January 2007 Entries

January 30, 2007

Scented oil grows breasts

BOSTON: The lavender and tea tree oils found in some soaps, shampoos, hair gels and body lotions can produce enlarged breasts in boys, researchers reported on Wednesday.

These plant oils were linked to abnormal breast development in three boys, which was reversed when they stopped using them, Dr Clifford Bloch of Pediatric Endocrine Associates in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and colleagues reported.

They said their study, published in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, suggested these oils can act in ways similar to the hormone oestrogen.

"This report raises an issue of concern, since lavender oil and tea tree oil are sold over the counter in their 'pure' form and are present in an increasing number of commercial products, including shampoos, hair gels, soaps, and body lotions," the researchers wrote.

"Whether the oils elicit similar endocrine-disrupting effects in prepubertal girls, adolescent girls, or women is unknown."

While it is very common for boys to develop temporary breast enlargement as they go through puberty, the condition is very uncommon in young boys, Bloch's team wrote.

They found the problem in three otherwise healthy boys – ages 4, 7 and 10.

"I got wind of it because I was given a clue by a patient," Bloch said in a telephone interview.

That case involved the 4-year-old "who was using absolutely nothing on his skin except a lavender oil preparation that his mother had obtained from a homeopath. She used to rub it on his chest and body every night" because lavender, in alternative medicine circles, is supposed to have healing properties.

Several months after the boy stopped getting the "healing balm," his breasts returned to normal.

Meanwhile, Bloch then began to see lavender crop up in other cases, including the 10-year-old, who was using a hair styling gel and shampoo that contained both lavender oil and tea tree oil, and the seven-year-old, who had been using lavender-scented soap and skin lotions.

In laboratory tests, scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in North Carolina found that both substances can mimic the action of the female hormone oestrogen and block male hormones that control both masculine characteristics and inhibit the growth of breast tissue.
[from stuff.co.nz]

Posted by Gerald at 7:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 29, 2007

Blue Chamber walkthrough solution

Welcome to my walkthrough to the Toshimitsu Takagi's Blue Chamber. The game itself is here.

I have also covered the preceding games with a walkthrough for the Crimson Room and a a walkthrough for the Viridian Room, and similiar games, along with walkthroughs, can be found at http://flanerie.org/games

If you find this walkthrough useful, please click on a couple of my ads by way of thanks. Thanks.

---

You find yourself in a blue room with very little scope for hidden objects. There are only four to collect and they are fairly easy to find.

There is a pen in the drawer beneath the telephone; a piece of paper under the seat cushion; a capsule in the tube on the wall; and a bank note behind the picture on the wall.

To get behind the picture, click on the top right corner to tilt it, then click on the top left corner to tilt it some more, then click on the bottom edge to pull it off the wall. A bank note will be revealed.

Use the paper and pen to write a message ("help me") and then place it in the capsule. Put the capsule in the tube and hit the red button.

A few seconds later the capsule will return and you will get the message back with a skull and crossbones drawn on it.

Now, the trick to escaping which you might work out eventually, but more likely you won't. You need to dial "help me" on the phone by pressing "4357*63".

The other end will ring then be answered and a voice will say "okay".

Now send the bank note up the tube and you will receive a key in return. The key will open the door and you are done.

Alternatively you can draw on the bank note first. It makes no difference, but y'know, it's something to do.

---
Remember to click a couple of my ads if you found this walkthrough useful, and check out http://flanerie.org/games for more games and walkthroughs

Posted by Gerald at 8:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 28, 2007

Cat and mouse

Police were called in after a cat tried to pull a mouse out of a jam jar and got its head stuck.

Officers said the incident was reminiscent of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, reports the Peterborough Evening Telegraph.

A motorist went to a police station for help after finding the cat wandering beside a road in Peterborough, with the jar on its head and the mouse millimetres from its nose.

A receptionist and three officers pulled and twisted but were unable to release the cat.

Eventually the animal freed itself - and the mouse - by smashing the jar on the floor of Thorpe Wood police station.

"It was like a scene from Tom and Jerry," said a police spokeswoman.

"I don't think anyone had ever seen anything like it before. The mouse ran off - it's still running around Thorpe Wood police station somewhere."
[from ananova.com]

Posted by Gerald at 5:44 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 27, 2007

My rabbit, my hero

At the Science Museum in London they are holding an exhibition of toys. Uniquely the toys belong to members of the public who have been invited to lend their favourite toys to the museum for a few months. They have formed a display, all safely stored in glass cases, and range from battered old teddy bears to Lego.

