EA hates single player games (or does it?) | Lazygamer .:: Console ...

Though I?ve enjoyed the odd multiplayer gaming experience, I?ve always preferred for my videogames to be a form of escapism as opposed to competition or digital socialising. I love single player games. Large expansive RPG worlds that suck me right in, or linear cinematic action experiences, platformers, city builders whatever. I love single player games. You know who doesn?t? EA.

In a recent Q&A, EA?s perpetually-in-the-news labels boss Frank Gibeau boasted about how proud he is that he hasn?t approved a game that was purely single player in ages. This is probably why you can?t have Mirror?s Edge 2.

?We are very proud of the way EA evolved with consumers,? Gibeau said at a conference on cloud computing. ?I have not green lit one game to be developed as a single player experience. Today, all of our games include online applications and digital services that make them live 24/7/365.For all the investments we?ve made in mobile and social, we never abandoned consoles. We are working closely with the console manufacturers and we are very excited about the Gen4 consoles that will be launched in the months and years ahead.?

Of course, his comment caused a veritable sh*tstorm ? with people hating on EA, promising never to buy the company?s ?socially connected, online experiences? again. As you?d expect, Gibeau soon backtracked a little; saying games can be single player ? they just need some sort of social connection.

?You can have a very deep single-player game but it has to have an ongoing content plan for keeping customers engaged beyond what?s on the initial disc. I?m not saying deathmatch must come to Mirror?s Edge,? he said to Kotaku.?What I?m saying is if you?re going do it, do it with an open-world game that?s a connected experience where you can actually see other players, you can co-operate, you can compete and it can be social. Everything that we do, we see the telemetry coming in telling us that?s the best way to build our business and that?s the best way to build these experiences and be differentiated from others.?

?I still passionately believe in single-player games and think we should build them. What I was trying to suggest with my comments was that we move our company from being a packaged goods, fire-and-forget business to a digital business that has a service component to it,? he said.

?That should not be misunderstood as the death of single-player games, or single-player experiences or telling stories. Narrative is what separates good games from bad games. Or great from good, even.?

As I?ve said before, I just don?t want any of this ?connected world? nonsense in my videogames. I don?t care that JohnnYSexyPaNTS jumped further than me. I really don?t.

I just want to play great games.

Source: http://www.lazygamer.net/xbox-360/ea-hates-single-player-games-or-does-it/

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South Africa on Edge - Desmond Tutu and Tony Blair--Another Outburst

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has pulled out of a speaking engagement in Johannesburg because he refuses to speak alongside Tony Blair.

Explaining his decision, Tutu says Blair and George W Bush should face trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague over the Iraq war. Blair can consider Tutu?s snub a badge of honour.

After all, Tutu has some very colourful views about international affairs. He has made sinister and inaccurate insinuations about a ?Jewish lobby? in America. He has frequently compared Israel to apartheid South Africa, and argued that Zionism has ?very many parallels with racism?. Tutu has also urged the Jewish people to ?pray for? the Nazis, and is a subscriber to the obscene ?they of all people? argument. So I doubt Blair, who has brilliantly responded to Tutu?s outburst, will lose much sleep over this. Indeed, one wonders what is really going on here. Tutu agreed to speak with Blair, accepted the fee, and signed-off promotional posters featuring him with the former PM.

At what stage did he decide that actually, no, he absolutely couldn?t bring himself to speak alongside him?

Chas Newkey-Burden writes for the Algemeiner, from where this article is adapted.

Source: http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=75754

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Being open: The source of Twitter?s power, and its Achilles heel

Twitter?s ongoing moves to control more of its network ? in order to monetize it ? is an attempt to turn back the clock and undo some of the openness it started out with. But will it also rob the service of what made it so powerful?

As we?ve mentioned before in our coverage of Twitter?s ongoing evolution, the company is struggling to find a way of transforming itself from being a kind of real-time information utility into a media entity that generates revenue from things like advertising ? and the clash between those two visions of what Twitter stands for continues to send ripple effects throughout the social-media sphere. In a post about the implications of these changes, Union Square Ventures partner and Twitter investor Fred Wilson suggests that one of the company?s big problems is that it was too open to begin with, and now has to find a way to close things down. But can Twitter do this without losing a crucial part of what made it such a phenomenal success in the first place? That?s the question currently hovering over the company?s future.

