Mahjong Solitaire

Mahjong Solitaire is a kind of Mahjong game, also known as Shanghai Solitaire. Mahjong solitaire involves144 tiles that have beautiful designs and Chinese characters painted on them. The game requires skill, intelligence, estimation as well as luck. Mahjong, which literally means "the game of a hundred intelligences" in Chinese, has been traditionally used as a gambling game. Ma Chiao, Mo Tsiah, Ma Cheuk, Ma Jong, Ma Chiang, Ma Chong, Man Chu, Mah Diao, Pung Chow, Mah Chong, Ching Chong, Mah Cheuk, Ma Chiang, Kong Chow, Mah Deuck, Lung Chan, Mah Lowe, Pe Ling, Baak Ling are other names for Mahjong.

In mahjong solitaire, the tiles are stacked on top of each other in a four layer grid in a random order, all facing upwards. These have to be matched with each other and discarded as a pair. Only free tiles, or tiles that can be moved freely without disturbing the ones on the right or left, can be moved and matched. When each of the free tiles is matched with another free tile and removed from the stack, it exposes other tiles under them and makes them free and ready to be matched. The objective is to remove all the 144 tiles from the board. The game is over when all the tiles are gone or when there is no possibility for removing other tiles. This happens when no free tiles can be matched with each other.

The most common tiles are: the circle suit (contains circles), the bamboo suit (contains bamboos), character suit (Chinese characters representing ten thousand coins each), wind tiles (representing north, south, east and west), dragon tiles (red, green and white) flower tiles (containing art work). These tiles are of 34 kinds, in five different suits or designs: wan, circle, bamboo, wind and prime and 8 flower tiles.

Mahjong solitaire can be played solo or with another player. While playing with another player, the winner accumulates the maximum number of pairs or is the last one to match a pair. There are electronic versions of mahjong solitaire available. These can be purchased or they are also available for free download on the Internet. Mahjong solitaire can also be played online with other online players or with the computer. The earliest electronic version was created in 1981 by Brodie Lockard but it was officially released in 1983 by Control Data Corporation as a paid online game. The 1986 version released by Activision by the name of Shanghai made the game very popular was converted into many platforms.

Acrylic Mahjong Rack and Pusher Combo - Blue - Set of 4

Product Details

Complete your Mahjong set with pushers and racks! The racks keep your tiles easy to arrange and your betting coins sorted and accessible. The pushers, also known as ''extending arms'' or ''helping hands'' build your walls quick and easy.

• Set of four pushers and four racks.
• Each pusher measures 17-7/8'' L x 3/4''H (45.3cm x 2cm)
• Racks measure 18-3/8''L x 2-1/8''W x 1''H (46.5cm x 5.4cm x 2.5cm)
• The tile section of these racks measures 16 inches. They will hold sixteen tiles stacked side by side.
• Mahjong tiles and betting coins not included.

Swim Spas at Prices Under Twenty Thousand Dollars

A top quality swim spa with all the best features is going to cost you a minimum of thirty thousand dollars before installation costs. At the same time if you work out what features are important to you and which are not you can get an adequate swim spa for under twenty thousand dollars.

Which Features Matter Most?

These are the main features to look for in a swim spa. If you don't need all of these you can save a lot of money.

The main reason that most people buy a swim spa is because it is an affordable and space saving way of getting swimming exercise. Swim spas allow you to swim continuously in place while a water current provides the resistance. Swim jets are cheapest but give you a turbulent current that is hard to swim in. Propeller or paddle wheel generated water currents give you the best swimming in place experience.
Another reason to buy a swim spa is the chance to relax and have a hot tub style massage. For this you will need massage jets. Molded bucket seats help keep you secure as the jets pummel out those tensions.
For a party swim spa, LED and fiber optic lighting, a built in sound system and water features like waterfalls enhance the experience.

The question is- do you really need all of these features?

The Fastlane from Endless Pools

This comes complete for $11,000. The pool itself is a cheap, above ground, self-assembly pool with a vinyl liner. There are no seats, massage jets, lights, heaters or sound system. What you do get is a top quality swim current generator.

Endless Pools are one of the best names in swimming spas and the Fastlane current generator is state of the art. The current is wide, deep and fast enough for very strong swimmers. The variable speed controls mean it can be adjusted to suit every individual. Because it is so easy to set up it can used outside in the summer and moved inside in the winter- if you have a large garage or basement with a strong enough floor.

The Swimergy

The Swimergy cost around $6000 before installation costs. What is it lacking? The most obvious thing is that there is no water current to swim against. You get the swim in place experience by using a swim tether. The tether attaches to the swimmer's special shoes. This kind of resistance swimming is used by pro swimming teams and the US Army for endurance training. The problem in a small pool is that waves build up as the person swims and the Swimergy pool's great advantage is that it is specially shaped to dampen water movements.

At eight feet by fifteen feet, the pool is big enough for two swimmers to use at the same time. It is also a fun place for kids to splash around in. There are no seats, massage jets, sound systems etc.

H20 Swim Spas

There are economy swim spas that use swim jets to create a current to swim against. H2O are one of many manufacturers.

