Village Gamer

Toon Boom Animation Inc. has announced that Flip Boom Classic for K-6 students and its respective curricula, are now compatible with the SMART Board™ 600 series interactive whiteboard. Compatibility with the SMART Board 800 series will be completed in time for the International Society for Technology in Education Conference, to be held in Philadelphia from June 26-29, 2011. Demonstrations will be given at Booth 1403 during the conference.

Porting Toon Boom’s entry-level educational product to SMART Board interactive whiteboards is a natural step towards offering engaging creative applications on collaborative and interactive learning devices. Students will be able to create and export finished files for easy inclusion in the teaching resources of SMART Notebook collaborative learning software.

“Having Toon Boom products integrate with SMART Board interactive whiteboards raises the creative learning and visual communication potential,” says Linda Thomas, Vice-President, Products, SMART Technologies. “The combination of these products will create a more dynamic and stimulating classroom environment by getting students truly involved in lesson activities.”

“All our award-winning software applications and curricula targeted for K-12 are a perfect fit for SMART Board interactive whiteboards, which will surely make cross-curricular learning a whole new experience,” states Joan Vogelesang, President and Chief Executive Officer at Toon Boom Animation Inc.

In conjunction with this announcement, Toon Boom is launching the Flip Boom Classic Teacher Kit for SMART Boards, which includes a license of Flip Boom Classic as well as its respective curricula for $149.99. A Classroom lab license is also available for $499.99. Flip Boom Classic runs on MAC and PC.

Annex Pro will be hosting a free seminar session along with Atempo titled Managing Digital Content Throughout Your Workflow with Backup and Archive. This July 7th evening session will be held at the Annex Pro office on Dunlevy in Vancouver, and will teach attendees how to:

• Preserve and protect your digital content throughout the workflow
• Optimize your SAN or NAS storage by rolling out a low cost disk or tape archive
• Create a content archive that’s easily accessible to all your users
• Reduce clutter in shared work areas through automatic archiving
• Manage your content’s metadata for more effective search and retrieval

This event is recommended for:

• Creative or IT professionals who manage digital content and/or the storage systems supporting creative workflows
• Anyone looking for a better way to control storage growth, especially HD, 3D and stereoscopic
• Anyone wanting to simplify content reuse and monetize their existing content

The doors will open for registration, refreshments and networking at 5:30pm, with the speaker session running from 6pm to 7pm.

D-BOX Technologies Inc. has signed its first agreement with Texas-based ShowBiz Cinemas to equip ShowBiz Cinemas 12 in Waxahachie, Texas with 25 D-BOX MFX Seats.

“Texas continues to be one of our fastest growing U.S. markets and we are delighted to name ShowBiz Cinemas as one of our newest exhibitors, further expanding our global footprint,” said President and CEO of D-BOX Technologies, Claude Mc Master.

“A provider of first-class entertainment, ShowBiz Cinemas is looking forward to offering D-BOX in its first theatre,” said Kevin Mitchell, President and CEO of ShowBiz Cinemas. “We plan to thrill audiences with the debut of the new motion technology this summer and anticipate that guests will truly enjoy this one-of-a-kind immersive movie experience.”

Located in downtown Toronto, Liberty Studios will officially open to musicians, producers, editors and film makers on June 27th.  Named by Mix magazine as “The Class of 2011:  A Collection Of This Year’s Hottest New Studios”, the Martin Pilchner designed, multi-million dollar studio, surpasses any facility of its kind in the city providing the ultimate one stop shop in audio and visual production.  Situated in Liberty Village, the 6,000 square foot media facility, blends top of the line innovative design elements alongside functionality, catering to every imaginable need.  Client services include production, composition and arrangements, recording and mixing tools, sound design, video / audio editing and video capture.

Liberty Studios contains a 1,600 square foot soundstage / live room aptly named The Liberty Ballroom.  It includes three isolation booths for sound control, an expansive drum room, an automated 16:9 screen and a 5.1 surround sound system. The sheer size caters to large-scale live recordings, lectures, film screenings, product launches and private events. The studio also includes a 600 square foot control room specifically designed for surround recording, a series of production rooms to create, record, edit and mix both audio and video, as well as a commercial kitchen.

