Perl God for a Day

http://freebs23.iserver.net/jarkko.jpg

The new PC god-game "Black & White" by UK-based Lionhead Studios spent three 
years in development, and is a pretty amazing technical accomplishment. You 
build villages, gain the faith of villagers, train an AI-powered creature to 
carry out your godly tasks, and duel via miracles with the other Gods.

Lionhead included a POP3 client within the game. When a mail arrives, a 
villager lets you know, and the sender's name is given to a villager. This 
makes for a strangely enjoyable experience for a p5p subscriber. Tired of
Simon's clever signatures? Pick him up and throw him out to sea. Want to
silence the Pythonites? Get your creature to eat them, or strike them with 
lightning and watch them run blindly, alight with flames. Or reward Jarkko's 
endurance by making him a "disciple breeder".

And you thought you were safe from such abuse.

• Perl God for a Day by Dan Brian