Village Gamer

Awesome news from the SIGGRAPH head office:

SIGGRAPH has traditionally provided the year’s largest, most comprehensive exhibition of products and services for the computer graphics and interactive techniques marketplace. If current sales trends continue, SIGGRAPH 2011 in Vancouver will be no different.

SIGGRAPH 2011, taking place this August 7 – 11th at the Vancouver Convention Centre, is on pace or in some instances exceeding the exhibition sales data at this point last year for SIGGRAPH 2010 in Los Angeles. For instance, the current number of exhibitors participating and amount of booth space sold is higher this year than at this same point in time last year.

“Since this is the first time SIGGRAPH is being held in Canada, we are encouraged by the positive response of our exhibitors from North America and around the world,” said Peter Braccio, SIGGRAPH 2011 Conference Chair from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. “We are very encouraged by this vote of confidence from the exhibitor community. This year’s submissions are even more encouraging. The volume and quality of papers, talks, courses, artwork, films, and interactive demos submitted so far confirm that this will be one of the most memorable SIGGRAPH conferences in years.”

To register for the conference, please visit the Registration page. There is still some exhibit space remaining, if you or your company are interested in renting space on the expo floor, please visit the Exhibitor’s page. If you are a Canadian company, this would be an incredible opportunity to get your product in front of thousands of national and international visitors (side note, if you’re interested in going co-op for space, we’re looking for partners to possibly share expenses with). SIGGRAPH 2011 organizers have begun listing those who will be exhibiting at the conference – are your competitors going? Shouldn’t you be going too? There are also many opportunities for advertising and sponsorship – please click the link for the Exhibitor’s page to get all of the information.

SIGGRAPH 2011 In Vancouver – Make It Home

I am waiting (somewhat) patiently for Hothead’s Swarm to appear on Xbox Live Arcade – even though I have roughly a dozen other games to play and comment on – but at least I could queue it to download, but alas, Swarm will not be on XBLA until sometime after midnight, I believe. It is, however, available now on PSN, for those of you with PlayStation 3 consoles.

This little tidbit from THQ and Relic Entertainment will make the Cavechild happy. Warhammer®40,000®: Dawn of War®II – Retribution™ will be receiving a free update for The Last Stand™ mode is scheduled to be available for free via a downloadable patch on 6th April. The Last Stand, the game’s co-operative survival mode, will be getting an additional twelve new Steam achievements. Unlocking each achievement will grant a new piece of wargear, giving the player even more options when equipping their hero.

Big Sandwich Games announced today that their award-winning strategy title HOARD™ is available for purchase in North America on the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. To celebrate, the publisher has also put the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system version on sale. Both versions are currently selling for the low price of $9.99, although the PlayStation®3 system discount is for a limited time only. The titles can be purchased via the PlayStation® Network. If you would prefer to pre-purchase Hoard through your Steam account, you can do that now, too. Steam offers versions for both Mac and PC, and remember, the Steam pre-purchase price is 25% off the regular price right now.

Following the success of Burn the Rope, Big Blue Bubble is proud to announce their partnership with startup Krot and Enot and the arrival of their latest joint effort, Animal Pop!

It’s a bubble popping bonanza where you pop bubbles to save pets. Pop two or more bubbles of the same color to float all of the pets to the top and win. Watch for power-ups to pop those bubbles before your time runs out! Super easy controls and fantastic art combined with addictive gameplay make Animal Pop easy for anyone to pick-up and play!

Animal Pop features endless gameplay with simple pick up and play controls as well as piles of pets with power-ups galore. This looks like a very colourful and fun game – I’ll be taking a look at it later this afternoon.

The fourth iteration of Game Prototype Challenge has now concluded – well actually, it ended on March 21st, but I wanted to make sure that Jason had time to post all of the submitted prototypes to the Challenge’s web site. They’re up now, and you really should head on over and check out the thirteen “Burden and Sunshine” games. These games really do illustrate just how creative and imaginative our country’s game designers really are. You won’t be disappointed at all. I’m glad that winners don’t ever have to be chosen, because if I were a judge, I’d have a very difficult time of it.

If you’d like a chance to win a promo code for Good Guy Robots’ puzzle game Codex, check out the article over at Best WP7 Games to see how to enter their contest. They will be giving away 15 codes at the end of this week.

Banff World Media Festival has just announced its Media Leaders panel, which will be moderated by Gordon Pitts, Senior Reporter for The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business. These top executives will discuss the issues they find most pressing for today’s media ecosystem and field questions submitted online via Twitter and Facebook by BANFF delegates. Conference organizers will choose their favourite questions from among the submissions and present them to the panel at the Festival. This year’s panelist are:

Phil Lind, Vice Chairman for Rogers Communications
Paul Robertson, Group Vice President, Broadcasting & President for Shaw Media
Kevin Crull, Chief Operating Officer for CTVglobemedia
Kirstine Stewart, EVP English Services for CBC
John Riley, President for Astral Television Networks

Don’t forget about the Festival Meetups being held in Calgary (March 29), Edmonton (March 30) and Vancouver (March 31). We’ll be at the Vancouver meetup, hope to see you there. There is a Meetup in the works for Toronto, but a date has not yet been confirmed. 

