Ultimate Birth Control Method

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Even Placebo Sells With Creativity

This is probably the most annoying thing ever, but it sells! HeadOn is a topical product intended for headache relief, produced by Miralus Healthcare, which claims it is a homeopathic (and therefore completely ineffective) remedy. Although intended uses are not listed in the commercial spot, the implicit purpose of the product is to reduce discomfort caused by headaches. HeadOn's notoriety came due to its advertisements on television which consisted of using only the tagline "HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead", stated three times in rapid succession.

See the video clip:


According to AdAge, sales were up 234 percent between 2005 and 2006, and for this year the brand looks like it's on track to double sales. However, I wanted to give a heads up for those who are using this or thinking about using it. Chemical analysis has shown that the product consists almost entirely of wax. It's "homeopathic" in the literal definition of the term. The active ingredients are extremely diluted to the point that HeadOn products are placebo. Take a look at what's in them:

HeadOn Extra Strength Headache Pain Reliever

- Potassium dichromate 0.00000005%
- White Bryony 0.00000000000004%

HeadOn Extra Strength Sinus Headache Relief

- Potassium dichromate 0.00000005%
- White Bryony 0.00000000000004%
- Golden Seal Hydrastis 8 × 10−32%

HeadOn Migraine Pain Reliever

- Potassium dichromate 0.00000003%
- White Bryony 0.00000000000004%
- Blue Flag Iris Versicolor 0.0000000000001%

Any questions?

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Thinking Outside the Box

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Would You Hug a Stranger?

In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal. The campaign is an example of a random act of kindness, a selfless act performed by someone for the sole reason of making others feel better. It involves individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public settings. Juan Mann is such a nice guy!


The original video clip has received a largely positive reaction on YouTube, with over 65,200 ratings at an average of 4/5 stars, and more than 18.2 million page views, making it the 18th most viewed video of all time on the site. According to the video summary, it was recorded in Sydney, Australia. Soundtrack is provided by Sick Puppies (the song is called "All the Same"), an Australian band that Mann met a year earlier.

The idea then started expanding all over the World. Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, Korea and others were soon to follow. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring! If you don't feel like leaving a comment, at least take this poll:

*hugs*

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Learn How to Robot Dance.. from Robots!

Learn how to do the robot dance from the masters of the art. Here is an interesting music video called Hell Yes by recording artist Beck featuring four 4th generation QRIO prototype robots, aka "Quest for cuRIOsity." Originally named Sony Dream Robot, these inspirational toys apparently took programmers three weeks to program their choreography. Watch the video after the jump.

..and here is another dance lesson from these robots:

QRIO is capable of voice and face recognition, making it able to remember people as well as their likes and dislikes. These robots can run at 23 cm/second, and is credited in Guinness World Records 2005 edition as being the first bipedal robot capable of running. See it in action:

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Pictures Worth A Thousand Words - Post 10

"Pictures Worth A Thousand Words" series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. via

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What Is Your Thinking Style?

Here is another interesting what kind of thinker are you quiz. The BBC website has a fun page about Leonardo Da Vinci, with a short quiz that you can take to determine what type of thinking style you use and here is the list of the nine outcomes in this quiz. So, what is your thinking style? What about your friends or family? Do they have a different thinking style than you thought? Why not get them to take the quiz and see if you are right.

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The "Good" Food Fight Flash Game

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Successful Campaigns Need No Translator

Well, maybe a little context could help. Melody is a popular Egyptian satalite television network based in Cairo. This network of 5 channels, broadcast a variety of pop culture, youth culture, and music videos aimed at adolescents and young adults. Their latest promotional campaign is such a success that it doesn't require you to know Arabic in order to understand what it is trying to communicate - and that is what campaigns should be about. To deliver with less.

Here are the latest and most hilarious TV spots featuring Melody Man, the "never get bored" defender.


Melody TV







Melody Tunes






UPDATE: Unrelated to the above but here is another great spot from Egypt found while searching on YouTube. Whoever made this is pure genious!

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Myths About the Developing World Busted

Links: Gapminder - TED - Talks

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The Father Of All Bombs

The Russians have tested a new type of weapon, as powerful as a nuclear bomb, but without all that pesky radiation! Instead, this vacuum bomb gets its power from a fuel-air mixture, which unleashes a destructive shockwave. It's reportedly four times more powerful than the U.S.'s version, known as the MOAB (mother of all bombs), which was the most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed - until now.

The weapon was successfully field-tested in the late evening of September 11, 2007, when it was dropped from a Tupolev Tu-160 heavy bomber with a parachute and exploded. The weapon yields the equivalent of 44 tons of TNT using 7.8 tons of a new type of high explosive, created applying nanotechnology. In comparison, the MOAB produces the equivalent of 11 tons of TNT from 8 tons of high explosive. The blast radius of 300 m is twice as large as the MOAB.

If the blast doesn't incinerate people, its second phase employs a technology based on the "thermobaric" principle which uses heat and pressure to kill people targeted across a wide field - by sucking the air out of their lungs and rupturing internal organs.

Below are a couple of video footages of the bomb from two different news sources.

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Green Burial: When Dust Really Returns to Dust

When the funeral train following Chris Nichols’ plain, pine coffin arrived at his grave site one spring morning three years ago, this is what it saw. A simple cavity dug into the red earth of a southern pine forest, bunches of needles and rose petals strewn into and around the hole. No concrete burial vault lined the grave. No granite stone loomed at the head. Chris’ final resting place was a natural part of this living landscape, and his burial here – with its wood coffin and unembalmed occupant – allowed what remained of the 28-year-old stonemason to join it.

Pictures Courtesy of Ramsey Creek Preserve

This photograph, which was taken at the Ramsey Creek Preserve, a “green” cemetery in South Carolina, makes a powerful statement in favor of natural burial. Death is not simply the end of life, the image suggests; It’s caught up in a grander, natural cycle – of decomposition and rebirth, of growth and decay – that sustains and perpetuates all life. Our challenge, as naturalist Ed Abbey put is to “get the hell out of the way” of that natural process like Chris Nichols did and let it work.

An emerging green burial movement is taking up Abbey’s call. Eschewing chemical embalming and bulletproof metal caskets, elaborate and costly funerals, more and more are embracing a range of natural burial options, new and old, that are redefining a better – and greener – way of death.