On hearing about this gig I couldn't resist taking Pickles the rabbit along to be a part of the show and he has been there for a couple of months already.

I was a bit worried that he might be lonely over Christmas, but clearly I needn't have worried - he has found himself a nice lady rabbit for company.

The rabbit will be returning home in time for easter, hopefully armed with chocolate eggs.

Posted by Gerald at 6:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 26, 2007

Extreme measures

ANTWERP: Mozart, an iguana with an erection that has lasted for over a week, will have his penis amputated in the next couple of days.

Veterinarians at Antwerp's Aquatopia had sought to treat the animal's problem, but decided removal was the only solution because of the risk of infection. The good news for Mozart and his mates is that male iguanas have two penises.

Mozart, sitting on the shoulders of his keeper as camera crews focussed on his red, swollen erection, seemed unperturbed by the news.

"It doesn't bother him. He doesn't know what amputation means," said vet Luc Lambrecht, adding that Mozart's sexual activity should be undimmed by the operation.

"I don't think so. That's all in his head."
[from stuff.co.nz]

Posted by Gerald at 4:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 24, 2007

Introducing: flanerie games

I have added a new Games section to the site for those in search of additional idling resources. There are the sort of games that do not involved frenetic keyboard bashing or mouse spanking, just of bit of point and click puzzle solving.

A cerebral workout for the salary slave, plus a few walkthroughs for those who are stuck on classics like Submachine and Samorost.

It can all be found here: flanerie games

Posted by Gerald at 6:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 23, 2007

Beware: Genius at Work

AMSTERDAM: Anglo-Dutch consumer products group Unilever NV/Plc sent knives to 200,000 Dutch families in a direct mail campaign which resulted in some children suffering injuries, the company said today.

The company had sent the letters, which included a small knife with a metal blade and plastic hilt, in the first half of January to promote the use of one of its brands of margarine.

But Unilever said three children had needed to visit a doctor and around 50 parents had filed a complaint.

"Parents said the knife was too sharp, after which we decided to send a second letter and ask the families to throw away the knife," a Unilever spokeswoman said.

Unilever said it had contacted the families which had complained and had offered them a cuddly toy as consolation. It said it had not received any requests for compensation.
[from stuff.co.nz]

Posted by Gerald at 8:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 22, 2007

Viridian Room walkthrough solution

Welcome to my walkthrough to the Toshimitsu Takagi's Viridian Room. The game itself is here.

I also have a walkthrough for the Crimson Room, and similiar games along with walkthroughs can be found at http://flanerie.org/games

If you find this walkthrough useful, please click on a couple of my ads by way of thanks. Thanks.

---

Presuming you found the light switch you also figured that being able to open the door doesn't make this the shortest game ever. You can only leave once you have everything in its place.

Item count
First of all you need to get some things together. There are 18 items in total and you start with 1 - the CD case. Of the remaining 17, all but 2 can be collected with nothing more than exploration of the room.

If you are struggling to get them all, the first subtle clue is that there are 2 items at red shelf unit, 5 items at the grey shelf unit (1 of which requires more work), 1 with the cushions, 3 at the skeleton, 4 around the fridge (1 of which requires more work), 2 at the ceiling.

Now while you go find them all, I can also reveal that there are six of those chinese symbols in total.

Item locations
Okay, now for the detailed locations of all that stuff.

At the red shelf unit there is a symbol beneath the shoes and a picture frame on the floor underneath the unit.

At the grey shelf unit there are two photos in the yellow book in the cupboard. On the top shelf is a chinese symbol and some incense (click on the top shelf above the red book, then click to the left and then the right).

At the cushions, simply lift them up to find a chinese symbol.

At the skeleton there is a medicine bottle in his right hand. Click around his left hand to make something fall onto the floor - a key. Finally the blanket can be picked up.

At the fridge there is a can of beer and a chinese symbol inside the fridge. In the bin to the side is some black hair.

At the ceiling there are two chinese symbols, one high up on the wall. When facing the green wall and blue door at the same time, click on the light fitting to take your view up. One symbol is on the wall, the other is in the light fitting just above and to the left of the lightbulb.

That leaves 2 more items required. The first is in the red journal, which you need the key to open. The other is under the bin. The can only look under the bin after you have examined the black hair (using 'about item').

