DOS games will go in my time capsule

This is a more difficult question than I would've thought. If the capsule were to be opened up in 100 years, I might put in items that reflect our culture and technology. If it were to be opened up in 500 years, I might put in items to help deal with the apocalypse, anarchy, and/or the decline of civilization. And if it were to be opened in 1000 years, I'd probably just include a tombstone or some sort of memorial. Forty years is tough though. That's, presumably, still in my lifetime. People will still remember what life was like in 2009, I don't need to remind them. And as much as I think we're headed in an inescapable, downward spiral... As much as I think we've doomed ourselves... I don't think we'll meet our end in the next couple of decades. I think we've got at least another one to two hundred years in us, depending on how we play things.



Anyway, like I said, tough question. Here's what I came up with...

DOS and vintage games
All of my favourites. King's Quest I through VI. Forget VII and Mask of Eternity or whatever it was, not worth it.

Zork I, II, III, and Zero.

Planetfall.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy text adventure.

Lands of Lore. Just the original Throne of Chaos, the sequels were crap.

Kyrandia. Again, just the original game. Hand of Fate could've been great... if the story hadn't been terrible. "Mr. Hand"? Come on, guys! WTF?! I know Markus was supposed to be in there for comic relief, and he was. I didn't have a problem with him. But the villain should be scary. Like Malcom was. He was creepy and slightly terrifying. You were afraid to face him. Mr. Hand was just hokey. And you never did find any more about the evil wizard he was supposedly a part of. The game had potential, but the story was decidedly lacking. The first game was fantastic though! Anyway... I digress...

SimLife. I still maintain that this was the best of the "Sim" series. Absolutely brilliant. It didn't get nearly the praise and attention it deserved.

EcoQuest, both of them. These games were fantastic. I've played them about a dozen times each, and I'd still go back and play them again.

Adventure... where it all began. The very first text adventure.

I'd probably throw Planescape: Torment in there too. Face it, that was a good game!



These games need to be included because they're friggin' fantastic and people need to start playing them again. Maybe if they found them in an awesome time capsule they'd pay attention and take note.

Documentation
Of course, along with all these games, I'd include any maps, guides, hints, or other documentation that would've accompanied them. Whatever will enhance the experience and allow people to get the most enjoyment out of these classics.

An old DOS/Windows PC
And/or a copy of Dosbox. 'Cause you need to have something to run these games on and I'm thinking that Vista or Windows 7 or Linux or OSX or whatever operating system is around in forty years might confuse these poor old pieces of software a bit.

Pens, pencils, and paper
'Cause sometimes you have to take notes, or make a map yourself.

A few of my favourite books
Crime and Punishment, the Tempest, Stranger in a Strange Land, Chocky, The Midwich Cuckoos, Flesh and Spirit, Breath and Bone, A Brief History of Time, Macbeth, Catch-22, The Once and Future King, The Adventure of English, Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynmann, Fear of Physics, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Satyrica, His Dark Materials...



(Hmm... This is shaping up to be a rather hefty time capsule, isn't it?)



Again, these are good books that people should read.

Uncontaminated elm seeds and leaves
Maybe, in forty years, they'll have found a cure for Dutch Elm Disease. The best thing we seem to be able to manage at the moment is injections to prolong the life of the tree. That and quarantines. I'd like to see DED eradicated. Or at the very least, effectively controlled.

Heirloom seeds
Less commonly cultivated varieties of various vegetables. We tend to pick one or two varieties and cultivate them to death, literally. We have beefsteak tomatoes, or cherry or grape if you want something smaller. We have only two or three types of corn. A couple types of peas... You get the picture. With no variety, we're just asking for a disease to sweep through and wipe out all our crops.

My time capsule would have some less than common strains of popular fruits and vegetables. Unless disaster has already struck by the time the capsule is opened, I doubt people will pay my seeds any mind. But it's worth a shot.

530 BC, here I come!

If I could time travel, there are a few eras and places I'd like to visit. I'd go to Greece in 530 BC. I wouldn't stay for long, but I'd love to see it. Even if just for a few days. I'd have to be careful about how I dressed and what I said. I don't speak ancient Greek too well, and only that Attic dialect at that. That's why an extended stay would probably be unwise.



