Saturday, June 9, 2007
Disney Ramping Up Push Into Games Market
LONDON - Walt Disney Co. will triple the amount of money it spends developing video games to benefit from strong growth prospects in the global market, the entertainment company's chief financial officer said on Friday.
"We are ramping up our investment in video games ... It is a market where there is real opportunity," Disney's CFO Tom Staggs told journalists during a briefing in London.
Part of the entertainment company's strategy centers on making sure hit products sell strongly across the business, irrespective of whether they start as a film, product or game.
Disney spent around $100 million on gaming development last year and will spend $130 million this year.
"Over the next five years or so we are ramping up to about a pace of $350 million per year in video game investment, principally consoles and handhelds," Staggs said.
Market researcher Screen Digest forecasts the particularly cyclical global gaming software market will be worth $21.3 billion in 2009, compared with $20.2 billion last year.
However, a particularly fast-growing area is so-called massively multiple player online gaming (MMOG), which is expected to see subscription revenues jump from $875 million last year to $1.4 billion in 2009.
"The potential to make profits in that space if you have a hit game is significant," said Screen Digest gaming analyst Piers Harding-Rolls.
Staggs said Disney created a "Pirates of the Caribbean" game to coincide with the release of the latest film, which became a hit across gaming platforms in the UK, France and Germany.
Later this year, Disney plans to launch a multi-player online Pirates game in the U.S., then in the UK.
"We are early on in the process of developing a video gaming capability," Staggs said.
Three months ago, Disney launched "Spectrobes", a role-playing game for Nintendo's hand-held DS player produced by the company's Interactive Studios arm that has shipped about 700,000 units, Staggs said.
The galactic action adventure game was developed for Disney by Japan-based Jupiter Corp.
"I am comfortable that it warrants a sequel in the games business. We would like to see video games become a vibrant creative venture," Staggs said.
Disney has been positioning itself more aggressively in the gaming market over the past year, and late last year launched a games studio to focus on creating new and Disney-inspired titles for Nintendo's DS player and Wii console.
Staggs said around 70 percent of development spend in video games in the near future would be on established content franchises, with the rest in areas where Disney hopes to create intellectual property it can exploit across the business.
Mobile gaming applications were part of this, though this area was primarily being pursued "quite aggressively" within the company's Internet business, he said.
Staggs said 90 percent of Disney's development efforts across gaming, including mobile, fall under the Disney brand.
However, this is traditionally done on a license basis.
"It is not that we have no position in the market, it is that as a developer and publisher our activities have been very limited. But to the extent that we are successful in creating games as a publisher ... there is substantially more economic upside to the company," Staggs said.
The CFO said Disney's gaming aspirations did not imply the company wanted to "go flying into the teeth" of competitors.
Leading players in this area include Electronic Arts, the world's largest video game publisher, and Ubisoft, Europe's second-largest video games publisher.
"What we are doing is trying very deliberately to develop our core capabilities in video games content development, leveraging what already exists in the Disney brand," said Staggs.
Disney already has a licensing partnership in its ESPN sports network with Electronic Arts to create video gaming sports titles.
"In the Disney-branded titles we thought we could maximize our success going it alone," Staggs said.
Staggs said Disney was also exploring opportunities for gaming initiatives in virtual worlds such as Second Life.
"We can serve a real consumer desire to delve deeper into the worlds we create," he said, adding that such segments can play an important role in keeping users engaged in particular franchises over a sustained period of time.
Copyright Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
via PcMag
"We are ramping up our investment in video games ... It is a market where there is real opportunity," Disney's CFO Tom Staggs told journalists during a briefing in London.
Part of the entertainment company's strategy centers on making sure hit products sell strongly across the business, irrespective of whether they start as a film, product or game.
Disney spent around $100 million on gaming development last year and will spend $130 million this year.
"Over the next five years or so we are ramping up to about a pace of $350 million per year in video game investment, principally consoles and handhelds," Staggs said.
Market researcher Screen Digest forecasts the particularly cyclical global gaming software market will be worth $21.3 billion in 2009, compared with $20.2 billion last year.
