Builder-Momentum Team Series: #3

[Viriato]

M.Y. 2109 sent to Qantaga.

2 turns already today. Not bad. And if you guys are fast enough we can still make a 3rd .

I hope Theohall doesn't get called again .

[Qantaga]

MY 2109 sent to theohall.

Maybe we'll get that third turn to you after all, Chairman Viriato.

[theohall]

M.Y. 2110 sent to White Elephants.

Trying to get that 3rd turn to you Viriato

[Viriato]

Wow!

Are you guys on-line 24 hours a day?

It looks like you weren't called again Theo. I'm glad for you. Working on weekends sucks. Unfortunately it happens to me too sometimes .

[Qantaga]

Viriato,

It must seem that way. With a 7 year old and a 2 year old, my wife and I don't get out too much these days, so it is quite easy to leave the computer signed-on, just waiting for that next SMAC turn.

Even though I have loved SMAC since the day it came out, I have only started playing PBEM games in the past few months and it turns out that I have become quite addicted to them.

[Viriato]

I'm playing PBEM games for more than a year and I feel the same. Since I started MP I completely abandoned SP games.

I have a 1 year old daughter so I don't get out much neither but in Portugal internet access is not free so I can't keep my PC connected all day .

I won't make that 3rd turn after all . I'm too tired to wait any longer.
But tomorrow is another day .

[Viriato]

M.Y. 2110 sent to Qantaga.

[Qantaga]

MY 2110 sent to theohall.

Viriato, on a side note, my Internet access here in the States is not free, either. I pay much more than I would like every month, but the good news for me is that the service is for unlimited access, so I can leave it up most of the time.

I am like you now with MP. I try to go practice in single player (especially so I can try to keep with you, WhiteElephants and theohall), but I find that it is hard to stay interested in SP now that I have experienced MP.

[theohall]

M.Y. 2111 to White Elephants.

Viriato, the advantage we have is our telephone companies don't charge us per minute charges for local calls. We just pay a flat fee for unlimited internet hours, and a flat fee to our phone company for local calling. Having spent 3 years in Spain, I feel your pain with the internet access limitations.

[WhiteElephants]

Viriato -- just out of curiousity, how do you celebrate Portugal's National Day (fireworks?)? And how do you pay your isp, or is it the phone company (per minute, per hour, etc.)? Are they state run or private?

[Viriato]

M.Y. 2111 sent to Qantaga.

I expressed myself badly. When I wrote 'free acess' I was actually thinking of 'unlimited acess'. Nowadays nothing if for free. neither in Portugal, in the USA or in any other country .

We are going to have the 'flat fee' very soon. All ISPs are getting their prices ready. But until now it only existed in cable and, more recently, in ADSL.

Although our national day is not as important as the 4th of July for you we do celebrate it in the same way, I think. It's just a question of scale .
Every year the cerimonies are celabrated in a diferent city with the President present. We have parades, speechs, many people on the streets and, of course, fireworks at the end.

I pay my phone company about 1/3 dolar (100 escudos) per hour at nights, weekends and hollidays, and twice as much the rest of the time.
In this moment all my accounts are 'free'. I don't pay anything to the ISP. It's the phone company that gives a percentage of what I pay them to the ISP I'm using.

My phone company is part state run and part private. It begun its privatization a few years ago when the access was liberalized.
The ISPs I use are private.

I hope that was clear enough. If you want to know more just ask .

Until tomorrow

[WhiteElephants]

Interesting. Thanks.

[Qantaga]

MY 2111 sent to theohall.

Viriato, I am glad to hear that you will have flat fees soon. I hope they will be priced reasonably for you.

Your National Day sounds like a lot of fun.

[theohall]

M.Y. 2112 sent to White Elephants.

Sounds like internet issues are improving in Portugal. Hopefully, the will improve in Spain as well before I retire from the Navy. Plenty of time for that though.

I enjoyed Spain so much, I plan to retire their with my Spanish wife.

[WhiteElephants]

Hmmm... No turn as of yet. Could you resend? Thanks.