Pieceless Jigsaw Puzzle: no pieces to lose!

I don't know how hard the puzzles actually are, but I love the idea.

Check out the ad/video:



Or, just go to their website.

Great site for finding the cheapest photo prints

They are pretty extensive and have a simple, useful interface.

http://www.printrates.com/

Simply enter the # of prints you want, the size of the print, the shipping method, and it does the rest. If you want multiple sizes of prints, you'll have to shop for those separately.

Aquadots, now with GHB, and being recalled

Aquadots are a cool toy that uses individual beads of different colors that fuse together with the application of water. Easier to use the perler beads, which you fuse together with an iron, these toys have gotten very popular recently.

Unfortunately for kids, they contain GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid), 'a powerful date rape drug', when eaten. From wikipedia: GHB is used as a general anesthetic, to treat conditions such as insomnia, clinical depression, narcolepsy, and alcoholism, and to improve athletic performance...GHB may induce nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, agitation, visual disturbances, depressed breathing, amnesia, unconsciousness, and death.

From FOX News:

Millions of Chinese-made toys for children have been pulled from shelves in North America and Australia after scientists found they contain a chemical that converts into a powerful date rape drug when ingested. Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.

I hope teenagers don't start raiding their younger siblings' toyboxes trying to figure out the right dose of aquadots to take!

A few games, winding down for the holidays

Now that Halloween has come and gone, the holiday season has officially started. My blogging will be slowing down drastically, so I'd like to recommend a few favorite games that are free online to entertain you.

1. Coloretto

A great family card game for 3-5 players, this is a family favorite both at home and online. Even the five year old is getting proficient at it. Great for teaching strategy, since everyone's cards are face up, and there is no reading involved.





2. Set

A game for any number of players, this is a card matching game where you find a 'set' of 3 cards among the 12 on the table that fit certain characteristics. Try the Set Daily Puzzle.


3. Sudoku

It's a fad that's likely come and gone, but it is still a wonderful logical deduction puzzle. My favorite online version is at websudoku.

For more information about board and card games in general, I highly recommend BoardGameGeek. Not only do they rank thousands of games by user votes, they also have descriptions, photos, and shopping links to help you fill out your shopping/wish list.

Happy Holidays, whatever you may celebrate. Enjoy the time off work if you can!