However, a particularly fast-growing area is so-called massively multiple player online gaming (MMOG), which is expected to see subscription revenues jump from $875 million last year to $1.4 billion in 2009.
"The potential to make profits in that space if you have a hit game is significant," said Screen Digest gaming analyst Piers Harding-Rolls.
Staggs said Disney created a "Pirates of the Caribbean" game to coincide with the release of the latest film, which became a hit across gaming platforms in the UK, France and Germany.
Later this year, Disney plans to launch a multi-player online Pirates game in the U.S., then in the UK.
"We are early on in the process of developing a video gaming capability," Staggs said.
Three months ago, Disney launched "Spectrobes", a role-playing game for Nintendo's hand-held DS player produced by the company's Interactive Studios arm that has shipped about 700,000 units, Staggs said.
The galactic action adventure game was developed for Disney by Japan-based Jupiter Corp.
"I am comfortable that it warrants a sequel in the games business. We would like to see video games become a vibrant creative venture," Staggs said.
Disney has been positioning itself more aggressively in the gaming market over the past year, and late last year launched a games studio to focus on creating new and Disney-inspired titles for Nintendo's DS player and Wii console.
Staggs said around 70 percent of development spend in video games in the near future would be on established content franchises, with the rest in areas where Disney hopes to create intellectual property it can exploit across the business.
Mobile gaming applications were part of this, though this area was primarily being pursued "quite aggressively" within the company's Internet business, he said.
Staggs said 90 percent of Disney's development efforts across gaming, including mobile, fall under the Disney brand.
However, this is traditionally done on a license basis.
"It is not that we have no position in the market, it is that as a developer and publisher our activities have been very limited. But to the extent that we are successful in creating games as a publisher ... there is substantially more economic upside to the company," Staggs said.
The CFO said Disney's gaming aspirations did not imply the company wanted to "go flying into the teeth" of competitors.
Leading players in this area include Electronic Arts, the world's largest video game publisher, and Ubisoft, Europe's second-largest video games publisher.
"What we are doing is trying very deliberately to develop our core capabilities in video games content development, leveraging what already exists in the Disney brand," said Staggs.
Disney already has a licensing partnership in its ESPN sports network with Electronic Arts to create video gaming sports titles.
"In the Disney-branded titles we thought we could maximize our success going it alone," Staggs said.
Staggs said Disney was also exploring opportunities for gaming initiatives in virtual worlds such as Second Life.
"We can serve a real consumer desire to delve deeper into the worlds we create," he said, adding that such segments can play an important role in keeping users engaged in particular franchises over a sustained period of time.
Copyright Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
via PcMag
MIT Scientists Demonstrate Advance in Wireless Electricity
The idea of wireless electricity has been around since the early days of the Tesla coil. But thanks to a group of MIT scientists, "WiTricity" (as these scientists call it) is now one step closer to practical reality.Demonstrating the ability to power a 60-watt light bulb from a power source seven feet away without wires might not seem like the most impressive of feats, but the technology behind it has massive implications for how we live our tech-filled, power-hungry lives. Imagine a day when your laptop, MP3 player, or Roomba are constantly charged by power sent through the air via an electromagnetic field.
The idea has been around for over a hundred years; Nicola Tesla himself demonstrated its potential in Colorado Springs in 1899 by lighting up 200 light bulbs from 26 miles away. The problem: It took 100 million volts to do so, which isn't exactly efficient. The solution, according to the MIT team, is to fill a space with a magnetic field, rather than just sending out waves in all directions.
The scientists used magnetically coupled resonators, essentially electromagnetic coils, for their demonstration with the light bulb. Future devices receiving power through this method would need to be fixed with an antenna that "couples" with the power source transmitter by resonating at the same frequency Because most common materials and biological organisms don't react strongly to magnetic fields, magnetic coupling is considered safe for everyday applications.
Of course, anytime a technology broadcasts an invisible wave or field, people start worrying about things like cancer. But Professor Marin Soljačić, who led the research, believes the technology can be developed without posing any serious health risks. Clearly, more research needs to be done regarding health issues, and the technology has a long way to go before it will find its way into our lives anyway.