In a recent post on my love-hate relationship with Twitter, I discussed how much I appreciate what the network has been able to provide in terms of being a real-time, open and distributed platform for publishing ? and what an important role I think that has played in making us more informed about things like the Arab Spring revolutions, for example, thanks to the crowdsourced journalism of people like Andy Carvin of National Public Radio. But I also said that I hate the fact that Twitter is closing down third-party access by other platforms like Tumblr and Instagram, and that its desire to control more of its network seems to suggest that being open and having a good business are mutually exclusive.

Can you be truly open and still build a business?

Wilson, an early backer of Twitter ? and someone who has also written a number of posts in defense of the open approach to community-building and the importance of being free ? said that he believes being open and building a business can go together. But he added an important caveat: Being open, the Union Square VC said, is something that should come later and be done gradually, not right out of the gate the way Twitter did it. As Wilson puts it in his post:

?It is better to open up slowly, cautiously, and carefully rather than start out wide open and then close up every time an existential threat appears on the horizon? [Twitter] started out completely open, which allowed anyone to build a third party client, grab a huge percentage of Twitter users, and then threaten to take them away from Twitter. That?s not a sustainable relationship.?

This is Twitter?s dilemma in a nutshell: As we and others have pointed out a number of times, virtually all of the network?s power and growth has come from outside the company itself, in a way that is unlike almost any other significant social network. As Sarah Lacy notes in a post about Twitter?s unlikely success, every one of the important elements of the service ? from the @ mention feature to the hashtag, and even the retweet ? was developed by users, not the company itself. And now those same features are the ones the company is desperately trying to monetize to justify its financial market value.

In many ways, you could argue that even Twitter itself didn?t realize what the network was capable of until these things started to emerge ? and I think they only emerged because the company decided to be as open as possible right from the beginning. It had a fully open API that third-party developers could use to do whatever they wanted, right down to creating a Twitter client that essentially competed with the service. As this problem became more and more obvious, the company started acquiring (and in some cases shutting down) other apps and services, and it has been stepping that behavior up recently.

Twitter is trying to turn back the clock

Doing this is probably a financial necessity in many ways ? especially since Twitter is trying to justify all the money that it has taken from VCs over the years, as Hunter Walk of YouTube has pointed out ? and so it is likely inevitable. And it doesn?t necessarily have to mean that Twitter shuts out third parties altogether, or clamps down on its network to the exclusion of all others: the company?s co-founder and chief product visionary, Jack Dorsey, said in a recent interview that he sees this process as ?shepherding? the ecosystem towards a specific goal rather than shutting it down.

But what if the shepherd is herding the flock towards a cliff, or just fattening them up for slaughter? Mike McCue, co-founder of Flipboard ? and a former member of the board of directors at Twitter until he resigned last month ? told the Telegraph that he is concerned that Twitter is closing down too much and that it risks losing some of the power it used to have. As he puts it:

?Twitter can be incredibly valuable as an open communications mechanism but, if you close too many things down too quickly? you could easily do a lot of damage to that ecosystem. Twitter was created as an open platform, an open communications ecosystem, and I hope it can stay that way. You have to be really careful not to let money get in the way of that.?

So if Fred Wilson is right and Twitter made a mistake by being too open in the beginning, its current evolution is an attempt to turn back the clock or rewrite history ? in other words, it is trying to find a way to undo some or all of the things that made it so powerful and fast-growing in the first place, while still hanging on to the value that being open created, so that it can monetize it. Facebook is also trying to monetize a user base that is built on free content, but it started closed and has become (somewhat) more open over time, which is a completely different challenge.

What Twitter is trying to do is a little like Wikipedia ? something that has huge social value but is not a very good business ? suddenly shutting down or controlling access to its content and inserting ads into everything. Is such a radical transformation even possible, or will the pressure be too great and cause cracks that rip the network apart in the process, or destroy its original value? We are about to find out.

Post and thumbnail images courtesy of Flickr users Fabio Venni and See-ming Lee

Source: http://gigaom.com/2012/09/05/being-open-the-source-of-twitters-power-and-its-achilles-heel/

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Bob Barker 'fine' about 'Price' anniversary snub

Damian Dovarganes / AP

By Us Weekly

Ouch! It's been five years since Bob Barker retired as host of "The Price Is Right," and apparently for producers of TV's longest-running game show, out of sight meant out of mind when it came to putting on Tuesday's 40th anniversary special episode.

Though Barker, 88, was seen in several show clips during the special, the former host was not invited to appear or attend the taping.