I wouldn't mind visiting year 0, 33 AD, etc. Just to see how much Christ was hyped and how much was legit. First of all, did he even exist? (I suspect that the stories are based on an actual person, but you never know.) I'd like to see some of what he actually did? What was he like? (I'm fairly certain that tales of his exploits have been exaggerated and embellished over the years. I mean, look what happens in a game of "Telephone"... The message is usually horribly distorted after only a few minutes and a couple dozen people. Imagine what could happen over millions of people and thousands of years! I believe that the stories we hear today still have a basis in truth, I just want to know how much.)



After that trip, I'd probably head to England, 1370. See what Chaucer's England was like.



From there, I'd just set the dial forward a bit and head to the early 1600s. Very early 1600s. Like 1601 maybe. I'd seek out Shakespeare and the globe. Maybe go see a play or two. I'd like to at least see a tragedy and a comedy. The Tempest would've just been written, I think. I'd also want to explore some other cultural aspects of the era, 'though, again, I wouldn't stay too long. This time for fear of disease.



Once I'd done all that, then I might poke around more modern times. Sure, I'd take a look at 1885. See what life what like, what's changed in the past hundred and twenty odd years. I don't think I'd fit in very well in the 19th century. I think I'd have to make up some tale about being raised in a far-off land or something, just to explain my seeming oddities.



Other things I might like to see: the roarin' twenties, the dirty thirties, and the psychedelic sixties.



As you can see, my time machine would mostly have me concerned with the past. There are all sorts of times and places I'd like to visit. Maybe I'd poke around the fifth and sixth century, see if I could pin good King Arthur down. Settle the debate as to his existence once and for all. Or visit the New World, before the arrival of Europeans. The possibilities are just about endless!



That being said... I might eventually decide to take a peek at the future. Just to see how badly we screw things up. Or if we actually manage to salvage the situation. At this point I think the best thing we could do is die out quietly. Try not to screw up the environment any more than we already have. Try not to kill of any more critters or do too much more damage. Maybe once we're gone nature can start re-balancing herself.



With that in mind, I'd probably go ahead and visit year 2500. See where we're at in 500 years. See if we've managed to eradicate ourselves yet. Maybe I'll get a shock and find out that we discovered a way to fix things. That'd be nice.



(By the way, I'm assuming that, for some unexplained reason, I don't have to worry about the usual paradoxes here. I'm assuming that, although I can talk to the people I meet and interact with them to an extent, I will have a net zero effect on events. I can't give people ideas, convince them to do or not do something, change their opinions. And I definitely can't maim or kill people (thinking of the "kill your own grandmother paradox here"). Much as there are things in history that I'd love to change, I shouldn't be the one to do it. Who knows what could happen as a result?! There are just too many variables. As much as I would have good intentions, I could end up creating a much worse situation in the end. So for my own safety and piece of mind, and for the integrity of the time line, I will "leave no footprints".)

I like to relax with big book

I don't get stressed and depressed nearly as much as I used to. That being said, it still does happen a fair bit. Luckily I've found a few things that help ease the tension and get me to relax a bit.

the biggest book in Second Life?

Reading and writing are the big ones. Depends on exactly what's stressing me out. If I just need to "get away" for a while, I'll probably jump into a good book. Something light and easy to read. A fiction (probably fantasy or sci-fi, though it varies). Something that I can dive into and be immersed in another world. Forget my worries.



On the other hand, if I feel like I need to talk things out, I'll probably write. It gives me a chance to think things over and work stuff out. Sometimes issues seem clearer once they've been captured on paper.



Hanging out with friends is also a good bet. I don't always get troubles resolved this way, but at the very least they will help me to relax and take my mind off of whatever's bothering me. And advice, when given, is always appreciated (if not always followed).

'Tis better to have loved and lost

I think that this answer could be different for different people. However, for me personally, I think it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. As painful as the loss can be... As much as it can shatter your confidence, shake your resolve, and just generally mess with your head... I still wouldn't change my answer. The problem with never falling in love in the first place, as far as I'm concerned, is then I'd always wonder. I'd wonder what it's like, if I could've been happy with someone else, what I'm missing out on. I just always wonder. And I would feel that I'd missed out. I would feel that there was just something I didn't "get". This way I know. It doesn't negate any of the pain of the loss, knowing. It doesn't make it any easier to deal with. And it doesn't mean that I won't look for love again. But it does satisfy that question. And if I don't find love again, well, I won't feel quite so bad, 'cause at least I know that I had it once.