Ubiworkshop has released a vinyl edition of Chaos Theory Remixed, which will be sold exclusively on Ubiworkshop for $30.00. The album is a Ninja Tune remix of the original Splinter Cell Chaos Theory OST composed by Amon Tobin. Big Ninja Tune names participated the project: Kid Koala, Lorn, The Qemists, King Cannibal, Eskmo and Daedelus, with artwork by Ninja Tunes’ own DJ Food. Coincidentally, it’s also the soundtrack for Splinter Cell 3D releasing soon on the Nintendo 3DS.

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) will sponsor 8 CMF-Merging Media Scholarships worth up to $800 each to the Merging Media Transmedia Seminar and Lab 2011 in Vancouver, BC on April 28-29, co-presenters Merging Media Productions Inc. and the Canadian Media Production Association – British Columbia (CMPA-BC), announced today.

Conducted by Anita Ondine, one of the world’s foremost transmedia educators and practitioners, the event will take place at the Vancity Theatre and BCIT Atrium, in the heart of downtown Vancouver. The CMF-Merging Media Scholarships will cover the registration fees for 8 selected participants and could include accommodation support for out of province attendees.

“We are very fortunate to have Anita tailor-make this event specifically for our rapidly converging industry,” says Liz Shorten, CMPA-BC’s Managing Vice-President. “Her workshops in Europe have been highly successful in energizing the transmedia community there, and we hope to do the same with the Merging Media Lab here for our over 85 members and the media industry”. The hands-on Lab will take a holistic approach, by upgrading the industry on multiple levels and involving professionals from various media disciplines.

“We are grateful to CMF for making this possible,” elaborates Christine Lim-Labossière, CEO of Merging Media Productions Inc. “We wish to provide a group of media professionals from mixed disciplines with a unique opportunity to upgrade their transmedia skills and understanding collectively, so that they can go on to become key practitioners and budding thought leaders in their various fields.” All applicants to Merging Media’s Lab will be considered for the Scholarships, but priority will be given to digital media practitioners (including game, mobile and user experience developers) and individuals involved in selecting projects for funding.

The half day Transmedia Seminar on April 28, 2011 is open to the public, while the Lab on April 28-29 will enable just 20 media professionals to develop projects in a intensive collaborative environment, while learning about transmedia creative and business practices from “Conception to Consumption”. The deadline for Lab applications has been extended to April 8, 2011 to enable all media sectors to take advantage of this opportunity. Results of the Scholarships will be announced in mid April.

The digital media landscape is rapidly evolving, leaving many seeking a better understanding of the impact that new trends and technologies will have on how we live, work and play. Thought-leaders and game-changers from around the world will be coming together for the 6th annual mesh conference to share insight, perspective and information on emerging trends, tools and companies within the global digital landscape.

Held at the Allstream Centre in Toronto on May 24 and 25, mesh is for marketers, media, entrepreneurs and citizens who want to navigate through and benefit from everything the Web has to offer.

“mesh is more relevant than ever as the Web is increasingly impacting society, media, business and marketing around the world,” says Stuart MacDonald, mesh co-founder. “mesh continues to build stronger content, increase the number of interactive, hands-on workshops and provide attendees with news they can use. I’m very excited about the ideas and knowledge that will be shared at this year’s event.”

Early-bird tickets are on sale now for $539 until April 20. Then, they will be available at the full price of $639. There are also 50 student tickets for $99 each. All prices are in CAD and do not include 13% HST.

Keynote speakers, attendees, panels and workshops at this year’s mesh conference will speak to four featured themes: Society, Marketing, Business and Media. The keynote speakers are:

* Society Keynote: Ron Deibert, the Citizen Lab will tackle global social issues such as state control of the internet, efforts in the Arab world to shut down the internet and efforts taken to circumvent that as well as Wikileaks and internet freedom.
* Marketing Keynote: Gabe Zichermann, The Psychology of Online Behaviour, explores the opportunities and challenges in motivating, inspiring and encouraging online users, including the use of gamification.
* Business Keynote: Mark Surman, Mozilla Foundation, will explain how companies can become more social and less hierarchical in order to take advantage of the web and how this can motivate younger, web-savvy employees intrinsically instead of extrinsically.
* Media Keynote: Jeff Jarvis looks at: how the media is changing, the rise of WikiLeaks as a press entity, crowdsourcing, transparency, where the future of journalism is headed, and the challenges ahead for traditional media entities.

Other mesh speakers include:

* Micah Sifry, TechPresident
* Wilf Dinnick, CEO of OpenFile
* Evan Smith, CEO of Texas Tribune
* Anthony De Rosa, Neighborhoodr
* Dan Debow, Rypple
* Laura Croucher, KPMG
* Kevin Restivo, IDC Canada
* David Armano, Edelman
* Lara Barlow, Canada Country Manager, Travel Zoo

In addition, mesh will feature interactive workshops focusing on topics including:

* How to use social media for reporting, journalism and more – lead by Bert Herman, founder of Storify and former foreign correspondent.
* Not-for-profits leading social media – led by Sarah Falconer, WWF; Karen Snider, Red Cross; and Misty Meeks, Argyle Communications.
* How to effectively leverage LinkedIn – led by Leona Hobbs, Social Media Group (SMG)
* How to create and build a great corporate blog – led by Eli Singer, Entrinsic Partners

I am including this story in today’s news because I feel that it shows important ways in which the advancement of technology can aid humanity not only in learning about ourselves and our history, but in seeing our potential with the responsible use of said technology.

