I've been on a gaming hiatus as of late but am back in the swing of it with two great casual gaming titles just in time for Memorial Day. Can Knockdown 3 is a recent release by Infinite Dreams, the latest in its ball-throwing puzzle genre. Hyper Breaker Turbo (projected late-May release date), is an indie brick-breaking game coming soon to the App Store. Without further adieu, let's dig into some block-busting, can-smashing goodness.

Can Knockdown 3 ($0.99)

Can Knockdown 3 adds to the already popular series, each of which offers some variation on the old carnival game of throwing a ball at a stack of cans. The experience is just as realistic as Can Knockdown 2, with spot-on ball flying and can bouncing physics. The concept is to "throw" by quickly finger swiping the ball toward the targeted cans, knocking as many down as possible in the fewest throws. 

A number of websites have reported this week that Siri is now advising users to ask shorter questions — but is doing it in a lighthearted way. Apparently, Apple's servers have a difficult time parsing long requests. CNET notes the irony in that Siri was originally touted as being able to understand natural language. CNET and iLounge say when making the request, Siri prefaces it with a quotation from a famous individual about the value of being concise. And then it says, "Can you ask me that again, in fewer words?" or "How about a shorter question?" On the one hand, it's disappointing that users must accommodate themselves to Siri rather than the other way around.

New apps are arriving in the App Store at such a rapid pace it can be a real challenge to find the stellar entries. This week we'll take a look at a handful of newly released, noteworthy apps worthy of special mention.

1. The Loop (Free)

This new subscription-based magazine is the brainchild of longtime Apple journalist and reporter Jim Dalrymple. He will publish The Loop magazine twice a month, and it will cost $1.99 per month. The Loop magazine app is not just a spin-off of the Loop’s website online. This stand-alone app will feature articles written by some of the great authors in the field of Apple journalism, with all if the articles being written exclusively for the magazine.

While Dalrymple doesn't officially work for Apple, it's safe to say he has his finger on the pulse of the company. 

About 40 years ago, I read Napoleon Hill’s timeless classic, Think and Grow Rich (Kindle version $ 0.99). Hill interviewed hundreds of turn of the century magnates such as Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison to discover what makes people successful. Hill’s books, as well as other “success literature," had significant influence in my subsequent success as an entrepreneur and magazine publisher. Having a clear intention, committing to it, and persisting are fundamental themes in most success literature. 

In my recent May/June 2013 iPhone Life magazine iView column, I wrote about a lecture on Steve Jobs and a course I taught on consciousness and entrepreneurship at Maharishi University of Management. After reading the column, Oscar Andermo reached out to me.