COMPETITION: Who killed Internet Explorer 6 campaign

INTERNET Explorer is attempting to make a comeback with the launch of Internet Explorer 9. The masterful minds at Microsoft have devised a very clever marketing strategy called “Who killed IE6?”

The campaign sees participants surfing around the web looking for clues to help them solve the Microsoft murder mystery. Here's the brief:

Internet Explorer 6 is dead! Our campaign is aimed at Internet-savvy users and we want to challenge them mentally and get them spending time on our mutual love, the Internet. In order to do this we've created a murder mystery that takes place all over the web.

And the prize? Be the first to figure out who killed Internet Explorer 6 and the R20 000 bounty will be yours!

The basic concept of the campaign is a crime scene for the death of Internet Explorer 6. Clues are being given a number of times every week and participants have to eventually get all the clues right in order to win the ultimate prize of R20 000. There are also weekly prizes of R1000 awarded to randomly selected participants.

So what are you waiting for? Round the mountain, over and under and on a yellow road to a little sleepy village... that’s where you’ll get a quote with something that will make you see things clearer.

Hint: We’re looking for pixels not pixies!

What is the Who killed Internet Explorer 6 campaign about?

The purpose of the campaign is to change perceptions of IE9 as well as educate users on the amazing features IE9 has. In order to build brand loyalty and experience of a product, you have to enable users to use the product. The campaign sends users on a hunt for who killed IE6 all over the web with the answers hidden in various websites.

How does the Who Killed Internet Explorer 6 campaign work?

Users receive clues on the website and have to enter the answer/word on the website which solves the clue. For each clue they get right, users will receive a letter for a anagram which will answer the mystery of who killed Internet Explorer 6. Once all the clues have been solved, users will have all the letters and will be able to submit their answer for the anagram.

Additionally there are two blocks which will require participants to choose an avatar and share the campaign as well as download the latest version of Internet Explorer in order to ensure that they have the latest tools in order to solve the case. All blocks need to be completed in order to unlock every letter and the entry field for users to enter their answer.

• Join the investigation

Good luck!

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COMPETITION: LG Electronics is calling all foodies to enter the 2011 LG Life Tastes Good Championship

SO you think you are a food wizard? Why not show us your culinary expertise by entering the LG Life Tastes Good Championship 2011.

The entries for this year’s national LG Life Tastes Good Championship 2011 are open to all aspiring food lovers.  So get together with a mate, submit a team recipe to www.lgcooking.co.za and stand the chance of winning the 2011 LG Life Tastes Good National Championship title. Also up for grabs is a LG SolarDOM oven each, the grand prize of R30 000 to share, and winning team the opportunity to represent South Africa at the regional finals in Dubai. Entries close on 12 June, so get ready for the cook-off that may just make you famous!

If you fancy yourself a foodie, aspire to be a Nigella Lawson or Jamie Oliver, and your friends can’t stop raving about your culinary skills, then the LG Life Tastes Good Championship 2011 cooking competition is just for you. LG Electronics is again hosting the LG Life Tastes Good Championship, an unique international cooking competition for aspiring foodies, recognising innovative, nutritious and most of all, delicious recipes created by everyday people.

The LG Life Tastes Good Championship is the Idols of cooking shows with renowned local celebrity chef, Jenny Morris (a.k.a. the Giggling Gourmet) as the judge of the contest. The host of the show will be well-known 702 presenter, Kieno Kammies. The top teams will compete on DStv’s Home Channel with the winning team claiming the title, an LG SolarDOM oven each as well as R30 000 to share. The winning team will represent South Africa in the regional finals in Dubai and possibly the global finals in France.

The theme for 2011 is "The World On Your Table by Lightwave", and participants will focus on preparing their winning recipes using LG SolarDOM Oven. This has been designed for health-conscious and eco-friendly consumers, with lower power consumption and faster cooking times, for healthier meals and a healthier planet.

The LG Life Tastes Good Championship is the only cooking competition globally that is endorsed by renowned organisations such as the World Association of Chefs Societies and Le Cordon Bleu.

Entries are now open for non-qualified chefs, so don’t delay, get your cooking buddy and recipe together and visit the LG Life Tastes Good Championship site for entry details and terms and conditions. Entries close on 12 June 2011.For mobile users please access the competition details at http://m.lg.com/za/promotion/promotion.jsp

• The LG Life Tastes Good Championship 2011 will be televised on DStv’s Home Channel from mid-August.

