I like xlogical a lot. If you play for 1/2 hour a day during your lunch break or before work, you are more focused and quick in your programming.

What are some other good games/exercises for your brain?

From the screenshots, it appears to be a puzzle solving type of game. Is that correct?

If so, point you browser at www.google.com/linux, and search for games puzzle.

I've played Xye. It can be fast paced at times, and it definitely has goals to achive in each level.

A game you're programming yourself?

Programming is pretty different from gaming (or it depends, but mostly from what I've done and seen this far), so I'm not sure if something is better than other..logic games maybe, but programming isn't just logics, and definitely not moving blocks. Rather it's making plans and once they're good, turning them into program code, which should theoretically then be easy if you've got good plans and know the language. And probably not in real life..

I'm working on a website for learning language. It works well enough for me to use, but i need to add a ton of features before i put it on the web.

sometimes i get distracted or i just sit there. such contemplation is good for planning, i think... however, when i play xlogical at lunch, i notice i'm much quicker to figure things out - in xlogical, you have to consider so many different patterns and how different parts of the board affect the others, and then you have a time limit, which trains your brain to move at fast speeds.

so, i guess i'm just looking for games to improve speed of thinking and ability to see whole picture and patterns and things.

i'll check out xye at lunch. any other good ones?

you want to mix game and programming? try this!
http://robocode.sourceforge.net/
this is the BEST game for programming hehe, here u have dont play! you program the behavior of your tank and then watch it fight to other tanks... very brain consuming if you want to have a smart tank...
PD: by he way, it's the best way to begin with java.