Some families are finding natural return in the half dozen green cemeteries that have sprung up around the country in the last decade with a score of others in the planning stages. Like Ramsey Creek, they offer vaultless, embalming-free burial in wild, bucolic settings. Caskets are optional – cloth shrouds are just fine – but if used must be made from readily biodegradable materials, like cardboard or pine. Headstones are cut from small fieldstones that are native to the area and laid flush to the ground.

Others families are taking a page from earlier, more sustainable burial traditions, by creating private cemeteries on their own rural lands – and then calling the local carpenter to craft a simple wood coffin when the time comes. There’s even a growing trend in home funerals. Half a dozen organizations run workshops on how to bathe and dress a body and lay it out for wakes and funerals in the home, without using the funeral director or his funeral parlor.

Cremation is also coming into vogue. About 30% of Americans are choosing the hearth over the grave; Some claim by mid-century that percentage will double. Thanks in part to JFK, Jr’s watery sendoff off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in 1999, more of us are choosing to return what remains of our deceased to aquatic environments. With the help of an Atlanta-based organization called Eternal Reefs ashes can become part of a life-generating memorial under the sea. Families mix the ashes of their dead with concrete to form a waist-high honeycombed dome called a memorial reef ball. After curing, the reef ball is loaded onto a boat and dropped onto an established artificial reef site in the ocean, where it becomes habitat for fish.












I spent two years traveling the country talking to families who had chosen these green alternatives to the modern funeral. They did it for a number of reasons, they told me: To save money (green burial costing hundreds and low thousands of dollars versus the average $10,000 for the funeral home sendoff). To preserve natural resources (including the metal that’s poured into coffins and vaults every year, enough to rebuild the Golden Gate Bridge). To have funeral services that reflect the values of simplicity and self-sufficiency that have guided their lives.

Mostly, though, they did it for the reason Chris Nichols expressed when, lying on the bed on which he would soon die of cancer, he told his older brother, “I want to join all the other living organisms in the ground.” Chris got his final wish at Ramsey Creek. To go there today is to see how well his legacy lives on.

This article was written by Mark Harris from Grave Matters. Mark Harris is an environmental journalist and the author of Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial (Scribner, 2007). If you are interested in contributing to the thinking process and become a guest writer on The Thinking Blog, find out more information here and be my guest!

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Videos Worth A Thousand Words

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Nanotechnology For Fly Fashion

Does the picture on the left makes this post look like a joke? Think again. This preserved housefly is sporting a pair of two-millimeter-wide eyeglasses, engineered with ultra-precise fast-pulse laser technology. I guess you must have really big brains to play with this kind of advanced tech. Kudos!

Nanotechnology is an experimental field of applied science and technology. It covers a broad range of topics and is focused on controlling and exploiting the structure of matter on a scale below 100 nanometers (a meter is equivalent to one billion nanometers). An ultrafast pulse of light is an electromagnetic pulse whose time duration is on the order of the femtosecond (10^{− 15} second), ie. it is one billionth of one millionth of a second. Once impossible to observe, ultrafast phenomena are now extensively studied thanks to advances in the design of pulsed dye lasers.

Ultrafast Lasers can be used to process all kinds of materials with extremely high quality and reproducibility. Unlike conventional laser processing, ultrafast laser machining reduces damage to the surrounding area, such as melt zones, micro-cracks or debris, thus making post-treatment unnecessary.

However, I will be looking forward to more practical uses of nanotechnology, such as robots used for treatment inside human bodies. What are your thoughts?

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Design Portfolio of Ilker Yoldas Re-Designed!

Already!? Yes, even though it was launched only last week, I decided to re-design my portfolio because I knew I could do better. The main structure of the site is not changed but the look and feel just wasn't good enough. Perhaps the look was fine but there was no feeling to it. However, this time the site has a "theme" which I hope will provoke good feelings to its visitors. I will not spoil the surprise with a screenshot so click here to view my portfolio and don't forget to add to your favorites and join the community. Criticism, comments and suggestions welcome!

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Lamest Edit Wars of Wikipedia: Nintendo Wii

Occasionally, Wikipedians lose their minds and get into edit wars over the most petty things. Take, for example, Wii's page. Is this article about "Wii" or "Nintendo Wii"? If it's "Wii," should it be called just "Wii" or "the Wii"? Or maybe "Nintendo's Wii"? Does it rhyme with "We" or "Wee"? Should "Wee" link to urine? Is "Wee" slang or a euphemism for urine? Is it a British or International word for urine? Is it even worth mentioning in the article at all?

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:

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Uncyclopedia: The Content-Free Encyclopedia

This is by far the funniest thing you are going to read today. Like Wikipedia, but full of humorous lies! I found out about it last night and I couldn’t stop laughing for hours. Simply click "Random page" and it gets out of control! Find out the secret history of the Alphabet, learn about Kitten Huffing, who Che Guevara really is and the definition of AAA.

The original self-proclaimed mission of Uncyclopedia was to provide a satirical point of view (SPOV) in the wiki format. However, as the community grew, the content expanded to include many other forms of humor. There is no restriction on the kinds of humor allowed; however, all articles are held to a standard of comprehensibility and must appeal to more than just a small group of people.

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How To Make Your Own Multi-Touch Pad for $2

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13 Unfortunate Translations That Harmed Brand Reputations

It is important for companies to do adequate preparation and research before introducing a product into the international marketplace. How easily even "experts" can sometimes fall victim when their in-house marketing department is not fully aware of the local culture. Sometimes hiring a professional marketeer in the country is probably the best option. Otherwise, slogal translations might end up being a total fiasco!

13. When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to have read, "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you." The company thought that the word "embarazar" (to impregnate) meant to embarrass, so the ad read: "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."

12. Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: "Nothing Sucks like an Electrolux."

11. Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick," a curling iron, into Germany only to find out that "mist" is slang for manure. Not too many people had use for the "Manure Stick."

10. Coors put its slogan, "Turn It Loose," into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer From Diarrhea."

9. Pepsi's "Come Alive With the Pepsi Generation" translated into "Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Grave" in Chinese.

8. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the smiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the labels of what's inside, since many people can't read.

7. Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, the name of a notorious porno magazine.

6. Frank Perdue's chicken slogan, "It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken," was translated into Spanish as "it takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate."

5. When American Airlines wanted to advertise its new leather first class seats in the Mexican market, it translated its "Fly In Leather" campaign literally, which meant "Fly Naked" (vuela en cuero.) in Spanish.

4. An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope's visit. Instead of "I saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I Saw the Potato" (la papa).

