Cuboid is a fun 3D puzzle game for the iPhone and iPad of flipping and rolling a cuboid through a maze-like puzzle placed in the setting of mystic, ancient ruins.
Cuboid is available on the iPhone and iPad as a universal app, but the screenshots in this review will be from an iPhone, only.
For those who may not know, a cuboid a rectangular solid that is in the shape of a box. In this game, if you were to cut the cuboid in half (longways), the result would be two cubes.
The goal of the game is simple, roll the cuboid through the puzzle so that you get it to fall through the square hole. It’s possible to roll the cuboid off the board, so be careful!
As you progress through the game, new elements such as buttons and teleports will be introduced to the game. When this happens, Cuboid has you play a simple tutorial level so that you understand how the new addition to the game works.
Once you succeed, you will receive 1-3 stars based on how many moves it took you to reach the goal. If you complete the level in the least number of moves possible, the level will also be marked as “etalon”. (An etalon is actually a physics device used to measure wavelengths, so I’m not really sure why this word is used.)
If you’re stuck and can’t figure out how to beat a level, Cuboid includes a hint button that will quickly show you how to beat the level from the cuboid’s current position. You are only given a few hints for free, though. If you want more, you must purchase them from the Cuboid Store.
Which brings me to the parts of Cuboid I do not understand. As you play the game, you earn coins. If you tap the button that says how many coins you have, or you tap the hint icon when you don’t have any left, you are taken to the Cuboid Store. I was expecting to be able to purchase hints with the coins I’ve earned. Nope. My choices are to buy hints or to buy coins… but I can’t figure out what I can do with my coins! Why do I want to buy 1500 coins for $ 4.99? As far as I can tell, these coins don’t actually have a purpose.
The other horrible thing about Cuboid is ads. Not so much the ads themselves (all ads are always horrible), but the fact that it’s not clear how to get rid of them. I’ve searched through every menu and there is no obvious method of purchasing an upgrade to remove the ads. However, through some trial and error, I discovered that if you tap the X on an ad, you’ll get the offer to remove ads for $ 0.99. It’s well worth the $ 0.99, in my opinion, but I can’t believe how difficult it was to find this in-app purchase.
In general, everything except the actual gameplay is very poorly done. There’s no written directions to be found (and that’s a shame, because I’d really like to know why HeroCraft is using the word “etalon” when perfectly beating a level). I would also like to know what all the icons mean in Settings. Music, sound, and hints was easy enough to figure out, but I’m not really sure what the movie icon is for. Despite the ample space on the Settings screen, there is no written description for what settings are actually being changed.
When tapping the ribbon on the main menu, you are taken to the ranking section in Game Center for Cuboid, but there doesn’t appear to be any way to exit this screen. It turns out that the “Done” button is just invisible. If you tap in the upper righthand corner, it briefly appears and activates.
The good
Awesome graphics
Addicting
Challenging
Universal for iPhone and iPad
The bad
No clear, written out directions
To purchase the upgrade for no ads, you must tap the X when an ad pops up
Not sure what the movie icon in settings represents. Again, no words to describe what it is
Game Center ranking page has an invisible Done button. You can’t see it, but if you tap in the upper righthand corner, it briefly appears and activates.
The conclusion
Luckily, none of the bugs I experience affect the actual gameplay of Cuboid. Cuboid is a very fun game and I really like how they’ve added a star value to each level. This allows the game to be played leisurely with the goal of just passing each level, or competitively with the goal of reaching “etalon” status for each level. With that said, HeroCraft does have some serious issues they need to address, mainly the horrible discovery of upgrading to no ads and giving an actual purpose to coins.
If you are one of those people who grew up not sure if you’d ever want kids, and now you find yourself married to the perfect spouse and thinking children might be in your not-so-distant future, you are not alone. If you are worried that having these kids will ruin your marriage, you are not alone, either. While it will take some work, and while it will certainly change your life, having a baby doesn’t have to ruin your marriage. You just have to get a little creative about how you think of spending time together, and you have to make the most of the time you have.
After Bedtime
Remember when you were a little kid and you used to complain about having to go to bed earlier than all of the adults? There was a reason your mom and dad made you go to sleep earlier than they did. They use the after-bedtime hours as adult time. This is the time for moms and dads to watch what they want on television, or to watch a movie not suitable for children. You might be exhausted when you put your kids to sleep, but enforcing a strict bedtime is good for the child and the parents. It gives the child a sense of routine, and a good night’s sleep, while it gives the parents some quality time together in the comfort of their own home.
