Let’s Rewrite the Rules for Kids’ Media
Forty years after the debut of Sesame Street, it is once again time to rethink the way we expose kids to media.
Monthly Archives: February 2008
What I bookmarked today
GameBrix
very cool game dev platform. you can build your own game and allow other folks to modify and mash it. the ultracool factor is that it’s all browser-based.
Clicktoy Interactive Inc
Venture through a pop-up book come to life. Observe and interact with the loveable animals in their natural habitat, The Meadow.
Protexis – Enabling open, neutral and efficient networks for online digital content distribution – ESD, electronic software distribution, online software distribution, online software sales
Protexis RED (Retail Electronic Distribution) enables you to securely package and deliver your game titles digitally through major online retailers so that they can do what they do best—upsell, cross-sell and merchandise your titles to their customers. Join the RED revolution. Add your titles to the RED catalog today.
BSG’s Bill2Phone Gives Internet Surfers Purchasing Alternative
PaymentOne: Digital Payment Services That Lift Revenue
PaymentOne Provides Digital Payment and Co-Marketing Services That Enable Digital Merchants to Lift Revenues More Than 25% and Help Network Operators Increase ARPU and Retention
Muskedunder Interactive AB
Introduction to Hansoft
the most talked about dev management system at the show. Very nice. (Blizzard, EA, and Pixar were all at the booth asking very pointed question
Hillcrest Labs
aftermarket wii-like devices embedded in plush toys. His demo was a Monsters Inc PC game that involved jumping and running.
www.handy-games.com GmbH – play mobile!
HandyGames™ is one of the leading independent developers that create high quality games and applications for mobile handsets with an own international distribution network.
Welcome to D3Publisher | Main Page
IGN: JellyCar Trailer, Videos and Movies
IGN is the ultimate resource for the JellyCar trailer with the widest selection of JellyCar videos and movies.
What I bookmarked today
City Provisions Catering & Entertainment
Cleetus Friedman, a friend of mine in Chicago who has been leading catering teams for years, has just joined this company. Haven’t tried them out, but if you are looking for a caterer in Chicago, I know Cleetus is a good choice.
Serious Games: ME2 by Irwin Toy, Motion-based point system in Virtual World
What I bookmarked today
BBC – Homepage
BBC has a new AJAX homepage. I likey.
Sorry, Boys, This Is Our Domain – New York Times
Research shows that the cyberpioneers of the moment are digitally effusive teenage girls.
WANTS FOR SALE
buy the painting so the artist can buy that thing. cool idea
The Sims Carnival
dubbed the youtube for games. closed beta. hope i get picked.
What I bookmarked today
Disney Sharpens Focus on Virtual Worlds
Disney Online has created a studio to focus on its growing commitment to virtual worlds as well as games and online social communities.
What I bookmarked today
FigurePrints
Make your WoW charcter into a 3D figurine. Cool. Very Cool. Official Licensed product of Wow too.
ONEsite Acquires Social Platform; Two White Label Socnets Join Forces
ONESite, which allows you to setup your own social network, has acquired Social Platform LLC, a company that does much of the same. ONESite claims more than 2,000 customers that have setup social networks, accounting for $5 million in revenue last year.social platformTerms are not being disclosed, although this deal appears much more about combining client list, staff, and technology. Social Platform is more of a consultative outfit that builds social networks on a client-by-client bases, whereas OneSite is self-service application where you can be up and running with a social network in a few minutes with your credit card.One of my predictions for this year was that we’d see a lot of consolidation of overlapping startups. This especially makes a lot of sense in the white label social network space, where there are literally dozens of companies vying for customers, with some of the bigger names including Ning, KickApps, and Pluck. We’re also starting to see it on the consumer side, with the recent acquisition of Anywhere.fm by Imeem as a good example.
ONEsite Acquires Social Platform; Two White Label Socnets Join Forces
hmm… Can you say SFN? Even Social Platform’s image is close. bah! 
Blogged with Flock
Tags: socialnetworking, onesite, social platform
Thinking Outside Virtual Worlds
The big category is Webkinz. The company is already launching different models, but it’s also selling figurines, lip gloss, and more to monetize the interest in the brand. Lots of companies are following suit. [ed: it seems like a new one at least every week]
Barbie Girls and Be-Bratz target an older market. Barbie Girls, though, offers some free content and as taken an early lead in users Collectible cards, like Bella Sara, Chaotic, Maple Story, World of Warcraft, have also spread across the environment. In the other direction, companies like Moo.com (with Habbo), Stardoll, Zazzle, and FigurePrints.com allow users to take elements from the virtual world to the real. Sometimes that’s as simple as printing your avatar on a tshirt, sometimes it’s designing clothes for your avatar that can then be fabricated for you, and sometimes it’s the creation of your avatar itself.
TestTubeAliens.com is an alien in a tube of water, when held up to the screen, it detects screen patterns and changes the mood of the physical alien. UbFunKeys comes from Mattel and operates in the similar fashion as Webkinz, but with plastic instead of plush. Tamagotchi recently updated its online world. Me2 from IrwinToy.com is a motion sensor that records your physical activity and then points to your virtual character at home, potentially promoting activity away from the sedentary lifestyle.
Other products like iBuddy or Ambient Devices’ gadgets interface with your computer or environment to provide you more information, creating more of an augmented reality than a straight up virtual world, but creating possibilities, said Smith, for giving feedback to users away from their avatars.
Other items, like Tshirts from Thinkgeek, Firebox, eLaundry.com, and Tqualizer imprint electronics that are tied to other tshirts or products, giving feedback through interwoven screens.
Interesting post on how to extend the virtual world brand to products.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: mindcandy, moshi monsters, figureprints, webkinz, barbie girls, be-bratz, Bella Sara, Chaotic, Maple Story, World of Warcraft, Moo.com, Habbo, Stardoll, Zazzle, TestTubeAliens, Me2, IrwinToy, UbFunKeys, Tamagotchi, iBuddy, toys
What I bookmarked today
Toy Fair Notebook: Industry moves closer to new safety rules – MarketWatch
The Toy Industry Association, in conjunction with American National Standards Institute, plans to release on Friday new proposed standards to regulate toy makers. The industry is tackling three main areas to improve toy safety. The measures aim to strengthen the design analysis process, rate factory quality and bolster testing.
SmartFoxServer: flash multiplayer games gallery
Exclusive: IGA And ID Team For Free, Web-Based Quake Live
In-game advertising specialists IGA and id Software have partnered to bring you the next iteration of the classic Quake franchise
Edgar & Ellen get twin 2007 Elans
2. THE SEVEN GROUP AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATED PRODUCTION (Television Series)
Edgar & Ellen, Bardel Entertainment: Delna Bhesania, Barry Ward, Trish Lindsay, Barbara Ferro
10. BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN OR ART DIRECTION
Edgar & Ellen: Crushed, Bardel Entertainment: Greg Huculak and Zoe Evamy
Gamine Expedition: Barbie as Island Princess Rakes in the Awards at the 2007 Elans
Congrats to my old crew. You deserve a big ole professional hug like this for all of your hard work, blood, sweat and tears on that project. Go Farmers!
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Tags: Edgar& Ellen, elans, Canada, awards, Animation, Bardel
