But that’s why I haven’t felt like writing much or visiting any of your blogs. I’ll be back to my old exuberant self in a few days. :D

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…and here comes another WordPress rant… (lol)

As much as I love WordPress blogging software, I can’t stand their propensity for issuing non-stop updates. Every couple of months, they totally revise the whole interface, removing good features and adding stupid ones. WordPress Guys– will you quit ruining WordPress?! If you want to add stuff, fine, but don’t keep removing some of the the things that we find useful! Ugh.

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I have another reason to hate spammers, as if I didn’t have enough, lol. Because of blog comment spam, almost all blogs are now using CAPTCHA images for comments (mine included!). Because spammers have been figuring ways to get around the CAPTCHAs, the CAPTCHA software is becoming more complex. So I am finding that the CAPTCHA images are getting tougher and tougher to decipher. I may leave a looooong wonderful comment, enter the CAPTCHA and >BANG< my comment is lost because I can't figure out the dang images!!!! *sigh* I have tried the audio CAPTCHAs but those are worse. Have you ever tried audio CAPTCHAs? Try them on various blogs and you tell me if they are difficult or not.

Anyway, I am now in the habit of copying my comments to my computer keyboard before I try to publish comments. I don't think there's anything we can do. Spam is so pervasive. Why do spammers do it?! Do they really think people are going to buy their trash when they are so obtrusive and rude?

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It rained the other day. HARD. It’s not unusual here in Upstate New York to have a January thaw, but our entire winter has basically been one big thaw.

I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop, though. We still have another 2, 3 months of winter. Reports are that Lake Ontario temperatures are unusually warmer than average. Should an arctic wind current descend from Canada across the lake, we’ll get clobbered with snow. I hope we don’t. I think I have really enjoyed this mild winter. I’m surprised because I am the one who loves winter and snow! It’s been a nice change, and I’m happy for all the folks who usually shovel heaps of snow, because they get a break this year. (So far).

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I love Words With Friends!! What a fun game. I usually have 5 or 6 going at the same time. If you want to play with me, look me up– I’m RebeMecomber. One of my dear pals discovered that some players are using computer cheats and such with WWF. Just so you know, I don’t do that! So rest assured, you’re playing with the REAL Rebe when you play against me, lol. Anyway, I’ve always been good at Scrabble (my hubs thinks I should join a competition) but I’ve been sweating some bullets with some of you guys lately. Yow.

And has anyone else noticed this with the game?

:blink:

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The games are SO cute, and the graphics are terrific. They have games that resemble Farmville and other sim games. I really like Remanum, because it’s a sim game but blends a bit of history with it.

Hey, Susi, maybe you can translate this for me?

Werde zum Kaiser deiner Stadt und mache die gesamte Wirtschaft des Mittelmeers im Spiel Remanum von deinem Handel abhängig.

Am Anfang startest du als unbedeutender Händler mit kleinem Anwesen. Du bist einer von tausend anderen Spielern und niemand kennt deinen Namen.
Als erstes baust du dir Betriebe wie ein Sägewerk, einen Marktplatz zum Handeln und weitere wichtige Werkstätten um überhaupt am Handel teilnehmen zu können. Wenn du deine ersten Waren verkauft hast, bist du quasi schon mitten im Spiel.

I can’t get over the graphics- they are beautiful. I already signed up. It’s not too difficult to understand it. Aktivieren deinen account means “activate your account.” See?! Already I am learning German!

Check it out. Even if you don’t want to brush up on your Deutsch, the graphics of the game may draw you in.

Probably one of the best things to happen with video games (I’m an “old timer” who remembers when Pong came out, so I call everything “video games” still) is the interaction of the player. That is– getting the kid off his big duff and making him MOVE while he plays. The technology just blows my mind, really. Another really nice plus to these kinds of motion video gaming is that it really brings the family together. All members of the family can play and have fun.

Since we’re back in the house after the renovation, the kids have their old Playstation console back (we have Playstation 1, believe it or not!). But every time we go to BestBuy, we see the very sweet-looking Playstation Move console. The thing looks fascinating (yes, I am a sucker for new gadgets and technology). The Move Bundle will connect to your Playstation3 and the price is right: $99.

I looked up the technology– apparently, the Playstation geniuses created the Move to use a camera (their PlaystationEye camera) AND a motion controller, to provide superior motion control and action. It’s all in Hi-Def, so the graphics are amazing. I have seen the games on this HUGE screen. It just blows my mind, really. The games are pretty neat: basketball, Toy Story, Singstar, and more. The archery game is TOTALLY amazing. I would get it just for that, lol.

You can learn more about the PlaystationMove at the website, which is put together very nicely and has some great flash videos of the components and games. Check it out!

