Village Gamer

Reminder: Submissions for Digital Launch Pad at Banff World Media Festival Close April 22nd. ($100.00 entry fee)

The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, will meet with representatives from the Waterloo-area information and communications technology (ICT) industry tomorrow morning to discuss issues of importance to the industry, including Canada’s forthcoming digital economy strategy. The meeting will be held at The Research Advancement Centre in Waterloo University’s Research and Technology Park.

TransGaming Studios has released a new update for Garage Inc in the iTunes App Store. The time management strategy title now features an Endless Day mode and you can now compete against other players via the Game Centre Leaderboard, fixing as many cars as your mechanics possibly can. Battle for automotive supremacy and you help Angelo work towards his dreams and fend off the Mafia.

Kung Fu Master for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad is now available at the iTunes App Store for 99 cents USD. Developed by Big Bad Brush, this Retina Display and Game Centre-enabled features the venerable Kung Fu Master, who has fallen victim to hordes of zombies and pandas intent on stealing his magic gems and shiny gold. Show them who’s boss by mastering the bamboo poles and gathering all your gold and gems back.

Get set for some action-adventure play time with Rango The Video Game from EA and Behaviour Studios, because it will be on store shelves this March 1st. Based on the Paramount Pictures full-length animated feature film Rango, the video game invites players to continue on Rango’s wild journey through new adventures inspired by the movie. The game is set in the Old West town of ‘Dirt’ where players romp through a gritty, pint-sized, Wild West filled with wild rides, off-color characters and frantic shoot-outs.

The Quality Assurance Division of Beenox Studio in Quebec City has launched an unprecedented recruitment campaign in order to fill 100 summer jobs for video game testers this summer. Interested candidates must submit their applications (French) before Friday, March 4th. Candidates chosen for the next stage of selection will be invited to the official recruitment day on Saturday, March 19th. These summer jobs are a great opportunity for gamers. We are seeking candidates with an excellent sense of observation, are energetic and who perform as a team.

The 11th edition of the CEO Vision Forum for CEOs of technology companies in Quebec ended on a high note on Saturday, February 19. Record numbers of company CEOs and their partners participated in the “Davos” of Quebec technology organized by the Quebec Technology Association, an indication of the interest it is generating and its importance in the IT and Communications industry. The 117 CEOs who registered took advantage of the opportunity to discuss issues and business practices, recharge their batteries by listening to the well-known conference speakers and meet potential buyers and partners in the industries present.

Decision makers representing major technology buyers and an American investor participated in the VIP Salons, an excellent networking opportunity. VIPs were invited from the following organizations: Aveos, CCSR (a group of purchasing departments for educational institutions in Quebec and Ontario), Cisco, Kirchner Private Capital Group, The Desjardins Group, RBC and Public Works and Government Services Canada.

On the evening of February 17, the 2011 SGF CEO of the Year, (Claude McMaster, President and CEO, D-BOX), was chosen by the CEOs in attendance by using of secret ballots; an article on the subject will appear this week in the newspaper Les Affaires, the media partner for the Award. A video clip of the 2011 SGF CEO of the Year and interviews with the three company heads vying for the title are also available in the file on the Award.

“The ever-increasing interest shown by Directors and the exceptional support for CEO Vision on the part of governments and private partners confirms the level of confidence they have in the role the AQT plays in representing ITC companies in Quebec and in supporting their growth. My warmest thanks to all who contributed to the remarkable success of the 2011 CEO Summit”, said Nicole Martel, Chief Executive Officer of the Quebec Technology Association. Attendance at the forum is limited exclusively to industry partners, the many 2011 CEO Vision sponsors and partners actively participated in the success of the summit meeting. They are as follows:

– Prestigious Partner: Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton
– SGF CEO of the Year Award Partner: Société générale de financement
– Platinum Sponsors: BCF, BDC, The DynaVision Group, Heenan Blaikie, NATIONAL and RBC
– Gold Sponsors: Essor Insurance and GCWL-Desjardins Securities
– VIP Salons Pavilion: Public Works and Government Services Canada (partner) and Cisco (sponsor)
– Media partners: Direction informatique and Les Affaires

The Economic Development Agency of Canada and Développment économique, Innovation et Exportation Québec also provided financial support for the event. The 12th edition of CEO Vision will take place from February 23 to February 25, 2012, at the Fairmont Tremblant.

With the business world being reshaped by mobile technologies, companies are moving to embrace the highly portable, Internet-linked tablet computer. Four in 10 (40 per cent) of CIOs in a recent survey said their companies will increase the use of tablets in the next two years.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology (IT) professionals on a project and full-time basis. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 270 CIOs from companies across Canada with 100 or more employees.

CIOs were asked, “To what extent, if any, do you think your company’s use of ‘tablet’ computers will increase or decrease in the next two years?” Their responses:

Increase – 40%
Decrease – 6%
No change – 49%
Don’t know/not applicable/no answer – 5%

“More organizations are discovering that tablet computers offer yet another way to increase employee mobility, while maintaining & even improving productivity,” said Lara Dodo, Canadian regional vice president of Robert Half Technology. “It’s no secret that these computers have quickly gained popularity in the market over the last year, and CIOs have recognized the potential of these devices. However, the challenge that IT departments will soon encounter is providing enough support and security in the workplace. ”

Dodo adds that businesses will likely need to hire skilled IT professionals, either on a full-time or project basis, to help manage the implementation, maintenance, development and security of tablets. This will ensure companies makes greater tactical use of these mobile devices, in order to augment their customer service and profitability.

    - Prestigious Partner: Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton
    - SGF CEO of the Year Award Partner: Société générale de financement
    - Platinum Sponsors: BCF, BDC, The DynaVision Group, Heenan Blaikie,
      NATIONAL and RBC
    - Gold Sponsors: Essor Insurance and GCWL-Desjardins Securities
    - VIP Salons Pavilion: Public Works and Government Services Canada
      (partner) and Cisco (sponsor)
    - Media partners: Direction informatique and Les Affaires

An initiative to boost the Canadian economy through the use of high-speed networking will learn from the examples set by the Province of New Brunswick and the City of Fredericton, according to the Chair of i-CANADA. I-CANADA is backed by Canada’s largest high-tech organization, the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) and “ although i-CANADA has not even been officially launched yet, and we already have almost 1,000 signatures from Canadian companies, individuals and institutions pledging support for the idea,” said Bill Hutchison, chair of i-CANADA Two communities in New Brunswick — Fredericton and Moncton — have won awards as “Top Seven” finalists in the Intelligent Communities Forum’s prestigious award ceremony in New York.