Liberty Studios not only offers clients premier equipment, but also an experienced and accomplished staff that provide highly trained and seasoned services.  Newly appointed Vice President of Business Development and Sales, Brian Hetherman, brings his diverse experience to oversee client acquisition, client management and the creation of new business strategies.  Hetherman’s career highlights include Director of A&R at Universal Music, Head of MCA Music Publishing, Executive Director of the Radio Starmaker Fund, President of the Music Managers Forum in Canada and Vice President of Industry Affairs at FACTOR.  He also owns a management company, Cerberus Artist Management, and record label, Curve Music.

Hetherman joins Liberty’s President John Payne, a man with three decades of music industry knowledge in roles such as producer, engineer, technician, consultant and philanthropist.  In the early eighties Payne became Chief Engineer for S.O.L.A.R. Records’ roster of artists as well as many others including Bobby Brown and Paula Abdul.  In 1991, he co-founded the largest hip-hop label in history, Death Row Records, launching the careers of 2Pac, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.  Payne remains the owner of a production company, Payne Productions and Engineering LLC, a management and consulting company, END Management and Consulting LLC, and a publishing company, GJTM Publishing.

In addition to a space that caters to those in the entertainment industry, Liberty Studios is also a new event space in the city, perfect for music showcases, photo and video shoots, non-profit fundraisers, and private corporate events of a variety of sizes.

Aviva Canada, one of the country’s leading providers of home, auto, recreational vehicle, group and business insurance, is proud to announce that the Aviva Community Fund competition will return in the fall of 2011. In 2009 and 2010, Canadians overwhelmingly answered the call, proposing over 4,000 ideas and casting more than four million votes in support of causes from every province and territory. Do your local youth centres or seniors’ groups need support? Are you ready to make a difference? Year three of the competition kicks off on September 26, 2011.

The company will once again offer $1 million to encourage Canadians to lead, empower and support community initiatives across the country. Whether it’s a project that will help get at-risk youth off the street and back into school, or other ways to extend a hand to those in need, the Aviva Community Fund enables individuals and groups to not only submit a community initiative for funding, but also become actively involved in making change happen.

Launched in the fall of 2009, the Aviva Community Fund competition has already provided over $1.5 million in funding to numerous charities and community groups including youth programs, animal shelters, public schools, camps and centres for those affected by disabilities or illness.

Canadians are encouraged to submit their ideas on the competition’s website and visitors to the site are asked to vote for their favourite ideas so they can advance through to the competition’s final round, at that stage they will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges. Also visit, and Like, the Aviva Community Fund Facebook page for additional program information.

Square Enix, Inc. and Eidos–Montreal have launched the  Deus Ex®: Human Revolution™ (DXHR) QR Missions App for fans of  Deus Ex: Human Revolution, wherein participants will have the opportunity to win exclusive real world prizes as well as in–game rewards. In order to join the  DXHR QR Missions Scavenger Hunt, fans should visit the App store on their iOS device. The first code is already available in the exclusive content section of the game’s official Facebook page. New codes will be released every week for the next seven weeks.

Fans should visit the App store to download the App (Deus Ex: Human Revolution QR Missions) for their iOS device and register for the Deus Ex: Human Revolution QR Missions. Participants must be 17–years–old or older, have an iOS device with a camera and be able to register using Facebook Connect. Participants will also have to choose their preferred gaming platform.

Once the App is installed, users can begin looking for QR Codes — both online and in the real world — in a variety of locations including marketing and public relations materials, in–store advertising, the official website and Facebook page, and more. Hints for code locations will appear on the Official Eidos–Montreal Twitter feed as well as the game’s official Facebook page.

When a code is found, participants will use their iOS device equipped with a camera to scan it, thereby capturing that code and earning themselves (and all participants) 10 points.