3. The Dairy Association's huge success with the campaign "Got Milk?" prompted them to expand advertising to Mexico. It was soon brought to their attention the Spanish translation read "Are You Lactating?"

2. General Motors had a very famous fiasco in trying to market the Nova car in Central and South America. "No va" in Spanish means, "It Doesn't Go".

1. The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as "Kekoukela", meaning "Bite the Wax Tadpole" or "Female Horse Stuffed with Wax", depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent "kokoukole", translating into "Happiness in the Mouth."

via

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Making An Exception to the No Politics Rule

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Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Hey everybody, Jerry, Karen, Melissa and Wendy are coming to visit! Cool yeah? I mean, pretty much everybody likes to have visitors. But just hold on a minute, before you rush off to shops to get something nice for dinner, maybe there’s one thing that you should know about our guests. You see, the problem here is that when they actually do come rapping on your front door, then the chances are that the door will smash through the lounge and pin you to wall before you can say ‘come in’.

These are some of the names that the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have decided should be given to a selection of the hurricanes that will likely batter and bruise the US Atlantic coast during the coming 2007 season. They’ve been doing this since 1953 (naming hurricanes), the idea being that short distinctive names are "quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods." No argument there then, and neither can we disagree that this is especially important when exchanging detailed storm information between the hundreds of widely scattered stations, coastal bases, and ships at sea. So phew, the scientists and professionals have been clearly informed, now what about the rest of us?


How are we, the people who aren't aware of the meteorological intricacies of a hurricane supposed to react to the news that Felix is coming? Probably we all know from popular culture that Felix is a cat name. Also he is not a big cat like an escaped tiger; he’s an amazingly cuddly cartoon cat. Sort of deceiving, don't you think? These magnificent forces of nature with friendly names won’t be sound so amazing when sitting in a deep safe bunker somewhere, wowing our colleagues with satellite images of a ‘perfect’ storm. We’ll be waist high in water and debris, screaming the names of loved ones into the ravaging winds. We won’t be watching the mathematical data as it streams and twists into virtual chaos. We’ll be watching crackling reports from the nearby, broken community that has already been visited. We’ll know that we’re next.


The personification of hurricanes is wrong. If the WMO really want to warn people about what is happening, and not just track them efficiently, then sure, stick with the alphabetical listing (after all, I wouldn’t presume to suggest anything that would screw up your filing system) but how about starting with ‘Aaaarghhhh, run for your lives’. Admittedly, not as catchy as Andrew but it gets your attention don’t you think? Okay, I am stretching the point here but it is still a point worth making.


Oh, and one more thing before I run for the hills. On the subject of categories, use your imagination Mr Weatherman! Five isn’t scary enough to alert people. Five billion is. If you want to make sure everyone gets on the highways in plenty of time, think big.

This article was written by Andy Tilley, author of Recycling Jimmy. It is "an outrageous romp into 'suicide for profit' and the darkest aspects of human nature, told with brilliant black humor and a zest for life." You can find out more about his novel from his site. If you are interested in contributing to the thinking process and become a guest writer on The Thinking Blog, find out more information here and be my guest!

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How To Build Your Own Hot Water System

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Launched: Design Portfolio of Ilker Yoldas

Design is art like all others. Like artists, every graphic designer needs an online portfolio of some sorts to showcase a selection of their best creations for potential clients. This can be done with either getting your own domain name or using one of the free portfolio services out there. Though, many would recommend creating your own portfolio website because there is nothing convincing about a designer portfolio designed by someone else!

As a freelance graphic artist, I also needed such a site. Actually, it was even long overdue but I finally got around doing a very basic portfolio for the moment. One of the most important aspects of an online portfolio is to show the work done in just one page - rather than having thumbnails or slideshows which require more clicking and browsing. It should be right there layed-out in front of everyone as if all the sample designs are spread out on a table like playing cards. I went a step further and created the whole site as one page. I think it's much better that way, what do you think? Click here to view my portfolio. Comments and suggestions welcome!

UPDATE: Please don't forget to add to your favorites and join the community. Thanks!

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Worst Case Scenario - Quicksand

Uh oh. You're hiking alone in the wilderness, looking up at the birds and whistling a happy song, when suddenly you find yourself trapped in quicksand and sinking fast. Certain muddy death? Not quite. While quicksand isn't nearly as dangerous as it looks in the movies, it is a real phenomenon. Just about any sand or silt can temporarily become quicksand if it is sufficiently saturated with water and/or subjected to vibrations, such as occur during an earthquake - thus it can occur nearly anywhere. Quicksand should definitely be avoided, if possible, but you needn't fear it. Here's what to do.

1. Avoid quicksand. Kind of obvious but any time you are in an area of wet ground, such as along beaches, marshes and rivers, or if you are in a place where underground springs bubble up, you might encounter quicksand. Be on the lookout for ground that appears unstable. Often, you can't detect quicksand just by looking at it. If you step on ground that ripples or shifts beneath you, step backward quickly and smoothly: quicksand usually takes a second or two before it liquefies.


2. Walk softly and carry a big stick. When hiking, especially in an area you suspect contains quicksand, carry a long, stout pole. You can use the pole to test the ground in front of you, and you can also use it to help extract yourself should you sink (see step 9).


3. Drop everything. Because your body is less dense than quicksand, you can't fully sink unless you panic and struggle too much (which will cause the sand to further liquefy) or you're weighed down by something heavy. If you step into quicksand and you're wearing a backpack or carrying something heavy, immediately take off your backpack or drop what you're carrying. If it's possible to get out of your shoes, do so; shoes, especially those with flat, inflexible soles (many boots, for example) create suction as you try to pull them out of quicksand. If you know ahead of time that you are highly likely to encounter quicksand, change out of your boots and either go barefoot or wear shoes that you can pull your feet out of easily.


4. Relax. Quicksand usually isn't more than a couple feet deep, but if you do happen to come across a particularly deep spot, you could very well sink quite quickly down to your waist or chest. If you panic you can sink further, but if you relax, your body's buoyancy will cause you to float.


5. Breathe deeply. Not only will deep breathing help you remain calm, it will also make you more buoyant. Keep as much air in your lungs as possible. It is impossible to "go under" if your lungs are full of air.


6. Get on your back. If you sink up to your hips or higher, bend backward. The more you spread out your weight, the harder it will be to sink. Float on your back while you slowly and carefully extricate your legs. Once your legs are free you can inch yourself to safety by using your arms to slowly and smoothly propel yourself. If you are very near the edge of the quicksand, you can roll to hard ground.


