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Motally Brings Mobile Analytics To Smartphone Games

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:48 +0000

As mobile gaming takes off, developers will need in-depth analysis to determine consumer behavior with their games and adjust their games accordingly. Motally, which provides user-action tracking services for the mobile web and apps, is expanding its product base today offering a targeted analytics service aimed towards mobile games on the iPhone, Android and Blackberry platforms. The service is currently in private beta, but developers will be able to sign up to use the service. Motally's game-oriented analytics platform allows publishers to track in-game data including where users drop out in-play and which levels users interact with most. Motally also allows for the dynamic changing of the game's design, allowing developers to measure the impact of changes immediately. As a result, publishers can tweak their games including design, performance, and ad placement by pinpointing areas of the game with the most traffic and identifying trouble areas.

OpenGL 4.0 Comes Out To Play

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:48 +0000

With Microsoft becoming increasingly marginalized in areas like mobile media, DirectX is becoming less of a must-use toolset and more of a gaming-specific one. The other side of the coin is, of course, the increasing relevance of standards like OpenGL, OpenAL, and OpenCL: powerful cross-platform systems for graphics, audio, and parallel processing. You may remember OpenCL from its debut on the Mac in Snow Leopard, and OpenGL ES of course powers the UI on the iPad. OpenAL is still a ways from being brought under the public eye, but it's getting there. In the meantime, OpenGL 4.0 was announced today at GDC, and clearly it has DirectX in its sights.

How to Blog: Choose a Niche for Your Blog [Why Niches are Important]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:48 +0000

While I get many questions from bloggers asking for advice on ‘how to blog‘ perhaps one of the biggest questions a new blogger needs to ask themselves before they move on to the HOW to blog question is ‘WHAT will I blog about?’ There is no real right or wrong answer to this question as blogs [...]

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

How to Blog: Choose a Niche for Your Blog [Why Niches are Important]

Blog Security: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Scares Me Into Taking It Seriously.

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:48 +0000

guest post by Kelly Diels warning: there are lessons and even actionable advice in here, but it is buried inside a story. I write stories because I love you and don’t want to bore you and because if you laugh then chances are that you’ll remember the educational bit, too. There’s actual research that this works – [...]

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Blog Security: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Scares Me Into Taking It Seriously.

Let’s Meet at SXSWi!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:48 +0000

As this post goes live I’ll be in the process of arriving at SXSW Interactive in Austin Texas. I was fortunate enough to at SXSWi two years back and it was one of the best conference experiences that I’ve had – so I’ve made it a priority this year to return. My schedule is pretty open. The [...]

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Let’s Meet at SXSWi!

The Power of Confident Writing

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:47 +0000

There’s a wonderful European-style market and bakery in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas. They serve everything from made-to-order salads and sandwiches to chef-prepared, ready-to-eat meals. But what I love most about the place is the sign on the door when you leave. It’s classic. The sign doesn’t read “Please Come Again” or “Thank You for Your [...]

Blogging Lessons from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:47 +0000

A 40 year-old unsolved murder mystery. Strange cryptic codes in a bible. Sweden, sandwiches, and many, many cigarettes. The badass-est female protagonist since . . . forever. And an author who has, posthumously, caused quite a ruckus in the book world and in the minds of conspiracy theorists everywhere. Yes, I’m talking about The Girl With [...]

How to Win in Las Vegas, And in Business

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:47 +0000

I’ve written a few contrarian things lately. Specifically, I ranted a bit about why I think the most common “make money online” technique doesn’t work for most people, and about how, really, the most important ingredients of success are persistence and grit. Then, on my own blog, I ranted about why “systems” for achieving specific results don’t [...]

Notre Dame: Irish Independence, Jack Swarbrick Must Resist The Big Ten

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:47 +0000

Sitting in a small restaurant alongside a few intrigued reporters, Notre Dame's athletic director was pressed with questions regarding the future of his school's football independence.

With the recent talks of conference expansion, particularly within the Big Ten and Pac-10, Notre Dame has been a popular name being brought up in these discussions.

Adding the Irish means increased income within the conference.

Increased income means more exposure, stability, and more power in both BCS and non-BCS bowl negotiations.

And because of that, along with the cries of most of Notre Dame nation to keep it's independence as one of its last saving graces, Swarbrick now finds himself in quite a dilemma.

“I believe we’re at a point right now where the changes could be relatively small or they could be seismic,” Swarbrick stated . “The landscape could look completely different. What I have to do along with Father Jenkins is try and figure out where those pieces are falling and how the landscape is changing.”

Although Swarbrick insists that anyone could "invent a scenario that would force our hand," the final decision comes down to himself and Father Jenkins.

If Notre Dame wishes to keep it's independence in football, there is no reason why they cannot do so.