The  DXHR QR Missions Scavenger Hunt delivers elite rewards for the fastest and most thorough code collectors as well as an amazing prize for all participants through a larger, unified goal. These prizes include:

• For each code scanned, users receive an item immediately including special game footage, secret codes to unlock in–game doors, “Augment Yourself” codes and other assets and info from the game.
• The first 1,000 participants to find 10 codes will receive an exclusive theme for their preferred platform (either the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft or the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system). These themes will be available for sale at a later date.
• If the collective score for all participants reaches 1,000,000 points before August 23 (the North American release date), all registered participants in the  DXHR QR Missions Scavenger Hunt will receive an exclusive item for their Xbox LIVE Avatar or for PlayStation®Home. This item will be a toy version of the in–game “B–EE Chopper” that will appear as an Avatar prop item for their Xbox LIVE Avatar and will be available as a companion that follows the user within PlayStation®Home.
• The first 10 participants to collect ALL 21 QR codes will receive the following prize package:
  1. One (1) copy of  Deus Ex: Human Revolution Augmented Edition (system based upon original console selection)
  2. One (1) pair of Custom  Deus Ex: Human Revolution headphones
  3. One (1) Square Enix Products Play Arts – Kai – Adam Jensen Action Figure
  4. One (1)  Deus Ex: Human Revolution Limited Edition Compression Sleeve

Users can find the first code in the  DXHR QR Missions Scavenger Hunt on the game’s official Facebook Page on the “Exclusive Content” tab. Participants must “Like” the page in order to see the code. Additional codes will be unleashed immediately.

Today’s markets are all about velocity and differentiation. Businesses need to compete hyper-aggressively in a price driven environment that’s saturated with choices for the consumer.  In his new book Cloud CIO Strategy, Toronto author Bruce D’Sena describes the pivotal transformation that’s required if companies want to keep up the pace and stay profitable.

Social networks, The Internet of Things, Wireless connectivity and the Cloud are just some of the disruptive forces dramatically changing the way consumers and businesses interact.  Yet, despite technology’s progress, the chasm between what a business typically needs and the value that their IT department provides is widening. The fundamental approach to how businesses apply information technology as well as their operating culture needs to change.

“Cloudsourcing and the Cloud’s utility service models can bring simplicity, flexibility and speed to businesses, with significantly lower expenditures and a much better cost structure,” says D’Sena. “But many companies approach this the wrong way and make things difficult for themselves. This is not an IT project, but a better approach to IT itself. To succeed, a Cloud strategy must be executed through partnerships that are properly matched, and must deliver incremental value to the business right from the start. Cloud CIO Strategy shows how this can be done.”

Traditional approaches are simply no longer relevant.  Companies that rely completely on their internal IT infrastructure are putting themselves on a path to certain extinction. The knowledge and currency lag, ridiculously high expenditures and other management overheads will drive them to the ground. The social and product frameworks that drive consumer ecosystems are also transitioning to the Cloud, so companies that wait too long are just going to be left behind. The most dynamic new players are already taking advantage of opportunities that Cloud models provide, and getting ahead of the game.

This book is meant to be an eye opener for business and technology executives, as well as for the investment and entrepreneurial community in general. Cloud CIO Strategy conveys a sense of urgency and provides the direction and tools to get started. Filled with ideas and examples, the book addresses Cloud concepts and their relevance to business strategy as well as their application in practice. Topics covered include Cloud fundamentals and architecture, the unique characteristics of utility computing and Cloudsourcing partnerships, organizational aspects, distribution of responsibilities, strategic planning, and many other insightful perspectives on leadership, transition and culture.

The book also includes an engrossing commentary on the Cloud’s confluence with disruptive areas like Wireless Payments and Augmented Reality, and their related impacts on online commerce. Cloud CIO Strategy is available in hardcover and paperback from Lulu Press.

PadWorx Digital Media, Inc. has begun work on the enhanced book/app for the New York Times bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Versions of the book/app for iOS and Android will be released in Fall 2011.

