Village Gamer

ACM SIGGRAPH, the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques will present its Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art to Charles Csuri for his visionary and creative merging of art and technology.

Through his work, Csuri inspired generations to embrace computer imaging as a serious form of artistic investigation.  An artist, computer graphics pioneer and professor emeritus at The Ohio State University, Csuri will receive the award at SIGGRAPH 2011 in Vancouver, BC, August 8.

ACM SIGGRAPH Art Award Chair Cynthia Beth Rubin said Csuri is a true visionary.  “Decades ago he embraced the aesthetic potential of early computer imaging, and since then he has unfailingly worked in both teaching and aesthetic production, keeping us growing, discussing, and moving forward.”

Csuri was instrumental in the establishment of Ohio State’s Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD), a leading center on the use and integration of emerging arts technologies, with funding from the National Science Foundation.  “Chuck Csuri’s early and unique vision of an interdisciplinary collaborative, creative research center between the arts and sciences continues to permeate our culture,” said Maria Palazzi, director of ACCAD. “All of us who have had the privilege to study and work in this environment are profoundly grateful to Chuck for his vision, persistence and leadership in this field and at Ohio State.  He has impacted the lives of generations of students who are now top professionals in graphics and animation throughout the world.”

Csuri began his work in intertwining of art and computer science in the 1960s. He experimented with computer animation, winning awards and acclaim throughout Europe and the United States.  As a painter, Csuri was immersed in the passionate discussions of his time, when abstract expressionists challenged everything from the purpose of art to the functions of abstract compositional elements.  Through his personal network of colleagues, he was also aware of parallel discourses among scientists who debated the role of computers in society.   His profound understanding of these two cultures put him in a unique position to merge aesthetics and computing, long before either group recognized the potential synergies.

With support from NSF, the US Navy and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Csuri directed research on computer graphics for over 22 years. The results of these studies have been applied to flight simulators, computer-aided design, architecture, magnetic resonance imaging, visualization of scientific phenomena and special effects for TV and film.

Csuri’s work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the ZKM Center for Art and Media, and other important collections.  He received B.F.A. and M.A. degrees from Ohio State.

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) and Bell Media have expanded their program to bring more diverse writers into the talent pool of Canadian screenwriting. The invitation is now open for interested writers in western Canada to answer a call for applications to take part in this intense hands-on educational program taking place in Vancouver this December.

This session is for writers who live west of Ontario, as they must apply to the Vancouver session, while writers east of Manitoba must apply to the Toronto session. More information for the Spring 2012 Toronto session will be released later this Fall. Out of town writers who are selected for the immersion program will be awarded bursaries to cover their travel and accommodation expenses. The application deadline for this session is September 6th.

The Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program (formerly known as The CTV Diverse Screenwriters Program) reaches out to offer emerging and mid-career writers from diverse backgrounds the chance to hone the skills they need to become successful professional screenwriters.  And one writer will come out of the program with a paid internship on a Bell Media TV series.

Each session of the Program will offer up to eight writers a one-week intensive workshop, featuring lectures, guest speakers, screenings, and more.  This immersion phase will launch the writers’ development of their original script.  After the workshop, each writer will partner with an experienced screenwriter mentor to hone their script and pitch, finishing the program with a polished calling card to the industry.  In addition, one writer will be selected by jury for a paid internship in a writers’ room on a Bell Media conventional television or specialty service show.

Eligibility Requirements in Brief:

• Not currently be enrolled in any full-time school or university program.
• Demonstrate ownership of all underlying rights to the project with which they are applying.
• Be a Canadian citizen or Landed Immigrant.
• Demonstrate in their support material an understanding of the fundamentals of screenwriting such as story arcs and character development.
• Be able to make a commitment to the one-week intensive training and the subsequent 10-12 week mentoring process.
• If chosen, be in a position to accept a paid internship on an existing television series.