PHOTOS: Biggest TV feuds

"When you celebrate a 40th anniversary, you would think you'd have the fellow who did the show for 35 years there," Barker told The Associated Press after Tuesday's episode aired. Comic and sitcom star Drew Carey, who took over for the retiring Barker in 2009, hosted the special, taped at CBS' Bob Barker studio.

Barker -- a tireless advocate against animal abuse who told viewers daily to "help control the pet population" -- believes he was not invited to participate because he has criticized the prizes awarded on the program, including tickets to Sea World and the Calgary Stampede, as "inappropriate."

PHOTOS: Celebs and their pets

"We really became very careful about what we put on the show," Barker said, recalling an instance where he asked the program to stop awarding fur coats and leather jackets as prizes and they obliged. "Had I been the executive producer, they would not have even considered bringing me tickets to the Calgary Stampede of all things."

PHOTOS: What your fave 90s stars are up to now

Still, the legendary host insists he is OK with the snub. "(Producers) chose to ignore me, which is fine," he told the AP. "They haven't even offered me a DVD."

Do you think Barker should have been invited back for the special? Or were clips enough? Let us know what you think on Facebook!

Related content:

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2012/09/05/13680927-bob-barker-fine-with-exclusion-from-price-is-right-40th-anniversary-special?lite

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Acne in adults Therapies : The best way to Combat Adult Acne ...

Acne breakouts can be some sort of bacterial skin area disease which often predominantly afflicts the particular post cotonneux young adults worldwide nonetheless it is a problem that influences any fraction on the mature human population as well. People who put up with this concern and therefore are looking for adult acne remedies ought to realize that the reasons with their acne are usually identical while those that induce your skin infection inside youngsters.

You should not manage some of the things which usually stimulate acne, such as the anatomical predisposition to acne trouble or even de las hormonas modifications attributable to things such as pregnancy or maybe menstrual times. You are able to, still modify and manage the majority of the elements that may cause pimple creating for the acne breakouts which usually actually is out there there are several adult acne solutions you need to use.

To reduce or perhaps prevent the start the acne breakouts pores and skin illness the well-balanced diet regime is required. A diet that is consisting of plenty of whole grain items, more vegetables and also greasy sea food will give the body vitamin antioxidants as well as Omega-3 essential fatty acids which often it requires in order to overcome versus poisonous pollutants as well as free major molecules to hold epidermis spotless and also healthy. Using a necessary nutritional, multi-vitamin and also nutrient product is additionally an excellent thought. A naturally healthy along with healthy diet is an effective acne in adults remedy.

Everyone needs to pay a lot focus on their very own personalized health timetable when handling adult acne. Above cleaning on the skin area could distribute chlamydia yet cleaning the actual impacted locations double every day with the aid of a mild pores and skin facial cleanser and a great removing dry skin cloth or perhaps sponge or cloth will help keep follicles from the pores and skin unplugged. Actual physical routines cause sweating in excess symptoms so you have to take some sort of bath right after the session. Typically the bacterias that causes acne breakouts are often distributed by clothing and bed sheets as a result make certain that clean clothes are used soon after taking a shower and bedsheets along with pillow instances are usually cleaned very often.

There are several holistic and natural acne in adults remedies that are successful and could be used safely and inexpensively. Enhancing the your health of your epidermis and also managing the junk activity in your body may be accomplished through oral vitamin Some sort of along with supplement B6 supplements in which help stop pimple through building. A natural feed derivative called azelaic acid may be used like a relevant removing dead skin realtor in which furthermore wrecks germs within the epidermis. Teas shrub essential oil is definitely a very good relevant antibacterial that wipes typically the pores.

A lot of the arrangements that can be bought over-the-counter in the regional pharmacy are also effective acne in adults treatments. The most common is actually benzoyl peroxide that works to eliminate surplus essential oil about the epidermis, kill the actual microbes that creates acne breakouts and also spall a covering regarding pores and skin helping to stop infection of acne breakouts. This treatment frequently leads to discomfort along with dried pores and skin so that it must be applied carefully and also a moisturising cream applied in a while. Another planning which helps to cleanse as well as use on your skin layer layers will be salicylic chemical. It really is milder when compared with benzoyl peroxide so they must do not necessarily find employment as quickly or maybe successfully however highly recommended for people with delicate pores and skin.