“Our vision is that Canada’s networks are the rails of light carrying the engines of the Information Age,” said Bill Hutchison. “We want companies to grow and thrive in Canada because ultra-broadband provides an ecosystem of accelerated business and social innovation and growth. We consider New Brunswick to be a leader in this area as evidenced by the international Intelligent Community awards won by Moncton and Fredericton. An important i-Canada goal is to support the sharing between communities of innovative initiatives and lessons learned and certainly the rest of Canada can benefit from understanding the success formula being used in New Brunswick.”

Premier Alward has agreed to Chair the Leadership Council of i-CANADA, working with other Provincial Premiers, business leaders, and community stakeholders across the country in developing i-CANADA, the “Intelligent Nation.” “Premier Alward’s background as a human resource development and community development expert make him ideal to guide the work of i-CANADA,” said Mr. Hutchison.

Premier Alward noted that “this brings nation-wide recognition that New Brunswick is on the leading edge of developments that are defining economic growth today. I am delighted that our province will gain profile from Canadian businesses and research organizations and participate in sharing information on how to lead other global regions and communities in the creation of tomorrow’s Intelligent Communities.”

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside has also agreed to participate. “We are honoured that Mayor Woodside will add his considerable experience to the program,” said Mr. Hutchison.

Mayor Woodside stated “Fredericton’s long-standing reputation as an Intelligent Community dates back to the early nineties when we set our sights on growing our knowledge industries. “ Since that time, Fredericton has achieved international recognition, named twice as one of the World’s Top Seven Intelligent Communities by Intelligent Community Forum of New York, and one of the North American Cities of the Future by Financial Times of London. “We are successful because we work together – – we have been an integral partner with Enterprise Fredericton, the University of New Brunswick and Province of New Brunswick to advance our Knowledge Park. The park is currently adding two new buildings to its campus including the national Centre of Excellence in Advanced Learning Technology(CEALT), and has attracted companies like RIM and Radian6. The City of Fredericton has recognized the vital importance of intellectual infrastructure as a tool to cultivate the growth of our knowledge-based economy” said Mayor Woodside.
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Reminder: Last chance to register for the BCTIA and Mac McIntosh Marketing for Leads and Sales sessions on February 22 in Kelowna, February 23 in Victoria and February 24 in Vancouver.

Voting is now open to elect 5 new IGDA Directors, and all eligible IGDA Members should have received a special election email with the subject line Voting has begun! – IGDA Board of Directors Election. This email will contain not only the link to the ballot page, but also the registered email and unique voting password for your membership account. The voting process will be open until March 18th, giving you time to research the candidates and issues before you cast your vote. You can also follow the discussion on Twitter with the #igdavote hashtag or you can subscribe to the RSS feed (note, this will open your RSS feed reader).

Hothead Games is holding a contest – they want to know how you would kill a Swarmite. Submit your ideas now – the winning entry will be animated and added to the game. Need some inspiration? Here are some graphic examples of ways to dispose of Swarmites courtesy of the warped minds that creep around the Halls of Hothead:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hg0bVLdRgA]

The National Call has gone out for Entries & Curriculum for Merging Media 2011’s Transmedia Seminar+Lab. Covering the complete value chain from “Conception to Consumption,” this inspiring one-of-a-kind syllabus presented by Merging Media Productions and CMPA-BC has been tailor-made by Anita Ondine, one of the world’s foremost Transmedia practitioners, for our rapidly evolving industry. Anita’s unique workshops for “Transmedia Next” in London, UK and the “Binger Filmlab” in Amsterdam have been highly successful in energizing the Transmedia community in the UK and Europe.

For the very first time, 20 participants will be selected from across Canada for this groundbreaking Lab. The 2 day immersive sessions will bring together select mid to senior level digital media, game design, film & television practitioners to develop projects under Anita’s invaluable guidance, while exploring essential Transmedia business & creative tools, strategies and concepts. The M+M 2011 Seminar+Lab agenda includes:

• Transmedia Fundamentals, Business + Creative Development: A Parallel Process, Identifying + Implementing your Operative Ideas
• Business Strategies: Financing Transmedia, Exploring new Revenue Streams, Pitching Transmedia Projects, and more
• Creative Toolkit: Story Architecture + Bible, Using Social Media + Technology, Involving your Audience and more

Apply now to be part of this exclusive group. Merging Media welcomes writers, film/television producers, digital media/game/mobile developers, marketing/social media specialists, broadcasters, commissioning editors and educators. Apply online and then fill in the Master Class Lab Application (PDF). Send your application to Merging Media by March 31st.

Seminar+Lab – CMPA Members: $265.49+HST, Non-members: $398.23+ HST
Seminar Only– CMPA Members/Student: $26.49+HST, Non-members: 39.82+HST

Highly subsidized rates have been made possible by our Merging Media 2011 Partners.

UBC Certificate in Entertainment Administration is offering friends of Merging Media a 10% discount on courses in its Spring term. Enhance your business and management skills for the entertainment industry with the award-winning UBC Certificate in Entertainment Administration courses in entertainment law, marketing, distribution, financing, digital media etc. See the course page for more information or call 604-822-1420. Discount code: MEDIAFILM1420 for all Spring 2011 term sessions except BC Film Orientation course.

Wired Woman Toronto is hosting a seminar titled Tap Into Your Hidden Talents: Unlock Your Potential to Build a Successful Career on the evening of Tuesday, March 1st at the Sutton Place Hotel on Bay Street. Three prominent career coaching leaders will be presenting discussion topics which will provide you with practical professional advice. At this thought-provoking event, you will have the opportunity to learn how to assess your personal skills and strengths and also gain insights into the importance of building a personal brand and creating your professional image. The scheduled speakers are Barbara Kofman, Principal at Career Trails, Nadia Baboo, Principal at The Image Factor (site currently under construction) and Donna Messer, Principal at ConnectUs Communications Canada. Tickets for this session are $35.00 for Wired Woman Members, $45.00 for non-members and $25.00 for students.

