Brainagle – Free

We know how bored you can get on your way to work, but if games aren’t really your thing, why not get your geek on during the journey instead?

Get involved in the world’s biggest collection of brain teasers, riddles, logic problems, mind puzzles and optical illusions with the Braingle app. With access to over 15,000 brain teasers, you’re not going to run out of things to do any time soon.

Braingle will download content from the website and cache it on your device for offline reading. You can also tick any brain teaser to save it in your ‘Favorites’ list for easy access. Choose from several categories from Lanuage and Letter-Equations, to Science and Trivia.

Here comes the science bit…
Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:

1. Using public transport rather than the car.
2. Even better… walk or cycle if it’s convenient.
3. Whatever device you’re using to watch those videos, make sure you only leave it plugged in for as long as it takes to charge, not overnight.

Pic: SDuke (CC)

Ever wondered what to do with the leftover wax that gets stuck at the bottom of old candles? Or candles which have become unusable because of a broken wick? Don’t throw them away! Old wax can so easily be recycled, and transformed into something fun and quirky – this teacup candle…

 You will need:
- leftover wax from old or disused candles
- a non-stick pan
- a pretty teacup (charity shops are a good source for these, if you don’t already have one!)
- a wick (these can be bought very cheaply online or at craft shops)
- Blu tack

1. Start by Blu-tacking the wick in position in the centre of the teacup like so…

2. Put all your wax into the pan and heat gently. It should have all melted within a few minutes, and when it has, turn off the heat. You can pour the wax straight from the pan into the cup, but I prefer to pour it into a jug first. This makes pouring easier, and also gives the wax a chance to cool a little – if the wax is too hot, it may melt the wax on the wick too.

3. Once you’ve poured in the melted wax, find a way to secure the wick so it stands straight up and doesn’t move while the wax is setting. I used a circular piece of paper with a small hole in the middle for the wick.

When the wax has set, trim off the excess wick. The wax will set a much lighter shade than when it’s in liquid form – this one looked bright red at first but turned out a lovely pale pink colour! The melted wax can be coloured with candle dyes and oils can be used to give the candle a scent. Voila!

Check out all of Joanne’s designs here or Get Involved yourself.

Here comes the science bit…
Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:

1. Thinking about everything you throw away and making sure it can’t be recycled into something better
2. Creating cool new things out of old junk you have lying around

Pics: Joanna Prescott

RAGE HD – £1.49

RAGE is an intense first-person rail shooter game set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with zombies and mutants. You can navigate your way around by tapping or titling the screen to find more zombie to shoot. If you accidently have to exit the game without saving, you’ll be at exactly the same place when you reopen it – perfect if you suddenly realise you’re about the miss your stop.

The best thing about this app is the graphics though (especially in HD) – some of the most realistic in a shooter game we’ve ever seen. Just make sure you don’t get so engrossed you elbow the guy next to you on the bus!

Check it out for yourself…

Pic: iTunes

FlavorPill – Free

Struggling to sort out your New Year’s Eve plans? Let the FlavorPill app do the hard work so you don’t have to…

Flavorpill’s iPhone app searches out the best events in your city from music, art and theatre, to film, dance and parties.You can browse events by date and save them to your calendar. If you’re struggling for inspiration then you can just filter through the editor’s picks on the bus to work this week.  You can even use your location to find something near you if you’ve left it till the last minute on the 31st. Expect to discover a whole host of unusual events like loft raves, concerts in masonic temples, burlesque shows, and even Labyrinth sing-along and costume parties. Have a good one!

Seen a better app? Tell us all about it in the comments box or on Twitter @global_cool…

Pics: PA Images and iTunes

Ahh Christmas, a time for sharing, caring, giving and… feasting! We hope you had a great time yesterday and got a chance to sit down with family friends and enjoy a good hearty meal and great conversation. But think twice before you toss your Christmas leftovers today and save them for these tasty treats…

Ingredients
2 tbsp ground coffee
1 tbsp golden/corn syrup
1 tbsp hot chocolate
300ml double cream

How to do it
Use a glass bowl over a saucepan of water to melt the coffee syrup and hot chocolate powder, and allow to cool. Meanwhile, whisk the cream in a big bowl until soft peaks form. Add the cooled mocha mix to the cream, and spoon into espresso cups. Allow to chill before serving. For travel the Italian way, check out our Inspire Me Guide To Italy.

Ingredients
250g Emmental
250g Gruyère (traditionally of course, Swiss cheese is used but you can use other varieties for a different flavour)
200ml white wine/cider
1 clove garlic, black pepper, nutmeg
To serve: raw veg, day old bread, cooked meats.

How to do it
Remove rinds from hard cheeses and finely grate using a food processor. With the softer varieties, crush or mash into smaller chunks. Using a glass bowl over a saucepan of water, melt the cheese and cider/white wine, adding 100ml of liquid for every 250g of cheese. Add a little black pepper/nutmeg to taste and the crushed garlic. Stir until smooth and serve immediately with chunks of bread, cold meats, vegetable crudites, or even leftover roast potatoes. Dip in! For Swiss adventures, check out out Inspire Me Guide To Switzerland.

