Windward and leeward

Windward is the direction upwind (toward where the wind is coming from) from the point of reference. Leeward is the direction downwind (or downward) from the point of reference. The side of a ship that is towards the leeward is its lee side. If the vessel is heeling under the pressure of the wind, this will be the "lower side". During the age of sail, the term weather was used as a synonym for windward in some contexts, as in the weather gage.

Pronunciation

The traditional nautical pronunciations are the elided forms /ˈljuːərd/ and /ˈwɪnərd/, but this is regarded as old-fashioned. The literal pronunciations, /ˈliːwərd/ and /ˈwɪndwərd/, are more common. The pronunciation for the Leeward and Windward Islands and the Leeward Antilles is normally the latter form.

Origin

The term lee derives from Old English hleo, shelter, and was in use at least as early as 900 AD.

The word aloof is a related term derived from loof, old English for "weather gage" or "windward direction", probably from the Dutch word loef, “the weather side of a ship." Aloof was originally a nautical order to keep the ship's head to the wind, for example to avoid a lee-shore, but it has since taken a figurative meaning of "at a distance, or reserve suggesting consciousness of superiority." It is still in use in German sailors' language as "LUV." Note also the wind-related words loft in English and luft in modern German.

Sid Meier

Sidney K. "Sid" Meier (born February 24, 1954) is a Canadian-American programmer, designer, and producer of several popular strategy video games and simulation video games, most notably the Civilization series. Meier co-founded MicroProse in 1982 with Bill Stealey and is the Director of Creative Development of Firaxis Games, which he co-founded with Jeff Briggs and Brian Reynolds in 1996. He has won several prestigious accolades for his contributions to the video game industry.

Early life and education

Meier was born in the Canadian city of Sarnia to parents of Dutch descent. He later moved to Michigan and studied history and computer science, graduating with a degree in computer science from the University of Michigan. Meier lives in Hunt Valley, Maryland, with his wife, Susan. He met his wife at the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Faith Lutheran, in Cockeysville, where he plays the organ. Meier and his wife both sing in the church choir.

Career

Meier founded MicroProse with Bill Stealey in 1982, and by 1986 the company was using his name and face in advertisements for its games. MicroProse at first developed mostly simulation video games, such as Silent Service and F-19 Stealth Fighter. In 1987, the company released Sid Meier's Pirates!, which also began a trend of placing Meier's name in the titles of his games. He later explained that the inclusion of his name was because of the dramatic departure in the design of Pirates! compared to the company's earlier titles. Stealey decided that it would improve the company's branding, believing that it would make those who purchased the flight simulators more likely to play the game. Stealey recalled: "We were at dinner at a Software Publishers Association meeting, and Robin Williams was there. And he kept us in stitches for two hours. And he turns to me and says 'Bill, you should put Sid's name on a couple of these boxes, and promote him as the star.' And that's how Sid's name got on Pirates, and Civilization."