A Canadian First World War soldier killed in action nearly a century ago can finally rest in peace following the identification of his remains and his burial last week in France. This resolution was possible due to a novel combination of identification disciplines, including that of Burlington, MA company Z Corporation’s 3D printing technology.

Private Thomas Lawless of Calgary, Alberta, were discovered in 2003 at a construction site near Avion, France. He was killed in action on June 8, 1917, a few months after the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was 28.

Two sets of remains were found at the site. The first soldier was identified using DNA analysis in 2007. A combination of historical research, forensic anthropology (the study of the human skeleton), facial reconstruction and isotopic analysis yielded Lawless’ identification, as announced on February 24, 2011.

“Although it’s sad to contemplate the loss of young lives in war, it’s rewarding to account for the missing, both for the sake of the deceased and for long-grieving family members,” said Andrew J. Nelson, a key researcher on the project and Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Western Ontario.

The identification team created 3D computer models of Lawless’s skull, derived from CT scan data of several large skull fragments, in order to narrow the list of possible matches for the remains. Physical models of the skull were produced using a Z Corporation 3D printer, which creates physical composite models from scan data much as a document printer produces a business letter from a word-processing file.

Using muscle markings on the skull model, scientific tissue-depth tables and plastilina modeling clay, the team worked with noted Canadian artist Christian Corbet to construct a face on the model. They then photographed that face, and superimposed images of it on photographs of soldiers who were potential matches. By seeing how the images lined up – by face height, width and features such as jaw shape – the team was able to narrow the list of potential matches to two. An isotopic analysis of teeth and the jaw bone indicated that the recovered soldier grew up in Dublin – a direct biographical match with Lawless. To see photos of the rebuilding process, please visit Military Historian Jeremy Banning’s site, where he has posted the images with full permission of Christian Corbet.

“Anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA testing are standard approaches for identification,” Nelson explained. “However, mtDNA requires material from living family members on the maternal side to make a connection. In this case, we had none of that at our disposal. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first instance in which facial reconstruction and isotopic analysis were added to the mix. It may result in a new protocol, or certainly new tools, for the identification of the missing.”

Private Thomas Lawless, born April 11, 1889, was a member of the 49th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force and was buried March 15, 2011, at La Chaudiere Military Cemetery in Vimy, France, with his family in attendance. La Chaudiere, a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery, currently has 907 servicemen from the First World War buried or commemorated there, including Canadian Private Herbert Peterson, the soldier found in 2003 with Private Lawless.

Private Herbert Peterson was born on February 28, 1895, in Scranton, Kansas. He and his five brothers were the offspring of Charles and Julia Peterson from Rose Lynn, Alberta. On February 22, 1916, just shy of his 21st birthday, Private Peterson joined the 137th Overseas Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force in Calgary as a private.

On his attestation form, Private Peterson listed his (1916) address as Berry Creek, Alberta, and recorded that he was a farmer, single, Presbyterian, with no current or previous military service. During Private Peterson’s medical examination, he was noted as being five feet, nine inches tall, with a fully expanded chest measurement of thirty-nine inches, a fair complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair. He arrived in England with the 137th Battalion on August 30, 1916, and was formally transferred to the 49th Battalion, CEF, on December 7, 1916. A few weeks later, on January 20, 1917, he joined the 49th Battalion in France as a reinforcement soldier. He was declared missing after action on June 9, 1917.

Until the recent discovery of his remains, Private Peterson was one of the more than 11,000 Canadian soldiers who died in France during the First World War and who have no known grave. Private Herbert Peterson burial photo credit: from the blog of military historian Jeremy Banning.

Nelson sees a variety of applications for 3D printing in anthropology beyond the identification of soldiers’ remains. For example, his team used Z Corporation 3D printing in the 2003 facial reconstruction of the Sulman Egyptian mummy housed at the Chatham-Kent Museum in Chatham, Ontario. The facial reconstruction of the mummy was also done by Christian Corbet.

“Societies who wish to move forward must know their past to better understand who they are now and where they might be going,” he said. “The high variability of cultures of the past – before the internet – tells us a lot about the interplay of traits like gender, status, health and wealth in different settings. It’s the bones that help us associate those cultural traits with a particular set of human remains. And though CT scans enable us to a look inside a mummy, for example, without disturbing the bones, wrappings and so on, 3D printing lets us extract these pieces, figuratively speaking, by creating a physical model from CT scan data. We can thus examine the bones more closely and learn more from them.”

Vancouver developer TechSingular Applications has announced the first release of Activitap, an app specifically designed to minimize the number of taps required to record what activities are being done when, and to turn this information into a deliverable timesheet without any further calculation or editing in most circumstances.

Available free of charge for a limited time, Activitap was designed for professional consultants who switch between several tasks and clients in a day. Its functionality is, however, general enough to be used by just about anyone who needs to prepare a timesheet for rapidly changing tasks.