Ingredients
200g leftover turkey
100g leftover ham
Leftover veg e.g. spinach, peppers
Aioli (garlic mayonnaise)
Cooking sauces
Salt/pepper

How to do it
Lightly toast one inch chunks of leftover bread. Add a blob of sauce/condiment of your choice, and then top with a thin slice of ham and turkey or  finely chopped vegetables. Aioli works well with the meat, while leftover tomato/bechamel sauce works nicely with the vegetables. Add a little pepper, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and toast further if you want to add a little crunch. Drizzle the plate with a little olive oil – yum! For more Spanish inspiration, check out the Loco2 Inspire Me Guide To Spain!

Pics: theAtlantic and Lauri

Global Cool are super excited that it’s Christmas Eve and we want to get you in the festive mood too. We’ve been thinking about how much we love Santa for never driving or flying a plane anywhere. But we love ol’ Saint Nick even more after spotting him out and about Doing It In Public on the bus, train and tube. So here’s our gallery of that tubby old guy with white hair making the most of public transport (and we’re not talking about Boris Johnson)…

What’s the weirdest costume you’ve seen on public transport? Tell us in the comments box below or on Twitter @global_cool…

Pics: PA Images

Fed up with reading the Metro cover to cover in five seconds flat on the way to work? Fear not, we know you’re all big kids at heart so we’ve got all the best iPhone apps to help keep your pecker up while you Do It In Public…

Christmas Sudoku – £0.69

Get really Christmassy on the bus, tube or train with this fab festive-themed game…

This app means you can play the classic Sudoku game with either numbers or Christmas goodies. There are three modes – easy, medium and hard – and 30 levels in each mode. Choose from an array of festive themes including ‘Santa Red’ and ‘Merry Green’. Connect with friends and challenge them to a Sudoku duel via Bluetooth. You can even create your own Christmas postcards to send to friends. Get Christmas Sudoku on iTunes here.

Seen a better app? Tell us all about it in the comments box or on Twitter @global_cool…

Pics: PA Images and iTunes

Anila Babla from Loco2 will be writing a series of @traincation travel-inspired posts, so make sure you come back next month to find out the latest, or join the conversation on Twitter with Loco2…

Forget the four season sleeping bag, the real accessory for any globetrotter worth their salt is a sweet smart phone loaded with the latest apps. Here are our faves, and there isn’t a flight comparison/search/confirmation app in sight…

Tour Wrist

Earworms
You know how frustrating it is when you can’t get the lyrics of a catchy tune out of your head? And then wonder why you can’t make your brain apply the same principle to learning a new language? Well Earworms has gone for the musical approach, helping you memorise foreign vocabulary with the power of song. Guaranteed to get you toes tapping and bring a little joy back to French lessons. Altogether now, ““Je vex un Coca Cola…”

Lightbox
What’s prettier than a picture of the Eiffel Tower? A picture of the Eiffel Tower with a beautiful image filter applied to it, that’s what. With the likes of Instagram, and its evocatively named filters (Apollo, Nashville, 1977) users have the ability to transform the most mundane of photographs into works of art, let alone epic Parisian monuments. And now, with Lightbox the entire Android army can do the same.

Tipster
If, like me, the thought of mental arithmetic leaves you cold, figuring out how much you owe at the end of a shared meal, not to mention a tip, is best left to maths brains. The beauty of apps is that no matter how obscure the problem, you can be sure someone, somewhere has solved it. The Tipster Global tip calculator has 8 tip categories and 60 countries, so you’ll never be at a loss of how much to tip.

Sitorsquat
The desire to spend a proverbial penny always seems to come at the most inopportune time. If you didn’t take our advice last time to get a BoginaBag, SitorSquat is the next best thing. Use it to find a toilet or bathroom anywhere in the world and you’ll never be caught short again!

Google Sky Map
While this can’t exactly be filed under essential travel apps, it’s nice to end on a bit of fun. With Google Sky Map, you can turn your phone window into the night sky, just like that. And if you’re really sneaky you can pretend you knew where Ursus Major was all along.

Pics: ILamont.com, Emmanuel Gadenne

We know you’re probably feeling a bit blue about the fact you’re at the office this close to Christmas. So this week’s babe on a bike is the stunning Kelly Brook. We love her chic and elegant bike attire and her big wicker basket too. Now wipe that smile off your face, your boss is looking.

Find out more about how to get into cycling here or tell us your own views in the comments box below…

Pic: PA Images

By Emily Rycroft

Christmas is just around the corner, so we’ve put together some festive gift guides to help you treat the ones you love to something they’ll adore. This week we’re helping you keep your Christmas calm if you’ve left all your shopping to the last minute. Check out our last minute eco-Christmas gift guide…

Pics: PA Images, Tasterlab, Nigel’s Eco Store and Amazon.