Category: What’s entertaining?

In my world, Instagram and Snapchat have lost their value. Mindlessly scrolling through pictures and videos can get boring (yet super addicting) way too quickly. Fortunately, I have another form of addiction that doesn’t make me feel like I’m losing brain cells: games. 

 

Although Papa’s Pizzeria and Subway Surfers are some of the most iconic pastimes, those aren’t the games I find myself playing for hours. I’m talking about the games that are far more than finger swiping and pressing squares; the ones that build your knowledge. 

 

I’m sure that the thought of games with any academic relation may repulse many, but they are more fun than they seem. We seem to forget how much random knowledge we’ve accumulated, and the thrill of putting that to use while learning more is unmatched. There are still hundreds of games left for me to explore, but I’ve found some that are worth mentioning. It pains me to say that I’m not going to address the basic examples (crosswords, solitaire, sudoku, etc.).  If I did, I would spend all 1000 words raving about crosswords. So after you download the NY Times Crossword app, consider adding these 5:

 

1. QuizUp

QuizUp is a trivia game that allows users to choose from hundreds of categories of questions. These categories range from 2010s music to Logos to Finish the Saying and so, so much more. You can choose one of these categories and either play as a single-player, against a random opponent, or a friend on the app. QuizUp is a fun way to test the knowledge you already have in categories you’re interested in, but sometimes it’s fun to try something completely new. As you play the game more, there are opportunities to be in tournaments and to gain more categories. I can say confidently that every player has a category that they can win in, as there is such a wide array of topics. The challenge of answering questions faster than someone or beating your own personal record intensifies as you play the game more. If you always secretly wanted to flex your knowledge of athletes, celebrities, books, or anything else, QuizUp might be the game for you. 

 

2. Atomas

Gif of Atomas

At first glance, this game seems to be more for chemistry nerds. I personally don’t really care for the science part of Atomas, but still somehow got addicted to playing it. Basically, the goal of Atomas is to merge similar elements together with the optimal strategy of symmetry. As seen in the gif above, the + is used to merge elements together, while the – allows you to replace an element. There are a lot of other orbs that come up with their own rules, but you figure it out as you go. The game ends when the game board is too full. 

 

There’s something so satisfying to me about the strategy of arranging the elements so that more of them can be added together. Seeing the elements collide to clear up the board is entertaining enough to me, but the science part of it is a plus. Atomas brings out the same motive as many other games: to get the highest score. But the idea behind this game makes it far more challenging and captivating. 

 

3. Elevate

 

Elevate is a little different from the other games. It’s not your traditional game; there’s no competition, or pride in “winning.” Elevate is purely for self-improvement. The app is a brain training program that offers various activities for categories like memory, focus, agility, and more. Every day, there is a new set of activities and your scores are tracked, helping decide future activities. 

I like Elevate because it tests skills that I use on a daily basis. I’ve seen how these basic tests have strengthened my focus and ability in deciphering daily information, which I think is pretty cool. 

 

4. Stop

“Stop” is another trivia game, that involves getting a letter and having to come up with answers for different categories that start with that letter. Similar to QuizUp, Stop is another way to test your knowledge, but there’s more competition to Stop. I’ve found that playing Stop with friends is way more fun than other trivia games, based on the time limits. Your competitor and you switch off in terms of who goes first in a round, and whoever goes first sets the bar for how much time their competitor can take for that round. This rule makes the game more competitive and more entertaining if you’re playing with people you actually know. Also, Stop is easier than other games in the sense that there’s more than one right answer, allowing you to be more creative with your answers. 

 

5. 94%

 

If you like trivia game shows, you’ll probably like 94%. The game consists of multiple levels, each with different sentences or questions. The objective is to think of as many answers that fit the statement and to gain more points by thinking of the more common answers. Some questions are simple, as shown in the picture, but others are far more cryptic. 94% is another way to see how much you know, but also to learn the most prevalent answers, which can be shocking at times. 

 

If you read through this entire blog or at least skimmed it, I’m very impressed. I may be alone in my infatuation to these types of games, but I thought it may spark curiosity in others. If you are also an avid player of these types of apps, please suggest any other ones to further my addiction. If you plan to try any of these out, let me know and we could possibly play against each other. 