Chinese symbols
You now have six chinese symbols. Ignoring them for a moment, examine the black hair and burn it with the lighter. This will leave you with a blank piece of paper. Burn it again a few times and a number map will appear with the number one to six in the style of a dice.

Now, examine the medicine bottle and look inside it. You will find a piece of paper with a symbol map on it. You need these two maps to figure out the numbers of the symbols in your inventory. It changes with each playing of the game.

Why does any of this matter? Examine the blanket and you will find something hidden inside. It is a template for a dice and you need to put the symbols on it, using the number map and symbol map to figure out which symbol goes where. If you get it wrong, nothing happens, so you have to get all six symbols in the right places to create a dice - trial and error will not work here.

The Ceremony
On the shelf is an incense burner and a bell. When you ring a bell you get a message that indicated how close you are to having all the right things in place, such as "the tone touches my soul peacefully"

You need to experiment a while with different objects. You certainly need the incense, lit with the lighter.

Also try the CD case, with the CD inserted, to make it a mirror.

Then the beer can. If you have read the journal you will know he likes his beer cold, and you can check the temperature of the beer by inspecting it. Use the fridge to cool it right down to chilly.

At this point, with cold beer, CD and incense you are almost there but the ceremony still does not work. This is because the skeleton is still bound with a rope. There is a combination lock and the number you need is the date (in mmyy format) that he forgot to lock his bike. The dates in the journal are related to the date you are playing the game, and the date you want is three days before today.

The lock releases itself when you get it right so you can can cycle through the dates anyway.

With that done the ceremony will work and you get a closing sequence - you have completed the Viridian Room.

---
Remember to click a couple of my ads if you found this walkthrough useful, and check out http://flanerie.org/games for more games and walkthroughs

Posted by Gerald at 7:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 21, 2007

Samorost walkthrough solution

This is my walkthrough solution for Samorost, the point and click adventure by Amanita Design. The game itself can be found here.

If you find this walkthrough useful, please click on some of my ads by way of thanks. Thanks.

See http://flanerie.org/games for other games and walkthroughs.

---

A little white guy lives a happy, and possibly solitary, life on a small asteroid. When you click on the turret he pops up and takes a look through a telescope and sees another asteroid on a direct collision course. Aw crap.

He flies over to the other asteroid in little rocket ship and you start the game proper looking at a hillside.

Screen 1
In the foreground is a stoner, over to the right as some poles and on the hills are various peasants. Next to the stoner is a box on a post with a red button on top. The button can be pressed but nothing happens.

Get the stoner to smoke his pipe by clicking on the pipe (or the bowl). The bowl will slowly empty. Click again and he will try to smoke but throw down the pipe when he realises he is out of gear.

The pipe is handily key-shaped, so click on it and it will rise and unlock the box. Now the red button works. Press it to get the pulleys moving.

Now the pulleys are moving but not much is happening. You notice that one of the ropes near the top is hanging off the pulley. Click the rope to put it back into position and now when you press the red button, the little white guy will be pulled up the hillside.

If you click on our hero he will ski back down to where he came from, hitting a pole on his way down, and you will need to haul him back up. Instead you can click on the wooden arrow at the top of the hill. Click it once and our man will weave down the middle of the hill, but still end up where he came from.

Click it a second time and he will be set to ski over to the left, but when you click on him he won't go. That is because there is a peasant in the way. Click on him and he will go for a walk and while he is doing that, click on our man to make him ski down the hill and off the page to the left.

Screen 2
An outcrop with goats, a couple of huts and some fishing.

You can click on the goats, sending one of them to his death, but not much else happens. Instead, check out the fishing line. If you click on the float a grey guy will appear and reel in a fish. He then goes into his hut to cook it.

Strange shadowy lizard things start climbing up the cliff and seem to distract the grey guy from cooking - smoke just contines coming out of the hut. If you click on the lizards to knock them off the cliff, the grey guy can finish cooking. The smoke stops and he throws out the fish bones.

A bird will now appear and land next to the fish. Click the bird to get him to pick up the bones and fly away. He then circles back and the white guy will catch a lift and be carried on to the next screen.

Screen 3
Lots of cliffs and a pulley.

There is a hole bottom left which when clicked will product a slightly obscene trunk, and extends to the right but can quite connect with the wooden thing over there. So turn the handle on the right until you can't turn it any more, straightening up the wooden thing. Now thick the hole and the trunk will connect.

