Village Gamer

Nationwide – It’s a bird! It’s a plane…it’s a train! Everyone’s favorite #1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine™, welcomes friends aboard as he steams across the nation visiting more than 45 heritage railroads in Canada and the USA as part of the Day Out With Thomas 2009 – The Hero of the Rails Tour presented by HIT Entertainment and sponsored by The LEGO Group.

This fun-filled event offers preschoolers and their families the opportunity to take a ride on a 15-ton replica of Thomas the Tank Engine, star of the Thomas & Friends™ series seen on Canada’s TreehouseTV, and features a variety of Thomas & Friends-themed entertainment.
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Microsoft invites IT professionals and software developers to prove their mettle

Ottawa – In an interactive game promoting the benefits of Microsoft certification, the software company asks IT and development professionals to prove their know-how in a series of tech knowledge challenges.

Created by Canadian interactive marketing and branded entertainment developer Fuel Industries, Are You Certifiable? is a Silverlight-based quiz game which will dig deep into the mental resources of technicians and developers alike in the process of determining who can meet and who can fly beyond the rigorous standards of Microsoft Certification. The game is a unique approach which will not only spread awareness of the benefits of MS Certification and the Second Shot promotion, but also provide a valuable primer for professionals interested in taking an exam.

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Toronto – Despite the global economic downturn, new technology and consumer media consumption trends have created a host of employment opportunities in Canada’s publishing industry.

As the Canadian magazine sector rushes to adapt to an online audience, the shift is fueling a need for technology-savvy professionals who can help take the publishing sector into a brave new world, says professor Denise Schon of The Centre for Creative Communications, Centennial College.

“Traditional magazines are quickly evolving into a multi-platform medium including not only print, but online with the advent of web 2.0 technologies and live video streaming,” Schon says. “As such, we are seeing our grads working in a much wider variety of jobs across the magazine industry. Our program prepares students for that new world.”

The Centre for Creative Communications, Centennial College, has been offering its unique Book and Magazine Publishing program, known as a cornerstone of the industry, for more than 30 years. More recently, it responded to publishers’ needs with intensive, new courses in web 2.0 digital media publishing skills.

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Toronto – G4BOX Inc and Wicked Interactive Ltd., North American publishers and distributors of interactive entertainment media, together announced today the tremendous success and popularity of the open beta for their military first-person shooter, Cross Fire. The beta, which began on Friday, January 30, 2009, has since gathered more than 25 000 registered players and made a major splash in the online first-person shooter scene. Cross Fire will continue in Open Beta through February.

“We knew there was an audience out there that was really anticipating Cross Fire, so we expected a good result,” said Garvin Yeung, Chief Executive Officer of Wicked Interactive. “But even we are amazed by the overwhelming response that Cross Fire has garnered thus far,” added Howard He, Chief Executive Officer of G4BOX.”
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Vancouver – *content warning – please see below* – Over 22 uncensored animated films including great titles such as the recently acquires masterpiece “Eleven Roses”, “Home Honey, I’m High”, “Fantaisie in Bubblewrap”, “Happy Tree Friends”, “Washington”, “Crab Revolution” “The Mosquito Who Gave Up Blood” & “Dr. Tran” will be featured during Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival which opens on February 20th at The Rio Theatre in Vancouver.

It’s been over ten years since Spike himself made the trip up to Vancouver he will be present opening weekend to sign “everything” and introduce the show. The Sick and Twisted Animation Festival will include a few of the all time classics plus a ton of premiers! Spike handpicked the films himself and invites everyone to watch ninety minutes of the sickest, most brilliant, artistic and funniest animation shorts he’s ever put together!

Show Times: February 20th – March 5th will have daily shows at 7 and 9pm with weekend matinees at 4:30pm. Friday and Saturday will also feature midnight showings with Bar Service provided by R & B Brewing for the late shows on opening weekend. There will also be FREE Spike & Mike DVD’s to the first 25 people Fri & Sat night as well as free Happy Tree Friends swag PLUS you can get in FREE if you bring your refrigerator with one of the Festival’s flyers attached to it. There will also be some in-house contests happening with great prizes.