The key to the usability of this app is recognition of the fact that professionals are likely doing things they have done before. Having entered and classified something once, there should be no reason to have to do so again. Activitap was designed so that entire log entries, or just the values used in individual entry fields (activity descriptions, categories, and timekeeping or budget codes) are automatically available as items to pick when adding new entries. There is no need to set things up; the choices grow naturally as you use the app.

Timesheet views update their totals on the fly, allowing you to view the current or past timesheets at any time. If you manually override a value, the original and new values will be remembered and the change highlighted in the app, not the sent timesheet. Timesheets are email-ready, and can be sent to anyone in your address book. A configuration option allows you to set the timesheet recipients if you don’t want to choose them each time.

As with activity logging, configuration of the application was designed to require minimum effort. In fact you may be able to use the app without any prior configuration. The most likely change you may need is the day of the week for which timesheets are generated. This is easily accomplished by picking any date on which a timesheet is required. Activitap’s default configuration ignores any entries categorized as “Personal” and includes all others in timesheets. You can change the configuration to include or exclude any categories, and also to exclude any codes within included categories. The Activitap website at www.activitap.com offers a downloadable 28-page user guide–most of the space being devoted to illustrative screen shots. The website also includes a support forum.

The largest Twitter Festival in the world returns to Canada – and the world – on Thursday, March 24th. The causes that will benefit from the twelve Canadian twestival events are wide and varied – but all share a commonality in that each organization strives to make a difference in someone’s life. None of these events would be possible without the generous support of the volunteers, locations and 100’s of corporations who have donated time, services, products and talent to make this night of fundraising a huge success. Please take a moment to thank them if you’re able to attend – or tweet one to them if you’re not.

More than 600 digital enthusiasts will connect at The Fifth Social Club in downtown Toronto to meet in-person, network and raise money for The Remix Project, a local charity utilizing mentorship, instruction and the power of the arts to inspire disadvantaged youth and help them achieve their dreams.

Through ticket sales and corporate sponsorships, including Creative Niche Inc., Rogers Canada, and Hill & Knowlton, TwestivalTO (@TwestivalTO) is already in the top three cities leading Twestival global fundraising totals.

“With 12 Canadian cities and over 150 locations across the world hosting locally organized Twestivals, we’re excited to raise the bar for fundraising through Twitter and Facebook,” said Shawn Griffiths, co-lead of Twestival Toronto’s organizing committee. “Through recent global events we’re realizing the true power of social media. TwestivalTO is the latest example of people connecting, sharing information and organizing for social good.”

TwestivalTO promises an interactive experience showcasing the best Toronto’s digital community has to offer. Highlights include red carpet Twitpics, a QR Code Treasure Hunt, the debut of ‘Canadian Twidol’ – where audience tweets decide the winner – and musical performances from The Remix Project. The evening performances will be featured during a 24-hour live stream connecting Twestivals around the world and raising money for Save the Children’s Japan Fund. TwestivalTO will also participate in an attempt to set a world record for the ‘most international charities participating in a live stream.’

“We’re very excited to partner with this year’s TwestivalTO,” said Gavin Sheppard, co-founder and executive director of The Remix Project and 2010 TED fellow, who will co-host with MuchMusic Host, Lauren Toyota. “All money raised will help creative, young people in Toronto realize and fulfill their dreams. It’s going to be truly spectacular.”

“All my mentors have been simply amazing,” said Ruthie Titus, a Remix Project graduate now working as a professional photographer. “I don’t know where I’d be right now without Remix. It’s changed my life in so many ways.”

Twestival Québec 2011 (@TwestivalQuebec) will be held at Café Babylone and the group is supporting Fondation Gilles Kegle. Café Babylon will be offering two menu options: $5.00 appetizer or $12 for a meal. DJ Andrei Herran and other artists will be entertaining attendees throughout the evening.

Twestival Vancouver’s (@yvrtwestival) will be held at The Vancouver Lookout – Atop Harbour Centre, and will be raising funds for the Beauty Night Society, an award-winning volunteer-run,  registered Canadian charity that builds self esteem and changes lives of women and youth living in poverty through three streams of programs: wellness, life skills development and makeovers. The Society helps women of all ages and from all walks of life. Homelessness, hunger, mental ill health and debilitating illnesses are some of the reasons Beauty Night’s participants connect with the Society. One in three women have experienced sexual violence before the age of 18 years old, but we have found that number to be much higher amongst our participants.

Society Founder Carolne MacGillivary shares some background about the Beauty Night Society: “If people do not believe change is possible, change will not happen. We welcome our participants as they are. They come in, make friends, access services, and many become leaders in their community.  When we ask women living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside what assistance they want, they tell us they want to be treated with dignity and respect. Beauty Night because dignity is beautiful. The makeover is a great opportunity to reintroduce healthy touch in a non-threatening way and build relationships based on trust with the participants. Through the makeover program and life skill development we are able to connect our participants with resources to help them move forward in their life.”

The Edmonton Twestival (@yegtwestival) will be supporting the Edmonton Public School Foundation, whose primary purpose is to help children get ready for life through public education. But what does that really mean? Before they even start Kindergarten, children begin learning. Research tells us that 75 per cent of brain growth occurs before age six. When children live in vulnerable circumstances without opportunities for healthy growth, their future success becomes threatened. The Edmonton event will be held at the Red Star Pub.