7. Take your time. If you're stuck in quicksand, frantic movements will only hurt your cause. Whatever you do, do it slowly. Slow movements will prevent you from agitating the quicksand—the vibrations caused by rapid movements can turn otherwise relatively firm ground into more quicksand. More importantly, quicksand can react unpredictably to your movements, and if you move slowly you can more easily stop an adverse reaction and, by doing so, avoid getting yourself stuck deeper. You're going to need to be patient; depending on how much quicksand is around you, it could take
   several minutes or even hours to slowly, methodically get yourself out.


8. Get plenty of rest. Other than panic, exhaustion is your worst enemy. Since it can take a long time to get yourself out of quicksand, be sure to take breaks and just float on your back if you feel your muscles getting tired. If you're in a dangerous tidal zone, however, you may be in a race against time (see warning
   below).


9. Use a stick (optional). A stick is not necessary to extricate yourself from quicksand, but it can be helpful if you have one.
   • As soon as you feel your ankles sink, lay the pole on the surface of the quicksand horizontally behind you.
   
   
   • Flop onto your back on top of the pole. After a minute or two, you will achieve balance in the quicksand, and you'll stop sinking.
   
   
   • Work the pole towards a new position, under your hips. The pole will prevent your hips from sinking, so you can slowly pull one leg free, then the other.
   
   
   • Stay flat on your back with your arms and legs fully touching the quicksand and use the pole as a guide. Inch sideways along the pole to firm ground. [via]
     

You might also find Worst Case Scenario - Frostbite an interesting read.

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The Dramatic Story Behind the Portrait of a Woman

Seeing an artwork is one thing, understanding the feelings behind it is another. One tends to appreciate the brush stokes of a piece when you know more about the person painting the canvas. Frida Kahlo is one of those artists who earns fame only after her death. Did you know that during her lifetime, Frida created some 200 paintings of her experiences in life, physical and emotional pain and her turbulent relationship with her husband?

In 1953, when Frida Kahlo had her first solo exhibition in Mexico (the only one held in her native country during her lifetime), a local critic wrote:

"It is impossible to separate the life and work of this extraordinary person. Her paintings are her biography."

Kahlo was noted for her exceptional beauty and unconventional appearance, declining to remove her facial hair (she had a small mustache and unibrow which she exaggerated in self portraits) and donning flamboyantly-styled clothing inspired by traditional Mexican dress. She did not originally plan to become an artist; Her goal in life was to become a doctor. A survivor of polio, she entered a pre-med program in Mexico City.

At the age of 18, she was seriously injured in a bus accident and this changed the course of her life forever. She ended up trapped in a body cast for months and spent over a year in bed recovering from fractures to her spine, collarbone and ribs, a shattered pelvis, and shoulder and foot injuries. She endured more than 30 operations in her lifetime, and during her convalescence she began to paint.

Despite her life of suffering and pain, Frida Kahlo was a vibrant, loose extroverted character whose everyday speech was filled with profanities. She had been a tomboy in her youth and carried her fervor throughout her life. She was a heavy smoker, drank liquor (especially tequila) in excess, was openly bisexual, sang off-color songs, and told equally ribald jokes to the guests of the wild parties that she hosted.

Interesting? If this much information was not enough, you can read the full biography here. Alternatively, there are over 23 books and 9 films you can choose from - I recommend Frida, a biographic drama based on the artist's life:


..and here is the infamous Tango scene with Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd dancing..


Even one of the many documentary films about her is available online at Google Video [21 minutes]:


Her artwork: Be careful because some of her paintings may not be safe for work [NSFW]. There is Self-Portraits with a short story (if you like to have some explanations alongside) or view a nice collection of selected works on a single page here. If you have become a Frida Kahlo fan by now then you should see the complete list of paintings by year.

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10 Cute (and Addictive) Flash Games from Japan

The Japanese are probably the best when it comes to creating cute characters. Not many people might like Pokemon and the likes but Pikachu, for example, is adorable for a fighting pocket monster! Moreover, cute cartoon characters don't just appear in animated movies. They're everywhere; Creative ads, visual arts, and even online games! Here is a collection of simple but fun little puzzle games made in Japan - of course, if you willing to kill a few hours!

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.

Stick, Headband, Cape.

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.

Gift, Cloud, Heart, Lights, Ribbon, Star.

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.

Cone, Cube, Paper, Cylinder, Hole, Ball.

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.

- Ball, Cube, Hills, Egg, Ladder, Pipe, Propeller (black ring), Tornado, Gear, Dish, Fan, TV Screen.

- Ball, Cube, Hills, Egg, Ladder, Tornado, Fan, Pipe, Gear, Dish, Propeller, TV Screen.

- Cube, Ball, Hills, Ladder, Egg, Pipe, Fan, Gear, Tornado, Dish, Propeller, TV Screen.

- Cube, Pipe, Ball, Egg, Ladder, Hills, Gear, Fan, Tornado, Dish, Propeller, TV Screen

- Cube, Ball, Hills, Egg, Ladder, Pipe, Fan, Tornado, Gear, Dish, Propeller, TV Screen.

- Cube, Ball, Ladder, Egg, Hills, Pipe, Fan, Gear, Tornado, Dish, Propeller, TV Screen.

- Cube, Ladder, Egg, Ball, Hills, Pipe, Fan, Gear, Tornado, Dish, Propeller, TV Screen.

5. Grow RPG: While the game itself is not a role-playing game, it is set in the style of one, with the main character possessing attack and defense points. The boss monster at the top of the field will affect the game world after the player takes his turn, first by destroying regions of the terrain, then by growing monsters. Once all items have been added via the drag-and-drop interface, regardless of the order that they have been placed, an end scene plays. The progress of the main character in defending the kingdom during this end scene varies, depending on how much each item has grown.

House, Grass, Castle, Water, Tower, Rock, Chest, Stairs.

6. Grow Cube: This is the sequel to Grow RPG. Grow Cube employs more metamorphosis than Grow RPG, including the transformation of a bone into a lizard and the transformation of a spring into a mushroom. The gameplay is similar to the previous games except in this one you need only click on the items along the sides of the play field one-by-one. The order in which you click the items determines the outcome of the game.

Man, Water, Plants, Pot, Tube, Fire, White Pot, Bone, Spring, Ball.