But even if studies show no clear evidence of health risks, expect to hear speculation about it for years. WiFi and cell phones have been ubiquitous for quite a while now, but despite the fact that masses of people aren't dropping dead in their homes and offices, fears about wireless technology are still common.
via Gearlog
Terrorism suspects arrested in Romania
Judges in the Bucharest Appeal Court ordered the temporary detaining of two citizens accused by American authorities of having connections with terrorist organizations.
The two - a Polish citizen of Palestinian origin, Tariq Mousa al Ghazi, and a Chile originating Spanish citizen, Luis Felipe Moreno, were taken into custody for extradition to the US.
The state provided lawyer announced the decision will be appealed in the High Court of Justice and Causation.
A New York issued on May 29 a warrant for the arrest of the two suspects, internationally pursued for financing a terrorist group (the Marxist Columbian FARC), money laundering and association for the murder of several American citizens.
via HotNews
The two - a Polish citizen of Palestinian origin, Tariq Mousa al Ghazi, and a Chile originating Spanish citizen, Luis Felipe Moreno, were taken into custody for extradition to the US.
The state provided lawyer announced the decision will be appealed in the High Court of Justice and Causation.
A New York issued on May 29 a warrant for the arrest of the two suspects, internationally pursued for financing a terrorist group (the Marxist Columbian FARC), money laundering and association for the murder of several American citizens.
via HotNews
Actor Adrian Pintea dies aged 53
One of the most admired Romanian actors, Adrian Pintea, died on Friday, shortly after being hospitalized in a serious condition in a Bucharest medical facility. Doctors found, besides cirrhoses, pulmonary and kidney hypertension, leading to a severe heart condition and making any transplant impossible.
Born in 1954, Adrian Pintea was one of the few complete actors, as good in theater as he was in cinemas, for all kinds of roles.
In Romania, he played major parts in Shakespeare and Strindberg. He had leading roles in Chekhov, Anouilh and Dostoyevsky.
In international movies, he may be remembered as Vambery in "Dracula the Impaler", Grapini in "7 seconds" King Phillip of Lockland in "Gryphon".
via HotNews
Born in 1954, Adrian Pintea was one of the few complete actors, as good in theater as he was in cinemas, for all kinds of roles.
In Romania, he played major parts in Shakespeare and Strindberg. He had leading roles in Chekhov, Anouilh and Dostoyevsky.
In international movies, he may be remembered as Vambery in "Dracula the Impaler", Grapini in "7 seconds" King Phillip of Lockland in "Gryphon".
via HotNews
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Romanian Siamese sisters in intensive care after their first separation surgery
Siamese twins Anastasia and Tatiana Dogaru recover in the intensive care on Thursday after the world's first attempt to separate them. The sisters underwent 12 hours of surgery in the first major intervention out of a series of procedures designed to separate their congenitally united heads.
The surgery ended at 21:00 PM (Cleveland time). The Rainbow Babies and Children hospital in Cleveland (USA) hasn't offered any official information yet.
According to Associated Press, the girls are closely monitored and no news are expected until Friday, when the firs medical bulletin is scheduled. Over 100 doctors are involved in the intervention.
The Romanian twins were already subject to two interventions designed to separate some of the blood vessels in their connected areas.
The case is even more difficult given the fact that one of the girls doesn't have any kidneys, depending entirely on her sister's functions.
via HotNews
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Teenager committed suicide out of love for his teacher
Bogdan Costache, aged 18, jumped out of the window of the house of the teacher whom he loved silently, as the investigation shows now.
Bucharest – Two weeks before turning 19, a young boy from Bucharest killed himself, loving hopelessly his teacher of Romanian language.
The boy, in the 12th grade of a high school from Bucharest, jumped out through the window of the 9th floor flat of his teacher. Bogdan Costache, say his colleagues, had been in love for a longer time with somebody with whom he did not have any chance to be together – now the respective person is suspected to be his teacher of Romanian aged only 27, Corina Vasile. Bogdan went on Thursday to her home for tuition, and left alone for a few minutes in the room he decided to jump out through the window of the flat.
The teacher told the investigators that Bogdan had never declared his love for her directly, although there were some signs. Corina Vasile is married for five years and does not have children.