Meanwhile, Wired Woman Vancouver is hosting two upcoming seminars. The first seminar, Writing Resumes and Cover Letters that Work, features Communications Specialist and BCIT Instructor Geraldine Eliot, who will teach you how to write a winning resume and killer cover letter to get the job you want. Whether you are a recent graduate, changing careers, or want to make sure your resume is up to date “just in case”, Geraldine will focus on helping you create a targeted job application package that gets you to the top of the pile. She’ll cover the purpose of a focused job package, the dos and don’ts of resume and cover letter writing, and help you create a unique resume that gets you noticed. It is recommended that you bring a copy of your current resume to this session, which will take place on the evening of Tuesday, March 29th in the YWCA building at 733 Beatty. Tickets for this session are $20.00 for Wired Woman members and $25.00 for non-members.

The second Wired Woman Vancouver seminar will be held at the YWCA on the evening of Wednesday, April 27th and is titled A Blueprint for Implementing a Successful Mentorship Program. Dina Grskovich, Wired Woman Director Mentorship & Sponsorship will lead you through this hands-on workshop leaving you with a tangible blueprint for implementing a successful mentorship program in your organization. Dina will answer your questions about the difference between mentoring and coaching, the different types of mentoring programs and how to create a successful mentoring program. Other covered topics will include matching mentors and mentees as well as how to gauge the success of your program. Tickets for this session are $35.00 for Wired Woman members and $40.00 for non-members.  If you aren’t a Wired Woman member and taking advantage of discounted ticket prices, remember that membership is free.

A new location-based social media game has hit the mobile market from developer MobyWan. Mobeo is an app that, according to the product site,  allows you to “connect with your friends based on where you are in the real world. Leave items on your way to work or school for your friends to ‘trip’ on, ‘throw’ items at the mall or grocery store where you think your friends might be, or just leave notes at random locations around your city for your friends to discover. Mobeo pits you against your friends in a casual gaming environment to see who can outsmart who. Mobeo was developed with your privacy in mind, and includes powerful privacy controls to ensure your location is only shared with the people you choose.”

Mobeo is available now as a free download for iPhone and will be available later today in the Android Market.  The Blackberry version will be available later this year.

EA Sports™ has launched globally two major new features and over 50 improvements for FIFA 11 Ultimate Team, the massive online community of fans building, managing and competing with their ultimate football team in FIFA 11 on the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360®. The features and improvements will be live in Asia on February 24.

FIFA 11 Ultimate Team is free-to-play (Restrictions and conditions apply – requires FIFA 11 to play) with a massive online community of more than two million fans. It is the most popular and successful DLC ever developed by EA Sports, according to internal sales data. FIFA 11 Ultimate Team challenges community members to build a squad of the world’s best footballers by earning coins from competing in weekly tournaments and then spending them on packs in the in-game store or as currency to bid for players in the very popular auction market both on console and the web app.

Some of the additional changes include updates to the auctions to make it easier to track auctions or repost expired items, Power Passing assistance is switched off by default in online matches, and a number of general stability improvements.The FIFA 11 Ultimate Team title update released today also features:

Play A Friend Challenge – enables you to test your skills against your friend’s Ultimate Team, even when your friend isn’t online. Take on your friend’s squad whenever you like with the CPU controlling their squad. Results are recorded and presented to your friend the next time they log on to their console. Now you can prove who has the best Ultimate Team whenever you are ready to play. Plus, when you return to your console, you can see who played your squad, left you a message, and challenge them to a rematch when you want to play.

Friends Leaderboards – Compare your progress in FIFA 11 Ultimate Team against friends automatically with personalized leaderboards. Catering to how you choose to play, you can now compete and compare your progress as a trader, expert team builder, top entrepreneur in the auctions, or owner of the most valuable club.

In a effort to give back to its community, EA Mobile has launched a new Deal of The Day promo that will deeply discount games or even make them free. The Deals will last all week with Saturday February 26th being the last day. The promo will include both iPhone & iPad codes over the 6 days, each day being a different mix-up of genre & style of game. You can find out what the Deal of the Day is by following EA Mobile on Facebook or Twitter. The game up for Deal of the Day, as chosen by the EA Mobile community is Mirror’s Edge, which is on sale in the iTunes app store right now for 99 cents USD.

PocketGamer has begun naming its Top 50 mobile developers for 2011 with the release of studios placed 41-50th. IUGO weighs in at #46 while two other Canadian studios are named to the list for the first time. Big Blue Bubble makes it debut at #47 and Bight Games took the #41 spot. More Top 50 developers will be added to the list during the week, culminating on the Top 10 of the Top 50 on Friday.

Reminder: Final day to vote for your choice in the Independent Games Festival Audience Award
Reminder: Final day to apply for the Astral Media Emerging Documentary Filmmakers Scholarship Program
Reminder: Final day for graduates to apply to Doc U
Reminder: Final day for Early Bird Pricing on Social Media Marketing Best Practices for Small Businesses, Not-for Profits and Organizations at BCIT Downtown Campus
Reminder: Final day to submit proposals for the SIGGRAPH 2011 Dailies, Courses, Emerging Technologies, Game Papers, Panels, Posters, Talks, Technical Papers and The Studio

Digital Alberta is hosting two mixers on March 11th – one at the Alastair Ross Technology Centre in Calgary and one at the Nexen Theatre in Edmonton. The evening’s goal is to open the door for inter-disciplinary collaboration in convergent projects, and members of both the film and interactive digital media sectors are encouraged to attend.

canWIT BC Chapter is holding a breakfast seminar on February 23rd titled How to Get Your Tech Start-up Financed. Being held at the Segal Graduate School of Business, SFU, attendees will hear about getting a start-up company up and running, financeable and financed for future growth. Tickets for this event are $15.00 each, and Thealzel Lee of Rocket Builders, Valerie Mann of Lawson Lundell LLP and Joanne Hausch of Deloitte & Touche LLP will cover:

Investment in tech in BC
How to structure your start-up
Financing options
What makes investors invest in companies
How to attract investors’ attention
Key issues to consider in the early-days of your start-up

One week remains before the Canadian Internet Forum takes place in Ottawa on February 25th. Hosted by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) and its partners, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Media Awareness Network (MNet), this event is an opportunity to present and examine the results of six face-to-face consultations that were held across Canada in tandem with an online discussion forum. A panel of experts will discuss the results, with topics including digital literacy, online privacy, IPv6 adoption, access to broadband, and social media, among others. Participants at the CIF will also have opportunities to provide feedback and commentary on the findings.

