Village Gamer

The Power of Impossible Thinking
Authors: Jerry Wind, Colin Crook and Robert Gunther
Hardcover: 336 pages
Wharton School Publishing July 2004
Paperback: 352 pages
Wharton School Publishing February 2006

If ever there was a knockout book about changing your life in a positive, measurable way, The Power of Impossible Thinking is it – or at least at the top of the heap of self-help tomes. This book is filled with examples of society’s collective thought patterns and expectations, and ways to change them in your own life. If you are a businessperson trying to find original ways to grow your business, you’ll know that almost everything’s already been tried at least once. If you want to circle around the herd and forge your own path, read this book. Don’t just look at all the angles, look for the angles that don’t show. If you want to change the way your life is going, this book is for you-because it’s all in the way you think; afterall, the way you think about your reality is your reality, and only you can change it-with a little help from Mr. Wind and Mr. Crook.

The first page of this book lists a few simple questions followed by a simple statement that maybe changing the way you think will give you the answers to the preceding questions. This is followed by a promise from the authors that this book will show you how, and true to their word-they do. The authors delve into the world of neuroscience in a detailed manner, but they do it without causing you to reach for the nearest dictionary or making you fall asleep. Their approach is quite the contrary-they make you want to keep reading; simply because what they are saying makes so much sense. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever had dreams of quiting your job and moving out to a farm to try your hand at growing crops or animals?

Well now you don’t have to thanks to Zynga’s new game for the Facebook platform called FarmVille, which was released to the general public this year.

FarmVille puts you directly on the farm with a nice piece of land to call your own. You start the game by customizing your farmer’s look from suspenders to glasses. As soon as you get your virtual farmer looking snazzy you’re taken to your farm where your job is to plow some land and plant some seeds. Zynga must have spent some time thinking of this concept because it’s really quite unique.I know comparisons can be made to the other farm games on Facebook or other systems, but we’re here to look at FarmVille itself.

This game is identical to farming and because it’s played in real time and mimics the pains/pleasures of farming. Once you have farmed some plots of land you’re asked what kind of plants/trees or animals you would like to grow and are only limited by the amount of coins in your virtual account. Each type of plant/animal has a certain amount of grow and harvest time. Strawberries grow in 4 hours so you’ll find that if you plant these, you will have to come back to your farm so you can cash in your crop. If you don’t, they will wither and die. This is a unique mechanic because it makes you think how farming fits in your schedule like a real farm. You can’t just plant and walk away, this game requires a little attention each day since each crop of produce is different. With this mechanic Zynga has been able to increase their ADU (Average daily users), but at the same time it is strangely satisfying when you are harvesting and thinking what to grow next.
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Canada – Seattle in July means it’s time for Casual Connect, hosted by the Casual Games Association. This is the first year that I will be able to attend the event, and it looks like I’m going to be in some very good company. While some of us are venturing down to take part in the Leadership Development Forum being held the day before the actual conference, many others will be looking to make business connections and display their products to the thousands of attendees. It is through the assistance of the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle and the Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade that many of the Canadian companies are able to attend the show, and I know that they will be taking full advantage of the opportunity. I know that I am looking forward to meeting many of the people I have until now only known through email and press releases.

When I asked our Consulate representative for a list of the Canadian companies who were confirmed through his office to be attending, I had no idea that the number would be so high. I had planned on doing a nice blurb about each company, but for the sake of brevity and time consumption, I have opted to list each participating company or individual with a link to their respective sites.
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Montreal – Ubisoft Montreal has released the following development update featuring a conversation with 3rd Party Producer Frederic Lefrancois, who is overseeing production for Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines. Frederic is overseeing the title’s development, working closely with Kirkland, WA development studio Griptonite. The game, which will be available this winter, is exclusively for Sony PSP. As liaison between Griptonite and Ubisoft Montreal’s Assassin’s Creed Core Team, it falls to Frederic to ensure that Bloodlines will be an outstanding game and respect all of the Assassin’s Creed brand pillars.

Click To Play Video - wmv

“Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines” follows Altair’s story right after the events of Assassin’s Creed as he hunts down the ascending Templars in Cyprus. It’s the only game that explains the link between Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed 2. If you want to understand how Ezio is born and where the Codex comes from you need this game. Well,  time to dig out the PSP which is located somewhere in the cavechild’s domain…at least I have a few months…or maybe get the new generation…decisions, decisions…

Assassin’s Creed PSP picks up right where Assassin’s Creed ended. After the death of Robert De Sable by Altair’s blade, the Templars, led by Armand Bouchart, fled the Holy Land to settle on the island of Cyprus. Following their tracks, Altair has the firm intention to put an end to the Templars’ quest for power. Altair will help the local resistance fight the Templars’ occupation and get rid of the Templar commanders.
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Montreal – MyEvent.com, the leading provider of do-it-yourself event websites, announced it has reached over 10 million dollars in sales from event ticketing. Ticket sales occur on websites built using the class reunion, family reunion or any any event website builders.

All MyEvent.com websites include communication tools to help develop the website into a hub where everyone can view details of events, maps, hotel information, and much more. The website tools allow the organizer to manage guest lists, send emails, accept registrations, and sell tickets (by credit card) right on their website. There are also fun features such as photo albums, quizzes, polls, a guest book, music, video, and many other great website features.

The ability to sell tickets right on the website has been a critical part of the success of events that are being planned on MyEvent.com. In addition to being able to accept credit card payments without a merchant account, MyEvent.com allows event organizers to track all their statistics and create useful reports that are essential to managing a successful event.
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Vancouver – Recruiting software provider Talent Technology is expanding into international markets as part of its plans to maintain the continued growth it has seen since inception in 1999. Expansion plans have focused on Australia and Europe, but have seen the corporation create a client base in 12 countries.

