Why not extend the principles of freemium games into real life? Here are three brilliant ideas for Farmville-ing the world.

Wired Top Stories

Abu Dhabi to create technology cluster
Abu Dhabi has announced plans to bring the global chipmaking industry to the Middle East, as the oil-rich emirate seeks to diversify its economy into knowledge-based industries.
Read more on Zawya

Researchers Pursue Plasmonics And Photonics Technology For Optical Improvements
Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded Professors Mark L. Brongersma of Stanford University and Stefan A.
Read more on redOrbit

Kiwi technology behind insurance giant’s success
Auckland. 2 June 2010. – It’s just got easier to buy life insurance through your local ANZ or National Bank branch, thanks to a project initiated by ING New Zealand and supported with software from Auckland-based Advanced Management Systems (AMS).
Read more on Scoop.co.nz

[Correct|Fix|Repair]ing your PS3 can be [dear|costly|expensive] if you do[n't| not] go about it the [right|proper|correct] way.  [Some|Many] of us get stuck with that [nasty|terrible|awful] YLOD ( yellow light of death ).  You are[n't| not] alone, and there are [answer|solution]s to [correct|repair|fix]ing your PS3.  [Take care|Be careful|Be cautious] though, because some repair [store|center|shop]s will charge you an arm and a leg.  Ask around to your [mate|buddie|friend]s and other [acquaintance|buddie|friend]s to find the right [repair engineer|repairman|engineer].  [Sometimes|Infrequently|Often] they may even come to your [plac|hous|hom]e.  There are [other|more] [choice|decision|selection]s, though.  [In fact|In fact|Actually], in can cost a lot less to just [fix|repair|correct] the PS3 yourself.  It[ isn'| is no|'s no]t that [complex|complicated|difficult] if you['ve got| have] the right help.  [The following|These|Here] are the [2|two] main [selection|decision|choice]s for PS3 repair.

When you send your Ps3 over to a repair [center|store|shop] and let them fix your Playstation [3|three], you[ will|'ll| may] have [2|a couple of|two] d[isadvantage|rawback|ownside]s first[ of all| off|ly] the costs…  You [may|could|might] think th[at th|]is is a g[ood choice|ood option|reat option] to do, but the [expense|cost]s arent [real|actual|tru]ly great.  To be [truthful|honest], it’s [a bit|a little|kind of] of [expensive|overpriced].  You[ wi|']ll have to pay $150 to let them [fix|repair|correct] your console, but thats not everything yet.  Another [great|big|huge] d[ownside|rawback|isadvantage] is that when you do this, youll [need to|must|have to] wait for weeks to get your Ps3 back.  [Folk|People|Folks] who have done this, had to [wait|attend] 2-4 weeks, before they[ ha|']d their Ps3 back and fixed.  This option is [much|way|far] too [pricey|expensive|costly] and it takes way too long But [fortunate|thankful]ly , you[ ha|]ve got an[other choice|other option| alternative choice] left!

Fix My Ps3 by [correct|fix|repair]ing it myself with a Playstation [3|three] [correct|repair|fix] guide?

This is [actu|essenti|basic]ally the [best option|most suitable option|most suitable choice] that you['ve got| have| have got].  It’s [inexpensive|cheap], not time taking and it[ will| is going to|'s going to] be a[ guarante| warrant|n assur]ed fix.

When you do this, you [must|should|need to] [employ|use] a [repair manual|repair guide|guide] [because|as] it will take all [of |]the guess work out.  Also, it[ wi|']ll teach you [precise|exact]ly with step[-by-| by ]step instructions how to [address|handle|deal with] the [issue|Problem]s that you are having.

The [cost|expense]s are[n't| not] that high [as you|because you] [only have|just need|only need] to [purchase|buy|get] a Playstation [3|three] [repair guide|guide|repair manual], and that['s no| isn'| is no]t even expensive!  Also, many [people|folks|of us] who fixed their console by themselve, have done this [within|inside] a day.  Some [folk|people|folks] even did it [within|inside] [1|one] hour.  For more information go to: PS3 Repair

Cafe world, one of the [lates|newes|most recen]t Facebook apps, has been [tempt|entic|captivat]ing more users daily.  This game is [simple|straightforward|easy] yet highly [pleasant|delightful] as it [lets you|enables you to|helps you to] run your own [refrectory|cafeteria|cafe] in your own way!  Naturally, you[ will|'ll| may] [want|desire|need] to [discover|find out|learn] how it[ is easy|'s easy|'s possible] for you to level [fast|quick]er in cafe[teria|] world as it unlocks more items and unique recipe when you have hit a [particular|selected|specific] level.  These are some [suggestion|idea|recommendation]s to leveling in cafe[teria|] world.

If you had all of the time in the world to play Cafe World, you might become [ver|awfull|deepl]y successful at a[ssembl|mass]ing [plenty|lots|masses] of coin.  However most players are limited in that respect so th[e|at the] objective is to develop a [method|strategy|technique] which can let you make a[ good| superb|n excellent] [amount|quantity] of coin without being online all [of |]the time.