Experts speaking at the CIF include:

* Jacob Glick, Canada Policy Counsel, Google
* Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Executive Director, Masters of Digital Media Program at Vancouver’s Centre for Digital Media
* Marc Blanchet, Network Engineer, Viagénie
* Jim Roche, President and CEO, CANARIE
* Sally Wentworth, Senior Manager for Public Policy, Internet Society

Leading Canadian technology visionary Leonard Brody will provide the keynote address at the CIF, which is an important opportunity for Canadians to have their say on the direction the Internet should take in Canada. The results of the consultations, online discussion and the CIF will be presented to the United Nations coordinated Internet Governance Forum, a venue for stakeholders to discuss the future of the Internet, later in 2011. This event will also be webcast in English and French for those who can’t attend in person.

Hot Docs has put out a call for proposals for Doc Summit, asking Canadian producers, directors, distributors, digital and broadcast execs, and policy hawks to share their ideas on the sector’s top issues. Doc Summit is a half-day town hall forum which will be held on Friday May 6th, during this year’s Hot Docs festival, conference and market, taking place in Toronto this April 28th through May 8th.

Congratulations to everyone at Igloo Software, who picked up the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award for Innovation last evening. Igloo Software was launched in 2004 as an online network, linking researchers at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Since that time, Igloo has evolved into a for-profit company and its social-networking platform helps clients improve employee productivity and build stronger relationships with key stakeholders.

TELETOON has launched a new online contest that will see one lucky Canadian viewer win a spot as a contestant on the English-language version of its hit Hollywood Squares-inspired animation and live-action show Skatoony, a TELETOON original production from marblemedia.

Starting today and running until Sunday, March 20, 2011 at teletoon.com, eligible kids can enter to appear alongside an assortment of well-known animated characters from TELETOON’s original productions. Hosted by the animated duo of Chudd Chudders and his sidekick announcer, The Earl, Skatoony features real-life and animated contestants competing in four side-splitting trivia-based rounds to win bragging rights as well as a terrific prize. The contest winner will receive a trip to Toronto for the filming and $1,000 spending money.

TELETOON is also running the contest for the French-language version of the series from Monday, February 28 to Thursday, March 31, 2011. Full contest rules and regulations for the English and French-language contests are available online at teletoon.com.

In anticipation of their potential rise to stardom, kids can play the new Skatoony game online at teletoon.com where they can play live against their friends. Kids can register and create their very own avatar then customize its appearance in the online “store” using Skatoony bucks earned by playing the game.

Bong of the Dead, the $5 000.00 zombie movie is in the can. Writer, producer and director of Bong of the Dead, Thomas Newman took a chance of a lifetime to complete his first feature film. Being a veteran of the special effects industry, Thomas was able to turn his love and passion for film into a movie which is now being sought after by multiple distribution companies from across the globe.

The process of creating an entire film and compositing over 350 shots himself by hand – frame by frame is typically usually the work of dozens of people. Driven by passion and fueled by his hunger for success he was able to overcome many personal and technical hurdles throughout the last two years. Along the way turning the movie into what it is today.

Here is the trailer for Bong of the Dead – while it has not been officially rated, Thomas Newman notes on the trailer title that it’s Rated R, so we caution you about the content.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs9F9foULqk]

OpenText has completed its acquisition of global Business Process Management (BPM) leader Metastorm, adding complementary software solutions in the fast-growing BPM market. Metastorm is a key addition to OpenText’s Microsoft partner strategy and will help the company create a new generation of process improvement solutions that demand a combination of content and process management capabilities.

Baltimore, Maryland-based Metastorm is known for its leadership in BPM, but also provides Business Process Analysis (BPA) and Enterprise Architecture (EA) software—all will play a role in OpenText’s product plans. Just like BPM, Metastorm’s BPA and EA capabilities are complementary to OpenText’s and bring together comprehensive views of an organization—from the strategy and goals that drive the business, to the day-to-day systems, processes and people that run it, to the content needed to make the best business decisions. The BPM market has been a fast-growing segment of the software industry over the last few years.

Many processes involve content and thus require content management. With Metastorm, OpenText can now address any type of business process, whether the focus is content-centricity or process centricity. OpenText’s strategy is to add to existing solutions with new, uniquely powerful case management solutions used in areas such as customer on-boarding or claims processing, where the effective delivery of knowledge and content are a critical part of the overall business process.

Reminder: Economic Development Canada and Big Fish Games are holding a webinar on February 17th, the topic is Doing Business With Big Fish
Reminder: The Hand Eye Society Social #11 is on February 17th in Toronto and will feature speakers Jason Kaplan of Game Prototype Challenge and Damian Sommer from Griddle Jam as well as Miguel Sternberg and Andrew Pilkiw Spooky Squid Games.
Reminder: Interactive Ontario is hosting iLunch 9.04 on February 25th, when the topic will be Details of the Deal: Making Sense of Interactive Digital Media Red Tape

The Centre for Creative Communications, Centennial College, is seeking innovative and forward-thinking proposals from Canadian media, interactive, creative, technology, business and social entrepreneurs for the next wave of children’s media and multi-platform projects to qualify for $50,000 federal development grants.

The new kidsmediacentre, an industry and creative content think-tank at Centennial College, will hold an information session to interested developers, on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 5:30 pm at The Centre for Creative Communications, located at 951 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto.

Centennial College’s Applied Research and Innovation Centre (ARIC) has received ten $50,000 Federal Development grants, some of which are available to help small and medium enterprises in the kids’ technology industry launch the next big idea in children’s media. The grants are part of a coordinated strategy between the federal government and colleges to accelerate innovation and productivity in southern Ontario by asking business partners to collaborate on projects and work “hands-on” with college faculty and students in developing new and innovative technologies and services. Businesses are asked to contribute at least $25,000 towards a project in cash and/or in-kind.

“Canada has been a leader in the creation and production of internationally successful children’s entertainment properties for many years,” says Nate Horowitz, Dean of The Centre for Creative Communications. “These federal grants represent an important opportunity for entrepreneurs in the kids’ animation, gaming and interactive industries to build competitive products here and on a global scale. We’re committed to helping nurture these businesses.”

Centennial College’s School of Communications, Media and Design is currently the only college in Canada offering a post-secondary program in children’s content development and is focused on writing, production and business management in the gaming, interactive, educational, publishing, TV and film industries. A key goal of the kidsmediacentre is to act as an innovation catalyst partnering the talents of the College’s students with children’s industry entrepreneurs.

The kidsmediacentre and Applied Research and Innovation Centre will work with qualified partners to ensure their early-stage businesses have the strategic counsel and creative brand development supports to move their innovation forward.