The appears to irrigate the wood and a bunch of plants grow out of the top.

Now click on the hole near the top of the screen and a load of bees appear an fly over to the flowers. Back at the hole there is a lightbulb. Click on it and a guy with a lightbulb head will climb out, using his own ladder. He takes his head off, sticks it next to the pulley then goes again.

Press the button in the centre of the screen and the light will illuminate and the pulleys start turning - a diving bell gets hauled up the cliff.

A button on the diving bell opens the door and you can now click on the white guy to get him to walk over to the bell on climb in. The bell will automatically descend the cliff again and you have completed the screen.

Screen 4
The diving bell is stick halfway down a tree. There is an owl, a couple of holes and a lot of worms.

Click on the central hole to reveal a chamber with a squirrel in it. He has a record player but has his fingers in his ears. This is because of the annoying racket made by the woodworms. Solve that by getting the bird in the left-hand hole to eat them. Simply click on a visible worm and he will go eat it. There are four and once all gone the squirrel will cheer up.

Switch on his record player using the red button and enjoy the tunes for a while. Then click on the records to change the disc. Change disc a second time to get a tune with an upbeat tempo. This will wake the owl.

Click on the owl and he will hop along the branch. After three hops he will knock the diving bell off the branch and you will drop off the screen.

Screen 5
The bottom of the tree with a cabin, some steps and an anteater.

Open the diving bell door to let out our hero. Just to the right of the cable is a metal bar that is blocking the path of an at.- click it to turn it to the right and the ant can continue towards the anteater.

Once the anteater is eating the ant you can click on the steps to walk up to the cabin. Click on the panel to the left of the door and click on it again to zoom in to a set of six switches.

You need to make these switches match the pattern of red lights on the door. When you get it right the door will open, so head on inside.

Screen 6
A black screen with only a small flashing red light. Click it to switch on the lights and reveal a control room.

There are a couple of dials and above then some control switch. Press the 'up' botton on the left controller to increase the temperature to 50. Then press the centre switch on the same controller to raise a ladder.

Click on the handle on the furnace door and the asteroid will change direction, and your mission is complete...

...although another crisis is looming in Samorost 2

Posted by Gerald at 7:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Prisoner mails himself to freedom

A convicted fraudster escaped from a high security jail in Germany after climbing into a cardboard box and posting himself to freedom.

Max Friedener, 28, escaped from prison in Darmstadt after hiding in the box in the mailroom. He escaped from the mail van as it was driving away.

The escape was only noticed when the mail truck arrived at the sorting depot and the hole in the box was spotted.

It is the second time a convict has earned a ticket to ride by using the mail system.

Only last month a convict in neighbouring Austria escaped from Graz prison by posting himself out in a large box that was supposed to contain lamp post parts. Both escapees are still at large.
[from ananova]

Posted by Gerald at 8:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 20, 2007

Crimson Room walkthrough solution

Welcome to my walkthrough for Crimson Room, the excellent 'escape the room' game by Toshimitsu Takagi. The game itself is here.

If you find the walkthrough useful, please click on some of my ads by way of thanks. Thanks.

I also have a walkthrough for the Viridian Room and various other games and walkthroughs can be found at http://flanerie.org/games

I have made this walkthrough fairly sequential so that you can find the answer to the bit you are stuck on without necessarily learning stuff you don't want to know yet.

---
"I drank too much last night"

And so it begins.

There are twelve things to collect in total. Seven of them are in/around the yellow drawers. Two at the curtain, three at the bed. Nine of the items can be found without using any other item - i.e. simply by looking around the room.

Now you know how many at each location that should help you to find them all, but if you are still stuck...

The yellow drawers
The top two drawers are unlocked and contain a CD and a memo. On top is a CD player, two speakers and a bowl. In the bowl is a thin ring. On the floor, beneath the drawers is a cassette tape. You now have four items.

The curtains
Open the curtains and you will find a key on the window sill. Open and close the curtains a few times and a ring will fall onto the floor. You now have six items.

The bed
Under the pillow is another key. If you click to the left of the mattress while the pillow is raised, you will find a metal stick. At the far end of the bed, face the bare wall then click on the floor bottom left and you will be able to look down the side of the bed and find a battery. You now have nine items.