The South Sea swimming spa is one of the most basic models on the market; there are no seats, only a few perches to sit on. On the other hand, there is room for gentle swimming, plenty of space for kids, a heater and an ozone generator to keep the water fresh. The swim spa can be found online for around $16,000, excluding installation.

H2O also offer the 'Super Swim Spa Exercise Swimming Pool Spa'. This is a terrible name but it has some good features for a spa selling online at $17,500. The swim current is from swim jets, like the South Beach, but here you will find 2 molded seats, many hydro jets, LED and fiber optic lighting, air blowers and an integrated sound system.

Mahjong Game Sets - A Classic Board Game

Mahjong game sets are as diverse as the game is complicated. You can find the sets made out of marble, ivory, bone, wood, and plastic resin. The tiles of a full set are in three categories.

The first sets of tiles in a full mahjong set are the suit tiles. The suit tiles are the tiles which consist of dots, lines, and characters, depicting a suit, similar to a deck of cards. Each set of suit tiles in the mahjong set, consists of four sets of nine dot tiles, four sets of nine line tiles, and four sets of nine character tiles.

The honor tiles consist of four sets of three dragon tiles, a red dragon, a green dragon, and a white dragon. The white dragon tile is sometimes depicted simply with a blank tile. Also included in the honor tiles, are the directional wind tiles. There are four sets of four wind tiles, each depicting a direction the wind blows, in other words, east, west, north, and south.

The bonus tiles are just that, a bonus. If you choose a tile, and it turns out to be a bonus tile, you simply put it aside, face up, to be played later, and draw another tile. The bonus tiles usually depict a flower, with a number, going from one to four; there are eight of these tiles, two sets of four.

In some mahjong game sets, you will also find a set of tiles that depict the seasons, winter, spring, fall, and of course summer. While the mahjong game sets can vary slightly, they will generally consist of at least one hundred and thirty six tiles, and up to one hundred and forty four tiles.

Also available, are mahjong game sets that are actually decks of cards, however, the tiles are preferred as you get the actual feel of the game, as well as the traditional sound of the tiles clinking together.

The game of mahjong is a complicated game, which dates back four thousand years, to a time when only royalty played the game. It has been passed on through the generations and there are now several versions of the game. Included in these versions, are the Chinese version, American version, Taiwan version, Vietnamese and Japanese versions.

In every version of the mahjong game sets, there will be included different accessories, such a tile holders, and dealer score cards.

Mexican Train Tournament Double 12 Domino Set

Product Details

These are the thickest, largest and best dominoes available in the world, which makes for easier handling and standing on edge. Dominoes measure 1 3/32" x 2 3/16" x 1/2" thick. They have large uniform sized bright color coded pips. Packaged in a heavy-duty, black, ostrich-grained Leatherette case with a snap lock closure. Electronic Choo Choo train sounder, eight train markers and a free centerpiece for starting Chickenfoot and Mexican Train are included.

• 91 White Dominoes with recessed color dots. (Ninety-One dominoes make a set of Double 12's)
• Play Mexican Train Dominoes and most other variations with this set.
• Tournament Size Dominoes are largest commercially available size. Measure 2 3/16 inches long
• Superior Quality, Nice heavy feel, color-coded for easy discrimination between different counts.
• Packaged in vinyl covered, snap-close, average quality case.

Preparing to Lay Your New Wooden Floor

Due to the nature of real wood such as oak it is a living and breathing product. It will expand and contract depending on its environment. A new wood floor looks fantastic but it is always best to ensure it stays looking pristine for years to come. The way to do this is to make sure the preparation for laying the flooring is done correctly, along with a common knowledge of the small issues that can happen with real wood floors.

Solid flooring has a tendency to expand and contract. In summer, when the air is more humid due to the house being aired more often - the boards soak up the extra moisture and tend to expand slightly. In winter, when central heating / underfloor heating are used regularly, the air in the house is very dry therefore resulting in the boards drying and contracting - this often creates gaps appearing between boards - often large enough to put a coin between. These are harmless and disappear in the warmer months when heating is not used in the house as often.

When hardwood flooring gets wet or damp it absorbs the moisture and expands to accommodate this extra moisture. This can often happen even if the room does not feel damp or wet - the humidity in the air can also affect the floor. Before laying a wooden floor in is essential to check that the room is dry and the sub floor contains no extra moisture. It is also best to check the moisture content of the flooring before installing. However the sub floor is the most important thing to check before installing as this will affect the floor if it is not the correct moisture levels.

Where an existing timber subfloor is present, this needs to be checked for wet rot, dry rot and for woodworm. Although these are not commonplace it is always best to check existing floors before laying down your new wood floors which can get ruined by rot or woodworm. It is always best to ensure that the existing boards are also securely fastened to the joists as they will cause creaking if not fitted well. Loose timber boards can be screwed down onto the joists - or additional noggins can be placed between the joists if an old board has been cut in the wrong place and is loose.