Set in a zombie-infested version of Regency-era England, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies follows Jane Austen’s beloved story of the Bennet family’s life and loves, but sets it against a brain-eating zombie apocalypse.   The original book, adapted in 2009 by Seth Grahame-Smith from Austen’s original text, remains a critical and commercial hit and reached number three on the New York Times bestseller list.  Lionsgate Films is currently in production on the feature film version, due out in 2012.

“We’ve been very fortunate to work on some extremely cool projects,” said Jeffery Alan Schechter, Creative Director and President of PadWorx Digital Media, Inc. “But it doesn’t get any cooler than working with Quirk Books on such an iconic title.”

PadWorx Digital Media’s premiere releases, Dracula: The Official Stoker Family Edition and A Christmas Carol, were both crowned “App of the Week” by Apple and nominated in the fiction category for Digital Book World’s annual Publishing Innovation Award this past January, with Dracula going on to win the top honor.  It was the intensity and fun of Dracula: The Official Stoker Family Edition that brought PadWorx to the attention of David Borgenicht, President and Publisher of Quirk Books.

“We were looking for a company that shared our creative vision to tackle our first highly interactive e-book,” said Borgenicht, “and it was clear from Dracula: The Official Stoker Family Edition that PadWorx could be our creative equals.  In the world of interactive book developers, PadWorx is definitely at the top of the game.”

ComplyWorks is pleased to announce the release of ComplyWorks Management System 3.9. The new release includes multilingual capabilities, with English and French user interfaces available initially.

With the release of ComplyWorks Management System (CMS) 3.9, ComplyWorks improves its ability to provide contractor and supplier management to global industries. CMS is currently used on three continents in a wide variety of industries to conduct due diligence, improve risk mitigation and increase performance of employees, contractors and suppliers in relation to productivity, safety, health, environmental, financial and other indicators.

The multilingual capabilities of CMS 3.9 will allow user interfaces to be added in an unlimited number of languages as ComplyWorks and its customers enter new regions and countries. Currently, end-users can choose between English and French user interfaces.

“Contractor and supplier management is a global issue, and we’re providing global solutions,” says Cal Fairbanks, President and CEO of ComplyWorks Ltd. “The multilingual features of CMS 3.9 are a direct result of consulting with our customers, listening to what they need to manage contractors and suppliers around the globe, and meeting those needs. This release is an example of how ComplyWorks provides solutions that are relevant to our customers, their compliance requirements, the language they do business in, and the countries in which they operate. ”

The previous version of the CMS, 3.8.2, was released in January 2011 and included new Multiple-Level Compliance capabilities that are in use by 100% of CMS customers. CMS 3.8.2 also included significant enhancements to the TrackWorks tool that have resulted in its rapid adoption by ComplyWorks customers.

Montreal publisher Meridian4 today announced they’ve expanded their publishing partnership with German developer Headup Games to include the new strategy role-playing game, Grotesque Tactics 2: Dungeons & Donuts. Arriving this fall with a host of new content exclusively for digital download to the PC, Grotesque Tactics 2: Dungeons & Donuts revisits protagonist Drake and his rag-tag bunch of unlikely heroes with a completely reworked optical style, new character creations and an original storyline.

“The Grotesque series’ unique ability to parody the genre while simultaneously advancing it through smart gameplay and unique features, results in a lighthearted entertainment experience that can be enjoyed by both hardcore and casual fans alike,” said Steve Milburn, Marketing Director of Meridian4.  “The enhancements and new storyline will keep players laughing, engaged and challenged from start to finish.”

The story of Grotesque Tactics 2: Dungeons & Donuts begins as the citizens of the Kingdom of Glory celebrate their victory over the Dark Church.  While in the catacombs of their former enemies, their revelry is disturbed by a sudden all-encompassing fog.  Those that remain alive after the strange attack, barricade themselves in the depths of the catacombs.  As time passes, food becomes scarce and the people of the Kingdom of Glory begin to realize that they might all meet their demise.  The ‘heroic’ Knights of Glory, shady mercenaries and the arrogant high elves band together into guilds in order to survive and escape the dank catacombs.   Unfortunately, the guilds are far too concerned with their distaste for each other, thus allowing for an awakening of dark forces in the dungeons below.