*Content Warning – Content on the Spike & Mike Festival Website and at The Sick & Twisted Animation Festival may offend some viewers. We are not responsible for the content on their site or at their Animation Festival.*

Vancouver – The folks over at the Centre for Digital Media would like to let our readers know about these upcoming events taking place on the Great Northern Way Campus:

MDM Programme Open House Hosted by Electronic Arts
Join MDM on the evening of February 25th for a special Masters of Digital Media (MDM) Program information session sponsored by Electronic Arts. Get your questions answered about the MDM curriculum, admission requirements, the application process and career prospects by current MDM students, faculty, staff and industry affiliates. Pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, email rsvp-at-gnwc-dot-ca with “Feb 25 – Open House” as the subject. A confirmation with event details will be sent to you once your registration is received.

MDM Program Portfolio Showcase

Join MDM on February 26th for a showcase of portfolios and select industry projects developed by students of the Masters of Digital Media Program (MDM). The Centre is excited to open our doors at the Centre for Digital Media to prospective employers, projects and industry affiliates in advance of their first graduating class in May 2009.

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Toronto – In a documentary which may be of special interest to many Canadian game developers, COMBAT SCHOOL follows – for the first time ever – Canadian infantry soldiers as they undergo the most technologically-advanced, intense and realistic combat training in military history.

Premiering Tuesday, March 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel, this six-part, one-hour Canadian documentary series goes directly to the heart of modern warfare by following a platoon of 40 men and women from the time they commence their training until they are declared battle-ready and deployed. Granted unprecedented access by the Canadian military and combat trainers, cameras are then embedded with the platoon in the war fields of Afghanistan where viewers witness how the soldiers’ skills are put to the ultimate test when they encounter insurgents for the first time.

In COMBAT SCHOOL the training is intense and the expectations high. Those who are unprepared won’t make it, and those who are ready leave everything behind to risk their lives in a war zone. Following soldiers from 1 Platoon, Mike Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment – based out of Petawawa, Ontario – COMBAT SCHOOL captures every step of the mission-specific training as the men and women prepare for the most intense combat situation they have
ever faced.

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Montreal – Expanding on its existing lockdown delivery service, MXI Security™ today announced it is now allowing customers of its ACCESS Enterprise device life cycle management suite to order portable security devices preconfigured with a unique management code. This guarantees that devices that leave the factory cannot be used or modified by anyone except the end customer.

This expanded service complements an already rigorous production process that ensures devices are free of malicious software and sealed in tamper-evident packaging before they leave MXI Security’s US-based manufacturing facility.

The management code capability has been an in-hardware security feature of every MXI Security MXP portable security device for the past several years. Known only to the issuing organization, the code ensures that no attacker can alter the contents of the read-only drive, protecting it against malicious software such as Trojans, worms and viruses. Furthermore, if a device is ever lost or stolen, the code prevents anyone from recycling the device to reuse as their own.

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Ottawa – Corel Corporation today announced Corel® InstantON™ technology is now included in the award-winning Sony® VAIO® P series Lifestyle PC.

With Corel InstantON technology, VAIO P series Lifestyle PC users can surf the web, check email, chat online and play back photos, videos and music in seconds after turning on their notebook, saving the time of booting up their Windows operating system.

“We are pleased to work with Sony to provide a superior instant-on solution for their VAIO P series Lifestyle PC,” said Jeff Hastings, President and General Manager, Digital Media at Corel. “Users will find an all-new, custom-designed interface that provides a complete, efficient and secure way to quickly access online content at home or on the go.”

“As the world’s lightest 8 inch notebook at 1.4 pounds, the VAIO P series Lifestyle PC deserves a superior instant-on solution to meet the needs of today’s mobile computer user,” said Bob Ishida, Senior Vice President, Corporate Executive, President of VAIO Business Group, Sony Corporation. “By adopting Corel InstantON technology, users will enjoy a stress-free and exciting user experience through an easy-to-use interface that accesses the internet faster than ever before.”

Currently only available in Japan, the VAIO P series will be available in North America this month and can be pre-ordered on the SonyStyle website for $999.99.

Montreal – amBX today further strengthened its partnership with Ubisoft via an agreement to amBX-enable Tom Clancy’s EndWar on PC.

Set on the battlefields of World War III, Tom Clancy’s EndWar is a pioneering real time strategy game that pushes the envelope of technology with its revolutionary voice-command system. The addition of amBX enhances this innovative game with real-world sensory experiences – using light, colour, rumble and even air flow – through licensed amBX peripherals, including LED lights, variable speed desktop fans and rumblers.

The agreement to amBX-enable EndWar will see a huge range of lighting effects add realism to the theatre of war, including colours that reflect the changing landscape, environment, weather formations and time of day, as well as creating a real sense of movement and immersion. Of course, dynamic weapon fire will flash fiercely whenever large weapons are discharged.

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