 

No matter what avenue we use to unwind and entertain ourselves, it’s always a plus if we can do so while improving and growing. It’s not about playing these games to seem smart or focused but to let your inner learner flourish and reach its potential.

It is August 4, 2026. Everyone is gone.

In “There Will Come Soft Rains”, Ray Bradbury depicts a day in Allendale, California in 2026. A nuclear war has wiped out an entire population. The entire city is black, except for the silhouettes of people painted onto the walls. Despite the eerie emptiness, one house remains.

The house is straight out of a sci fi movie because it basically does the equivalent work of many workers. The house works relentlessly to take care of the family living there. But there is no one there anymore. The singing of the voice-clock now is a shrilling noise, echoing through the halls. The kitchen creates fresh and perfect food, and throws it away hours later. Tiny robot mice scurry to clean the floors, aimlessly running through unused grounds. The house works efficiently, but with no one to appreciate its efforts.

Bradbury personifies the house to an extent that should be more creepy than it is. He describes how the house fears that no one is listening to it, quivering at every sound in paranoia. Within the edifice is a deep yearning for attention. The fact that no one is there to receive these services makes the house seem pitiful instead of inviting.

The most unsettling part of the story is the lack of imagination needed to understand what Bradbury illustrates. He wrote the story in 1950 when the concept of technology doing everything for you was foreign. Now, not only is it unavoidable to use these services but we don’t even try to avoid it; we install Alexas and Google Homes for convenience. The concept of a house functioning automatically to fulfill your needs is not a far-fetched idea at all.

Fortunately, Bradbury didn’t predict everything correctly. The short story is a part of a collection of stories titled The Martian Chronicles. The novel takes us through the journey of some humans who flee a devastated Earth to Mars and begin to explore it. Throughout the chronicles, some travelers return to Earth. But then a nuclear war ensues, creating a divide in communication between the two planets.  “There Will Come Soft Rains” is in the third and last set of the chronicles, dated from 2005 to 2026. This story is the second to last one, and it depicts the aftermath of a nuclear war on Earth.

We may not have people fleeing to Mars, but the short story still sends a message to the current state of humanity. As Robert Dominianni of the English Journal put it, “Bradbury is not primarily concerned with scientific attainment in the colonization of Mars. He is a social critic, and his work is pertinent to real problems on earth.” These “real problems on earth” have existed for hundreds of years. Over time, there has always been some change that people fear. Bradbury wants his audience to fear the extremes of technological autonomy.

At one point in the story, it is bedtime and the house reads a poem. It asks the mother what poem she would like, but receives no response. It chooses her favorite poem, fittingly named “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Sara Teasdale. The poem is set in a time of war, and the main message is that nature will persist even if humanity perishes. Bradbury draws a clear parallel between the story and the poem. He warns his audience that nature will prevail over humans and every single one of their inventions: “Dawn showed faintly in the east… the sun rose to shine upon the heaped rubble and steam.” Pat McLaughlin of Elon University ties it together well, explaining that “The sun has always risen in the east, so the specific mentioning of an otherwise common event was likely deliberate for symbolic reasons. The east represents a new beginning, and referring back to Teasdale’s poem we remember the central idea of “There Will Come Soft Rains” is that nature will eventually reclaim all things.” 

It may seem easier to ignore Bradbury’s warning and claim that we could never be in a situation as extreme as the story. But a single look around would eliminate the validity of these claims. If we don’t take control of technology, it will take control of us. With recent gains in artificial intelligence, the world Bradbury predicted 70 years ago is close to reality.

But what happens to the house? Are we as doomed as Bradbury depicts us to be? A quick read of the five-page story will allow you to answer a few questions while thinking of hundreds more.

If you want to know what August 4, 2026, will look like, give “There Will Come Soft Rains” a read.

PS: There is an audio version of the short story that I enjoyed listening to; I’ve heard that the version by Meredith Burgess is exceptionally impressive, but I couldn’t figure out how to get an mp3 and was definitely not about to buy the vinyl version.