Please visit the program’s web pages for a full list of requirements, FAQs and the application package (PDF). The Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program presented by the WGC is made possible through the CTV-CHUM tangible benefits. Contact Elizabeth Stewart if you have further questions.

My two cents’ worth: I hope that those of you who are contemplating this program bite the bullet and apply. If I had had access to, or even known about, the myriad of programs available in this country for creative people, especially writers, when I was much younger – granted, there are more programs now than there was back in the stone-age – and had I been encouraged to follow my creative tendencies, I would have a very different career history from the one I have now. When you see an opportunity like the one above, take it – whether you are successful in your application or not – make the attempt.

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the University of Calgary’s Ward of the 21^st Century (W21C) Research and Innovation Centre yesterday, where they experienced some of the world’s most advanced approaches to health research, education and technology.

“The Royal Couple were intrigued by the cutting-edge health practices and technologies being developed at our W21C Research and Innovation Centre,” said Elizabeth Cannon, President, University of Calgary, who led the Duke and Duchess through their tour of the facility. “We are honoured to be the only university on Their Royal Highnesses’ tour of Canada, and what they saw here was unique. The University of Calgary is one of Canada’s top research universities, and we were thrilled to showcase the work we are doing to help define the future of health and patient care.”

The Duke, who is a search and rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force, was shown several fascinating new healthcare tools including an eye-tracking system used to monitor and improve tasks performed by health care providers; a “wireless bandage” that continuously monitors core body temperature; a human patient simulator who can help simulate real-world health care scenarios; a pressure monitoring pad to help prevent bed sores; and a new computer keyboard designed for easy cleaning and sterilization in hospital settings. Read the rest of this entry »

Intelliware Development Inc. is pleased to announce its sponsorship of CodeRetreat on July 10, 2011. This one-day intensive practice event provides a unique opportunity for developers to improve their skills, interact with other colleagues in the development community and learn a range of new techniques and problem-solving skills. The sold-out event will be facilitated by Jason Cheong-Kee-You and Alistair McKinnell, both of whom have extensive experience with participating in and facilitating code retreats.

CodeRetreat will focus on the fundamentals of software development and design. Because CodeRetreat is held outside the workplace and regular business hours, participants will have a unique opportunity to collaborate in a highly focused environment. This format has proven to be highly effective for improving development skills. The event is fully sponsored and hosted by Intelliware Development.

“Intelliware has been a strong supporter of the developer community for over 20 years,” explains Bruno Schmidt, CTO, Intelliware. “We have been participating in the sponsorship, promotion and leadership of various events and organizations such as AgileTour, AgileAlliance and XP Toronto. We also host www.i-proving.ca, a technical community and destination for developers, Agile practitioners and people who share a passion for technology. CodeRetreat provides a perfect opportunity to further support this community and we are proud to be its sponsor and host.”

Ortsbo and INDYCAR have formed a multi-year partnership that makes Ortsbo.com the “Official Online Translator Service Provider” for INDYCAR and the IZOD IndyCar Series.

The official kick off of the partnership, which will allow INDYCAR’s teams, car and driver sponsors, and fans all over the world to keep pace with the premier open-wheel racing events, will be at the Honda Indy Toronto event this Saturday, July 10, in Toronto, where Ortsbo is headquartered.

Ortsbo enables real-time conversational translation in more than 50 languages and seamlessly integrates with today’s most popular social media platforms; translates e-mails on the fly with O4O (Ortsbo for Outlook) and connects with PC and Mac computers, mobile browsers and major search engine platforms.

Through Ortsbo, IZOD IndyCar Series enthusiasts around the world will be able to follow every twist and turn of the action-packed racing series and connect with their favorite drivers in their native languages.

“We look upon our relationship with Ortsbo as more than just a sponsorship,” said INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard. “It’s a true partnership that will help us expose Indy car racing to people around the world by breaking the language barrier between the fans and their favorite drivers. It will truly connect and engage all sides of the INDYCAR community.”