Faced with a crucial decision, and one that will impact his legacy at the school, Swarbrick cannot afford to be a weak-kneed leader. He will need to take a stand to save the already delicate football program from disappearing into the boring and unattractive depths of the Big Ten.

With the recent struggles of the Irish in the last decade, giving in to the Big Ten would only steepen the rate of the decline.

Hidden within the conference, the Irish would no longer be a "national" school, but rather a Midwest program competing mainly with those already on their schedule—the same matchups that already have Irish fans complaining.

The Pac-10 is not an option due to the travel expenses and geography of South Bend. Stuck in the depth of Big Ten country, joining them would be the only logical destination for Swarbrick to choose.

Joining the Big Ten would be the worst possible outcome. At the same time, joining the Big Ten would be the easiest decision for the administration.

So Jack, the pressures rising and the spotlight is on—where is this program headed?

If the decision ends up being every dedicated Domer's worst-nightmare-turned-reality, Jack Swarbrick will go down as the biggest villain in Notre Dame history.

In Your Face, Celtics—But Was It a Wise Move By Bucks' Brandon Jennings?

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:40:47 +0000

The Milwaukee Bucks continued their unlikely romp through the NBA Tuesday night, stretching their latest winning streak to four with an 86-84 victory over the Boston Celtics.

It was the Bucks’ 10th win in their last 11 games. They continue to climb higher in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and now sit comfortably in the fifth spot.

The way they’re playing, they could ascend to even loftier heights. They held off the third-place Celtics Tuesday, and Atlanta, nestled in the fourth spot, hasn’t made any strides of late.

So things are looking up, indeed, for the Bucks.

That’s why I have to ask: Were Brandon Jennings’ late and postgame demonstrations the wisest courses of action?

The dynamic rookie took an outlet pass from Andrew Bogut in the fourth quarter and raced the length of the floor for a layup. Boston’s Glen Davis swatted the shot and crashed into Jennings, sending him to the floor.

The diminutive guard quickly hopped to his feet and stood over Davis, who bumped him as he got up. The two had to be separated, chirping all the way. Both received technical fouls.

“They’re known for punkin’ people," Jennings declared , "but they weren’t going to come in here and just punk me.”

After the Bucks had secured the victory, Jennings continued to jaw, this time at Celtics' star Kevin Garnett, as the two teams headed down the tunnel to their locker rooms.

Fair enough. Jennings is playing with fire and determination and isn’t backing down. You want that from a player, whether he’s a rookie or a 10-year veteran. Too often, it’s missing in the pro game.

Fire and determination is one thing, however. Getting in the face of veteran players—especially players who have won a championship—and reading them the riot act as if you’re the new sheriff in town is a risky proposition, indeed.

Think about the images: There’s Jennings, half Davis’ size, going nose-to-chest, taunting the Celtics' massive forward.

It’s unrealistic. Davis can’t do anything, and Jennings knows it. Jennings can shout and bump and nod his head all he wants. Davis just has to walk away and let him have his say.

If Davis retaliates, even just by getting in Jennings' face and shouting him down, he looks like a bully. If he gets physical, he's gone. It's a no-win situation.

Jennings' runway banter with Garnett was less egregious, perhaps. Who knows, maybe Garnett just laughed it off. Maybe he even enjoyed the give and take and gave the rookie credit for his brashness; after all, Garnett was once in those shoes.

Regardless, if Garnett was peeved, there was, likewise, nothing he could do. A cooler veteran head told Garnett to keep walking and let the rookie talk all he wanted.

Don’t kid yourself, however. That veteran head won’t forget. Neither will Davis. Memories are long in pro sports, and the Celtics will file this one away.

They know the Bucks won by only two points. They know it was Bogut who dominated (25 points, 17 rebounds) and that Jennings had less to crow about.

They know that they’ll see the youngster and his upstart teammates twice more in the last week of the season.

A lot could happen between now and then. The Bucks may surge past the Celtics in the standings. Or maybe Boston will right their slightly teetering ship and solidify their status as one of the East’s elite.

The Celtics will remember Tuesday night, though, and they’ll be ready come April.

I love what the Bucks are doing and wrote about it two weeks ago. They’re for real and have proven it with a scintillating stretch of basketball prowess.

However, rookies like Jennings don’t get preferred treatment in the NBA. Veterans do. This is particularly true when the intensity ramps up late in the season and into the playoffs. The Celtics know it. Patience is on their side.

Youngsters have to earn their stripes, no matter how emphatically they try to claim them for themselves.

Jennings has game, no question about it. His demonstrations Tuesday night may have been spontaneous, and his fans may have loved them, but that doesn’t make them the wise thing to have done.

April 10 and 14 are now circled on the Celtics’ calendar. It should make for great theater.