The kidsmediacentre is exploring kids’ media futures by investing in research critical to understanding their 21st century media interactions. Working with Centennial College’s Children’s Entertainment – Writing, Production and Management program and early childhood development specialists, the kidsmediacentre’s goal is to provide a range of R&D support to cross-platform, media and entertainment content providers to ensure the kids’ media industry in Canada is vibrant, indigenous and committed to the healthy growth of children. For more details or to register for the information session, contact: Debbie Gordon, Director, kidsmediacentre, 416-289-5000, ext. 8770.

Young Canadians are invited to take part in the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) ‘Financial Fitness Challenge‘, an online contest that uses videos, Facebook and Twitter tips to help youth get financially fit. The contest is aimed at helping youth increase their financial literacy and offers them the chance to win an Apple® iPad or a grand prize of $2,000.

The Financial Fitness Challenge runs from February 15 to April 15, 2011 and uses interactive tools and scenarios to raise awareness of important financial concepts such as balancing needs versus wants, budgeting, saving and investing. This year, visitors to the site will see four new entertaining and informative videos on budgeting, credit cards, investing and investment fraud.

“With close to 60,000 youth actively participating in the challenge over the past four years, the CSA has presented financial literacy education in a format that resonates with youth,” said Bill Rice, Chair of the CSA and Chief Executive Officer of the Alberta Securities Commission. “We encourage parents and teachers to continue to develop financial literacy skills in youth by using the Challenge as a fun and informative learning tool.”

The bilingual contest is open to Canadians ages 15 to 21 and offers youth the opportunity to invite friends to join the Challenge, and to compete and engage with contest participants at a local and national level. Classroom materials including lesson plans are available to download from the Teacher and Parent Resource Centre. At the close of the contest, 13 entries – one from each province and territory – will be randomly selected from eligible participants to win an Apple® iPad, and one national grand prize winner will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship.

Vancouver-based Absolute® Software Corporation will be expanding the distribution of its consumer solution LoJack® for Laptops in partnership with SYX Distribution, a company that is an affiliate of, and provides distribution services to, TigerDirect, CompUSA and CircuitCity.com.

“Our research indicates that 40% of consumers have more than seven computer devices in their homes – many of these are treasured laptops, MacBooks and PCs. These represent a substantial investment and target for would-be thieves,” said Mark Grace, vice president of consumer business at Absolute Software. “By making our solution widely available through TigerDirect’s trusted shopping venues customers use to purchase these devices, we are making it that much more convenient for consumers to get proven anti-theft protection.”

Beginning in the first quarter of calendar 2011, LoJack for Laptops will be available to consumers as part of their computer purchasing experience at major online, B2B and retail locations including: CompUSA, TigerDirect, and Circuit City. In addition, these retailers will offer LoJack for Laptops as part of all of their computer service offerings (for example, repair services, technical support services, and software installation services). The product may also be purchased as part of Service Warranty Plans and from the TigerDirect and CompUSA’s B2B sales teams.

“LoJack for Laptops gives computer owners a degree of peace of mind that contributes to a better experience owning a computer,” said Gilbert Fiorentino, CEO of TigerDirect. “This offering is a good addition to the value we can offer our customers.”

LoJack for Laptops is the industry’s leading computer anti-theft solution for home computer users. Powered by patented Computrace® technology, LoJack for Laptops is the chosen consumer theft recovery solution of the world’s leading computer manufacturers.

Features of the subscription-based service include:

* Geolocation – For day-to-day use (in non-theft scenarios), consumers can keep track of their computer on an internet-based map.
* Device freeze – If a computer is suspected to be simply lost and not stolen, customers can freeze their computer and display a custom message for whoever finds it. In addition, an unauthorized user cannot access the content on the computer, keeping private information safe in an effort to prevent identity theft.
* Remote data delete – To protect their personal information, customers can choose to delete a pre-set group of files or all files, including the operating system.
* Managed theft recovery – If a computer is stolen, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team will work with local law enforcement to recover it.

VenCorps is proud to announce the launch of the ‘Top of Toronto’ start-up challenge. The goal of the Top of Toronto Challenge is to invest $25,000 in the best tech company in Southwestern Ontario.

Making the announcement at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Sean Wise, Founding Partner at VenCorps also revealed that the Entrepreneurship department at Ryerson University would support the competition. “Ryerson is clearly a hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship” said Wise “and we are interested in seeing which startup the Ryerson community tells us to fund.” Unlike other venture capital funds, VenCorps invests seed capital (typcially $25,000) based on the collective opinions of thousands of entrepreneurs, students, professional service providers and angel investors (whereas traditional venture funds rely on a handful of experts).

With one of the largest entrepreneurship departments in Canada, Ryerson students are taught by experienced entrepreneurs and venture capitalists that have themselves started dozens of companies and helped hundreds of entrepreneurs raise financing.

“Our department is committed to furthering a culture of entrepreneurship and the facilitation of start-ups in Canada” said Dave Valliere, Chair of the Entrepreneurship Department at the Ted Rogers School of Management, “working with VenCorpsis directly in line with other entrepreneurial initiatives at Ryerson University including our: StartMeUp Ryerson program and of course our incubator, the Ryerson Digital Media Zone.” Wise agrees, “With everything else that Ryerson is doing, it only makes sense that Ryerson be involved with the hunt for Toronto’s Top Startup” said Wise.

Launching on February 15th, 2011 the Top of Toronto challenge gives early stage tech companies in Ontario an opportunity to showcase their products/services in order to attract community member votes. The winner, as chosen by the community, will receive a $25,000 equity investment. VenCorps will take a 5% equity position in the winner and allow them to leverage the VenCorps community to facilitate rapid growth. Top of Toronto is one of twelve challenges VenCorps plans to pursue in 2011, with future challenges focusing on: mobile software, mass collaboration and women lead startups.

Registration is now open for members of the public to become community members. Participation through comments and votes earns members virtual points. Points which can be redeemed for real and virtual prizes or even a stake in VenCorps companies.

Women In Film Toronto, with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, is pleased to announce the WIFT-T Women in Digital Media Summit & Speaker Series, a two-year initiative designed to promote and celebrate women in the digital media industry.

Divided into three parts, the project consists of an international summit in October 2011, a high profile speaker series ongoing in 2012, and a web portal designed to foster local and international collaboration, research and mentorship.

“Globally, women produce, share and consume digital and interactive content at a tremendous pace,” says Susan Ross, WIFT-T Chair. “At the same time, women remain underrepresented in the digital economy. Through knowledge transfer, networking and mentorship, this initiative will recognize and encourage the participation of women so they can continue to play a key role in innovation and leadership.”

The WIFT-T International Women in Digital Media Summit will take place October 2011 in Stratford, Ontario. Presented in partnership with the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus, this three-day summit will focus on digital media content creation, implications for emerging technologies and business models, and the role of women in digital media globally.

“The Waterloo Stratford Campus is delighted to be a partner in the WIFT-T International Women’s Summit,” says Tobi Day-Hamilton, Director, Advancement. “Women are not only the leading consumers of digital media, but are also leading the field in content development and innovation. The Summit will gather visionaries from around the world to showcase talent and technologies and prepare for an exciting future in this fast-paced industry.”

The Summit will bring together traditional and digital media communities, as well as educational/research institutions from around the world, to explore innovation, skills gaps, policy and research in the content areas of gaming, mobile and social media.

At the Summit, WIFT-T will release a research report to update its 2004 study on employment trends in Canadian screen-based media. The new research will focus on the impact of digital trends and the participation of women and people from diverse backgrounds in all areas of the industry.

The Summit is made possible through the support of OMDC on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, in partnership with the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus, City of Stratford, Dynamix Solutions, FITC and Rhyzome Networks.

Following the Summit, the WIFT-T Women in Digital Media Speaker Series will occur every three months in 2012. Held in downtown Toronto, these luncheons will feature influential women in digital media and provide guests with key networking opportunities.

Speakers will include national and international leaders in research, social media, entrepreneurship, digital content, publishing, aggregators and distribution. Keynote presentations will be streamed online via WIFT-T’s web portal, a virtual hub where conversations that begin at the Summit and Speaker Series can continue.

Featuring an active database of local and international professionals, the portal aims to foster international partnerships in research and link digital media professionals with academic institutions and mentors.

The Women in Digital Media Summit & Speaker Series will allow WIFT-T to explore the role that women play in digital industries globally, while providing female professionals with the tools they need to become key players. The initiative will highlight Ontario’s digital corridor and showcase our leading digital media professionals to the global community.

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) will hold a webcast Wednesday, February 23, 2011, to explain the changes to the 2011-2012 Guidelines and to answer possible questions raised by the changes. This broadcast will be hosted by Stéphane Cardin (Vice President, Industry and Public Affairs) and Nathalie Clermont (Director of Program Management). The presentation will be in 2 stages: first in French from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET and then in English from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET. You are invited to review the Summary of Changes to the various Convergent and Experimental Stream programs. Comments and questions can be sent via email, asked on Twitter on the CMF Facebook page.

Please click on the following address to test drive the webcast page on your computer:

CMF-FMC Webcast

To view the webcast, Flash player from Adobe is all you need in your browser. You will be asked to provide your name and email address to access the broadcast page. (Please note that you may need to sign in again on the day of the webcast).

Vancouver-based TIO Networks Corp. has successfully launched the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) “mobile bill pay app”. This mobile payment app is an industry first by a major Utility and provides up to six million PG&E customers in Northern and Central California with the convenience of paying their utility bills on an expedited basis through their iPhones and iOS devices.

“Almost immediately from the pre-launch phase in late December 2010, we have had strong consumer interest as several thousand PG&E customers have already downloaded the App and are paying their bills” said Hamed Shahbazi, Chairman and CEO of TIO Networks. “We will be expanding the payment platform to include Android and Blackberry versions in the near future. This product was a collaborative effort with PG&E and we appreciate their strong commitment to the project.”

Millions of PG&E customers can now download the TIO mobile application from Apple’s app store for free, and enjoy the convenience of bill payment on the go, anytime and anywhere. The TIO payment application features a user-friendly interface on iOS powered devices for real-time access to a customer’s account balance and intuitive instructions, in either English or Spanish, for fast payment with Visa, Master Card or through a customer’s bank account.

Sofame Technologies Inc., a Montreal-based manufacturer of environmentally efficient industrial hot water systems and cost effective heat recovery equipment, has turned to Autodesk® to solve a pressing business need: Growing Sofame’s presence in the competitive global marketplace. Sofame’s sights are set on offering rapid delivery of its award winning industrial boiler efficiency systems.  In 2010, Sofame began a program of outsourced manufacturing, which required product redesign and standardization to speed-up manufacturing, eliminate errors, and above-all, reduce costly hours of manual work.  Autodesk Consulting will now work with Sofame to improve its engineer-to-order (ETO) business processes.  New Autodesk solutions will further reduce engineering time as well as produce vessel drawings and P&ID’s more quickly. Sofame plans to shorten sales cycles, and handle more projects with the same number of people.

Beginning Sunday April 17th HBO Canada, a multiplex channel of Astral’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada) is taking subscribers inside a land where summers span decades, winters can last a lifetime, and a bloody battle rages for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and ultimately, the Iron Throne.

Based on the bestselling fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones is a 10-part epic fantasy series that follows kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars and noblemen as they vie for power.

Created with active collaboration from author Martin, the series combines elements of the fantasy genre with a simultaneous focus on character and psychology. HBO shot the series primarily in Northern Ireland and worked with expert language creator David J. Peterson to develop an expansive language for the Dothraki, a race of nomadic warriors.

Featuring a vast cast set to portray the inhabitants of Westeros, Game of Thrones stars (in alphabetical order): Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon; Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy; Sean Bean as Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark; Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen; Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister; Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister; Michelle Fairley as Lady Catelyn Stark; Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish (“Littlefinger”); Jack Gleeson as Prince Joffrey Baratheon; Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont; Kit Harington as Jon Snow; Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister; Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark; Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen; Richard Madden as Robb Stark; Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane (“The Hound”); Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark; and Maisie Williams as Arya Stark.

Game of Thrones is executive produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss; co-executive producers Carolyn Strauss, Guymon Casaday, Vince Gerardis, Ralph Vicinanza and George R.R. Martin; and producers, Mark Huffam and Frank Doelger. Directors include Brian Kirk, Tom McCarthy, Daniel Minahan, Alan Taylor and Tim Van Patten.

DigiBC, the Digital Media and Wireless Association, announced today that its president, Michael Bidu, will leave the organization April 30, to pursue new entrepreneurial opportunities in mobile health.

“I’ve enjoyed the many challenges of running our association for almost a year and a half and appreciated being able to use my entrepreneurial skills to reshape the organization, create and stage many significant industry events, and manage the successful merger of two industry associations.

“DigiBC is now a young and dynamic organization, recognized by key stakeholders at home and abroad as BC’s leading industry association for digital media and wireless. We are focused on the convergence of digital media and wireless, and represent over 1,000 companies that employ more than 16,500 well-educated employees, and generate over $3 billion in annual revenues.”

Bidu was appointed head of WINBC in September, 2007 and worked tirelessly to create greater recognition for the wireless industry, and to create innovative industry programs and events for members. In his first year, he revived Mobile Monday Vancouver – a monthly gathering of some of the leaders, entrepreneurs and best minds in the local wireless and digital media industry.

In 2009, the boards of both WINBC and New Media BC agreed that a merger – as DigiBC – would create a stronger industry and better reflect the worldwide trend to convergence. Bidu and the two boards very quickly completed the merger – with minimal disruptions to the activities of either sector.

Bidu also created and produced two Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit Conferences, plus a number of events for Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics, including the multi-million dollar public-private partnerships that led to VXperience and Showcase and the Multimedia Gallery at the BC Canada Pavilion. Both were started from scratch, only months before the Olympics. Thanks to support from more than 100 digital media and wireless companies, both events launched successfully and on time. The results were seen or experienced by more than 100,000 visitors. Bidu also architected and produced VIDWeek 2010, another first for the BC digital media and wireless industry, attracting national and international attention to our province.

“Michael accomplished a lot during his tenure, and his drive, passion and vision were instrumental in bringing about the successful merger of WINBC with New Media BC,” says DigiBC chairman Paul Lee. “We thank him for all his work and wish him all possible success in his new ventures. Wireless Health is one of the eight strategic recommendations our board made to the Government of Canada last summer to Improve Canada’s Digital Advantage. I am pleased to see that BC is leading the way.”

Bidu will continue to lead DigiBC’s activities while the association’s board seeks a suitable replacement. He will also be appointed chair of a new committee that DigiBC is setting up to focus on the convergence of wireless, digital media, and medical research and to find solutions that will reduce the cost of health care delivery while providing a better customer experience.

“My goal is to take the BC Wireless Health Initiative, which we started back in 2009, to a new level of innovation and commercialization provincially, nationally and globally,” says Bidu.

“I thank the Board of Directors of DigiBC, the members, the numerous community and industry sponsors, the supporting local, provincial and federal government organizations, the media and the many volunteers for all their past help, and for their continuing support of what we achieved together in the past three and a half years. I will seek for your support in the future and know I can count on it.”

Editor’s 2 cents’ worth: I’d like to see either Lynda Boyd or Rochelle Grayson back in the leader’s seat at DigiBC. Those two ladies know how to get things done.

The CATAAlliance initiative i-CANADA and IBM Canada have announced that IBM is becoming a Diamond Sponsor of the i-CANADA program, designed to spur the development of Intelligent Communities across the country. i-CANADA’s goal is to use advanced communications and collaborative applications to generate economic growth, build skills, support new social initiatives and improve the delivery of government and business services.

“The need to create Intelligent Communities is more urgent than ever”, said Pat Horgan, IBM Manufacturing, Development and Operations Vice President. “To compete in the 21st century economic environment, cities will need to better apply advanced information technology, analytics and system thinking to develop more entrepreneurial citizen-centric approaches to their development. By doing so, they can better attract, create, enable and retain their citizen’s skills, knowledge and creativity. Forward looking civic leaders will alter their investment strategies to optimize city services around highly skilled, innovative citizens and communities, as well as knowledge-intensive businesses. IBM supports fully the i-CANADA program of catalyzing the country as an Innovation Nation through the development of intelligent communities of world top class.”

“We are pleased to see the power and momentum of IBM enrolled in our program dedicated to the creation of intelligent communities across the country”, noted Bill Hutchison, Chair of i-CANADA. “IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative and their advanced Smart Cities Assessment tools and associated services are helping cities all over the world to identify strategic areas of competitive improvement. The world’s leading i-Nations consistently have high rankings in innovation, productivity, job creation and social prosperity. Our goal is to bring at least 30 Canadian communities into their ranks as defined by the Intelligent Community Forum in New York.”

Mr. Hutchison added that “We see i-CANADA as the new “National Dream”, much like the original railroad across the country, but with the 21st century view where communications are the rails of light, carrying knowledge and ideas between the shining communities of a global intelligent economy. The vision for i-CANADA is a nation of provincial and local Intelligent Communities large and small, urban and remote, featuring great places to live with innovation cultures leveraging unified and intelligent communication infrastructures, supporting growth in jobs and the economy in tandem with social prosperity for all citizens.”

Kobo Wireless eReader is now available at Best Buy Canada, both in-store and online. You can pick up the Onyx, Pearlized Lilac or Metallic Silver eReaders for $149.00 each from Best Buy, Chapters-Indigo or Walmart stores across Canada.

The 2011 Canada 3.0 conference has opened registration for this year’s event, which will take place in Stratford on May 2nd through 5th. The Early Bird rate of $495.00 + taxes and service charge will be available until midnight on March 3th, when ticket prices will go up to $695.00 + taxes and processing charge. There is a StartUp/Small Business/Non-Profit price available for $225.00 + taxes and service charge as well as ticketing options for students. If you register before February 18th you will automatically be entered for a draw to win a copy of MacroWikinomics, personally addressed and signed by author Anthony D. Williams. Please see the Canada 3.0 web site for this year’s confirmed speakers.

Monde Media and Bug Tracker have made two personnel announcements this morning – Jean-Robert Michel, Monde Media’s former General Manager has moved into the dual role of Production Director for both Bug-Tracker and Monde Media, while Monde Media’s former COO has become the new Client Relationship Director for both entities.

In other comings and goings, the BC Technology Industry Association announced today that its President, Pascal Spothelfer will leave the organization June 30^th to return to the corporate sector. Spothelfer was appointed President & CEO of the BC Technology Industry Association in November of 2007, and since that time has successfully raised the level of recognition of the organization and BC’s technology industry through his leadership, commitment to collaboration, and tireless advocacy efforts.

“My past three years at the BCTIA have allowed me to get to know our technology community on a very different level. It has been most rewarding both personally and professionally,” said Spothelfer. “I have met and worked with incredibly smart, engaged and inspiring people – experiences that will fuel my passion to assist in the further growth of BC’s technology industry not just until my departure from the BCTIA, but in whatever role I pursue in the future. “

Paul Gorton, Chair of the BCTIA commented, “We will greatly miss having Pascal’s passion and vision. On behalf of the Board, I thank Pascal for his commitment to the BCTIA, and we wish him the utmost success in the future.”

Pascal will continue to lead the BCTIA and work with the board on the leadership transition until his departure at the end of June. A formal search has been initiated by the BCTIA and will be facilitated by Odgers Berndtson. Please contact Caroline Jellinck at 604 602 2556 for more information.

Canadian developers seem to have a thing for hippos – here is some info from three Canadian enterprises which contain “hippo” in their names.

Rock Hippo Productions Ltd has launched the second closed beta for its cartoon-style third person action shooter, MicroVolts. This second phase of testing will continue for approximately two weeks in preparation for the official release day. In addition, the company has released all-new screen shots of the game and is holding a special “Free-for-All” tournament which will kick off Saturday, February 5th. Winning players will be awarded their choice of any weapon they want to use with the launch of the Open Beta. Players who visit the game’s website will be able to learn more about the game and the events as well as register for a beta key.

MicroVolts features fast paced, third person shooter action and pits players against each other in a secret battle that has been waged and going unnoticed right in our own backyard for years. No one knows for sure when or where the first toy declared war but rumor has it that the uprising began with four original limited edition figures, code named MicroVolts. Battle lines were drawn when Naomi, Knox, Pandora, and C.H.I.P.-the prototypes a-were soon joined by an endless number of modified versions. Now, toy figures around the world are engaged in an all-out war for valuable battery resources and supremacy of the Micro World. All we can do now is stay out of their way and wait for a champion to be declared!

With a ton of weapons, inventive character designs, and a huge list of customization features, MicroVolts is destined to invigorate and re-energize the Free2play space. Intuitive controls and a third person view make the game easy to play and fun for both newcomers and veterans of shooter games. Game modes include Free for All, Team Deathmatch, Item Match, Capture the Battery, and many more featuring various maps designed by toy concept.

Tiny Hippos, a start-up based in Waterloo, has a product which will be of interest to all of you mobile developers out there. According to its site, this product, which is named Ripple Emulator, is a multi-platform mobile environment emulator that runs in a web browser and is custom-tailored to HTML5 mobile application testing. Ripple aims to reduce the challenges being faced by mobile developers caused by today’s platform fragmentation in the marketplace.

Ripple is built as a Chrome extension, running as part of the Chrome browser and takes advantage of our back-end services to perform some of the more complex operations. It offers the ability to look under the hood of your mobile applications, gaining full visibility into what your it is doing. It also allows for the use of existing tools to perform JavaScript debugging, HTML DOM inspection, automated testing, as well as multiple device and screen resolution emulation in real-time without having to redeploy the mobile application or restart the emulator.

Meanwhile, just down the highway a bit from Tiny Hippos is Mercury Grove, an Ottawa-based developer who has an enterprise called Network Hippo, which according to Mercury Grove’s site connects to users’ email, address books, and social networks to consolidate all of their professional contacts, remind them to stay in touch with important people, and makes it easy to connect online or through email. Mercury Grove also offers a service called Web Collaboration, which is an online workspaces for internal teams, partners, and clients. Unlike other team sharing services, Web Collaboration can be setup in minutes and requires no download, installation or administration.

Another collaboration-style service I stumbled across is Vancouver-developed Jostle. I found this site because the person behind Jostle’s Twitter account retweeted one of my Game Design Expo live tweets. According to the Jostle web site, a People Engagement Platform™ that glues enterprises together. This platform enables innovative companies to clarify their organization, reveal hidden expertise and engage their employees. Jostle is enterprise software that is accessible from any web-enabled device and works like a website, without the need to install software.

Toronto’s Blue74 Labs has released a statement announcing that IIA, the studio’s critically acclaimed real-life massively multiplayer “outdoor” role-playing game sold tens of thousands of memberships in the first 48 hours of its release, making it the fastest-selling ARG game of all time. The IIA Spy Game is being compared to blockbuster hits “The Game”, “Spy Game”, and “Halting State”, a book by Charles Stross.

The IIA (International Intelligence Agency) is a real life multi-player game that gives players a real life, real feel, “off computer” role-playing game. Players don’t know about the actual game play until they are engaged in the game, which was made globally available on January 24th via a small posting on the popular “Ycombinator: Hacker News”, a web site for Internet start-ups. Expectations were less than 100 memberships to be sold the first day, Mike Curry noticed a very heavy load on his web server – realizing the game had gone viral. Registration for the game is $5.00, which interested players send via PayPal.

The company does have an official site for the game, however they are not releasing the information until its members exercise a critical classified mission. It’s believed that the mission entails a Remote Controlled UAV helicopter taking aerial photographs of the building that houses their website. It’s believed they are doing this to ensure the security of the building.

In an article released yesterday on Gamasutra, Nexon America VP of Business Development Won Il Sue spoke with reporter Chris Nutt about the million dollar Nexon iNitiative, during which the publisher asked for game dev submissions from studios around the world. Coming out at the top of heap with signed deals: One2Tribe from Poland, and Ontario studio Antic Entertainment. Nexon did not reveal exactly what type of game the London, ON Antic team is working on, other than to say one of the studios is working on a Facebook game and that both games, while somewhat of an unusual nature for Nexon, will be of the social media genre. In the meantime, check out Antic’s free to play Junk Battles, a browser-based free-to-play fast-paced vehicle combat game.

All’s fair in love and war in cartoon-land as TeleToon Retro couples pursue the love of fans and a spot in TeleToon Retro’s Hall of Fame as the Top 5 Sweethearts in honour of Valentine’s Day. Starting today and running until Sunday, February 6, viewers can vote online for their top 5 favourite cartoon love matches, for a place in TeleToon Retro history.

TeleToon Retro has narrowed the field to 18 classic animated admirers and is inviting fans to select which couples are the Top 5 Sweethearts of all-time. The list of nominees for the Top 5 Sweethearts is made up of the following cartoon couples:

Following the voting period, the Top 5 Sweethearts will be announced on Friday, February 11 and a special programming marathon featuring all five couples will air as part of the “Retro Rewind” programming block on Sunday, February 13 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET. These winners will be inducted into the TeleToon Retro Hall of Fame, joining the Top 5 favourite cartoon characters of all-time as chosen by the fans in December 2010.