The Thinking Blog ~ Knowledge Grows When Shared!

Brain blogger Alvaro Fernandez from Sharp Brains is here to explain how this works and how to go about solving this puzzle:

First, you have to use your mental rotation and mental imagery skills to visualize potential answers for this puzzle. You can create a mental image of a cake and rotate it in your mind's eye. In doing so, you are using your visual cortex in the occipital lobes (the part of the cortex which is in the back of your head), your somatosensory cortex in your parietal lobes (in the superior part of your head), and then exercise your executive functions in your frontal lobes (right behind your forehead) when you evaluate your hypotheses and refine them until you find the answer.

The so-called "executive functions" are named that way because, like the director of an orchestra or the CEO of a corporation, they are critical to direct and manage the other parts of our brain as needed (as if they were different instruments in the sympony our mind can create).

Alvaro is a leading voice and thought-leader in the growing science-based brain fitness field.




If you still couldn't solve the puzzle, don't worry - here is the answer!



Enjoyed this little puzzle? You can find more brain teasers here.

Long story short; By being both observant and unpredictable, you can play like an RPS pro.

1. Watch your opponent play others. Often, they will lean towards one of the choices (for example, rock). If you have a chance to watch them play before they play you, look for an overall pattern.

2. Know rookie tendencies. The World RPS Society claims rookie men tend to lead with rock. If you're playing a spontaneous game against a male rookie, there's an increased chance that his opening throw will be rock, so you'll want to go with paper. Why do men start with rock? Perhaps the clenched fist evokes power and makes guys feel tough. If you're playing a female rookie, however, keep in mind that competitive player Jason Simmons claims that women tend to start with scissors, so go with rock.

3. "Train" the rookie. If an inexperienced player asks you to repeat the rules, you can subconsciously influence them to pick a certain gesture by dropping subtle hints. Physically demonstrate the gesture you want them to play more than any other gesture, and make sure it's the last gesture they see as you explain how the game works.

4. Play paper against an experienced player. A non-rookie may know that throwing an initial rock is too predictable, because of the tendency for male rookies to do this. They'll probably use scissors or paper. Therefore, you should start off with scissors, as it'll beat their paper or at least tie with their scissors. If your opponent is an experienced woman, she may be familiar with the "scissors" stereotype and will likely throw either rock or paper - thus, your best bet is paper.

5. Look for a double run. If someone makes the same throw twice, they will not want to make that same throw the third time, because they don't want to seem predictable. You can use this information to your advantage. For instance, if someone throws paper twice, they'll probably throw either rock or scissors on their third gesture; use rock so that you can either win or draw.

6. Beat your last move. This only works if you have just won; inexperienced or frustrated players tend to subconsciously throw the move that just beat them, so you should throw a gesture that will beat your own last move. For example, if you just won with rock against their scissors, they might throw rock next, so you should be prepared with paper.

7. Use probability to your advantage. In competition play, it's been statistically observed that scissors is the least common gesture. If you're at a loss for what to throw, using paper will give you a slight advantage, as it's slightly less probable that your opponent will use scissors.

8. Watch and react. Keep your eyes on your opponent's hand just as the gesture is being thrown. Watch what shape they are forming their hand into. If you see them extending into the paper gesture, for instance, you may have a split second within the count to react accordingly with scissors. But, be careful when trying to see what your opponent is doing because it could lead to slow throwing, which is illegal in competitive play.

9. There is no substitute for practice. Roshambo "RPS" can be played online in either a tournament or heads-up match setting at various websites. Although you won't be able to study the physical gestures of your opponent, you will be able to observe game play patterns and habits faster online. You can even earn money while playing RPS online with Moola.

10. Beware of non-rookies. An experienced pro may use all of these strategies against you. They might fake you out by, say, using scissors predominantly as their first gesture and then all of a sudden using paper when you least expect it.

For more advance RPS stategies, this article would be a good start. Oh and by the way; The 2007 championship was won by Andrea Farina - the first woman World RPS champion. Congratulations to Andrea!