Knowing what foods to cook for your cafe World is [critic|cruci|vit]al for your pre-eminence in this game.  If you w[ould like|ant] to make the maximum cafe points and cafe[teria|] coins from each food that you make, you['ll| can| may] only cook food items [that may|that will|which will] give you the best return on your investment.  When deciding what to cook, the [quantity|amount] of servings a dish creates is a [serious|big|significant] [componen|par|elemen]t in making the most [money|cash].  One reason this is [critical|vital|important] is that you should be [attempting|trying|making an attempt] to make [acceptable|adequate|sufficient] food to keep your serving counters full while you are away from the game.  If the serving counters don’t run out of food, you can continue earning a lot while you are[n't| not] playing.  A cooking schedule should revolve around what [kind|sort|type] of time you spend on[ the internet| the web|line ].  If you spend [masses|a lot|lots] of time on[ the web|line| the internet], it['s the| is the] most productive to cook foods that take less time to [complete|finish|close], [as an exampl|for instanc|for exampl]e Bacon Cheeseburgers.  [Regular|Continual|Regular]ly cooking this food item will yield a[ giant| large|n enormous] [quantity|amount] of [fast and easy|convenient] CP.  Present giving is one of those features in social networking games that have [continual|frequent|regular]ly been overlooked.  Any present you [could|might] give or receive is something that['s| is]‘s simply [purchased|acquired|bought] some[where els| other plac|place els]e.  There was[ no|n']t any [technique|method|strategy] [engag|involv|concern]ed in it at all – except [maybe|perhaps] to build relations with other players.  Cafe World is taking another approach with the activity of present giving by making one [heavy|significant|important] change.  The gifts are not [simp|easi]ly found some[where els|place els| other plac]e.  [Truthfully|In truth|Honestly], e[very|ach] one of them can only be [bought|purchased|acquired] by the [method|process] of present giving.

And this changes the [whol|entir]e game because you['ll need| will need] these gifts to [give|offer] you an advantage in the game.  Sure, they may appear [just |exactly ]like drinks, appeti[sers|zers], and cookies but they['re| are] [really|basically|actually] much more.  It is about the coins.

[Each time|Everytime|Whenever] you serve one of these special gifts, you[ are going|'re going] to get [additional|further|extra] coins for doing an identical quantity of work.  Cafe World is a great game to pass the time with and meet new [people|folk|folks] with.  With the right Cafe World strategy you will have a lot of fun!  If you w[ant|ould like] to [appreciate|grasp|understand] a trick to move your rating, here it is.  If you[ are|'re] cooking and have nothing out for [folk|people|folks] to eat, leave the game ; when you['re| are] out of the game you['ll| may| will] not gain or loose any points.  Keep this shortcut in mind and go have your self a blast in the Cafe World.

.

Looks like Apple didn’t learn its lesson with the whole iTunes DRM thing. I suppose that they might consider some things worth DRM-ing and some not, but I think it’s more along the lines of they’ll do it whenever they think they can get away with it. And they seem to think that’s the case with their new e-book store, which will sell books laced with delicious FairPlay DRM.

Apparently they think that a different medium somehow deserves different treatment. I don’t think they understand that e-books, movies, music, and whatever else gets sold on a digital marketplace are all completely interchangeable as far as DRM strategy goes: you can do it, but people won’t like it, and eventually you’ll have to relent. And the fun part is that the DRM will not be effective — since the people who want to circumvent the DRM will always find a way to do so, and those who don’t want to do it wouldn’t try in the first place. So… who’s it for?

By Evan Ackerman

The internet can be a lonely place. You have no idea who you’re really talking to, whether they claim to be a 48 year old guy in his mom’s basement or a hot lonely teenage girl (like me), which is why instead of real people, you need Chatman. Chatman is a friendly yellow PC accessory who has no secrets and is “destined to become every kids new best mate” thanks to some fancy artificial intelligence software. Chatman spies on your instant messages, web surfing, gaming, and social networks and somehow “gets involved” by “tell[ing] you exactly what he thinks and how he feels about the discussions exchanged.”

In addition to moving eyes, arms, ear things, and an LED emoticon mouth, Chatman has 3 personality options, 25 moods (whatever that means), and over 500 different actions. You can program Chatman with new actions and stuff, but before he’ll use them, they have to get approved by his parent corporation. Incidentally, while Chatman won’t actually prevent you from visiting no-no websites, he will tattle back to your parents and verbally chastise you. There isn’t a lot of information on these features specifically, and that makes it all seem a little bit sinister, like Chatman is actually designed to be some nanny software in a kid-friendly and “fun” (sort of) disguise. Your friendly, round, and yellow little bit brother should be available around Easter for nobody knows how much.

[ re:creation ] VIA [ Pocket Lint ]