In the event the acne in adults is usually continual and does not improve along with otc acne goods then a lot more strong pharmaceutical drugs alternatives easily available. Retinoids are derivatives involving vitamins A basically in order to detox epidermis along with destroy microorganisms whilst unplugging typically the blacklisted pores of the skin that encourage pimples and also cysts. In significant instances the medical doctor might additionally recommend a great antibiotic, possibly in the product to become used topically or to be used inside as being a capsule.

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Source: http://all-articles-directory.com/acne-in-adults-therapies-the-best-way-to-combat-adult-acne-problems/

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Eight Easy Marketing Tips for Small Businesses -Social Media ...

Every small business that wants to expand and increase their income should at least try to promote their business through the use of more than one marketing medium. Because advertisement is the deciding factor to achieve popularity and awareness, thinking of innovative ways to promote your business both online and offline is definitely a step in the right direction. Here are eight easy marketing tips for a small business that you can follow to help your business achieve greater profits:

Create a Website?? with the whole world hooked to the Internet, creating a website that showcases your business and its sundry products or services is the best way to create a global presence. WordPress offers great ease of use, flexibility, and professionalism.

Incorporate SEO tactics?? Hiring SEO writers to generate content that is relevant to your products and services while incorporating keywords will definitely increase your online presence by attracting more customers. ?If you use WordPress as a platform, your website will automatically be optimized. ?Your next step would be to start a content marketing and link building campaign to gain authority and popularity for your site, so you can start appearing in the search results.

Employ Online Ads?? taking advantage of free or affordable online ads will not only increase your online presence, but it will also increase the amount of directed traffic you get to your website, allowing for more chances to nab a potentially interested client or customer. ?You can use Google Adwords and identify inexpensive keywords to target, or use their content network which is less expensive than their adwords ads.

Try out Affiliations?? affiliating your business to websites that offer similar products and services as yours will not only result in a marked increase in traffic but your website will have a better chance of being singled out by browsers on a regular basis.

Use Social Networking?? if you?re hankering to promote your business to wider range of people, then create a fan page on a popular social networking site like Facebook. This allows more people to view your business and products and allows you to interact with droves of potential customers.

Blog your Business?? customers gravitate to business owners that they can relate to or that they have something in common with. Blogging about your ideas, hopes, and general info about how your business is doing will also allow you to connect with potential clientele.

Give Freebies?? whether you announce it on your blog, your fanpage, or your website, giving away freebies to potential clients and long-time patrons alike will cement your amicability. Doing this also helps your popularity through word-of-mouth advertising.

Advertise the Old-fashioned Way?? if you think pamphlets, business cards, and fly-leafs are obsolete, think again! This old-fashioned method of advertising is still very helpful in today?s technologically dependent times ? just make sure you add your phone number, email address, and website amidst all the other info!

Author Bio:?Marcela De Vivo?helps small businesses and non-profits establish a successful online presence. ?She writes for WhoIsHostingThis, a service that supports webmasters when selecting a hosting plan for their new website. ?Click here to check it out. ?In her spare time she loves to write, meditate, and attend marketing meetups.

Source: http://businessonline360.com/eight-easy-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses.html

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88% Easy Money

In "Easy Money," JW(Joel Kinnaman) is studying economics at university while driving a cab. One night at a party, he takes a liking to Sophie(Lisa Henni) but is told by his rich friends that she is so very much out of his league. In any case, it is probably a good thing that they do not know about his writing term papers for his fellow students, along with working for Abdulkarim(Mahmut Suvakci), a local crime boss. One such job for him involves tailing Jorge(Matias Varela) who recently escaped from jail, which brings him to the attention of Radovan(Dejan Cukic), Abdulkarim's rival. JW even goes above the call of duty, by rescuing Jorge from a savage beating from Mrado(Dragomir Mrsic). I always admire a film with ambition like "Easy Money" to tell a multi-faceted story from as many different angles as possible to show the emotional cost of crime. While many of the surface details may seem familiar, the difference here is this being Sweden which may appear to outsiders to be as close to a classless society as possible in this world. But dig deeper and that's not the case at all with JW, from a small town in the north, being as much an outsider as the immigrants. However exaggerated it might be, there is a clear physical delineation between the fair haired Swedish characters and the darker complexioned Spanish, Serbian and Arab characters. That's not the only troubling aspect of the movie as it could have been much more tightly edited with an ending that seems sudden, even with a handy dandy epilogue. And it crosses into sentimental territory too often, especially with the Mrado and Lovisa(Lea Stojanov) Show which occasionally feels like it could have come from an entirely different movie.

August 7, 2012

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/easy_money_2012/

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