Physics-based games simulate Newtonian laws, using variables such as mass, velocity, friction and wind resistance. It can simulate and predict effects under different conditions that would approximate what happens in real life. This is one of the most important indicators of the quality of a game and given that Petri completed the following games in under a week, which is quite a feat on its own, the gameplay of them are excellent!


Bloody Zombies



Download
Bloody.zip (0,5 Mb) (Release 1)

Instructions
Bloody Zombies, the goriest game ever made in the glorious 128 x 96 resolution! Fight zombies with your lawn mower! Solve levels with your opponents blood!

Goal is to rescue Barbara from the clutches of the nasty zombies. Collect all the keys in the level to open the door to the next one.

It’s recommended to play the game with a Xbox 360 controller. But it’s also playable with keyboard and mouse.

Xbox 360 gamepad controls

[d-pad] controls the character.
[right thumb] controls the lawn mower.
[right trigger] gives gas to the lawn mower.

Mouse-keyboard controls

[WASD] moves the character.
[Mouse] moves the lawn mower.
[Left mouse button] controls the gas.
Esc will quit the game.


A Tribute to the Rolling Boulder (from Raiders of the Lost Ark)



Download
Boulder_r2.zip (5,1 Mb) (Release 2)

Instructions

You play as the infamous rolling boulder. Roll over the archeologists and protect the honor of the golden idols of fertility.

If your honor drops to zero (honor is indicated by the bar in the bottom of the screen) the game is over. The honor will decrease if there are archeologists touching the golden idols.

Arrow keys will move the boulder.
Esc - will quit the game.
Alt + F4 - Will quit the game.
Alt + enter - Will toggle fullscreen.


The Amazing Flying Brothers



Download
Tafb.zip (7,1 Mb) (Release 1)

Instructions

You play as the infamous flying brothers as they try to perform the flying trapeze act.
Only left mouse button is needed.

Click it to release your grip. Try to aim for the other swing.
Hold left mouse button down to accelerate or to slow down. If you press down, when going down you’ll accelerate. If you press down when going up, you’ll slow down.

Esc - will quit the game.
Alt + F4 - Will quit the game.
Alt + enter - Will toggle fullscreen.


Crayon Physics



Download
Crayon.zip (5,6 Mb) (Release 1)

Instructions

You play with crayons and physics. The goal of the game is to move the red ball so that it collects the stars. You can cause the red ball to move by drawing physical objects.
With left mouse button you can draw and with right you can remove objects.
Space - Will reset the level.

Esc - Will open the menu.
Alt + enter - Will toggle fullscreen.
Alt + F4 - Will quit the game.


Daydreaming in the Oval Office



Download
Ovaloffice.zip (3,6 Mb) (Release 1)

Instructions

You’re Mr. Bush and you’re daydreaming in the oval office. Trying to collect imaginary pieces of evidence about the Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.

Use arrow keys to move George around. Try to keep the beach ball off the floor and try to collect the pieces of evidence.

Esc - Will quit the game.
Alt + enter - Will toggle fullscreen.


Moo at the Moon



Download
Moo.zip (3.6 Mb) (Release 1)

Instructions
As the full moon rises, nature’s most savage beast (cows) reveal their true nature: their ability to fly.

You play as one of the cows, who tries to jump over the moon. The game is played by only using your left mouse button. When you press down on the mouse button the cow clings to the nearest star. Try to jump from star to star and reach the moon.

Esc - Will quit the game.
Alt + enter - Will toggle fullscreen.


Druid Soccer



Download
Druid.zip (3.3Mb) (Release 1)

Instructions

You take part in the ancient traditional game of Druid Soccer. Rules: Try to push the big rock to your opponents goal and to defend your own goal. Who ever first gets 10 goals wins the match.

Controls:

Player 1: WASD
Player 2: Arrow keys.
Esc - Will quit the game.
Alt + enter - Will toggle fullscreen.