Using the keys you can now open the drawers and obtain a power supply cable and a small strange box. The power cable gets the CD player working and you can open the CD tray to find another key. You now have twelve items.

Use the rings and the metal stick to open the small strange box. Once open, use the battery and cassette and click on the lens to see a movie.

The movie contains a big clue what to do next.

Meanwhile, remember the memo? It contained a URL and you really should go take a look. [If it is difficult to read, the full URL is http://takagism.fasco-cs.com/yellow_chamber.html)

Okay, back to the movie.

Near the end of the movie the dancing guy points at a small cross. The cross appears three times and each time he points at it.

When the movie ends, click in exactly the spot that the cross was three time. An opening will appear revealing a combination lock and a keyhole.

You should by now have seen a four digit code you can use, but if not you should check out the memo.

Then use the key to open the lock and reveal item number 13 - a straight driver.

Go to the door and click on it to go up close, then use the driver to butcher the handle and (fanfare!) you are out :-)


Remember to click on some of my ads if you found this walkthrough useful, and go to http://flanerie.org/games for other games and walkthroughs

Posted by Gerald at 6:43 PM | Comments (21) | TrackBack

January 19, 2007

Blue-eyed men prefer blue-eyed women

Here is an interesting story from the New Scientist. Seems to make sense, although applying the same logic would mean that ginger people would have trouble getting laid.

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Jealous man seeks partner for meaningful relationship. Tall, handsome, blue eyes, looking for blue-eyed women only.

Why? Because men with blue eyes are drawn towards blue-eyed women, and prefer to choose them as their partner because this can provide reassurance that the woman's babies are theirs too.

When surveyed, blue-eyed men find pictures of women with the same eye colour significantly more attractive than those with brown eyes, whereas neither brown-eyed men nor brown-eyed women show any preference for eye colour, Bruno Laeng of the University of Tromsø, Norway, and his team have discovered.

The effect is seen in real relationships, too. Blue-eyed men are more likely to be romantically involved with a woman of the same eye colour than they are with brown-eyed women, or brown-eyed men are with a partner of any eye colour (Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, vol 61, p 371).

Blue eyes are a recessive trait, Laeng explains, so two blue-eyed parents should produce a blue-eyed child, while a child with any other eye colour must have been fathered by another man. Blue-eyed men seeking a partner unconsciously know this, Laeng claims, and select women of similar eye colour to ensure they can more easily spot if they have been cuckolded.

Posted by Gerald at 8:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 17, 2007

Ooh, Florence

There was a competition on a newspaper website recently that asked people to try their hand at crime fiction. I fancy myself as a bit of a writer so I gave it a go.

The task was to provide the story that explained a crime scene, which was provided in sketch form, in only 50 words. It was a lot more difficult than it sounds, as there were 6 or 7 different clues in the picture and I have already used more than 50 words in this paragraph.

Anyway, I clearly did something right as I won the competition and the prize is a 3 night trip to Florence, including flights and a half-decent hotel.

Yay me!

I need to take the holiday before the end of April so will probably squeeze in between Miami in February and New York in April. Meanwhile, if any of my readers have been to Florence, do you have any recommendations?

Posted by Gerald at 7:47 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

January 15, 2007

Tool for hire

I am looking for work. Anyone want to hire me?

Subject to a few technical formalities, I today sold the company I work for. The whole process, which has been going on for several months, was grossly unpleasant and akin to being raped while eating horse shit.

[I have never experienced either, but there are some things you just don't need to experience to know that they are plain nasty. And anyway, there is probably a Danish porn flick that covers it in glorious detail. With pigs.]

My new masters have asked me to stay for a few months but I just can't face 100 miles a day for longer than a few more weeks. Hence, I am looking for work.

So all of those in the Thames Valley that thought you were shot of me - I am heading back. [Cue an evil laugh that descends into a coughing fit.]

Posted by Gerald at 5:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 13, 2007

'The voices made me do it'

BERLIN: A 46-year-old German motorist driving along a busy road suddenly veered to the left and ended up stuck on a railway track – because his satellite navigation system told him to, police said today.

The motorist was heading into the north German city of Bremen "when the friendly voice from his satnav told him to turn left," a spokesman said.

"He did what he was ordered to do and turned his Audi left up over the curb and on to the track of a local streetcar line. He tried to back up off the track but got completely stuck."

The police spokesman said about a dozen trams were held up until a tow lorry arrived to clear the car off the track.