The Victoria Twestival (@yyjtwestival) will be supporting The Cool Aid Society, a group which traces its origins to the Cool Aid Hostel, established over 40 years ago on June 10th 1968, to provide short-term, emergency shelter to transient youth travelling the country. Today, Cool Aid operates a diverse range of social and health services for those in the Victoria community who are most vulnerable. A large portion of the funds raised at the Victoria Twestival comes from the Silent Auction – and after looking at the list of goods and services, I can see why. Head over to the Victoria Twestival page and take a look for yourself. While you’re there, scroll down and check out the awesome artists who will be entertaining those of you meeting up in the Bengal Lounge at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Caroline Spence, Adam Basterfield and Mike Ross from Spaceport Union will be performing, along with You, me and Jose as well as acoustic duo Megan Johns & Hayden Cyr and rising star Ashleigh Eymann.

Montreal’s Twestival event (@TwestivalMTL) will be supporting The Dans La Rue team, who works tirelessly to put Father Johns’ philosophy of help without judgment into action by providing street kids with food, shelter and support through their outreach programs.

Montreal’s Cabaret du Mile End is happy to host the Montreal Twestival, and set in the heart of the Mile End district at 5240 Parc Avenue for close to 30 years, Le Cabaret has seen thousands of local artists perform and contribute to make this venue a landmark of this neighborhood limitrophe to the Plateau and Outremont.

UpVenue is also supporting the Montreal Twestival, and the super talented Inuk singer, composer and filmmaker Elisapie Isaac will be showcasing “There will be Stars”  which is her first solo recording. There Will Be Stars is the much anticipated follow up to the internationally acclaimed, award winning duo Taima which she co-founded with guitarist / composer Alain Auger in 2001.

Kelowna’s Twestival (@YLWtwestival) will be held at The Kelowna Art Gallery and will working to raise funds for the purchase of five new computers for The Women’s Resource Centre. These new computers will become a part of the Women’s Resource Centre’s educational programs.

The Lethbridge Twestival (@LethTwestival) will be held at Average Joe’s and has chosen the Family Centre Society of Southern Alberta as its cause. The Society provides services to children and their families as a Family Resource Centre. It is a community-based organization, working with children, families and caregivers to enhance identified strengths, to build capacities and to promote healthy development. They also provide a comprehensive range of prevention and early intervention services to children, youth and families as well as offering early learning through play programs.

Meanwhile the Calgary Twestival committee (@YYCtwestival) is thrilled to announce Mandie Crawford, President of Roaring Women, as the emcee for this year’s fundraising event to support Making Changes. Crawford was honoured as Business in Calgary’s 2010 Woman of the Year, and has a passion for encouraging women.

“All great leaders in history have used their passion as the driving force in making a difference in other people’s lives. Mandie is a great example of someone in our community who decided to step up and make a difference,” says Jay Cloutier, Calgary Twestival committee member. “Her life’s work is to empower women to strive for the best and be confident in their abilities, which is a perfect fit for this year’s theme. We are extremely excited that she accepted our offer to emcee this event.”

The event is on March 24th at Firewater (222 – 7^th Street S.W.), and tickets can be purchased online for $15, and also sponsorship is available for as low as $100. The theme of the night spurred from one of Making Changes programs called Walk in Closet whose mandate is “To empower women by providing them with knowledge and a selection of work attire for their transition into the workplace.” At the event, there will be a paparazzi-filled red carpet, a photo booth, and models. People will have the chance to buy Espy clothes off models backs for chances to win bigger prizes.

The Fraser Valley Twestival (@FVTwestival) will be held at the Coast Hotel and Conference Centre in Langley City and will feature the following:

1. Exciting performances by Sound Refuge, Greg Neufeld, The Latency and March Hare band!
2. Delicious food provided by Mizuna Culinary, Mozart Bakery and a fresh oyster bar from 1 Fish 2 Fish
3. Mesmerizing contortion acts by Westcoast Contortion
4. Free wine and beer tastings from Vista D’oro Winery, Township 7 Winery and Dead Frog Brewery
5. Big screen xBox games from Digital Smart Homes
6. Hilarious photo booth fun with Jennifer Kirk Photography
7. Airbrush tattoos from Tattoos For Now
8. Chance to win some amazing raffle prizes and silent auction items.
9. Your ticket includes one drink ticket (cash bar available thereafter) and one raffle ticket.

This is going to be such a fun night out! Invite your friends, your colleagues – and see you there, and remember: 100% of funds raised from this event will benefit the new Canuck Place Abbotsford! It’s also 1 year anniversary of the Fraser Valley Social Media Meetup and the 2 year anniversary of FraserValleyPulse.com.

Ottawa Twestival’s (@TwestivalOTT) chosen charity is the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health, and 100% of Twestival’s ticket and live & silent auction sales (along with all other proceeds) will go to support the Foundation. Your Ottawa Twestival ticket will get you in the door at Daly’s in The Westin Hotel, salty snacks and cupcakes, a photo area to get a professional avatar picture done, lots of mingling opportunities and a Twitter demo area for those who haven’t caught the bug yet.