When nailing down onto the existing flooring, the boards should be laid at 90 degrees to the sub floor. This ensures maximum stability and strength in the floor. (As an example consider a jenga game where all the blocks are placed on top of each other in the same direction - it is extremely unstable). If you are wanting the boards to be laid in the same direction as the sub floor a layer of plywood can be placed and nailed or screwed down to ensure a stable fit of the new wood flooring.

There are additional precautions to take where a screed or concrete sub floor is present. New concrete dries at a rate of 1 inch per month or 1mm per day. Although the concrete can look and feel dry to the touch, it can often still contain more moisture than the recommended amounts for hardwood flooring. The best way to check is to use a moisture meter - this will give you an instant reading and tell you whether you need to leave it to dry for longer.

If the new wood floor is an engineered floor that is being laid as a floating floor then it is possible to lay an extra layer of damp proof membrane (DPM) over the concrete / screed to ensure no moisture reaches the wood floor however if the floor is being glued down to the subfloor or battened out it would not be possible to lay the DPM, however a liquid DPM or epoxy resin can be used to create a liquid barrier instead. As solid wood floors are recommended to be stuck down to the sub floor it is best to glue solid wood floors down to the concrete directly therefore it is essential that the moisture is checked before laying.

With all wood flooring, an expansion gap must be left around the edge to ensure there is room for expansion in case of problems with moisture. This can be covered with skirting, beading or an edge profile. When preparation for the sub floor has been completed correctly, the laying of the wood floor is more likely to fit properly and without problems for the future.

Dungeon Tiles Are a Great Game Tool

Dungeons and Dragons, the table top role playing game, has inspired many wonderful tools available for those of us who play the game. Dungeon tiles are one of the lesser known tools. I'd like to showcase their uses in this article. And remember, they don't have to be limited to only actual Dungeons and Dragons gaming. You can use these versatile tiles in many RPGs.

The tiles are thick cardboard cut into several sizes. The standard square size for a D&D map is a one-inch square, so these tiles are sized that way. The average set is going to have some 8 by 8 tiles, 4 by 4 and 2 by 2. They come in various themes -- themes familiar to any role player. You can find forest themes and dungeon themes and sewer themes. Each side of the tile has a different picture. The artwork is generally top-notch on these and they do a great job of varying the terrain. So in a forest theme, for example, you'll have tiles with a few trees and a few stumps. You'll have tiles with no trees, but a stream and the ruins of a stone wall. Or perhaps there will be a few tiles with giant spider webs (think of the Mirkwood forest scene in "The Hobbit").

What makes dungeon tiles so awesome for the game master is that they are sturdy and cheap (you can get about 30 tiles for $10). It saves you from having to create maps by hand or from having to draw maps on the fly with a battle mat. I prefer to save my creativity for the the story and the non-player characters, so the tiles are perfect for me. It's as though the tiles can set the stage and I can populate it with my monsters, allies and strangers.

For the players, dungeon tiles give them a beautiful window into the imaginary world of the game. That is one of the strengths and weaknesses of D&D -- so much of it happens inside each player's head. So having the tiles (along with your miniature figures, of course) can ground the player's experience. The players have some nice drawings to help flesh out the story.

The designers do a great job of making sure that the terrain is varied and that there are good hiding spots. In this way both the game master and the players can take full tactical advantage of the tiles -- the archer can use a fallen log (to continue with my forest theme) for cover. The game master can use the spot where two trees grow together as an ambush spot.

Overall, for the price, dungeon tiles are a great tool for a GM to have in his or her toolbox. Pick up a pack of them and let your imagination run wild.

Game Theory - Or How Playing by the Rules Results in Defeat

When it comes to almost every element of life, there is a tragic reality that playing by the rules isn't going to lead you to victory. It's a tough lesson that we try and teach children the opposite of, but unfortunately, it quickly becomes evident that it is the case. The reason for this challenge is that even if you are willing to play by the rules, there is always someone going against you who is willing to break them.

The challenge here lies in a similar problem that is seen in interrogations of criminals. When you place two criminals in separate interrogations, each one will fear that the other is going to rat them out. As a result, each criminal will rat out the other so that they are not the only one losing. In much the same way, many people, in fear that their opponents are not playing by the rules, will also not play by the rules.

This problem becomes a circular challenge. By fearing that your opponents won't play by the rules, you yourself won't play by the rules, thereby validating the same fears in them. However, strategy-wise, cheating offers the best course of results. If you cheat and your opponent doesn't, you have an increased chance of winning. If you don't cheat but your opponent does, you have a decreased chance of winning. Finally, if you both cheat, you have an equal chance of things turning out well for you.

As a result, it seems the harsh reality of things is that playing by the rules simply doesn't benefit you. To optimize your performance, it is ideal to break the rules, as there are no circumstances in which this can penalize your performance.

Mahjong Mah-Jongg Key Chain ''Joker'' Tile

Product Details

Bring good luck to your mahjong game with this lovely key chain. It makes a great gift for members of a mahjong club!

• Mahjong tile is made of fiberglass
• Tile measures 1-3/16'' H x 7/8'' W x 1/2'' Thick (30mm x 22mm x 13mm).

E-Z Tiles: Wilderness Set 1 (CD-ROM)

Product Details