Village Gamer

Reminder: one week left to register for Prime Time in Ottawa

Pursuant to yesterday’s announcement by Shaw Communications in regards to their delaying Usage Based Billing, a reply from the corporation has shown up in my email box in regards to their upcoming “User Meetings”

Thank you for the Email dated February 8th, 2011.

We’re glad to hear you are interested in Usage Based Billing and want to join the conversation with regards to managing bandwidth usage. We are still setting up venues and times for the discussion so at this point we cannot say when or where they will be but we will contact you with an invitation as soon as these details have been worked out. We do expect to be sending out invitations next week so look for that in your Email.

We hope this answers your question but if you do require further assistance please feel free to contact us again by Email, Chat or Phone.

Today is release day for the third and final episode of Assassin’s Creed: The Fall, a comic book based on the Assassin’s Creed franchise and created by Karl Kerschl and Cameron Stewart. All three comics in the series are available at comic book stores or can be ordered online at the Ubiworkshop store.

For those unfamiliar with the comic series storyline, readers follow 19th century Russian assassin Nikolai Orelov as he strives to claim an artifact of immense power from the hands of the Templars, leading to a climactic and violent showdown with the ruthless Tsar Alexander III aboard a speeding train. Nikolai’s modern-day counterpart is a troubled young drifter who tries to cope with unsettling visions of a possible past life – visions that have irreversible consequences for the present.

Interactive Ontario has announced that registration for INplay 2011 is now open, and early adopters can benefit from the Kick Off ticket price of $629.00 (plus HST), which is available until February 23rd, when prices increase to $719.00 (plus HST). INplay is a conference that “connects kids creative industries with insights and opportunities in the interactive space,, encompassing all facets of the industry from the video game business to the broadcast industry, from toys to toons.”

This year’s INplay event will be held in Toronto on May 17th and 18th, and will feature three main tracks:

* Inspiration – creativity and content stream
* Investment – business stream
* Insights – research stream

INplay 2010 was held at Toronto’s Liberty Grand, welcoming 334 participants to the experience and featured three keynote presentations and 27 educational sessions lead by 106 international speakers.

Brock University has put out a call for papers for its third biennial conference on the Interactive Arts and Sciences. This year’s theme is Interacting with Immersive Worlds, with a focus on exploring the growing cultural importance of interactive media. The conference subject matter offers sessions in four different tracks:

The Challenges at the Boundaries of Immersive Worlds: creative exploration and innovation in immersive media including ubiquitous computing, telepresence, interactive art and fiction, and alternative reality.
The Critical Approaches to Immersion: look at analyses of the cultural and/or psychological impact of immersive worlds, as well as theories of interactivity.
The Immersive Worlds in Education: examine educational applications of immersive technologies.
The Immersive Worlds in Entertainment: examine entertainment applications of immersive technologies, such as computer games.

This year’s conference will be held at Brock University on June 13th and 14th, and will feature a keynote address by Michael Schmaltz, President of development studio Digital Extremes. There will be a pre-banquet tour of the Generator at one motion capture studio and other state-of-the-art facilities, a pre-conference game jam and an Augmented Reality event on June 14th. Registration is now open, and tickets for this event are $290.00 for Regular Attendees or $145.00 for Student Attendees, and include all conference keynotes and concurrent sessions, two lunches (Monday and Tuesday), morning and afternoon nutrition breaks (Monday and Tuesday), and one ticket for the Monday evening banquet.

CanWIT sent out an email notice yesterday announcing its Group Mastermind Mentoring Circle – Group Mentorship Program for 2011. This program encompasses six sessions led by a facilitator for a select number of participants which leverages the energy, experience, and collective wisdom of all the group members to achieve their individual personal and professional goals. Melissa McCrae, Executive Director of Graduate Programs at SFU Business will be this program’s facilitator.