- Submitted on behalf of LG and Meropa Communications

COMPETITION: Google Science Fair ready for take off

GOOGLE'S worldwide Science Fair competition is calling for entries over the coming weeks. The Science Fair gives teenagers the opportunity to join in a new kind of online science competition that is more global, open and inclusive than ever before. It will also offer them the chance to win huge prizes including a 10-day trip to the Galapagos Islands or a $50 000 scholarship from Google.

Google's made this cool video to promote the Science Fair - done in the style of a Rube Goldberg machine. Reminds me of The Incredible Machine.

Google Science Fair promo video: Calling all Jr. scientists!

Who can enter?

The competition is open to students aged 13 to 18 from around the world working on their own or in a team of two or three. For more details, visit the Science Fair Rules page.

How to enter the Google Science Fair

• If you don't already have one, create a Google Account. You will need a Google Account to complete the sign up form.
• Complete the Google Science Fair sign up form. After you submit the form, you will see a link on the confirmation page. This link will create the Google project submission site where you will post your science fair project details.
• Plan your science project, conduct your experiment, and write up your results.
• Complete all of the sections of your Google project submission site.
• Create either a two-minute video or 20-slide presentation giving an overview of your project and embed it on the Summary page of your project submission. A video or presentation is required to enter.
• When your project site is done, make sure to submit it by 4 April 2011.
• Detailed instructions and tips for building your project submission can be found in the Resources section of the website.

Please note: Entries and supporting documentation must be submitted in English. Google Translate is a free tool that may be useful for students who don't speak English as a first language.

Science Fair Judging Process

The deadline for project submissions is 4 April 2011. After this date all projects will be judged by a panel of teachers who will be following the judging criteria. In early May, 60 global semi finalists will be announced and their projects will be posted online and open to public voting for a “People’s Choice Award”. The 60 global semi finalists will then be narrowed down by our judging panel to 15 global finalists who will be announced later in May.

The 15 global finalists will be flown to Google HQ in California, USA for our celebratory Science Fair event. The finalist judging round will take place on 11 July 2011. These finalists will be expected to present their projects before a panel of acclaimed scientists including Nobel Laureates, tech visionaries and household names. A finalist winner will be selected from each of the age categories, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18. One of the finalist winners will be named the Grand Prize Winner.

The Grand Science Fair Prize: A National Geographic Expedition

The Grand Prize winner(s) plus one parent or guardian per winner will win an amazing 10 day trip to the Galapagos Islands with National Geographic Expeditions. Traveling aboard, the winner(s) will visit Darwin's living laboratory and experience up-close encounters with unique species such as flightless cormorants, marine iguanas, and domed giant tortoises.

Google will cover the cost of Economy Class flights to the Galapagos from the winner’s home. The prize is valid for one year from 11 July 2011 and must be booked directly via National Geographic expeditions. It does not, however, included items of a personal nature such as internet usage, laundry or spa services.

A Scholarship from Google

A $50 000 scholarship will be split equally between team members should a team win this prize. This scholarship is intended to be used towards the finalists’ further education.

A Once in a Lifetime Experience

The Grand Prize winner will have first choice of an experience at one of the following partner organizations: CERN, Google, the LEGO Group, or Scientific American.

A Personalised LEGO Prize

• A package from Scientific American.
• Digital Access to Scientific American Archives for your school.
• Digital access for the finalists' schools for a year. This prize is valid up to 12 months from winning the prize on 11 July 2011.
• A personal LEGO color mosaic (one for each team member, to build her/himself) and 1 personal, exclusive LEGO box - specially made for the occasion.

Finalist Winner Prizes

A $25 000 scholarship from Google, split equally between team members should a team win this prize. The Finalists will have second and third choice by random selection of one of the remaining experiences at one of the above-mentioned partner organizations.

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PVP: New Gaming experience opens at Liberty Midlands Mall

AN exciting new entertainment venue has opened in Pietermaritzburg’s Liberty Midlands Mall. PVP Digital Arena (short for Player Versus Player) allows gamers to at last take advantage of some built-in features of the Xbox 360 that they have been denied up until now.

Previously Xbox owners have only been able to take advantage of around 30% of the capabilities of the Xbox, says Brendon Holder, who together with Paul Gilliver is responsible for dreaming up the idea for this ground-breaking store.

PVP is, apparently, the first of its kind in the country and the only electronic game specialist store in Pietermaritzburg. The store also retails a range of the best and latest games for Xbox, Playstation, PC and Nintendo consoles and Holder and Gilliver are available to give expert advice.