Transcripts of press conferences will be made available in multiple languages for distribution to the media and indycar.com as well as social media sites, and may include drivers such as 2010 series champion Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick and others.

Ortsbo will also host online INDYCAR Live and Global Events, similar to recent, world-record breaking Live and Global events with KISS band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and NBA MVP Steve Nash. These question and answer sessions between IZOD IndyCar Series drivers and fans will be made available in up to 53 languages.

In addition, Ortsbo will provide O4O (Ortsbo for Outlook) services to INDYCAR. Ortsbo for Outlook is a seamless add-on for Microsoft Outlook™ that automatically translates e-mails without any copying or pasting. IndyCar’s official website will also be translated into three languages – Portugeuse, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

“Racing fans from all over the globe can now interact with some of the world’s best drivers in a way they haven’t been able to before,” said David Lucatch, president of Ortsbo. “Ortsbo translates text automatically, eliminating the typically tedious and inefficient translation process of other services.”

Ortsbo, the free, real-time chat translator, integrates with 13 of the most popular social media platforms, including Windows Live Messenger, Facebook, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, iChat and AIM to allow users to instantly send and receive messages in 53 languages.

Avotus Corporation, a Mississauga-based provider of telecom expense management (TEM) services, eProcurement, and Call Accounting (Usage Management) solutions, has announced that the company will be participating in Cisco Live’s World of Solutions at the live conference in Las Vegas from July 10-14, 2011.

Cisco Live is Cisco’s annual IT and communications conference centered on the World of Solutions Expo which is the primary attraction of most in attendance every year. With one on one access to industry leaders, the conference attracts thousands of technical innovators and purchasing decision makers, making it the premier event of its kind in the world. Avotus is proud to be an exhibitor at this year’s event at the World of Solutions and will showcase the new release of its premier call accounting suite, ICM Unity.

Visitors will have a chance to speak with experts on a variety of solutions to find out how to enhance and extend their Cisco implementation at Avotus Booth # 2351.

“We are happy to be a part of this solution evolution as it is one of the best ways to gain and contribute insight into the future of our industry and technology as a whole. While we understand that the market is continually evolving with newer means to communicate than ever before, we stand committed to ensuring that our solutions remain compatible with the prevalent technology of its time,” said Sumer Shankardass, CEO of Avotus. “This is a testament to the Avotus team that has developed, certified, implemented, and constantly found ways to improve a solution that delivers best in class quality while remaining committed to customer satisfaction.”

Alliance numérique (AN) and the Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC) have announced the launch of the Canadian Game Development Talent Awards, a gala event which will be held on November 2nd, officially closing out the Montreal International Game Summit.

“We are very happy to launch the first edition of the Canadian Game Development Talent Awards” said Pierre Proulx, General Manager of Alliance numérique. “Our goal is to recognize the creative talent in Canada, which is now the third most important cluster in terms of video game development in the world.’’

The Canadian Game Development Talent Awards will focus on recognizing the achievements of talent from across Canada in all the major disciplines of game creation. Alliance numérique has also launched the recruitment campaign of the Canadian Interactive Academy, whose role will be to evaluate the nominations and select the finalists and winners.

This national committee will be chaired by game business consultant Jason Della Rocca. Experienced game developers wishing to join the Academy and participate in the Awards process may view complete details and submit applications from now until the end of July.

Key Dates and Deadlines:

– July 5^th – August 1^st – Academy applications accepted
– August 1^st – September 15^th – Award nomination process
– October 15^th – Award finalists announced

The Trade Commission invites Canadian creative developers to join them, along with other Canadian companies,  in the Canada Pavilion at GamesCom 2011 this August 17th through 21st and take advantage of the following:

• Complimentary exhibit space to qualified Canadian companies
• Access to free meeting space throughout the event
• An opportunity to be profiled in the GamesCom 2011 book modeled on the GDC San Francisco profile book
• Pre-show matching services offered by the Trade Commissioner Service and Provincial Government partners (including BC) while in Germany
• An opportunity to engage business contacts at the networking reception and other networking events at the Canada stand

GamesCom 2010 Stats:

• more than 254,000 visitors
• 505 exhibitors
• 120,000 sqm rented space
• 4,400 media representatives from 49 countries

For further information, please contact Nina Cagic, Senior Manager Europe.

