Always has been :(
I had put off reading it because I assumed it would be mostly preaching to the choir, but there are some challenging chapters to think about.
Ex. the idea that all the people who believe in aliens, and reject vaccines, and wear tinfoil hats, they’re all doing the first step of science: which is to doubt. The problem is that people are generally untrained on what to do next.
The question is whether this modern era of science is an anomaly, or if there’s something about the scientific method that gives it an advantage. If we fell completely into a dark age, is it inevitable that we find our way back? Or was this time period just a fluke?
It notes that throughout history, the dominant nation has always been the one who wields science most effectively. And the US wouldn’t be the first to fall because it failed to.





CoreKeeper is a good one for multiplayer. Like Terraria x Stardew. I self hosted a server that we played for months, including at a LAN party, but I do think they use a nat hole-punch server to ease connectivity. Not sure if it was possible to direct connect via IP. It’s a big world with boss/gear progression and some mining automation.
Nothing has quite scratched the Rimworld itch for me, anything in that realm just makes me wanna play RimWorld more. But technically I have to mention Dwarf Fortress.
If you haven’t played a factory sim, Factorio is a classic. If you don’t want to have to fight buggers, you could try Dyson Sphere Program or Satisfactory instead.
Modulus is a recent factory sim with a unique twist: instead of having a fixed tech tree you work through, you’re given arbitrary 3D block configurations, and you lay down the configuration of buildings to make them. I really like the open-endedness. Some designs nicely complement others, so that the pieces you cut out to make part A can be stuck into the line that makes part B.
Btw, for Stardew, you need to eat foods that give your stamina back. Early on it’s harder to get the foods, but later you grow tons.