7. Grow ver.1: This is the earliest numbered, yet latest released game in the series of Grow games. The player is presented with a sphere floating above an empty landscape, and is given a choice of two options. By clicking on one of the available options, animations unfold based on your choices. As the player progresses, the options are sometimes reduced to one. Instead of objects and levels, success is measured by a simple meter at the bottom. This is also the first game that has an "undo" feature that is unlocked only if you find the solution to the game.

Path 1

1: Nest - Ball becomes an egg
2: Sun - Egg hatches into Rotta
3: Bear Muzzle - Rotta becomes a small bear
4: Clover Treat - Bear splits into three
5: Train Track - Bears combine into a train and circle the track

Path 2

1: Nest - Ball becomes an egg
2: Sun - Egg hatches into Rotta
3: Bear Muzzle - Rotta becomes a small bear
4: Heart Treat - Bear grows giant

Path 3

1: Nest - Ball becomes an egg
2: Sun - Egg hatches into Rotta
3: Alarm Clock - Rotta grows four legs
4: Snail Shell - Rotta moves into the shell and becomes a snail creature

Path 4

1: Nest - Ball becomes an egg
2: Sun - Egg hatches into Rotta
3: Alarm Clock - Rotta grows four legs
4: Carrot - Rotta becomes a giraffe with leaves on its head

Path 5

1: Nest - Ball becomes an egg
2: Moon - Egg hatches into Pierrot
3: Hammer - Pierrot splits open and a Yellow Man pops out
4: Glue - Pierrot becomes Dark Pierrot and flies up with the Yellow Man

Path 6

1: Nest - Ball becomes an egg
2: Moon - Egg hatches into Pierrot
3: Block - Pierrot transforms into a block creature
4: Cross - Block becomes a coffin and opens to reveal a vampire

Path 7

1: Shovel - Ball is buried underground
2: Watering Can - A sprout grows
3: Milk Bottle - Sprout grows into an Udder Plant

Path 8 - Actual Solution

1: Shovel - Ball is buried underground
2: Watering Can - A sprout grows
3: Water Bottle - Sprout grows into a water-filled flower
4: Salt Paper - Flower grows into a blue planet
5: Island - Grass grows on the planet
6: Tree - A forest and scenery appear
7: Battery - The planet rotates revealing a CONGRATULATIONS! Message and Yellow Men appear beneath the planet

Path 9

1: Shovel - Ball is buried underground
2: Watering Can - A sprout grows
3: Water Bottle - Sprout grows into a water-filled flower
4: Salt Paper - Flower grows into a blue planet
5: Star - The planet grows into an Alex with blobs sticking out

Path 10

1: Shovel - Ball is buried underground
2: Vase - Ground splits open to see a small blob
3: Down Arrow - Blob falls down and becomes a White Tontie
4: Metal Jar - Metal Jar falls on Tontie and kills him

Path 11 - Nice Deadend

1: Shovel - Ball is buried underground
2: Vase - Ground splits open to see a small blob
3: Down Arrow - Blob falls down and becomes a White Tontie
4: Crown - Tontie grows into Tontie King and creates two Green Tonties
5: Pick Axe - Tonties dig a cavern and the King creates two more Tonties
6: Ladder - Tonties continue to build an underground city filled with a shop, beds, a secret cavern, and the King’s throne room

Path 12

1: Shovel - Ball is buried underground
2: Vase - Ground splits open to see a small blob
3: Left/Right Arrow - The blob splits into a two-faced worm
4: Blue Nuts - The blob grows into a Nabnab

Path 13

1: Shovel - Ball is buried underground
2: Vase - Ground splits open to see a small blob
3: Left/Right Arrow - The blob splits into a two-faced worm
4: White Nuts - The blob grows into a Double Nabnab

8. Chronon: As usual, On delights us with yet another creative and original game featuring strange and unusual characters. This time-based, adventure/escape-the-room type puzzle takes place in the dwelling of a creature that leaves early in the morning and returns in the evening. The objective of the game is to manipulate objects at various times throughout the day to complete the story. Click on items to act upon them, if possible, and change the time of day by clicking on the time buttons along the top of the game window. It's an ambitious design that requires careful analysis and observation to yield many results, and sometimes those results lead to "incorrect" endings.

Game start.

Click on 12:25. Take wreath off the wall. Put clock on the wall.

Click on 14:55. Take the key from the clock.

Click on 6:15. Put the wreath on the table. Put the egg on the wreath. Open the window blinds behind the egg. Put the clock on the wall.

Click on 9:05. Lean the stone slab (the one in the fireplace) against the wall. Attach the rope to the winged creature. Click on the tail of the clock to attach it to the cage. Give the empty jug to the creature (NOT the round one).

Click on 9:45. Click on the rope to bring the creature back inside. Take the egg from the clock. Click on the wood underneath the cage.

Click on 12:25. Click on the ball on the creature's tail. Click on the rope. Click the round jug thats fill with water to move it to the left. Click the jug full of milk the creature is holding to put it on the right shelf. Click on the mirror on the wall.

Click on 14:55. Click on the wreath. Click the wood to combine the wreath and wood into a fire. Put the pot on the table and add Flour, the egg, sugar, yeast, and milk (NOT the water or poison). Take the clock off the wall.

Click on 18:10. Put the stone slab back into the fireplace. Put the pot into the fireplace. Put the clock back on the wall.

Click on 19:00. Congratulations! You have 100/100!

9. Galves Adventure: On released this game to celebrate the birth of a friend's baby. In this charming little point-and-click puzzle game you help baby Galves make it through to where the sleeping boss lion lay. Click on various items in the right sequence and at the appropriate times to advance the little baby up to the top, at which point a boss battle will commence. A reset button is included should you get stuck (and you will get stuck.) There are dead ends and multiple endings.

1. Click on the gopher. He'll make the shoe stone fall to the second level.


2. Click on the 1st and 3rd cave doors on the second level. They will open.


3. Click on the barrel. The rope'll attach it to the elephant's trunk.


4. Click on the elephant. He'll raise the barrel.


5. Click on the baby. He'll go underneath the barrel and get the lips stone. (If the elephant has already lowered the barrel, click on the elephant again to raise it again.)


6. Click on the baby again. He'll go underneath the spider web, where the spider will wrap him up.


7. Click on the crab. He'll come out of his hole with his pincers raised.


8. Click on the barrel. The elephant will raise and lower it. Click on it again. The third time the elephant raises it, the rope will break and the barrel will create a hole where the pipe is underneath the first level.