Hire a Babysitter
Some parents may be wary of hiring a babysitter who is not a family member, but sometimes it is necessary if you ever want to get out of the house with just the two of you. Find someone you trust by asking a trusted neighbor or by consulting online babysitting and nanny searches. These internet babysitting profiles often run background checks and allow you to interview people before hiring them, which can put your mind at ease. Hiring a babysitter can really add up, though, from a cost standpoint. If hiring a babysitter is too expensive, see if you can trade off nights with the parents of your child’s friends. You take all the kids for a night one week, and then the next week, the other parents take their turn. This can be beneficial for everyone involved, because it allows you to spend less money while still being able to have someone you trust watch your kids, and your kids get to play with their friends every week.
Schedule Date Night
Those mommy calendars are no joke. When you have little kids running around, you need to schedule every minute of every day. Before kids, you probably had spontaneous date nights all of the time, but after kids, this can be much harder than it used to be. There is no shame in scheduling a date night. Put it on the calendar, and make sure everyone knows that you and your spouse are going out of town for a night, or maybe just dinner. It doesn’t matter what you do; what matters is that you do it alone.
Family Cuddle Time
While it’s definitely not the same as spending time alone, having quality family time every night is important for everyone. When you spend time with your kids, talking to them and sharing stories about your days and being excited about each others projects, this can foster a sense of companionship among the family. Even if you don’t feel like talking one day, pick a favorite movie or television show and cuddle up each other with a great blanket. You’ll feel great having spent quality time together with your family.
If you haven’t heard of the Nopalea drink yet, I don’t know where you’ve been living. A cave maybe. Maybe even an uncivilized world where this drink has not yet been introduced. This cactus drink is something that’s very very unique in the market, because there’s simply nothing like it. Have you even thought about drinking from a cactus? I’m sure you have not. I certainly had not before I had heard of this product. This drink is something so interesting and unique that I can’t even describe in this short article, but I’ll try.
The cactus drink is something that tastes absolutely refreshing and gives you the peace of mind and health benefits of a drink that should be much more expensive, or even medicine that should cost you an arm and a leg. We all know how health insurance is these days, and getting something like that could be very expensive – unless you use the strength. It is one of the most unique products on the market and I highly recommend giving it a free try – after all, you shouldn’t have to pay for something without knowing if you’re going to like it, right?
When planning a vacation, the average traveler might ask where the weather is best that time of year, how to find a great airfare deal, and how much it costs to stay in that luxury hotel they have their eye on. But if you’re Edward Norton, you ask how that hotel hotel uses its energy, where they source their water and how the surrounding community benefits from the business they generate. Edward Norton isn’t the average traveler and during a Q&A with National Geographic Traveler’s Costas Christ at the Bodhi Tree Foundation’s annual gala he asked all of us to stop acting like one as well.
I first had the opportunity to hear Norton speak on the topic of sustainable tourism at Condé Nast Traveler’s annual World Savers Congress in 2009. Since then, he’s been busy making films, founding Crowdrise, running marathons and being appointed by the UN as their Ambassador to Biodiversity, but his dedication to this topic is as tireless as ever.
The Bodhi Tree Foundation was founded in 2008 to harness the resources of the travel industry to protect the places and communities that are endangered and in peril. Norton supports this cause through his work with the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust and believes in order to protect these places we must first grapple with the needs of its community; we need to teach them how to make their wilderness and wildlife provide for and benefit their needs. Norton believes this challenge is what conservation is all about in the 21st century and the one we should all focus on.
During the Q&A, Norton, who says he “works in conservation and moonlights in movie-making, but fortunately hasn’t had to choose between the two,” once again put the travel industry to task by saying it needs to do more to protect the places it encourages us to visit. He pointed out that good hotel CEOs are the ones who challenge their green models, build sustainability efforts into their bottom line, and realize their success hinges on having a true local partner in the communities in which they operate. “Tourism as an industry has to be viewed with enormous positive and negative impact,” Norton said. “Practiced poorly, tourism can be extremely negative.”
Norton’s call to action certainly didn’t stop with the hotels and tourism boards. He wants all of us to travel with meaning saying “it’s an opportunity to expand our depth of awareness, taking us deeper into conversations about more than just travel.” Norton’s passion and enthusiasm were obvious to everyone in the room and we all shared his inspiration.
Also in this week’s hyperlink round-up: tips for getting around Amsterdam and the best baguettes in America.