Several German motorists have crashed their cars in recent months, later telling police they were only obeying orders from their satnavs.
[from stuff.co.nz]

Posted by Gerald at 5:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 12, 2007

Two large ones please barkeep

European men are flocking to Bulgaria to buy 'breast-boosting beer' after EU accession led to customs duties on the drink being abolished.

The millet-ale called Boza which is made from fermented wheat flour and yeast is being snapped up by bar owners, shopkeepers and shoppers from across Europe.

They are said to be keen for their wives and girlfriends to benefit from its reported ability to make women's breasts grow.

Constantin Barbu crossed the Danube from Romania to buy Boza in the Bulgarian border town of Ruse.

He said: "I've bought a case for my wife to try out. I really hope I see an improvement."

And Austrian landlord Klaus Schmidt from the ski resort of Schladming said he was planning a trip soon.

He added: "I had heard of Boza before but it was always so expensive once the tax was added. But now that's gone I'm going to start offering the drink to my après-ski customers."
[from ananova]

Posted by Gerald at 3:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 9, 2007

Tigger turns bad

Tigger is in trouble for allegedly punching a teenager in the face at Disney World in Florida.

Jerry Monaco complained to police after Tigger apparently struck his 14-year-old son, also called Jerry, at the theme park. [how lame do you need to be to not be able to think of a different name for your kid?]

Mr Monaco, from New Hampshire, caught the incident on his video camera, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

In the video, Tigger grabs and locks Jerry's left arm and then throws a left jab at the teenager's face.

Mr Monaco told TV reporters: "At first, I was upset at my son. I thought he did something to Tigger. But then I reviewed it and it is pretty clear; for no reason he just clocked him in the face."

Deputy Carlos Padilla, a sheriff's spokesman, identified the man in the Tigger costume as Michael Fedelem, 31.

"Of course, we see a little of that tape, and we see what appears to be a battery. We need to talk to all sides to see exactly what happened," he said.

Disney officials said Mr Fedelem had been suspended until an internal investigation and the sheriff's criminal inquiry are completed.

Zoraya Suarez, a Disney spokeswoman, said: "Naturally, a physical altercation between characters and guests is not tolerated."
[from ananova]

Posted by Gerald at 7:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 8, 2007

Cirque du Soleil

Last night I went to see Cirque du Soleil in London and it was excellent and, at times, breathtaking. That's breathtaking in the sense that I forgot to breathe for a while. They should give warnings about that sort of thing.

I did find these two minxes a little disturbing. If you get to the point where you can sit on your own head, you have taken things too far. I am all for honing skills to a fine point but there has to be a limit and these girls went way beyond it. I wasn't even able to find it erotic which is a miraculous first.

But freaky contortionists aside, it was a cracking show and well worth seeing. Now, of course, I want to see the other Cirque shows, especially the aquatic one.

Posted by Gerald at 9:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 5, 2007

What are the odds?

NEW YORK: A three-year-old boy fell from the fourth-floor window of an apartment in New York City, but was caught by a passerby, police said.

The boy was caught by a 39-year-old man passing under the window, police said in a brief statement. The boy was taken to hospital with just minor cuts and abrasions to his head and face. Police are still investigating and gave no more details.

"This is the week of heroes in New York," New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said, when asked by reporters about the incident.

On Tuesday, New York construction worker Wesley Autrey jumped onto subway tracks to pin down a stricken stranger just in time to allow an oncoming train to pass over them.
[from stuff.co.nz]
----

A similar thing happened to me a few years ago. I was walking along the road on a crisp February morning and I caught a cold.

Posted by Gerald at 9:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 2, 2007

The Anti-New Year

French demonstrators saw in the New Year - by protesting against it.

People carrying banners reading 'No to 2007' and 'Now is better' marched through the streets of Nantes.

They called on the United Nations to stop the 'mad race' of time and declare the indefinite suspension of the future.

The protest was an attempt to make fun of French people's apparent fondness of saying no to any kind of change and as a different way to celebrate the New Year.

When the bells sounded to mark the start of 2007, they moved on to the next stage of their campaign - chanting 'No to 2008'.
[from ananova]
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I rather like this philosophy, although last year was sufficiently shitty that I am glad to see the back of it. 2007 will be a good year.