Bogdan Costache rang at the door of his teacher of Romanian. He had come almost half an hour earlier than established, and was received by Corina Vasile rather coldly. The investigators concluded from their questions, that the discussion was limited to an exchange of polite remarks.
Corina resumed her lunch from which she had been interrupted by the arrival of Bogdan, and in this time he went into the room where the Romanian class was due. Five minutes later, Corina found the room empty, and the window widely open. She ran to the window and saw Bogdan lying down on the ground. She sent to the elevator and went down to the ground floor. First she tried to give him the first aid, then she rang the Ambulance. When the medics appeared, the boy was already dead. The woman called immediately her husband, and told him what happened asking him to come home. Soon after, she plucked up her courage and called Bogdan’s father, being the first to give him the tragic news.
Bogdan Costache was buried on Saturday, being accompanied by hundreds of persons to the cemetery. The teacher Corina Vasile also attended the burial trying to encourage Bogdan’s sister, who fainted twice during the religious service.
The case of Bogdan is considered by the psychologists a romantic drama that cannot be prevented. “It is a cultural archetype; the denied love. It is almost a romantic drama, the classical story of the young man who falls in love with the wrong person and there is a blackout. It is a problem that we understand in a way. The phenomenon, more exactly the way in which the young man feels in a fanatic love, can be understood,” said psychologist Bogdan Lucaciu.
Bogdan Costache was known in the high school for his lively, friendly and cheerful mood. From the watchman to the teachers, all knew him and describe him simply as a very good boy. The colleagues who are also his friends add that he was a balanced boy, responsible and always available to help the pupils around him.
via Nine O'Clock
Saturday, June 2, 2007
How to don't be addicted!
Because many people are addicted for mmorpg and other games i write this article with some tips to don't be one of them:
The above data shows the spectrum between healthy and addictive game-play. It is also clear that there is no one discrete point where a player suddenly becomes addicted. In fact, the data shows that players can be addicted to these games to different degrees. The claims that MMORPGs are completely healthy or completely addictive are both extreme to the point of absurdity, and are not supported by the empirical data provided. But why are these games addictive? And why do certain players become addicted while others do not? The rest of this presentation tries to answer these questions.
*1 Don't play more than 1 hour 30 minutes / 2 hour.
*2 In this time take brakes
*3 Get a real life
If you become addicted is hard to quit the game.Here are some tips:
*1 Try do delete The Game from your P.C and drop all your CD/DVD with it.
*2 Find a girlfriend for dates with her.
*3 Go for a walk in the park.
The above data shows the spectrum between healthy and addictive game-play. It is also clear that there is no one discrete point where a player suddenly becomes addicted. In fact, the data shows that players can be addicted to these games to different degrees. The claims that MMORPGs are completely healthy or completely addictive are both extreme to the point of absurdity, and are not supported by the empirical data provided. But why are these games addictive? And why do certain players become addicted while others do not? The rest of this presentation tries to answer these questions.
*1 Don't play more than 1 hour 30 minutes / 2 hour.
*2 In this time take brakes
*3 Get a real life
If you become addicted is hard to quit the game.Here are some tips:
*1 Try do delete The Game from your P.C and drop all your CD/DVD with it.
*2 Find a girlfriend for dates with her.
*3 Go for a walk in the park.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Big and fat ass , How to eat healthy
I was recently reading an article that says : "American people are the fattest in the world" ... That's HORRIBLE ...I saw a photo that compared the European women with American women. Here's the photo : 
.There's a very BIG difference.
Here I'll show you some tips:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
Well, imagine you're a car. After a long night of sleeping, your fuel tank is empty. Breakfast is the fuel that gets you going so you can hit the road.
Any breakfast is better than no breakfast, but try not to have doughnuts or pastries all the time. They're high in calories, sugar, and fat. They also don't contain the nutrients a kid really needs. And if you have a doughnut for breakfast, you won't feel full for long.