9. Click on the pipe underneath the first level. This will make a cloud.


10. When the cloud is directly over the boulder, click on the pipe near the center of the third level. This will create another cloud and the two will combine.


11. When the cloud is directly over the gopher hole near the treasure chest, click on the pipe that's hidden behind the tree trunk on the second level. It's just to the left of the cave door on the far right. If you time it right, the cloud this pipe makes will combine with the other two clouds and create a thundercloud.


12. When the thundercloud is over the cork, click the cloud. This'll break the cork and allow water to flow everywhere, making everything lush.


13. Click on the bear. He'll get the first heart on the tree, and in the process fling the baby to the shoe stone, which he will get. (If you click on the heart instead of the bear, the heart will fall to the ground and then the bear will eat it, and in the process he will NOT fling the baby.)


14. Click on the remaining heart on the tree to the right. It'll fall under the spider, and the spider will get it and put it in his web.


15. Click on the bear again. He'll walk over to the left tree, get the other heart, and in the process fling the heart in the spider's web to the open cave door.


16. Click on the crab. He'll climb up the vine.


17. Click on the crab again. He'll unleash the baby from the spider's cocoon, and the baby will walk through the open cave door (hopefully you did this in step 2!) behind the waterfall and come out the other open cave door and get the heart.


18. Click on the baby. He'll hold up the heart over his head.


19. Click on the possum. He'll grab the heart and the baby (if the baby is still holding it over his head), and they'll have a fight and the baby will be tossed out onto the third level.


20. Click on the gopher. He'll go back in his hole.


21. Click on the baby. He'll try to open the treasure chest, and he won't
    be able to. Note that his pacifier blinks.
    Quickly, go on to
    the next step!


22. While the baby's head is still cocked, click on the baby's pacifier. He will use his pacifier to unlock the chest and get the gold diapers!
    (Gold diapers, FTW!)The baby will then start crawling again, fall in the hole, and continue crawling until he's squashing the gopher.
    Quickly, go on to the next step!



23. Click on the gopher. He'll move the baby back up to the third level where he will get the hand stone. You should have gotten all of the stones, and the boulder will turn to a red ball.


24. Click the gopher. He'll go back down in his hole.


25. Click the baby. He'll also go back down in the hole, and come out on top of the elephant.


26. Click on the elephant. He'll suck up water through his trunk, and spew it out into a rainbow.


27. While the rainbow is still showing, click on the baby. He'll slide down the elephant's trunk and climb up the rainbow.


28. Wait for the thundercloud to get over the lion, and then click it. It'll zap the lion and reduce him to 35/100 health.


29. Now you can play the mini grow game.
    Don't worry, if you mess up and don't get the correct ending, just click on whatever the ball turned into, and it will reset to the beginning of the mini grow game.
    If you really want to know, the correct order is hand, lips, shoe. Doing this will turn the ball into a dragon.



30. Click on the dragon. He'll fly off the top of the screen, and then come back and hover where the baby is.
    Quickly, go on to the next step!


31. Click the baby so he gets on the dragon. The dragon will deposit him on the very top level near the top of the waterfall.


32. A fairy queen will show up and present the baby with two options. Choose the yellow ball. This'll transform the baby into a cupid, and the cupid will battle the already wounded lion and defeat him. (You don't need to do anything here.) Yay!

10. Dwarf Complete: Here is an adventure puzzle game that features dwarfs from the Lineage II game, and On claims it will pose quite a challenge for you. The objective of the game is to advance through all the rooms of the dungeon, collecting items, weapons and armor along the way. With each item found, a door opens somewhere within the dungeon. Use a combination of arrow keys and clicking to use items and solve puzzles. The game features On's characteristically charming graphics, a wonderful soundtrack, and it has an auto-save feature so you can play it casually, step-by-step in your free time.

Let's get started.

• Go south (down) and pick up object.
• South gate opens - go through it. Get the object to the right (i.e. use the right arrow on your keyboard - ignore which way you are facing).
• Go into the little room to the south and get object. The gate locks behind you.
• Go to the right and go through the hole in the wall. You will notice that on some walls their shadow is missing. That means that there is a hole in the wall than you can walk through.
• Walk through the gate on the left side of the room. Pick up the object in the middle. If you fall down a hole, take a look around then climb up the stairs.
• Downstairs you will notice there is a locked room with an object in it. To get to that object, fall through a hole from the floor above. You will have collected 5 objects by now.

The silver key.

• Go into the top-right room. Step on the button. Some circles will appear that are made up of different numbers i.e. 1-8 circles in eight different positions which relate directly to the positions of the buttons in the room that you see on the left.
• Push these buttons in order from 1-8 e.g.
  
  1. top/middle, then,
  2. middle/left,
  3. top/right,
  4. bottom/right,
  5. bottom/left,
  6. middle/right,
  7. bottom/middle,
  8. top/left.
• You can now collect the silver (or bronze, whatever you want to call it) key.

The sack and the stick.

• Go north (up). Stand directly in front of, and facing, the silver lock then click on the silver key at the bottom of your screen. The lock will open.
• Walk through. Walk over the little bridge and collect the object.


• A gate on the left will open. Go through that and unlock the green chest with your silver key. You have now collected a sack.
• Go back to the room with the holes in it.
• Go downstairs and open the silver lock, then the chest. You now have the stick.
• Go back to the room just south of the room you started in.
• Open the silver lock at the bottom.
• Go and get the 2 objects at the bottom. You should now have 8 objects.

The book.

• Go up then to the room to the right. Go down the stairs.
• Go up to the blue book. Flick through by clicking on the arrow. It shows you what ingredients you need to make some tools.
• When you have collected the correct ingredients for a particular tool, the button at the bottom of the page will turn red. You can then click on the button to collect the tool.
• The first page shows you that you need a round thing, to go with the sack you have already collected, in order to make a magnet. Lets go get the round thing.

The maze.

• Go back upstairs. Open the lock bottom/right and collect the object. The gate at the right will open. Go through.
• You are confronted with a maze with 2 objects in it.
• If you follow the wall down to near the bottom of the room, you will notice that there is a hole in the wall (no shadow).
• Go through and collect both objects.


• A gate has opened at the top and bottom of the room.
• Go back out of the maze and go through the top gate.

The swinging cannon.

• This is where you get to blow stuff up. Wahoo. This involves timing and accuracy. You need to step on the button precisely when the swinging cannon is aimed at a block.
• Blow all three up.
• Collect 2 objects and unlock the chest and collect the round thing. You now have enough ingredients for the magnet. Lets go get it.