Interactive Ontario has announced the launch of X-Summit, a new cross-media conference and partnering forum, taking place October 24-26th at The Carlu in Toronto. X-Summit is the evolution of IN: The Interactive Exchange, IO’s highly successful, multi-platform conference which celebrated its fifth anniversary last fall. X-Summit is co-produced by the Computer Animation Studios of Ontario (CASO), with the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) as Lead Industry Partner.

X-Summit marks the first time three screen-based member associations from the interactive, animation, and film and television production industries have collaborated on a cross-media business conference. IO is also pleased to announce the Canada Media Fund has signed on as X-Summit’s Presenting Partner. This partnership will also include the next iteration of the Canadian Interactive Showcase, presented by CMF, where submissions from interactive projects across Canada will be considered for a showcase to be held during X-Summit.

X-Summit will explore rich and emerging opportunities where media platforms converge, offering attendees the insights, tools and partnerships to better tell and sell their stories seamlessly across multiple channels.

“Canada is a powerhouse in the interactive entertainment industry,” said Ian Kelso, President and CEO of Interactive Ontario. “Our ability to collaborate and develop across all platforms gives us an amazing competitive advantage to create leading-edge products and services. X-Summit will be an international destination for developers and producers to gather critical intelligence and forge new relationships.”

“Canadian content creators who traditionally use television and film as a primary output source for their talent and art are developing valuable partnerships with interactive industries to give a greater experience to audiences around the world,” said Wes Lui, President, CASO. “ X-Summit is a place where creators and technologists from all industries can meet, offering more to distributors, buyers and aggregators. CASO feels privileged to be a part of an alliance that brings higher value of all our member associations on a global stage.”

“Now more than ever there is tremendous value in having a forum to discuss partnerships among film, TV and interactive content producers. The Canada Media Fund is helping to drive innovation and opportunities are opening up in the international marketplace for Canadian producers,” says Norm Bolen, President and CEO of the CMPA. “We’re pleased to be the lead industry partner for X-Summit and are confident this conference will provide valuable insights into the rapidly evolving world of cross-media.”

X-Summit explores the future of cross-media content through active learning, hands-on workshops, round-table discussions, one-on-one meetings, dynamic panel discussions, cutting-edge demonstrations and networking opportunities. Registration is now open and more details will be available soon on the conference web site.

Visa Canada has announced that ticket packages will be on sale exclusively for Visa cardholders as of 10 a.m. ET today for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival®. Visa has been a proud sponsor of the Toronto International Film Festival since 1997.

Until July 10, Visa cardholders will have advance access to the ticket packages available, including the TIFF Choice Packs for the Visa Screening Room at the Elgin Theatre.  Only Visa cardholders have early access to special Premium Packs, like the ‘Closing Night at Roy Thomson Hall’ package which includes a premium screening of the closing night film and a cocktail reception.

“As we look forward to another spectacular year at the Toronto International Film Festival, Visa is proud to offer our cardholders exclusive advance access to these ticket packages,” said Brenda Woods, Head of Marketing, Visa Canada. “We are thrilled to give Visa cardholders the opportunity to enjoy TIFF with special benefits and access that they wouldn’t get anywhere else.”

The 36th Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 8 to September 18, 2011. Ticket packages go on sale exclusively for Visa cardholders at 10 a.m. ET today, and can be purchased online, by phone Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET at 416-599-TIFF or 1-888-599-8433, and in person at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Box Office at 350 King St. West from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.