Random Thoughts from My First Game & Watch

Have you ever played Game & Watch? It is the predecessor of Game Boy. My first Game & Watch offered me fun in the past and some random thoughts now.

Developments of Game & Watch

Before showing you my first Game & Watch, let me give you some background information. From 1980 to 1991, Nintendo released Game & Watch which was a line of handheld electronic games. The first game is Ball. It is released on the 28^th of April, 1980. The series have many games released in different versions as below:

Silver (1980)
Gold (1981)
Multi Screen (1982–1989)Tabletop (1983)
Panorama (1983–1984)
New Wide Screen (1982–1991)
Super Color (1984)
Micro Vs. System (1984)
Crystal Screen (1986)
Mini Classics (1998)

Characteristics of Game & Watch

The handheld electronics game is small and portable. The display, controls and speaker are all in one unit. Each unit got one game inside.

My first Game & Watch

(Image from boneash.oldgame.tw)

It was Parachute, released on the 19^th of July, 1981. The player presses left and right buttons to steer the boat so that every parachute can land on it. If the parachute falls into the sea, a life will be lost.

My random thoughts

1.  Technology advanced in a staggering speed. My first Game & Watch may be too easy for the children nowadays. They may find it boring within a short period of time.

2.  Do children nowadays feel happier with the more advanced games?

  

3.  In the past, we did not hear over-addictive cases that caused tragedy. Whereas, fatal cases can be seen in the news nowadays. The technology advancement is a friend or a fiend to humans?

4.  Nowadays, when we give our children a game as the gift, maybe we have to give them something more at the same time. For example, teaching the children to apply self-control to suppress over-addiction if there is any.

5.  It is costly to buy the advanced games. Raising a child needs more money now.

If you have any old memories and / or random thoughts from gaming, welcome to share with me.

Other gaming or hobbies related articles you may be interested in reading:

The Three Most Memorable Aspects of Gaming

Ten Hobbies Beneficial to Kids

Niche Marketing: Enter Market with a Franchise

(One of the ceiling)

Niche marketing helps business stay focused to the specific target markets. To offer unique products and services, you can seek help from a franchise.

According to Wikipedia, “Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business……” Charlie Brown Café is a good example.

(Charlie Brown Café)

With licensing of trademarks, Peanuts characters are all over the interior design, furniture, foods and drinks.

(Cakes showing Lucy)

A Lovely Charlie Brown Coffee

From the world famous comic strip, Peanuts characters are recognizable and adorable. Enter the market with such a license is a shortcut to gain attention. Travel books will not miss Charlie Brown Café. This is a free and effective promotion.

Being a place comfortable to relax, eat and drink, chat and have gathering is not enough. Using Peanuts characters as a gimmick help Charlie Brown Café competes against other similar business entities, such as Starbucks Coffee, Pacific Coffee Company.

(Interior Design)

Franchising add value to Charlie Brown Café. Prices can be set higher without the worry of losing customers.

Charlie Brown Café can be found in Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asia countries. My photos are showing the Charlie Brown Café in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.

(Charlie Brown on the floor)

In Hong Kong, there are other restaurants applying niche marketing. There are pros and cons for each of them. Read the articles below for details.

Modern Toilet goes to an extreme by adopting bathroom-theme.

Are You Ready to Lose Your Appetite?

Niche Marketing: Will It be Digging One’s Own Grave?

Choco Cat Café adopts cat-theme and uses real cats to attract customers.

Niche Marketing: Rallying Point of Cats

Datebook of Life: Schedules, Expenses and Diary

Diary records life events, whereas, planner records schedules and expenses. Which one are you using? I use datebooks for a three-in-one recording.

Records in the small datebook include appointments and gatherings, payment deadlines of different services, ATM withdrawal records, ideas and feelings.

For the large datebook, records include the daily schedule divided into three sections (morning, afternoon and evening), the shopping list, the purchased list and the amount, book list I finished, something about my dreams, ideas and feelings.

In both datebooks, I put a tick for those completed on time, a half-tick for the unfinished tasks, and a cross for the failed ones.

The two datebooks benefit me in seven ways:

1.  Force me spending some time to think what should be done and what should be ignored.

2.  Offer a full picture to help me better prepared.

3.  Serve as a checklist to monitor the progress.

4.  Force me to be realistic in future planning and adjustment.

5.  Offer data to evaluate how to manage time more effectively.

6.  Save money due to no penalty on payment delay and unwise shopping.

7.  No stress on keeping an individual diary to highlight how routine my life is.

Keep all the datebooks and take them out for a look after several years, you will find them very entertaining.