Whistler’s Twestival (@TwestivalWhis) will be supporting Zero Ceiling, an organization that affords at risk youth and street youth the opportunity to learn and grow through the experience of adventure sport such as skiing and snowboarding. Since the charity’s inception it has helped over 4,000 youth over 13 years.

According to the Whister Twestival page, they will be drawing for a Scandinave Spa Whistler pass from the first 50 tickets  sold, and then they’ll draw for an even bigger prize when sales hit 100, and an even bigger prize than that for the 150th.  Big Mountain Rhythm will get the party started and with  a killer silent auction, raffle and grab bag fundraiser the organizers suggest that attendees bring some cash or cheques if you want to score some cool swag and help raise more money for Zero Ceiling.

DJ Foxy Moron will get on the decks after Big Mountain Rhythm but the Whistler Twestival isn’t all about the music.  It will be a feast for the senses with Paintertainment’s Candy Girls in the house, live art stations where you will be able to express yourself on blank skis and snowboards with Whistler-based artists, showings of the top three Deep Winter and Deep Summer slideshows, not to mention tasty nibbles from Pure Bread Whistler and Nester’s. Whistler’s Twestival will be hosted at the Whistler Brewing Company.

Today marks the first day that HOARD™ by Big Sandwich Games will be available for purchase on Steam this afternoon.  It will be listed for a “fire sale” discount of 25% off the normal retail mark of $9.99.  The presale period and discount lasts until the game releases for both PC and Mac on April 4^th.

The Steam release finally brings this innovative dragon-themed game about hoarding treasure to millions of PC and Mac gamers.  All popular Steam features are employed, including over 100 achievements, leaderboards, multiplayer matching, friend invites, stats, and Steam cloud saving.  Steam Play is also supported, meaning users who own both a PC and Mac only need buy the game once.  Several new features are also making their appearance in the Steam version, including graphical boosts like Night mode and a crisp winter tileset.

“With the pre-sale on, you can pick up HOARD™ for a mere $7.50,” observes Tyler Sigman from Big Sandwich.  “That’s enormous value for a game that will give you dozens of hours of award-winning gameplay, single player challenges, multiplayer co-op and competitive, a whole bunch of levels, and best of all—lets you burn the crud out of everything that stands in your way.”

Just ahead of release date, Hothead Games has released a Swarm Sensitivity Training Video. The studio’s message is “Don’t fear others just because they’re different.” In this informative video, learn the secrets of working together with swarmites, the adorable yet clueless stars of the hit new video game Swarm coming this week to the Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network. Note, in true Hothead Games fashion, this video does contain…questionable content. 😉

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IG2_engPwA]

Ayogo’s latest Facebook title is live and doing quite well. Health Nutz, a wacky new comedy about a washed up hockey player who will inherit a Juice Bar on the condition that he gets and stays sober. The six episode series has an extensive social media component that will run alongside the series to accompany the story arc via a Health Nutz Facebook game, Twitter, where several of the show’s characters will be tweeting throughout the run of the series, and on YouTube, where there will be eighteen webisodes, six episode teasers and all of the character clips.

The Health Nutz Facebook Game launched on March 8th, four weeks before the official TV launch on APTN on Tuesday, March 29th (the show launches on HD APTN on Tuesday March 22) and Ayogo will release a new game each week until the end of the show’s series run in May.

Rocketfuel Games has a new title on the App Store for iOS mobile devices. Seek Your Own Proof: Agent Arcade is a 4-in-1 game with more games on the way and is a title for kids of all ages. Discovery Kids and Rocketfuel invite you to become a member of the secret spy agency known as the C.I.E., entering a world full of puzzles, heroes, and villains as you Seek Your Own Proof!

The four in-app games available at launch are:

* Synapse Sequence – Try to stop the sinister sequence!
* Pyramid Explorer – Zip your way through the pyramid but watch out or you’ll get zapped!
* Catch the Keymaker – The Keymaker is in your sights. Don’t let him escape!
* Double Agent – Twice the Agents. Twice the Villains. You’ll be seeing double!

Players will be able to browse through their favorite Seek Your Own Proof Heroes and Villains in the Agents gallery, explore and learn more about the world of Seek Your Own Proof as well as obtain new and unique games in future updates

Interactive Ontario’s final iLunch of the season will feature Gamification thought leader, Gabe Zichermann, who will speak about how Gamification is transforming companies big and small, from media and advertising to travel and manufacturing. Leveraging the lessons of blockbuster social games like Farmville, and years of engagement developed in frequent flyer programs, Gamification’s proponents see a fun future in which users are engaged (and succeeding) in everything from doing their taxes to getting fit.

Gabe Zichermann, author of two books and chairman of the Gamification Summit, will share some of the most interesting insights about this trend and how you can capitalize on it for your business. A highly sought after public speaker for such events as Google Tech Talk, Web2.0, and Mobile Games Forum, Gabe will bring his expertise and experience to iLunch 9 on March 30th from 12-2pm.