The magnet.

• Go south one room then left one room. Go downstairs.
• Go up to the book.
• The button on the magnet page is now red. Click on that and collect the magnet.
• Go back up stairs.

The ice-rink.

• Go right and down to the ice-rink room.
• There are several different strategies for this room. Here is one:-
• Go around the outside of the rink to the bottom. Face the right-hand gap. Click on the magnet and the metal block will slide towards you. Go back around to the top. Go into the 3rd gap from the left. Go to the left of the screen and you will have collected an object. Leave the ice-rink. Go back to the top. Go through the first gap on the left. Go right, down, right, up. Voila. 2nd object collected. (if you stuff up you can reset the metal blocks by stepping on the button in the top right-hand corner.)
• Two more gates have opened on the left.
• Collect an object from the top room. You will hear a gate open but won't see it.
• The bottom one is pitch black. You will get a torch later that will light up this room. Leave it for now.
• You will have collected 16 objects by now.

The bone, the pickaxe, and the controllable cannon.

• Go back to the room with the swivelling cannon. You get to blow some stuff up again.
• There is a metal block at the top-right of your screen. Line yourself up with it i.e. directly below it.
• Click on your magnet and you will suck it towards you and into a hole. Go up. Another cannon.
• Step on the button to fire the cannon. You want to aim at the floating moon so that it drops to the ground so you can collect it.
• In order to do this you must push 2 buttons - one controls trajectory (height), the other controls direction (north, south etc.).
• Go back to the room with the swinging cannon. Go through the gate at the top-left.
• Collect the object hiding behind the torch. The gate on the left will open. Go through it.
• Collect the object. A gate to your right will open.
• You will also notice that there is a block with an object on top. Lets blow that up, shall we?
• Go to the little room on the right. Step on the button once (the cannon is now pointing skywards).
• Go back to the swinging cannon room.
• Go into the top-middle room. Step on the button twice.
• Go back to the room with the floating moon. Step on the button once. The cannon fires to the left and it sounds as though it has hit something important. We'll come back to that.
• Go back to the top-middle room and step on the button once more.
• Go back to the floating moon room. Step on the button. Collect the moon.
• Leave that room then return to it immediately. Step on the button again. All will be revealed.
• Go down, far-left, up, left. Collect the object that has been knocked off its block.
• Go to the top of the room where there are 2 objects.
• Line yourself up with the metal part of the top wall then click your magnet. You will be sucked across the ditch. Don't worry - this is a good thing. Collect both objects.
• Move over to the right-hand side of the screen. You will see 3 little rooms and 2 bigger ones, the biggest one now has a bit of a dent in it - this happened when you fired the cannon in the same direction as the floating moon.
• Push the metal block with the object on top to the right and into the hole in the wall. Walk over it and collect an abject at the same time. You now have 22.
• Push the next metal block with the object on top onto the spot that your cannon landed on (the dent).
• Go back to the floating moon room and step on the button. This will blow that block up.
• Go and collect the object that you have knocked off its block.
• Go left and then into the top-left little room.
• Unlock the chest and collect the bone.
• You now have enough ingredients for the pickaxe.
• Go back to the room with the book and cook up the pickaxe.
• For a short-cut you can fall into the white swirly vortex to the bottom-left of the big room.

Now you are armed and dangerous.

• Go upstairs.
• Go left then up to the very first room that you started in.
• Use your pickaxe to bash the 4 arrows.
• Step on the button and watch what happens. Alrighty.
• Go down the stairs that the arrows were hiding.
• Face north. Click on your magnet. Go up and collect the object (24th).
• Go and use your pickaxe on the blobs (or whatever) at the bottom of the room.
• Drop through the vortex, just to see where you end up.
• Go right then down. Go and attack the blob at the top-right. Collect the moon.
• Go down and left.

The leaf.

• Hack your way through the blob. Then more blobs.
• Collect the object in the middle.
• Fight your way to the chest and unlock it. Collect the leaf.
• Go directly up from the chest and collect a moon.
• Go to the bottom of the room.

Now for some fun (of the timed-maze variety).

• You have to work your way through the timed-maze, pushing the purple, blue and pink buttons along the way before the fuse on the cannon is burnt and the cannon fires. The coloured buttons, when pushed, make the coloured blocks drop out of the way of cannon fire so that the beige block on the left gets blown to smithereens.
• Toldja it was fun.
• This is the way that works for me:- Push the blue, pink then purple buttons, in that order. There are other ways. As soon as you push the brown button below you the fuse starts burning, and it burns FAST. OK.
• Push the brown button, push metal block down, walk over it, go left, hack through blob, go to far-left of room, go up, click on your magnet to drag metal block towards you and into hole, go up over block-in-hole, go right, up and left, hacking blobs along the way, step on blue button.
• 1 down, 2 to go. Easy-peasy.
• Go right, down, left and down over the block-in-hole, push the nearest metal block one step right and one down into hole, go down over block-in-hole then right hacking blobs again until you can get to the pink button.
• Two down, nearly there.
• Go right, go up, face metal block and click on your magnet, go up and you will have stepped on the purple button. Wahoo.
• If you beat the fuse (it may take many, many goes) the cannon will have blown up the bottom-left block.
• Make your way to the little room at the bottom-left, collect the object, step on the green button, unlock the chest and collect the bottle.
• Make your way out of the top of the room and all the way back to the book room.
• You're gonna make a torch.

Now you have fire.

• Once you have the torch go back upstairs, go right then down into the ice-rink room.
• Go through the gate at the bottom left.
• Go up and click on your torch. You now have light in this room.
• Uh oh. A room overrun with vortexes.
• Carefully make your way to the object. The top gate will open. Drop into the vortex at the top left-hand corner. Collect the 28th object.
• While we're in the mood for collecting stuff lets collect that moon that you can see.
• Go to the outside of the left wall of the little room with the moon in it. There is a hole in the wall. Go collect the moon.
• Leave that little room and go down.
• Go down the next room (stair-maze) and right.
• Go downstairs.
• Hack your way to the object and the gate will open.

Take a deep breath. You're gonna need it, and some patience, because its stair-maze time.