Posted by Gerald at 7:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 1, 2007

Submachine Zero: Ancient Adventure walkthough

This is a walkthrough for Submachine Zero. The game itself can be found here, and if you want to see my other Submachine walkthroughs, they are:

Submachine Adventure
Submachine Extended Version
Submachine 2: The Lighthouse
Submachine 3: The Loop

If you find this walkthrough useful, click on some of my Google ads or link to this page or, y'know, something.

Submachine Zero: Ancient Adventure

This walkthrough is deliberately wordy so that you can find the answer to the bit you are stuck on without finding the answers to the entire game in the space of two sentences. Hopefully it works well for you that way.

You begin outside with a closed doorway in front of you. There is a catch in the middle of the door that can be clicked, but the door doesn't open. There are carved dragons to either side of the door.

Given that the door won't open, go for a wander - you can go left and right. To the left you will find a tongue hidden in the debris on the floor. To the right you will find another tongue on a plinth.

There is one other thing here if you look carefully.

Back to the entrance and the tongues can be placed on the dragons. The door will now open when you click on the central catch.

Enter the tomb and you will see a hole going down with a 'ladder' of brick hand-holds. You can go down but will not be able to proceed further until you can get some light down there.

If you have not found it yet, the other item to the right of the entrance was a lighter (it is in a small hole in the wall near the centre of the screen) and this can be used to light the torch on the wall to the left.

You can now proceed down again.

At the bottom of the shaft are doorways left and right.

First we go left and have to light another torch. There is a further doorway left but there are spears moving across it and although you might fancy your chances with an Indiana Jones style dive past the spears, you aren't allowed to try it.

The other opening is down, so let's go that way.

At the bottom of this shaft is a doorway right and a small arch on the left with some kind of wood or stone doohickey in it. Click it and it drops giving a satisfying click.

Head back up and the spears will have stopped, so you can now go left.

You will find a stone on a plinth. The stone can be clicked and it will rotate to each side in turn. Four clicks and you are back where you started.

Apart from the blank side that you begin with, the other three sides have a carving of a circle with a quarter missing. Etch that image on your mind. Oh, and there is a clunking sound as you turn the stone which, if you are a Submachine veteran, you will know bodes well.

Back out Right and Down to the bottom of the shaft. This time we go right into a dark room. Light the torch. There is a carving on the wall, but it is not clickable.

Head Down the hole that is on the right and again light a torch.

You are in a room with entrances left and right and in the floor. Each is covered by a stone and each has a carving above the stone showing a circle with a quarter missing. Aha!

The carvings match those on the stone on the plinth and if to open each door you just need to turn the stone to the appropriate symbol. If you left the stone on anything other than the blank face then one of the openings will already be open.

Tackle these in any order you like - they each lead to a similar room with a gold winged beetle on the wall with a red jewel above it. Collect all three jewels by trecking to and from the stone on the plinth to open each door in turn.

Head back to the room with the speared doorway on the left then go Right. You are now at the bottom of the main shaft again. This time head Right. Light the torch and you will see a similar deal to the room on the left - a doorway with spears and a hole heading down.

Head on Down and you see an archway with a doohickey like the one you used last time to stop the spears. This one though is broken. There are bits on the floor and there are no other doorways.

Hmmm.

The solution to this puzzle is not in this room, nor in the room above, the one with the speared doorway. As a minimum you have have 3 jewels and a lighter in your inventory. You need one more thing.

If you have not found it yet, go to where you got the third jewel - this is the door is on the left in the room with three doors and is opened by the final face of the stone on the plinth.

In that chamber there is a stone leaning against the wall to the right.

Get it and use it to stop the spears.

If you are stuck on how to do that, the obvious thing to do - fixing the broken machinery - doesn't work. Instead, simply place it in the speared doorway and it will stop them from stabbing you.

Head on through to the right and you find a chamber with a carving of a dog (there is some fancy name for one of those Egyptian dog god things, but I forget) lying on three stones. Each of the stones has a carved circle symbol and they match the ones you have seen before and therefore the three jewels you are holding.

Place the jewels in the stones, going from top to bottom and you will reveal a hole heading down.

Go down and you will find the Ancient Crystal of Wisdom. Yay you!

A short but still enjoyable edition of the Submachine Adventure.

Remember to click your thanks and to link back to this and my other walkthroughs, which are:

Submachine Adventure
Submachine Extended Version
Submachine 2: The Lighthouse
Submachine 3: The Loop

Thanks

Posted by Gerald at 4:48 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack