Village Gamer

The game development community knows him as McFunkyPants, but on the cover of his newly published book, he’s Christer Kaitila, B.Sc., from Victoria BC. As many of you know, Christer is one of the administrators for the very popular game jam group Ludum Dare, which, by the way, has a game jam event coming up on April 20th – 23rd. But, I digress – back to his new book, The Game Jam Survival Guide from Packt Publishing, available now for purchase. Read the rest of this entry »

Title: Rework
Authors: Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Publisher: Crown Business
Published: March 9 2010
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages – many of the pages are unused white space or illustrations
_{Disclaimer: Clicking on the book cover image or title link will take you to Amazon.ca through our affiliate link Read the rest of this entry »}

Title: Teens Gone Wired: Are You Ready?
Author: Lyndsay Green
Publisher: Thomas Allen Publishers
Published: 2011
Paperback, 280 Pages
Cover Price: $19.95
_{Disclaimer: Clicking on the book cover or title link above will take you to Amazon.ca through our affiliate account. By purchasing this book through our account, you are helping to keep Village Gamer online.}

Without a doubt, Teens Gone Wired: Are You Ready? by Canadian author, researcher and sociologist Lyndsay Green should be required reading for all parents. While both of my kids are well past their teen years and have been wired for years, this book still contains a lot of important information about one of the greatest challenges on being a parent: communication. I would go so far as to also recommend this book to teachers and caregivers who also play a part in the upbringing of our future generations. Read the rest of this entry »

Title: Powerful Exhibit Marketing
Author: Barry Siskind
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd.
Published: 2005
Paperback, 320 pages including index
Cover Price: $34.95
_{Disclaimer: Clicking on the book cover or title link above will take you to Amazon.ca through our affiliate account. By purchasing this book through our account, you are helping to keep Village Gamer online.}

It is early in the 2012 conference season, but some of the biggest events are already behind us or currently underway. Either way, it’s not too late to read Powerful Exhibit Marketing – The Complete Guide To Successful Trade Shows, Conferences and Consumer Shows by Canadian exhibit marketing specialist Barry Siskind. I picked this book up at the Wiley Canada booth at last year’s SIGGRAPH conference in Vancouver, wishing as I read it that I’d seen it before the conference – but we are now well-prepared for 2014 when SIGGRAPH returns, as well as any other event we may participant in as either exhibitor or attendees. Read the rest of this entry »

I have just finished Mass Effect 3 and I cannot express in enough words as to how amazing this game is. The storyline will grab you at the start and immediately drag you into your character’s life. This has been one emotional rollercoaster of a story for a game. When Earth was being invaded by the Reapers all you could think of was “Oh DAMN!” Read the rest of this entry »

Toronto author Alexander Galant, who worked as historical researcher for the NY Times Best Seller Dracula the Un-Dead, will be publishing his first full length thriller novel The Depth of Deception, just in time for the centennial anniversary of the RMS Titanic. Read the rest of this entry »

Usually when I hear about a comic book becoming a video game, I cringe. Normally it is because there is zero depth and the story line is a bore. However Beenox has somewhat restored my faith on this subject. Shattered Dimensions has you playing your favourite wall crawler in 4 different eras (Noir, Amazing, Ultimate and 2099). The villains are familiar (Green Goblin, Vulture…etc), but they are tailor-made to suit the era they are in, so you won’t see the Vulture in high tech gear in the noir stages. Read the rest of this entry »

Title: Little Bets – How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries
Author: Peter Sims
Publisher: Free Press (April 19, 2011)
Pages: 224
Cover Price: $28.99 _{Disclaimer: Clicking the cover graphic or the book title will link you to Amazon.ca through our Associate account. Purchasing the book through this link will help us earn money for the site.}

I picked this book up on our way home from Merging Media 2011 in Vancouver, having heard one of the speakers recommend it during his presentation. Through the wonders of the internet and cell phone technology, I was able to ascertain that our local Chapters outlet had one copy, and called ahead to have it held for me. Read the rest of this entry »

Title: Game On: Energize Your Business with Social Media Games
Author: Jon Radoff
Publisher: Wiley (2011)
Pages: 390
List Price: $35.99 CAD Disclaimer: Clicking the cover graphic or the book title will link you to Amazon.ca through our Associate account. Purchasing the book through this link will help us earn money for the site.

I’ll admit that I was leery of reading this book, mainly because I’ve grown tired of the over-used buzz term gamification, which is a main topic area for this title. I’ll also admit that I was quickly converted – not to gamification of business, but to delving into the contents laid out by Mr. Radoff. Read the rest of this entry »

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.