• Go into the bottom part of the stair-maze.
• Go up two steps. Click on your magnet.
• Go into the stairs to the left, then the next lot of stairs, You are back on the basement floor.
• Go right one step, up two, face right, click on your magnet to drag metal block into hole.
• Go up into stairs.
• Go into next lot of stairs, and again, and again. You should be in the basement again.
• Collect object - notice that the gate at the top right of the screen opens.
• Go into the right stairs.
• Step right, up, right, up, right and you will drop into a hole.
• Whack the blob and collect the moon.
• Pull (with your magnet) and push the metal block until it drops into the hole on the left.
• Walk over block-in-hole.
• Go left into stairs. You are back where you were a minute ago.
• Pull and push the metal block as far right and up as it will go. It will block off the pathway. That's OK.
• Retrace your steps (go into 6 lots of stairs) until you are directly north of the metal block you just shifted.
• Use the magnet on the block. It will drop into a hole.
• Retrace the steps that you just retraced until you get back to that block-in-hole.
• Go over it into another lot of stairs, and another lot.
• Go down one step. Face left and drag the metal block into the hole using your magnet, yet again.
• Go right until you are facing two metal blocks.
• Drag the first one into the hole, then, drag the second one on top of the first one.
• Retrace your steps again *sigh* until you get to the block-in-hole that you just did over on the left.
• Go over it and go into the next set of stairs, and again. Ahhhhh, now you can unlock the chest and get the map. Wahoo.

Now we have a map, and map references, to refer to. Phew.

• Go back through the last set of stairs you just came through.
• Go right into the vortex. Collect object, whack blobs, into vortex again.
• Go back to start of basement maze, go up through gate at top-right.
• Collect object, go up through now-opened gate. Keep going up. Light torch. Aha. We've got to get the gold key.
• Go down, keep going through the right of the maze, then right and into the stairs. Go left and up out of the top floor maze. At last.

Out of the maze.

• Go all the way back to 1E (timed-maze nightmare).
• Go over lowered green block and hack your way into 2E. Light her up.
• Go right to the middle, in front of, and facing, the hole. Use your magnet to suck your way over the hole and collect the object (33).
• Push the metal block into the hole and go over it.
• Go up through the now-opened gate and all the way back to 4B.

The big hand.

• Go up and left into the little alcove with the gate opened. Step on the button.
• We have water. And trees.
• Burn the tree and collect the object.
• Go down and step on the button in the next alcove. We now have more ramps.
• Go over the first ramp.
• Whack the big middle blob above the big hand.
• Go inside and push the metal block down. Scoot around the other way and use your magnet to drag the block so that its positioned below the index finger.
• Get out and whack the far-left blob which is hiding a hole.
• Drop down into the hole and light the torch. Push the button, go over the ramp, scoot on over to the bottom right torch, light it and go into the stairway.
• 3 down, 1 to go.
• Go back over the ramp, go up and left. Collect the object.
• Go up into the alcove and drop into the vortex. Light the torch. The gold key is now obtainable. Drop back into the vortex.
• Go whack some more blobs and step on the button. More water for the trees.
• Go right to another screen, then left. The baby tree has grown. Collect the object after burning the tree.

Now, lets go for a train ride.

• Jump on the tracks. The idea is, first of all, to navigate your way safely to the room below, collecting the object that will open the bottom gate along the way.
• As soon as you enter the top train track room, click on the middle bottom join 3 times, the top middle one once, then the middle one two more times (so long as you've already gone over it once), the middle right one once, then the bottom one once.
• You are now travelling on the bottom train tracks.
• Click on the join (to the right of the bottom left one) once, the next one in your path 3 times, then once, once, twice, none, twice (collecting object), three times, once - you're out. Yay.
• Step on the button and more ramps appear.
• You now have 38 objects and 5 moons. Lets go get the rest, and the gold key. But first, lets have a look inside the big head.

Inside the big head.

• Make your way over the ramps until you get to the big head house with the button on top.
• Once you disappear into it (make sure you have the sound on) go left 2 steps, up 1, left 1 (you should hear stairs being climbed), then go down 2, right 6 (you will see her going across the front part of upstairs), then up 2.
• You are now on the roof.
• Step on the button and watch the little movie. Cute, huh? If you positioned the metal block in the wrong place before, you gotta go fix it and do this part again. Bummer.

The gold key.

• Get out of the big head.
• Once you're out, head right until you get to the stairs near the vortex.
• Go into stairs. Collect gold key.
• Go back into stairs.

Have a wee look at your map.

• You can toggle between the top floor and the basement. Find where you still have things to collect.
• Head off over to A4 and whack a blob and collect moon number 6.
• Now armed with a gold key, go back to D4, open the lock, whack a blob, collect a moon.
• Go to D3, open the gold lock, collect object.

The smiley face room.

• Make your way to C1 (a.k.a. the smiley face room).
• Open both locks.
• Whack both blobs, collect a moon and drop into a vortex. Or two.
• Back to the smiley face room, drag and push the metal block on the left as high up as it will go.
• Now, the only way to get out is to drop into the vortex because you have blocked your exit. Do that.
• Go back into the room.
• Drag and push the same metal block until it drops into the vortex on the right. Follow it into the vortex.
• Push the metal block into the hole.
• Go right.
• You are now in C4.
• Collect moon number 9.
• Go back to C3 and into the stairs.
• You are back at the start.
• Nearly there.

A couple of trees have grown around the "complete" sign.

• So, "how do I get those?" you asked. Well, lets see.
• Go and burn the bush hanging over the wall to the right of the sign.
• Use your gold key on the lock.
• Watch the stone sign swap over with a metal sign.
• Position yourself below the sign and use your magnet.
• Burn some trees and collect the last object and moon.
• Be patient while something else happens for a bit.
• Click on the blue round thing.
• To cross the watery ditch, position yourself above the metal arrow and use your magnet. Wheeeee.

The gem.

• Make your way back to the book room and brew up a gem.
• Make your way to C4. Enter the flying saucer, click on your new gem.

BONUS. Neighbours: This game is played by dragging each of the colored-top creatures to one of the 9 container pots such that everyone gets along happy and content. If you put one in the wrong spot, its neighbor(s) won't like it and will have a tizzy fit. There isn't a particular solution for this one, but you get a higher rank when you complete the puzzle by moving less creatures. If you're not lucky with the positions of the testing places, it's very difficult with to complete it below 20 drags.

So, get your collaborative skills in order and help each other out in the comments!

There are also other cute flash games on the site but those are more time-restrained action arcade types, that will put your reflexes and hand-eye coordination to the test, rather than the other puzzle based order-dependent Grow games - thus not included in this list.

Do you love puzzles and games? Consider playing learning games to keep your mind sharp!

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