For those who didn’t attend the MET Gala in New York City this week, there was the live stream (where the paparazzi peanut gallery stole center stage from the glitzy celebs). And for those who didn’t watch the live stream, there’s the red carpet photo gallery. – NY Times
PARIS (Reuters) – Stock index futures were down on Friday, pointing to a lower open on Wall Street, after JPMorgan Chase & Co stunned investors with news of “significant mark-to-market losses” that it said could “easily get worse.”
Futures for the S&P 500 were down 0.42 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.63 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.18 percent at 0910 GMT.
JPMorgan Chase & Co , the biggest U.S. bank by assets, said it suffered a trading loss of at least $ 2 billion from a failed hedging strategy, a disclosure that hit financial stocks and the reputation of the bank and its CEO, Jamie Dimon.
While other gains partially offset the trading loss, the bank estimates the business unit with the portfolio will post a loss of $ 800 million in the current quarter, excluding private equity results and litigation expenses. The bank previously forecast the unit would make a profit of about $ 200 million.
JPMorgan’s stock traded in Frankfurt were down 6.6 percent.
European stocks were down 0.5 percent in morning trade, dragged in part by a batch of disappointing earnings from bellwethers such as Telefonica and Credit Agricole . <.EU>
The telecom major posted a 54 percent drop in net profit after the value of its stake in Telecom Italia plunged and prices fell in recession-hit Spain, while the French bank posted a 75 percent drop in quarterly profit, hit by 940 million euros ($ 1.2 billion) in Greece-related write-downs.
The European market trimmed losses, however, after Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras said there were still hopes a government could be formed to avoid a repeat poll after Sunday’s inconclusive election.
European heavyweight oil shares also rallied after a report in the Middle East Economic Survey said Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is in “very advanced talks” to buy a 3 to 5 percent stake in Royal Dutch Shell and is also negotiating a stake in Italy’s ENI .
Business management software maker CA Inc continued its run of market-topping profit, helped by rising demand at its North American business.
Intel Corp Chief Executive Paul Otellini said he was not seeing the unexpected weakness in enterprise technology spending that Cisco Systems Inc CEO John Chambers cited when he forecast quarterly earnings below estimates.
Retailer Nordstrom Inc reported a quarterly profit below Wall Street‘s expectations after pouring tens of millions of dollars into its e-commerce business, and said it would spend more on that during the rest of the year than previously estimated.
Auction house Sotheby’s posted a quarterly loss as expenses grew in the seasonally weak January-March quarter that also compared unfavorably to the year-ago period, when a private sale helped drive revenue.
Facebook Inc’s record initial public offering is already oversubscribed, a source familiar with the share listing said, days after the world’s largest social network embarked on a cross-country roadshow.
AT&T Inc has held talks to buy smaller rival Leap Wireless International in recent months, according to people familiar with the matter, in the latest sign U.S. carriers are looking at acquisitions as a way to grow in a mature market.
Investors pulled cash from U.S.-domiciled equity mutual funds in the week ended May 9, reflecting market anxiety that Europe might reverse course from austerity measures after voters rejected politicians who pushed through spending cuts.
On the macro front, investors awaited the April Producer Price Index, due at 1230 GMT, as well as the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s preliminary May consumer sentiment index. Economists in a Reuters survey expect a reading of 76.2 compared with 76.4 in the final April report.
The Dow and the S&P 500 eked out a modest gain on Thursday, limited by a disappointing outlook from tech bellwether Cisco Systems and caution about Europe.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 19.98 points, or 0.16 percent, to 12,855.04 at the close. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index <.SPX> added 3.41 points, or 0.25 percent, to 1,357.99. But the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> fell 1.07 points, or 0.04 percent, to close at 2,933.64.
(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
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By MICHAEL LIEDTKE | Associated Press – 1 hr 53 mins ago
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Cisco raised the specter of a sharp slowdown in technology spending late Wednesday, rattling investors already fretting about the economy’s fragile condition.
The red flag raised by the world’s largest maker of computer-networking equipment overshadowed a solid showing in the most recent quarter.
Investors instead fixated on a sobering forecast for the current quarter that Cisco Systems Inc.CEO John Chambers traced to skittish customers who are waiting longer to close deals and spending less money because of growing uncertainty about the economy, particularly in Europe and India.
“We are still in an uncertain environment economically,” Chambers told analysts in a conference call.
The cautionary remarks sparked worries that Cisco might be about to fall into a slump similar to the one that it just pulled out of late last year after trimming about $ 1 billion in its annual expenses.
