the top.

You want to eat overpriced salmon while spinning at 500 feet in the air? You’re welcome.

Here’s the best part: the Space Needle had one job. To withstand both Seattle’s constant drizzle and the occasional earthquake. The engineers? Crushed it. The Needle can handle 200 mph winds and earthquakes up to 9.1 magnitude. Meanwhile, architects were probably debating which shade of gray to paint the elevator shaft. Priorities, right?

Fun fact: the foundation is buried 30 feet deep, reinforced with 72 tons of rebar. That’s because engineers know you don’t mess around when you’re balancing 5,600 tons of steel and concrete on a base shaped like a tripod.

Engineering Feat Highlights:

• The Needle’s center of gravity is only five feet above ground level, meaning it’s practically un-tippable. Sorry, architects, your wobbly tower sketches didn’t make the cut.

• Its design included a helicopter pad... because nothing says “1960s optimism” like thinking we’d be commuting to work by chopper by now.

So next time you’re in Seattle, tip your hat to the Space Needle—and to the engineers who made it possible. As for the architects? Well, let’s just say we’re still waiting for their next great contribution to humanity. Probably another weird-shaped building with no decent parking.

⚡ Cool Links

🔨 Valve Seemingly Bans All Steam Games That Require Watching Advertisements To Play
Valve just slammed the door on games that make you sit through ads to play. Watching 30 seconds of nonsense for 5 minutes of gameplay? Not on Steam’s watch! Turns out, this rule might’ve already existed, but Valve just clarified it. Either way, no more “Ad Simulator 2025” on Steam.

💀 Zombieville USA 3D Demo Just Dropped!
Remember the chart-topping original from 15 years ago on your iPod Touch? If you don’t, you’re probably too young to feel the pain of trying to aim while your finger covered half the screen. It’s Back! It’s got more weapons, more upgrades, and even more zombies to turn into cartoon goo. Basically, it’s nostalgia with better graphics and the same chaotic fun. Try it out and relive the carnage!

🤔 I think I might be a PAWN ADDICT...
Welcome back to Storage Sunday, where I prove that bidding on random junk is a lifestyle, not a hobby. This week: Neo vibes, collector items, and yes, I may have accidentally sold Jason’s dignity for profit. Don’t miss the chaos!

💥 Construction company using water jets to limit the dust spread from a chimney demolition
Blowing up a chimney but make it fancy! This demolition used 100,000 liters of water fountains to control dust. Turns out, engineers can combine destruction and hydration!

🐕‍🦺 Paddy’s Corner

Brambles: 1, Matt: 0

Paddy got the view, I got the scratches. Check out our latest adventure featuring brambles, amazing views, and a very good boy.

👾 Game of the Week:

Yes, they really made a game about digging a hole. And they called it... A Game About Digging A Hole. Minimalist brilliance or marketing department on vacation? Either way, you dig up rocks, sell them on some sketchy version of eBay, and use the cash to upgrade your gear—all while hunting down buried treasure in your garden. Spoiler alert: the treasure might be existential dread.

For less than the price of a coffee, you too can dig the hole: Get it here on Steam!.

Or check out my adventurous gameplay full of rocks, jetpacks, and existential metaphors over on YouTube!

It’s time for a Bridge Review!

Alright, folks, let’s dive into this week’s bridge review, and oh boy, we’re taking it way back—3,300 years back. Say hello to the Arkadiko Bridge in Greece, one of the oldest bridges still standing and still in use today. That’s right, it’s older than sliced bread, democracy, and probably your grandma’s casserole recipe. And yet, this bad boy is still doing its job like an overachieving intern who refuses to quit.

Engineering Feats:

• Built sometime around 1,300 BC (yes, before Wi-Fi), the Arkadiko Bridge was constructed using Cyclopean masonry, which sounds cool and terrifying. It basically means engineers stacked enormous limestone rocks so tightly together that it’s still holding up today—no mortar, no rebar, just pure, unadulterated competence.

• The bridge was originally designed for chariots—yes, chariots! Those ancient engineers were basically saying, “Let’s make sure this thing can handle traffic forever.” Honestly, if you drove a small car over it today, the bridge would probably shrug and say, “Is that all you’ve got?”

• The span is a humble 22 meters long and about 4 meters wide, but for a Bronze Age bridge, that’s practically a six-lane highway.

Now, let’s talk architects. Back in 1,300 BC, they were probably trying to add “decorative” flourishes or unnecessary statues, but the engineers knew better. What you see is what you get—a functional, durable, and downright handsome piece of infrastructure.

No frills, no fluff, just rock-solid performance. And guess what? It’s still doing its job 3,000 years later, while some “modern” architectural creations need repair after 30 months.

There’s not even a hint of architect nonsense here, and frankly, that’s why it’s still standing.

Final Score: 9.4/10

The Arkadiko Bridge is proof that engineers have been outsmarting architects for millennia. If you ever find yourself in Greece, give it a visit and tip your hard hat to the unsung Bronze Age legends who built it.

🏗 r/realcivilengineer Spotlight