Talent Technology is offering both its Resume Mirror technology components and its HireDesk applicant tracking system internationally. “Our range of technology enables us to provide solutions for job boards, software firms, recruiting firms and HR departments. We have great options for clients with existing recruiting software they want to improve or for those who want a complete, out of the box system” says Praj Patel, EVP of Talent Technology.

With a growing number of resellers and staff based in Europe, Talent Technology is making a long term commitment to international growth. Leveraging existing relationships with Oracle, SAP and Lawson provides access to international markets and the clients within that arena. Collaborating with these partners’ global sales teams and systems integrators to connect areas of expertise with customers forms the strategy behind these international partner relationships. “These connections have proven successful in accessing and supporting international clients”, says Jade Bourelle, CEO of Talent Technology. “We’ve found that by communicating via the client’s trusted provider we are able to demonstrate products with a greater knowledge of their needs.”
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EA Sports has announced that the release date for FIFA 10 will be available in stores internationally from October 2nd for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, Wii™ home video game system, PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and mobile.

*Volunteer Canada has harnessed the power of social media to aid in matching corporate Canada with volunteer opportunities across the country. Through the Centre for Excellence in Corporate Community Involvement, businesses and non-profits from across the country are joining the nationwide membership of Volunteer Canada in an effort to better communicate and work together in partnership as they exchange ideas, best practices, tools and resources.

“This online tool will build upon a solid foundation of corporations that have already engaged their employees to give back to their communities,” said Ruth MacKenzie, president of Volunteer Canada. “Through partnership and communication, we will ensure that this engagement meets the needs of non-profit organizations across the country.”

*Microsoft Canada is giving students (proof of enrollment required) a chance to win $5000.00 in tuition aide along with other great prizes. Beginning today and continuing until 11:59 EDT Wednesday September 30, 2009, students and their family members can buy any Microsoft hardware product and enter online to win.

“Microsoft Canada wants to help provide students with all the tools they need to succeed, from money that could be used for their tuition to hardware.” said Charles Chang, product manager, Microsoft Canada Hardware. “It’s a challenging time to be a student. With a shrinking, competitive job market and tough economy, there is added pressure to get a good education and increasingly limited options for funding. ”
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Sainte-Adele – Enzyme Testing Labs announced today the expansion of its international state-of-the art game testing facilities, with a new facility in Madrid, Spain. This 5500 square foot addition to the current facilities increases the total size of the game testing labs to over 28 000 square feet of fully equipped and secure lab space. Enzyme already has locations in Montreal, Sainte-Adele and Tokyo.

The new facility in Madrid will specialize in multilingual linguistic testing and hardware manufacturer terminology compliance pre-certification. The facility will be staffed by an additional 85 testers, dedicated technical and project management staff and a Studio Manager.

Miguel Sepúlveda will be heading up the new Madrid studio. He is a Quality Assurance veteran certified in Testing by the British Computer Society that brings with him a wealth of experience as the new Studio Manager for Enzyme Labs new Testing facility in Madrid. Before joining Enzyme Labs, Miguel held QA management positions with Lionbridge, Vodafone and EA. As a 14 year QA veteran, Miguel specializes in large scale multilingual quality assurance projects and has managed QA for software application blockbusters in a variety of different environments such as Windows, Apple, Mobile phones and most recently on all game consoles available from the major manufacturers. “I am very excited about joining such a dynamic company and dedicated team of professionals. I look forward to expanding our relationship and presence among European video game publishers and developers by continuing to deliver the highest level of game testing services to our customers which is an Enzyme Labs trademark”, said Miguel Sepúlveda about his recent appointment.
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London – Guinness World Records and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution today announced an opportunity for iPhone and iPod touch owners to become a certified Guinness World Records holder. The top player of the new Guinness World Records game app “Video Game Score” challenge, who secures the most points by August 15, 2009 will be officially crowned the iPhone gaming champion and shortlisted for inclusion in the Guinness World Records 2010 Gamer’s Edition.

In order to participate, consumers will need to download the Guinness World Records Game from the App Store and create a GameSpy account so their score can be verified and recorded remotely. Once the app is installed players can roam the globe to find and enter anyone of 36 the solo or multi-play mini-games using a customisable avatar. To take part in the Guinness World Record contest players will need to navigate to the “Video Game Score” competition found in the Cape Canaveral area. With the press of a button, players can sync their score for each game to their GameSpy account.

Offering endless gameplay that showcases the powerful capabilities of the iPhone and iPod touch, Guinness World Records features 36 entertaining game challenges based on real life world records. These digital competitions are as wacky and bizarre as they are challenging and fun. From crushing watermelons with the player’s head and plucking feathers from a turkey, to throwing a washing machine the farthest, all using the touch screen and motion sensing technologies of the iPhone and iPod touch, the fun never stops.
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Vancouver via Alliance For Arts – The arts and cultural sector in British Columbia is facing an imminent crisis. The Service Plans for the next two years show a 40% reduction in funding for the BC Arts Council. The BC Arts Council is the largest funding body in the province; last year, more than 224 communities throughout British Columbia depended on it for support.

“The impact to the province will be devastating,” said Amir Ali Alibhai, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Arts & Culture. “The BC Arts Council supports a sector that employs 80,000 people and generates $5.2-billion annually. It is bigger than the forestry and fishing industries combined. At a time when the government is doing everything they can to create and retain jobs, why are they implementing measures that will trigger layoffs and cause organizations to reduce programming?”

According to Ministry’s own research, for every dollar invested in the arts, the province gets back $1.38 in taxes. There are also countless studies that show that arts and culture creates healthy communities, enhances education, and helps to shape our cultural identity.
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