Wow it’s Monday already – where did the weekend go? That 48 hours really does pass by far too quickly, and I never get as much accomplished as I’d like. At least I did manage to get some Spring cleaning done in the office, what with it now being Spring – except for you people in the Eastern Arctic, that is. Sorry about that snow, Ontario. I haven’t yet found the exact bit of paperwork I was actually looking for, but our office does look a little bit less Hoarder-ish, so that’s a step in the right direction at least.

As usual there is loads of news bits I’d like to pass on to you, so I suppose there is no time like now to get started. For those of you who would like to have exhibit space at SIGGRAPH 2011, the floor plan has been re-configured to open up more space. We’d like to be a part of SIGGRAPH 2011 but can’t afford the exhibit space on our own – is there anyone out there in Canadaland who might be interested in sharing space or making a co-op booth? This could be a great opportunity to get some exposure happening. We’ve started working on our re-branding, and SIGGRAPH 2011 would be a very opportunistic time to launch. Give it some thought and let me know if you’re interested.

Transgaming Studios‘ recently released title Garage Inc. is currently available for free download in Apple’s App Stores for iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad and Mac. If you’re not already playing this Prohibition-era time management game, you should go download it now. Help Angelo build his automotive business and live the American dream while fending off some really nasty mobsters.

According to all reports, the BIG Book Drive held over the weekend in Burnaby was a huge success, with more than 10,000 books collected,  providing low-income families with an opportunity to learn. The organizers have also been able to recycle over 24+ boxes of magazines and catalogs to create a more sustainable future. The organization would like to thank everyone who has helped out so far, and remind you that this does not mark the end of the Book Drive – there is more to come. Be sure to check their website for future information.

Ancestry.ca has released a new (and free) app for the iPhone and iPad. This new app lets you access generations of family history and add facts, photos and other historical anecdotes at every turn. All you need is an Ancestry.ca family tree, an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and an adventurous spirit, and you’re ready to download the free app and hit the road in search of your story.

App Features Include:

• Lighter version of your Ancestry.ca family tree
• More intuitive to use, with iPhone and iTouch functionality
• Information is automatically available when you log in to your Ancestry.ca account from your computer
• Access trees that were shared with you
• View attached records and source citations

I noticed in the app’s descriptions on Ancestry.ca that an additional feature is listed under the iPad section, stating that you can easily upload photos, add ancestors, correct dates, include notes and more, from within the app – but this is not listed in the basic and iPhone app features.

Microsoft Canada is once again calling for entries to the 4th annual Microsoft Blue Sky Awards. The corporation is looking for individuals who have developed solutions that either break conventional processes or go beyond marginal improvements in existing products. Entrants will be assessed on the innovation behind their idea, the uniqueness of the architecture, the use of Microsoft technologies and the solution’s viability in the marketplace. Winners and finalists will be recognized at the 2011 Canadian ISV Leadership Summit (event site has not been updated from 2010) on May 30, 2011 and the winner will receive a customized engagement plan to help support ongoing software development and increase market visibility. Submissions close April 25th, please see the competition web site for full details.

Citytv has launched its Toronto CityNews app for iPad and iPhone.  The interactive CityNews app will feature the latest in local news, weather, sports and traffic that matters most to viewers in Toronto and the GTA.  The ad supported CityNews app is available free from the App Store on iPad or iPhone.

CityNews viewers can now get their news Everywhere while on-the-go with this new hyper local news app.  The app will provide up-to-the-minute news and weather videocasts throughout the day.  The app allows users to share their own stories and breaking news in their communities via their mobile device with the CityNews room by uploading videos, photos, news tips and stories.  Other features include local weather information, a map view of the news as it unfolds across of the GTA and the ability to share content from the app using social media. This would be more useful if it also covered CityTV’s other market cities.

Toronto’s Omnego™ will be showcasing the company’s comprehensive platform for mobile customer engagement this week at Orlando’s CTIA Wireless 2011. The Omnego platform enables brands to deliver digital cards, tickets, coupons and much more to a mobile application for an ongoing engagement with consumers in the mobile channel. Omnego’s web-based platform and consumer mobile application has been developed so that businesses can implement their mobile marketing strategies within weeks.

The Omnego platform is ideal for businesses that currently interact with consumers using physical loyalty, gift, ID/membership cards, or distributors of tickets/passes and coupons. These businesses can easily implement Omnego’s platform to issue digital versions of these same items, and additionally create an interactive and targeted marketing engagement with consumers. Businesses such as retailers, gift card processors, card personalizers, direct/loyalty marketers, print/online media companies, and ad/media agencies can benefit from implementing the Omnego software platform. You can check the service out at Booth 2246, located in the CTIA Ontario Pavilion.

XLmagic, a mobile web platform/HTML5 from Toronto’s Xtreme Labs Inc. is now available.  XLmagic is designed to provide a dynamic and enhanced browsing experience for all mobile phones as well as social network integration for all smartphones, catering to the increasing market demand for superior mobile web solutions and has recently been deployed by a large North American wireless network and content provider. The network subscribers will benefit from an intuitive user interface, easier access to social networks, and increased ability to manage their services via their phone.

Madra expressed excitement about the technological expertise and innovation Xtreme Labs is showcasing with the release of XLmagic for mobile operators and content providers. “Mobile web mashups with social network integration and operator billing are just the start. With XLmagic we can simplify the mobile experience for subscribers while improving their ability to upgrade and manage their mobile products and services,” says Madra.

