Games - For the Family
Board Game Review: Rummikub
My parents, who are in their "young seventies" introduced my children to Rummikub on a recent visit.
We have been hooked ever since! The little ones can only play with the help of a grown up. However, my wife, my eleven year old, and I play more after they go to bed.
Rummikub (pronounced "rummy cube") is an excellent sequence, matching, logic game that is similar to gin rummy with tiles instead of cards.
My Last Recommendation:
Rush Hour
Each week I spend over 5 hours in my car commuting to work. Over one year, I will spend the equivalent of 4.2 days in my car driving to work. Aside from the occasional snow storm, my commute is fairly uneventful and offers little mental challenge.
I recently received the game “Rush Hour” as a gift. It, unlike my commute, offers many challenges that can last from 5 minutes to half an hour. This puzzle game is great for people who like hands-on games and the challenge of testing his logical thinking ability.
You can think of it as a mental exercise similar to what your dad went through when he was parallel parking for the Fourth of July fireworks.
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Dad-tech, movies, gadgets, and useful devices
The Flip Mino HD – this is by far the best video recorder for our family. It is extremely simple to use and share video. I recently gave this camera to my wife for a milestone birthday (she’s 29 again!). I even had it personalized with a picture of our three kids on the front of the camera.
It is roughly the size of a cell phone and has a flip out USB connection that makes it incredibly convenient to use. There is editing and file organizing software included and it even records in HD. The two things that I like most about the Flip Mino HD is that it segments each time you press the recording button into separate files. This makes it extremely easy to find the cut/take you want. Finally, the Snapshot feature can create still images that are close to the quality of a regular camera. That comes in handy when you have subjects that don’t stay still like small children or busy pets. Take a look at the link below:
Flip MinoHD Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black) or go directly to the company to order a customized one. http://www.theflip.com/
Kindle app for the Apple Itouch
Kindle: Amazon's 6" Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)
This is absolutely one of the coolest applications for the iTouch. OK, I’m not a huge fan of reading but this solved a couple of problems for my wife and I. Problem one, she likes to read late into the night in bed, with the light on. I on the other had like to sleep in a room as dark as possible. The iTouch version of the Kindle is like an illuminated book, that gives off enough light for the reader to be comfortable but it’s not enough light to disturb someone’s sleep.
Another nice feature for the non-avid reader is the fact that the small pages give that sense of accomplishment of making progress, and give you shorter end points. Which means you can get through one more page before deciding to hit that hay. This thing book-marks your pages, supports multiple readers (for instance if you and your wife or child are reading the same book, it can create more than one bookmark, so you both can keep track.
Finally, it is so small and portable that you can take it anywhere. I am currently reading Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict .
Take a look at the link below:
Kindle: Amazon's 6" Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)
Apple iPod touch 32 GB (2nd Generation)
Monster's vs. Aliens 3D – Not this Father’s 3D
Overall, the movie was funny and was very much enjoyed by my 7-year-old son, with little anecdotes from the story still being told several months later. However, in my opinion the real star of the show was the 3D technology. The opening scene was stunning and the previews were awesome. It should be an exciting summer with the many titles coming out in 3-D.
My two complaints: the 3-D version was $3.00 more per ticket. It was somewhat worth it, but keep an eye out for deals in theaters. Some mark the 3D movie up more than others. My second compliant, where was this technology when we were kids? No big deal I guess- just one of the perks of being a dad.
My favorite part of the movie was all the kids chatting about the 3D experience and the movie. My son didn’t even know he was talking so much. He kept commenting about everything to a little girl sitting next to him and she was just as talkative back. After the movie, I asked my son who his friend was. He was surprised and asked who I was talking about. I said, “The little girl next to you. You were talking to her during the whole movie.” He was totally surprised by this. Apparently he didn’t even know he was on his first blind date. |