The balance of insights and feedback from your fellow participants and the facilitator provide you with a comprehensive set of developmental feedback and support, making this program somewhat unique from other mentorship offerings. As well, the group becomes a valuable peer network from whose experiences you can learn and can draw well beyond the duration of the program.

Designed for Women in Tech and Tech women in BC, The Group Mastermind program is best suited to women who are looking to advance or make a change in their career and who would benefit from some focus or extra support to get there. The Group Mastermind does require its participants to be 100% committed to the entire program, but the benefits are many. You will be able to accelerate your career path and professional goal achievement as well as gain significant insight into your professional strengths and behaviours. The added bonus is that you will develop a peer network from which to draw support and experience, as well as access to a professional facilitator and instructor.

The Group Mastermind Mentoring Circle begins on March 2nd at the Segal Graduate School of Business, SFU. The program cost is $300.00, and the application process is now open. The Group Mastermind Mentoring Circle is limited to eight participants, so early application is recommended.

Daniel Pink, formerly chief speechwriter for U.S. Vice-president Al Gore and currently author of four provocative books about changing the work world, will be the keynote speaker at Communitech’s Titan Learning Series workshop at the Waterloo Inn Conference Hotel on Wednesday February 16th. Along with writing a monthly business column for the UK’s Sunday Telegraph, Pink’s articles on business and technology appear in publications such as The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Wired where Pink is contributing editor.

“We’re delighted to have someone with Daniel’s global experience and business acumen coming to Waterloo Region to share his latest thinking and discuss why traditional motivational methods are not optimized for today’s enterprise,” said Iain Klugman, president and CEO of Communitech. “Daniel has shared his analysis of business trends on networks like CNN, CNBC, ABC, National Public Radio (NPR) and more, and now Waterloo Region can experience that insight.”

Pink’s latest New York Times bestseller titled “DRIVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” applies behavioural science to overturn conventional wisdom about human motivation. With examples from leading-edge companies and experiments conducted around the world, Pink’s keynote will outline ingredients of intrinsically-motivated performers and how organizations can create the kind of environment that fosters best results.

The latest platform in 21st century dating is now live. Tingle is a Vancouver-based company owned and operated by AppSocial Media, Inc, who describe Tingle as a “simple-to-use application that connects to a sophisticated network designed to keep you in touch with singles near you and that allows you to communicate seamlessly in real-time with interesting people you meet.  You can connect locally, from anywhere, and meet people instantly. And we’re constantly cooking up new and fun ways for you to talk to each other.”

Reader’s Digest is building on its strong commitment to their multi-brand, multi-platform strategy with the launch of several new branded digital initiatives in 2011. The re-launch involves new and improved branded websites—readersdigest.ca, selection.ca and ourcanada.ca—all of which are designed to enhance the online experience of users with new channels, new tools and interactive offerings, a series of apps and much more.

“The redesign enables us to present our users and clients alike with a new and improved digital experience,” shares Yann Paquet, Vice-President, Digital Media and Strategic Partnerships. “From changes to the visual design and brand identity of readersdigest.ca to new tools and improved content and channels, we have enhanced user experience and engagement, as well as developed new opportunities for our advertisers.”

Some of the new and revamped channels unveiled on readersdigest.ca and selection.ca include: Food & Recipes, Health & Well-Being, Home & Garden, Pets, Travel, Jokes & Fun, Games and Contests. And to further demonstrate Reader’s Digest’s digital growth and commitment, the redesign also launches the release of a series of innovative and exclusive custom apps. An inaugural “Jokes and Fun” app is released today and will be free to users and additional offerings of original apps will follow each month throughout 2011.

“Reader’s Digest has continued to respond to the ever-changing and evolving needs of their audiences, both in print and online,” adds Tony Cioffi, President and CEO, Reader’s Digest Canada. “We are thrilled to present clients with a variety of new digital products and advertising opportunities to help complement their 2011 campaigns and with that, continue leveraging our multi-platform, multi-brand approach.”