Those fears caused Cisco’s shares to plunge $ 1.58, or more than 8 percent, to $ 17.20 in extended trading Wednesday. The sell-off doesn’t bode well for the Dow Jones industrial average Thursday, as Cisco is one of the 30 stocks in the closely watched market barometer.
As a maker of big-ticket technology equipment with an international reach, Cisco is considered to be a good gauge of the swings in the global economy.
Cisco underscored its concerns about the economy by predicting its revenue for the current quarter, which runs May to July, will increase by just 2 percent to 5 percent from the same time last year. The average estimate among analysts surveyed by FactSet had called for a 7 percent increase in revenue.
The company, which is based in San Jose, Calif., expects its adjusted earnings for the period to range from 44 cents to 46 cents per share. Analysts had predicted adjusted earnings of 49 cents per share.
The prospect of weak revenue covers Cisco’s fiscal fourth quarter — typically the company’s busiest period. Although management didn’t look beyond the current quarter, investors are likely wondering whether the business climate for Cisco will be even worse in the late summer and early fall.
Chambers sought to reassure analysts telling them, “We will muddle through this with a little bit of bumps on the road.”
Cisco earned $ 2.2 billion, or 40 cents per share, during its fiscal third quarter, which ended April 28. That compared with net income of $ 1.8 billion, or 33 cents per share, at the same time last year.
If not for certain accounting items unrelated to its ongoing business, Cisco would have earned 48 cents per share. On that basis, Cisco’s earnings were a penny above the average estimate among analysts polled by FactSet.
Revenue rose 7 percent from last year to $ 11.6 billion, matching analyst projections.
Cisco’s showing contrasted with revenue downturns in the most recent quarters at two of its major rivals, Juniper Networks Inc. and Alcatel-Lucent. The earnings growth also provided the latest sign that Cisco’s recently completed overhaul is paying off. In that reorganization, Chambers laid off workers and dumped operations that he believed were distracting the company from its main business of selling computer-networking equipment.
But, Chambers stressed Wednesday, Cisco may be facing economic challenges beyond its control.
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It happens to the best of us; we lose patience at times with our children. As a parent, we demand respect, obedience, and good behavior. We hold high expectations of our children, as we work hard to give them the world. Then for whatever reason, they decide to challenge our patience and be extremely rude, outright disrespectful, and talk-back. Our first instinct may be to give it right back to them. Doing this will only feed into negativity and make the situation worse.
There are many reasons your child or young adult may talk back. It may be due to observing a friends behavior or something they saw on television or, it very well may be from watching their parents behavior. Children learn by example, if you have no patience for with them, they will not always readily listen and be respectful to you. It is a natural instinct to respond from observation. Never have expectations from your child if you cannot teach them what is to be expected. Remember, everyone gets frustrated and impatient. It is important to learn how to be patient and teach your children how to do so, as well.
Tips on Dealing with Talk-Back
Listen & Explain. Children love to communicate with their parents. Most often we do not have time to give them our full attention during the week due to parental responsibilities, work, etc. This should not be an excuse not to react in a positive manner. If your child approaches you no matter what you are doing listen to their question and respond. I find this extremely effective. Suppose you are about to prepare dinner and have several things on your mind, your child comes and wants to know why the grass is green, why…why…why…? Take a moment to listen and if you are unable to answer immediately explain. “Honey, I am sorry, Mom/Dad, would love to discuss this, but can you give me five minutes because I am cooking”. Then involve them in what you are doing, you will be less stressed and can discuss their questions at dinner or while they are helping you prepare the dinner. Never ignore them, they will become upset and or frustrated.
Expectations & Consequences. Set age appropriate expectations that can easily be reinforced often. Remember cause and effect? Expectations and consequences are basically cause and effect. Any action has an outcome. As parents, we are always seeking the favorable outcome and this doesn’t always happen. If a child is lacking direction and you as the parent become angry over something that they have done, what will they do? Most likely, they will talk back because they had no idea if they were right or wrong. Rules, boundaries, and expectations must be in place. If Beth knows that her parents expect her to be home 10:00 pm sharp, she will comply, unless she wants to be grounded for the entire weekend. Again, be sure that your child knows the expectations, rules, and consequences of not following through. If they do not follow through, they should be reprimanded. One day my daughter decided to talk-back, I do not recall the exact reason, however, she was extremely rude to say the least. I immediately removed her television from her bedroom as a consequence and had her write a letter to me about why she talked-back and why she felt so angry. I believe writing the letter was a clever way to allow her to truly take the time and think about what she did. Always remember, every action has a reaction, help make it positive.