The recommended meals are:
* Eggs
* French toast, waffles, or pancakes (try wheat or whole-grain varieties)
* Cold cereal and milk
* Hot cereal, such as oatmeal or cream of wheat (try some dried fruit or nuts on top)
* Whole-grain toast, bagel, or English muffin with cheese
* Yogurt with fruit or nuts
* Fruit smoothie, such as a strawberry smoothie
Lunch:
The typical teenage lunch meals are chips, soda, and a candy bar. They're high in fat, and low in essential nutrients needed for growth and development. Eating too many fats and calories can lead to being overweight. A soda has no nutrients. It only supplies energy. A better choice is milk. It has about the same number of calories, and provides the body with calcium which builds strong bones and prevents osteoporosis. Teens have been known to get bone fractures caused by osteoporosis because they don't get enough calcium. Chips are high in fat, calories, but low in many nutrients. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a better choice. They have almost no fat, are low in calories and are high in fiber and water, which helps the digestive system keep moving. Fruits and vegetables are also high in vitamin C which helps your body heal itself. A candy bar is high in sugar, fat, and calories. Sugar is digested quickly, leading to feeling hungry sooner which can lead to overeating. It also has very few nutrients. A sandwich is a better choice. It is lower in calories, and also provides proteins (from peanut butter, cheese, or meat). The proteins is what your body cells need to be healthy. The proteins helps hair and nails grow, and rebuilds muscles and other cells. The total calories for the healthy and unhealthy lunch are about the same. The difference is that the healthy lunch is more filling, and provides the body with the nutrients as well as the energy it needs. Teens are more likely to eat healthy lunch foods that they like. No matter what types of sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products students eat, they still provide the body with the nutrients it needs.
Dinner...like the last meal of the day.. At dinner you have to eat light because your stomach digests slowly in the night and heavy food is digested harder.
Some dinner meals suggestions:
* A simple sandwich
* Salads
* Some fruits
* Eggs
* Chicken breast made on barbecue
Thanks To k0ltzu for grammar check!
.There's a very BIG difference. Here I'll show you some tips:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
Well, imagine you're a car. After a long night of sleeping, your fuel tank is empty. Breakfast is the fuel that gets you going so you can hit the road.
Any breakfast is better than no breakfast, but try not to have doughnuts or pastries all the time. They're high in calories, sugar, and fat. They also don't contain the nutrients a kid really needs. And if you have a doughnut for breakfast, you won't feel full for long.
The recommended meals are:
* Eggs
* French toast, waffles, or pancakes (try wheat or whole-grain varieties)
* Cold cereal and milk
* Hot cereal, such as oatmeal or cream of wheat (try some dried fruit or nuts on top)
* Whole-grain toast, bagel, or English muffin with cheese
* Yogurt with fruit or nuts
* Fruit smoothie, such as a strawberry smoothie
Lunch:
The typical teenage lunch meals are chips, soda, and a candy bar. They're high in fat, and low in essential nutrients needed for growth and development. Eating too many fats and calories can lead to being overweight. A soda has no nutrients. It only supplies energy. A better choice is milk. It has about the same number of calories, and provides the body with calcium which builds strong bones and prevents osteoporosis. Teens have been known to get bone fractures caused by osteoporosis because they don't get enough calcium. Chips are high in fat, calories, but low in many nutrients. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a better choice. They have almost no fat, are low in calories and are high in fiber and water, which helps the digestive system keep moving. Fruits and vegetables are also high in vitamin C which helps your body heal itself. A candy bar is high in sugar, fat, and calories. Sugar is digested quickly, leading to feeling hungry sooner which can lead to overeating. It also has very few nutrients. A sandwich is a better choice. It is lower in calories, and also provides proteins (from peanut butter, cheese, or meat). The proteins is what your body cells need to be healthy. The proteins helps hair and nails grow, and rebuilds muscles and other cells. The total calories for the healthy and unhealthy lunch are about the same. The difference is that the healthy lunch is more filling, and provides the body with the nutrients as well as the energy it needs. Teens are more likely to eat healthy lunch foods that they like. No matter what types of sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products students eat, they still provide the body with the nutrients it needs.
Dinner...like the last meal of the day.. At dinner you have to eat light because your stomach digests slowly in the night and heavy food is digested harder.
Some dinner meals suggestions:
* A simple sandwich
* Salads
* Some fruits
* Eggs
* Chicken breast made on barbecue
Thanks To k0ltzu for grammar check!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)