Money saving and time management articles you may be interested in reading:

How to Save Money – Ten Saving Tips

How to Steal Time? (12 Time Management Tips)

My Movie Postcards

Many people find themselves enjoying a movie so much that they will buy some movie collectibles. I collect movie postcards. What about you?

There are many movie collectibles available in the market, such as posters, postcards, trading cards, music CDs and different promotional items. For animated films, there are even more choices. A child’s room may be decorated with all Toy Story collectibles from bed sheet to school bag.

I collect movie postcards due to the following reasons.

1.      Easier to attain.

2.      Less expensive.

3.      Easier to store.

4.      More ways to use.

Display is the main function of my movie postcards. Each of them is individually poly bag packaged. Sometimes, I will write my personal messages or feelings at the rear sides. It is funny to read my own wordings several years later. The movie postcards can also be used as a bookmark. If one day I die and nobody wants to keep my movie postcards, they can still go to recycling.

The photo shows five of my movie postcards. The corresponding movies are When a Man Loves a Woman, City of Angels, The Professional, Sleepless in Seattle and Titanic.

Have you also collected some movie postcards or other movie collectibles? What movies they belong to? Welcome to leave message to share with us.

Other movies related articles you may be interested in reading:

Five Advantages of Watching Movies in The Cinema

15 Best Movie Songs I Have Ever Heard

Ten Most Handsome Actors in The Movies

Ten Most Beautiful Actresses in The Movies

Handmade Bead Four-Leaf Clover

Four-leaf clover is a plant that is rarely seen. It is an uncommon variation of the common, three-leaved clover. People believe finding a four-leaf clover will bring that person good luck.

The four-leaf clover denotes four good qualities.

1^st leaf: Hope

2^nd leaf: Faith

3^rd leaf: Love

4^th leaf: Luck

It is impossible to send my blog readers the real plant. Hence, I took a photo of a handmade bead four-leaf clover and posted it here. Hope it brings everyone good luck.

If you want to bring good luck to your friend, offer a handmade bead four-leaf clover will be a good idea. The bead four-leaf clover lasts long and can be made at a very low cost in terms of time and money.

Bead jewelry is another handmade gift that I find many people are happy to receive it. For more details on the reasons of making one’s bead jewelry and how to make it, welcome to read my other two articles.

Eight Reasons to Make Bead Ring and How to Diy

How to DIY Bead Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings

How to DIY your Own Calendar

Interested in DIY a personal calendar? This article shows you how to DIY your own calendar with MS Excel, a photo, MS Paint and a printer (optional).

In the demonstration, I used a photo taken in a department store. Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma look lovely.

The DIY Step is simple as below:

1.      Choose a photo.

2.      Open MS Excel.

3.      Set page layout (vertical).

4.      Set margin of the page (Top and bottom: 1 cm each.

           Left and Right: 1.5 cm each.

           Page top and page end: 0.5 cm)

5.      Set width of each column (2.25, from column A to AE)

6.      Add ‘Year 2011 Calendar’ at the top.

7.      Start from line 24, column A to G, input the January calendar.

8.      Do not type 1, 2, 3, 4, this wastes time. Use formula instead. Type ‘=+F26+1’ at G26 for 1,  ‘=+G26+1’ at A27 for 2, ‘=+A27+1’ at B27 for 3. After 3 to 4 inputs, start copy and paste until the 31th.

9.      When you have January done, copy and paste the whole month to February.

10.    Delete 1, 2, and 3, see what happens. Yes, Tuesday starts with 1.

         The rest of the days changed automatically.

11.    Since February only has 28 days in 2011, delete 29 to 31.

12.    Copy and paste, delete and add to make each month showing correctly.

13.    Highlight the public holiday if you like. (My calendar only marks Sunday in red).

14.    Add the photo.

15.    Save file. This Excel file can be reused after a few modifications next year.

16.    Highlight the whole calendar (A1 to AE49). Copy and paste it to MS Paint.

17.    Save it in JPEG format.

18.    Preview before printing to see if any adjustment needs.

I use one photo only. You can choose 12 photos, one photo for each month. Personalize the calendar and give it to people you love. DIY your own calendar is simple to do and nice to receive. Welcome to give it a try.

Other articles you may be interested in reading:

Ten Sexy Female Anime Characters

Free software to Bulk Resize Photos