Walk Away & Breathe. At times our stress level is so high that we cannot respond positively. If you are at this point, walk away from the situation. Realistically you can’t leave the house to vent because your children are physically there. Go into a separate room, even the bathroom, and do some deep breathing for a couple of minutes it will truly relax you. If you cannot leave the area count to ten, and then respond. Also teach your children to count to ten when they begin to become angry, they will be less reactive and impulsive.
Learning how to be patient isn’t easy, it takes practice. The practice will help you and your child to communicate effectively with respect and with minimal negative reactions. Be patient.
NEVER lose patience as, “Patience is a virtue” – Proverb
There are many similarities between autobiographies and memoirs, and often only the most discerning reader can tell the difference between the two. Whether you were assigned the book for a class or you picked it up at the local library because it looked interesting, knowing the difference between autobiography and memoir can enhance your understanding of the text.
Autobiographies
Autobiographies are different from biographies in that the author writes an autobiography about his or her self rather than it being written about them. Autobiographies typically cover a lot of ground in the author’s life. If you are reading the entire life story of the author until he or she wrote the book, you are probably reading an autobiography. The writing in these texts tends to be a bit dry, or less interesting, because so much time has to be covered from start to finish.
Memoirs
Memoirs usually tackle a specific subject or point in a person’s life. If the author wants to tell the story of his or her divorce or illness or any other time or event when the author’s life changed, he or she is probably going to write a memoir. Because it deals with one specific problem that is usually within the author’s recent memory, the writing style in memoirs tends to be more literary and creative, making it easier to read.
Similarities
Obviously, autobiographies and memoirs are nonfiction texts written by the author about specific events in his or her life. The biggest similarity is that the texts are all true. Many authors write autobiographical fiction, which means that the story itself is not true but is based on events that happened in his or her life. While this can be similar to autobiographies or memoirs, the fact that the latter are absolutely true in the eyes of the storyteller sets them apart. Both memoirs and autobiographies can also be very interesting to read, especially considering the events actually happened. As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction, so reading nonfiction can entice many readers.
Differences
The differences between autobiographies and memoirs, then, are subtle. As stated above, autobiographies often cover a longer time period and, as such, are sometimes more difficult to read. If you are very interested in the history of someone’s life, you may want to pick up that person’s autobiography. If you are more interested in how someone dealt with a specific situation – maybe one you are facing in your own life – a memoir on the subject may be for you. In the same vein, memoirs often tackle tough subjects and don’t necessarily have to be written by someone who is already well known.
Deciding Which One to Write
If you are an aspiring nonfiction author and are thinking about writing about your life, deciding between writing an autobiography and a memoir can be difficult. The first thing to do is to think about the story you want to tell. If you want to tell the story of your entire life, go with an autobiography. If you can look at your life and pinpoint a situation you went through and you feel strongly that you’d like to share that experience with the world, go with a memoir.
From a sales perspective, memoirs are more likely to sell, especially if you are not a well-known celebrity. Celebrities can write successful autobiographies because people want to read their life stories from their perspectives, so they will generally sell well. Memoirs, however, apply to everyone who has been through a similar situation, making them easier to market.
There are plenty of free advertising opportunities available for self-published books. Indie authors should know about this free advertising and they should take advantage of that, as it will help them to sell more books. The goal for indie authors is to sell more books and any way we can do this is better in the end.
I sell my books in local arts and craft fair, a convenience store, a variety store as well as out of my house. The bulk of my sales come from the local craft shows. I have had the newspaper reporters will often come by and talk to me. This is a chance for me to promote my own books and get the word out there. If that reporter gets the information that he’s seeking and does in fact put my interview in the newspaper this is free advertising for me.
Set up a mailing last that can be used to contact your fans. A local children’s author who has her table set up next to mine at craft show collects e-mail addresses. When she publishes a new book, she sends a mass e-mail to her fans announcing the new book. With each email, she sends she is enjoying free advertising. She will also use the emails as well as word of mouth to alert her customers to where she will be setting up next. It is all free advertising.
If you sell children’s books, go ahead and offer to go read to a class at your local elementary school or the local library. Many small town libraries offer a children’s hour where someone will sit and read of them a story. If you read your book and let the children know that you wrote, chances are they will tell their parents and the parents will by the book if the child really enjoyed the book. That is free advertising and you were doing a good deed by enriching the minds of the children in your community.
There are many events in our community that such as fundraising where donated items are used to raise money. Adding one or two of your books in this deal is also free advertising. You are doing a good deed by helping others but you are also get free advertising, which will help you sell more books