Cacodemon’s Barbecue Party in Hell



Download
Cacodemon.zip (5.2 Mb) (Release 1)

Instructions

Mr. and Mrs. Cacodemon are organizing a barbecue party in hell. Unfortunately that means there’s some work to do. You play as Mr. Cacodemon and you have to pluck and grill the kittens.
To pluck the kittens you have to spin them in the air rapidly. After all the hair is gone, throw the kitten in the hell grill (the opening in the left side of the wall) for even better score.

Esc - Will quit the game.
Alt + enter - Will toggle fullscreen.


Pluto Strikes Back



Download
Pluto_r1.5.zip (4.4 Mb) (Release 1.5)

Instructions

What happens when a planet living on the edge loses its identity? It goes mad and releases its fury on to the unsuspecting solar system.

Your job is to control the huge baseball bat that is circulating Pluto. Try to hit the meteors so that they will cause damage to other planets.

Esc - Will quit the game.
Alt + enter - Will toggle fullscreen.


Petri develops one experimental game every month so check out his blog often and even subscribe to the RSS feed!

Ragdoll physics are a type of procedural animation that is often used as a replacement for traditional static death animations. There are two digital toys you can play with: Toy1 and Pictaps. The latter is a painting application where the figures you draw comes alive and start dancing. Here is a nice example of Digg's creator Kevin Rose. Both toys are quite original and made purely for fun!

As for a designer, it should have been a challenge to get the physics right. What use might this technology be? Check out homepage of the firm he currently works under: Defide Inc.

Do you know any other applications or digital toys? Share them in the comments.

Just some of the hard-hitting issues that provoked in excess of 1500 edits in the space of two weeks - long before the console was even released, and shortly before a massive war breaks out over "non-official external links" that leads to a huge strawpoll to end the issue, and continuing debates over whether the official or unofficial names of the console and its accessories (for example, the "Wii Remote" aka "Wii-mote" aka "Wiimote") are more commonly used and which ones should be mentioned in which articles.

There is a long list (and I mean looooooooong) on the wiki page but not all of them are as funny as this one - some are just plain lame. Therefore, here is a yes/no poll for you to choose if you want me to pick out the best ones every now and then to make a new series of posts:

The flash games are created by a Japanese game designer known as "ON" from Eyezmaze. The Grow games involve adding various items into the game world. Depending on the order of addition, previously added items will "grow" and interact with each other. To complete the game, the player must discover the correct order to finish with all the items at their 'maximum level', at which point the player is rewarded with an end-game animation.

Such attention to detail went into every aspect of its graphics, animation and sound that even if you can't find the correct order, you will still experience delightful surprises! All these games are remarkably easy to play and possess a richness of gameplay and excellence in design that together make them accessible, challenging and rewarding.

Be warned though, they are extremely addictive - in the sense that you can stop playing until you finish the puzzle. If you get stuck at some point, however, you can get help by clicking the "Show Solution" buttons

(NOTE TO RSS READERS: You might see the solutions readily because RSS doesn't include the CSS styling so STOP SCROLLING NOW and visit the article page if you don't want to read the spoilers). In any case, there are many funny outcomes when you don't get the solution to the puzzles as well.





Here is the recommended order of games, going from Easy to Difficult:


1. Grow nano vol.2: This is a mini version of the "Grow" game series. However, this game is much lower in difficulty than the other Grow games because it has only three items at the start. While the other games have thousands of possibilities this game only has six possible selections, making it the easiest Grow games.



2. Grow Ornament: This is another version of previous Grow game, but this particular version is based on Christmas. The centerpiece is a large pine tree, and the selectable items are Christmas-themed. Click on any one of the items along the sides of the game window. Select the items in the correct sequence to level-up all items to their maximum and see the gorgeous and delightful ending.



3. Grow ver.2: This is an older Grow game created by On, but not released to the public until after Grow Ornament. The player has to click on each item from the panel on the left or right of the forest clearing. These items eventually become creatures. While not as colorful as his other Grow games, this one features similar charming and deliciously strange characters and animation as all the others.



4. Grow ver.3: This is the third version of the original Grow game, but the first one that was released. The player has to drag-and-drop each item from the panel on the left or right of the planet to the GROW logo in the center. Hint: There's more then one solution to this one.