Playing Around

I am a fiend for new iPhone and iPad apps. Such cheap entertainment. Such a great distraction. And now, I'm starting to think, a good way to keep my brain sharp.

I've been doing Lumosity off and on for a while, but on the recommendation of my cousin Kara, I've signed up for a year of "brain training". It's going okay, but it's pretty challenging.  It has however made me aware of the possible upsides of my favorite games.

My top faves that are a little on the more usual side (not in any particular order):
Eufloria
Circadia
Percepto
Orba
and my new OBSESSION. Blendoku. I was turned onto this game just a few days ago. It's a puzzle solving game that is only about color. No words. After I studied printed textile surface design at Parsons in the late 1980's I worked briefly as a colorist. What this basically means is that I took a fabric swatch and repainted it on paper in a different colorway. I spent a lot of time staring at colors and trying to figure out how to tweak it up a little warmer or down a little cooler. Mix, remix and mix again. Blendoku is a visually stunning game that delights in its simplicity. I think it's making me smarter.

The other kind of playing around I've been doing is photographic. I was turned onto the app Waterlogue last week as well. It transforms your photos into watercolor paintings. There are quite a few different styles and you can customize within each style or mode. Today I'm going to post some photos that I haven't shared yet here as Waterlogue images:

 With the Big Dog (Xander)

 With the Little Dog (China) at Tillamook Forest Center

 Snoozin'

In Provincetown this past September.

I love technology when it's pretty.