👷‍♂️ The Tunnel That Refused to Be Reasonable

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Hello Fellow Engineers!

Welcome to Real Civil Newsletter - the only newsletter where bridges are judged like failed design reviews, games are evaluated on ethical systems engineering, and mountains are removed because “going around” wasn’t an option.

This week we’re handing out a deeply cursed Win98 management game, drilling straight through the Alps out of pure stubbornness, watching Paddy ignore all known rules, evolving a pebble into a black hole, and reviewing a bridge so wobbly it had to be closed for having too much personality.

Read on for giveaways, games, tunnels, bridges, and the comforting reminder that engineers eventually fix everything - usually after architects have left the site.

Let’s dive into it 👇

Ah, Execute - A game where you attempt to kill everyone in the world with a guillotine… on a cursed Windows 98 desktop - because nothing says “ethical systems design” like capital punishment managed through broken UI and pop-up windows.

It’s part puzzle game, part management sim, and part IT incident you absolutely should’ve escalated. Expect bad menus, worse decisions, and the creeping sense that this definitely wouldn’t pass a risk assessment.

And now… the moment of operational significance 🥁

We’re giving away TEN copies this week, because one copy felt irresponsible and ten felt on brand.

• jac122583

• lixieplays

• lukhanyisomateta

• justus.jonathan.schulte

• miles.halli

• cutekitties8

• plantedwing12

• laurenz.voelker

• kharv134

• emile.2021

Check your inbox, check your conscience, and please don’t try to replicate the system in Excel.

Didn’t win? Don’t worry, more giveaways are coming.
And as always: submit a bridge if you want to appease the engineering gods (or delay the inevitable).

👷‍♂️ Truss Me, I’m an Engineer…

The Tunnel That Refused to Be Reasonable

Europe wanted a faster rail connection through the Alps.

Engineers responded by drilling 57 kilometres straight through a mountain.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is the longest and deepest railway tunnel on Earth - because going around the Alps was apparently unacceptable.

Why It’s Unhinged (In a Good Way)

• 57.1 km long
• Up to 2.3 km beneath the surface
• Took 17 years to build
• Reduced freight gradients because physics is optional
• Improves rail efficiency by simply deleting a mountain from the equation

This is what happens when engineers are given enough time, money, and stubbornness.

Mountains were warned.

⚡ Cool Links

🔨 We Finally Know Why Ancient Roman Concrete Was So Durable

🌬️ China’s world-first megawatt-level ‘windmill’ airship rises 6,560 ft, powers grid

🧠 'I f**king hate gen AI art,' Hooded Horse chief says: 'If we're publishing the game, no f**king AI assets'

🏴‍☠️ Vote on this seafaring action roguelite indie game’s art style direction!

🐕‍🦺 Paddy’s Corner

Paddy does NOT play fair...

Keep an eye out for Paddy’s unusual tail wag, or tail quiver at the end 👀 

👾 Indie Game of the Week:

They made a game where you start as a pebble and end as a black hole with an ego.

Hoover up space rubble, evolve from rock → planet → star, and eventually delete the entire galaxy because you took “growth mindset” literally.

It’s basically engineering progression: collect resources, upgrade, get bullied by something bigger, repeat.

Watch the full cosmic collapse here

It’s time for a Bridge Review!

Some bridges carry traffic.
Some bridges span rivers.
This one carried vibes so powerful it invented a new failure mode.

Opened in 2000, the Millennium Bridge managed the rare feat of being closed almost immediately, after pedestrians discovered that walking on it caused the entire structure to sway like it had opinions.

Architects saw a “sleek, minimal crossing that celebrates movement.”
Engineers saw unmodelled lateral resonance and impending embarrassment.

🔧 Engineering Highlights (and Lowlights)

• Pedestrian-induced lateral vibration (now taught in textbooks under “please don’t do this”)

• No initial damping system, because apparently people walking was considered optional

• Required retrofitting of 89 dampers after opening

• Worked perfectly once engineers fixed it - shocking, I know

To be fair: once corrected, it’s structurally fine.
But bridges are like spreadsheets - if they don’t work on launch, that’s on you.

Final Score: 3.4 / 10