Anyway, I tried to take a few screenshots of the Magin Pen Game to show you. Technically, it’s a crayon, not a pen. In the game, you have to get the red circle/ball to the flag. Once you have done this, you can go to the next level. The forces of gravity, inertia, and friction are at work, here, though. It’s HARD!

OK, so I got the call to the first three flags… it only took me, like, half an hour! But how to get the the third flag? Well, I just kept drawing blocks behind the circle, which slowly inched the circle up the ramp. Lame, I know.

I will have you know that I DID get the circle to the flag, though! Very scientific, that’s me…

Anyway, it’s a fun site. MUCH better than having your kids shoot at virtual people in airplanes, I think. They might actually absorb some science while they’re at it!

OK, I’m going to go try the next level now… lol…

I’ve checked Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc. Most puzzles seem to be priced in the $20 range, too expensive for my taste (yikes, you can get 8GB memory sticks for that price now; are puzzles really so expensive?!). Does anyone know where I might find some 1,000 piece or higher puzzles?

When my 12-year old son saw that this game has magnets, he took off with the box. Sheesh! I guess he liked it! He was having so much fun with the magnets that I had to get him to settle down and read the instructions for the game! By then, my other son, 14-years old, and my husband, almost 50-years old, lol, were interested. My husband loves these kinds of games.

Jishaku comes with 18 magnetic stones, a box with an egg-crate-looking foam insert grid, and a black plastic box to hold the insert. (And instructions). The foam insert is purposely asymmetric. There are 3 different games in the instructions (but the boys invented a few more, because they loved playing with the magnets!). The one my husband did with the boys is the most fun– each player gets an equal amount of magnets. The players take turns dropping a magnet into the foam grid. As you do, you must not allow your magnet to remove the other player’s magnet that he has already dropped in. It is extremely challenging! I couldn’t do it very well. I’d had four cups of coffee that morning and my hands were shaky, lol!

It’s a very fun game, and it gets the kids interacting. I don’t know about you, but playing video games together is NOT kids interacting. So I love this game.

It’s constructed well. The instructions say that the magnet stones do lose strength over time– I figure perhaps over a few years? The stones in the game are extremely magnetic as they are, so if they lose a little of their power, I don’t think I’d mind it — I might even be able to play the game after drinking coffee! I did see on the Jishaku website that you can buy extra pieces if necessary, for only $5. (The website also has tip and tricks for playing the game).

I recommend this game. It’s educational, teaches motor skills (and patience), teaches the concept of magnetism and the laws of attraction and repulsion, and encourages interactivity with the other players. It’s also very easy and simple enough for young kids to play with older kids and adults. And when the kids are not playing the actual game, they like to fool around with the magnets, too. :-)

See how strong the magnets are? They can hold a stone through my son’s hand! We thought that was neat.

I was stunned to see how high-tech the modern Bingo game is now! I got the Disney Bingo game for the kids and we’ve been checking it out for a few days. My kids are a little older (my youngest is 12), but Bingo is timeless. I’d still play it.

My first impression of the game is the box. I just adore game boxes like these– it’s thick cardboard with a Velcro closure and a small plastic handle. It’s perfect for carrying to a friend’s house. No more long rectangular boxes that split at the seams and spill out! I love this box.

Inside are all Disney-related Bingo pieces. I think they went a little heavy on the Disney, to be honest. I mean, my kids like Donald Duck just as much as anyone, but this is a little hyped.

Inside is something even more curious- a DVD. The DVD has three different Bingo games on it, and a mom can basically choose one and walk away while the kids play Bingo as the DVD announcer speaks. Each Bingo number/letter combination has a certain Disney character attributed to it, so the child can associate the character with the card as well as the letter and number. The DVD emphasizes colors, too. Here’s a little video of the game:

This is the perfect game for the age 3-6 child. For children over that age, they may find the game a little too cutesy. Adults like me will love it, but I’d rather play it with ME as the announcer and not a DVD.

My opinion? The Disney Bingo game is a cute game, and little kids will like it. However, older kids and Disney-dissenters will not. I personally prefer more interactive games (with people not electronic screens), but this game is flexible enough so that you can play with the DVD or without the DVD if you so choose and with a little effort. The game can be found at Drugstore.com and Amazon.com, where it is about $20 or so. That’s an excellent price for a game this well-built and that comes with a DVD, too.

Order Up! Trailer preview.

Nice!! I think there’s a Wii in the future for Mii. Check out the video and you will Sii.The game is rated “E” for everybody (no stabbing the nasty diners or anything, now), developed by SuperVillain Studios, and published by Zoo Games. <