XLmagic provides the full package from standard to customized modules for delivering content integration and management. Designed for mobile operators and content providers, XLmagic’s broad access to all phones with device optimizations and multi-language support reduces the time and cost to deliver mobile web experiences across multiple devices.

Industry Canada has re-launched the Government of Canada’s Small Business Internship Program, investing $3.5 million to create internships for post-secondary students across Canada. When the application process opens on April 1st, the Small Business Internship Program will assist small and medium-sized enterprises across Canada improve their productivity and competitiveness by hiring about 400 student interns annually to help with information and communications technology projects. Seventeen Canadian organizations have been chosen to act as delivery agencies for the Internship Program, and they will be responsible for selecting businesses to participate in the program. Funding provisions will be allocated between each of the agencies will be based on the size of the population they serve.

Nintendo introduces portable entertainment in 3D – without the need for special glasses. The Nintendo 3DS™ system goes on sale in Canada on March 27 at a suggested retail price of $249.99. It comes with a collection of pre-installed games and fun features, with more on the way.

“Nintendo 3DS can play 3D video games and take 3D pictures, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” said Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime. “The 3D display is amazing in its own right, but just as compelling are the new forms of gameplay it delivers, and the groundbreaking ways it will connect players to new content and each other.”

To celebrate the arrival of the system, Nintendo is hosting launch events in Toronto and Vancouver on March 26 from 6 PM to 12 midnight. The events will feature hands-on Nintendo 3DS demos with food, music and giveaways (while supplies last), leading up to a countdown to midnight, when the Nintendo 3DS system goes on sale. Fans can visit check out the event page for more information on the launch events as well as the Nintendo 3DS sampling tour.

Nintendo 3DS has 18 games available on launch day, with more than 30 total available by early June. Nintendo-published games available March 27 include:

• Pilotwings Resort™, a high-flying aerial adventure that lets you soar over a tropical island in a plane, on a hang glider or with a rocket belt. You can take on more than 30 challenging missions, or go sightseeing and snap pictures in the game.
• nintendogs™ + cats, which lets you train and interact with your very own puppy and kitten. They react to your voice and will even welcome you with a lick of the face as you lean in. There are three different versions of the software, each featuring a different starting breed: Toy Poodle, Golden Retriever or French Bulldog. In each version, players can eventually unlock all 27 different breeds to enjoy.
• Steel Diver™, an action-packed and immersive 3D submarine combat adventure. Take command of your sub to control its speed, depth and pitch, and use both the touch-screen and motion-sensitive controls to navigate through lush undersea environments and fire torpedoes at enemy ships and obstacles.

Nintendo’s third-party publishing partners are rolling out their biggest names for launch day. Games ready for March 27 include Super Street Fighter® IV 3D Edition from CAPCOM, The Sims™ 3 from EA, Madden NFL Football from EA SPORTS, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., LEGO® Star Wars® III: The Clone Wars™ from LucasArts™, RIDGE RACER® 3D from NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., Super Monkey Ball™ 3D from SEGA, BUST-A-MOVE UNIVERSE™ from Square-Enix, Inc., SAMURAI WARRIORS®: Chronicles from TECMO KOEI AMERICA Corp., plus Asphalt™ 3D, Combat of Giants™: Dinosaurs 3D, Rayman® 3D and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Shadow Wars from UBISOFT.

Meanwhile, Nintendo is working on Nintendo 3DS games from its top franchises, including The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, Star Fox™ 64 3D, Kid Icarus™: Uprising and new installments in the Super Mario™, Mario Kart™, Animal Crossing™ and Paper Mario™ series. The system is also ready to play nearly every single Nintendo DS™ game with its original 2D graphics. Nintendo DS games that required the use of the Game Boy™ Advance slot are not compatible with the Nintendo 3DS system.

Nintendo 3DS features two screens. The top screen displays 3D images without the need for special glasses. The bottom screen is touch-sensitive. It also has three cameras. One inner camera points at you, while two exterior cameras let you take pictures of your friends and family in 3D or 2D. It weighs approximately 8 ounces and is available in Cosmo Black or Aqua Blue.

Built-in games and applications include Mii Maker™, which uses facial recognition technology to create a Mii™ character that looks just like you; Face Raiders™, which requires you to shoot at comical depictions of your own face as well as others around you; AR Games™, which superimpose graphics and animations on the real world using the included AR Cards; and Nintendo 3DS Sound, which lets you listen to MP3 or AAC music files, or make your own recordings and play with them using fun filters. The StreetPass™ feature lets some of your games and applications wirelessly swap small bits of game data as you pass other Nintendo 3DS users throughout the day, if you choose. SpotPass™, on the other hand, lets the Nintendo 3DS system detect wireless hotspots or wireless LAN access points and allows users to obtain information and game data when the system is in Sleep Mode. Free software and videos will also become available with future system updates.

Soon Nintendo will roll out a series of additional features for Nintendo 3DS, including an Internet browser, an online store called Nintendo eShop, and the ability to access 3D Hollywood movie trailers. Remember that the Nintendo 3DS system features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access.