PVP will give gamers access to 20 networked  Xbox 360s connected to high definition LCD monitors, to play the latest games that include first person shooters such as Halo: Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and Call of Duty; third person shooters like Gears of War 2; real time strategy games such as Halo Wars; car racing and rally games that include Dirt 2, and car simulators like Forza 3; as well as a variety of “beat-em-up” games, and sports games like Fifa 10, rugby and golf.

The real X-factor with PVP, however, is the fact that players can play against other players in the same room, giving the already convincingly rendered games, enhanced reality. Slow internet speeds in South Africa have meant that unlike other places in the world, live multiplayer gaming has not been a real option for gamers in SA. This has meant that possibly the most exciting aspect of electronic multiplayer games has yet to be experienced by locals.

“Playing Call of Duty is so much more real when you and your squad are in the same room, discussing strategy, while your opponents are on the other side of the room planning how to ambush you. The line between real and virtual is blurred.” - Holder

To further enhance the experience, PVP will hold competitions, elite tournaments for pro gamers, and in-store events, including the possibility of “moments of madness” where they will randomly give away PVP-branded gear and other prizes to players.

The eagerly anticipated store has already created a stir on PVP’s facebook page (PVP Digital Arena) and Liberty Midlands Mall centre manager Cassie Fourie says that there has been a lot of interest shown.

“Customers have been asking when PVP is opening and are extremely excited”, she said, “We welcome this new addition to the mall, which caters to the entertainment element.”

The best news though is that to get in on the action, it will cost players less than a ride in one of those peddle boats at the seaside, with prices starting at a mere R20 per 30 minutes.

Costs to play at PVP Digital Arena
- R20 per 30 minutes
- R35 per one hour
- R60 per two hours

Games store events planned
• After-hour “lock ins” will be organised for groups of 16 or more on request.
• Competitions for rankings, with prizes, to be held every month.
• Elite tournaments for pro gamers to be held at PVP.
• Various events to be held weekly, including “moments of madness”

Other goods on offer at PVP games store
PVP is also a retailer of the best electronic console games for Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Wii and PC. Buyers can try games before they buy and get expert advice on game choices. There will be a game swopping facility available too.

Membership options are planned for the future, with loyalty cards that earn members points that can be redeemed for playing time, games or PVP merchandise.

PVP games store equipment
• Twenty networked Xbox 360s linked to HDMI.
• 23” LCD monitors, with headphones and comfortable tub chairs.
PVP will keep their equipment current and in future will even change to another console platform if a better one is released.

PVP Digital Arena is at Shop 93A at Pietermaritzburg’s Liberty Midlands Mall. Don’t miss their grand opening at 9am this Saturday, October 24. Get there early to claim your place. For inquiries call PVP at 033 342 6420 or email Brendon Holder: brendon@pvp-arena.co.za

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MY GAMING: Attention all gaming enthusiasts

IF you’re keen on your gaming, there’s a fantastic website that started this year (2009) that you should know about by now. It’s goes by the domain name of www.mygaming.co.za and is packed full of news, reviews and the usual things gaming websites offer. Here’s an excerpt from their site:

MyGaming is a news, reviews and community website catering for the needs of the South African gaming community. It carries both national and international news about the latest games, consoles, PC gaming hardware and of course reviews about all of these.

Anyway, my point is that they’re offering some mean giveaways and hosting a Call of Duty 4 (CoD 4) competition. They are giving away over R2000 worth of prizes in a once off 20 minute CoD 4 match, R1000 in cash prizes, and two MSI G31M3 Motherboards.

The charitable gents at MyGaming are also giving away 2 copies of Killzone 2 for PS3 as well as two special-edition Killzone 2 T-shirts. Prize categories include “Most Kills”, “Most Assists”, “Most Deaths” and a “Special Knife Prize.”

You can enter this exciting competition here, or you can subscribe to their site to be kept up to date and become cool.

PS: Prizes are given to active forum members on a regular basis.

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STUNTS: The father of modern-age racing games

Farting around on the inter-webs the other day I came across something that kept me entertained for hours (would have been days if I didn't pass out on my keyboard and wake up to find "gfdhhhhhhhhhh" recurring on my monitor). So because it's Christmas and I'm in a festive mood I thought I'd share this one with you. Christmas is all about the presents after all :)

STUNTS
If you have a Need for Speed yet perhaps lack the hardware requirements to run the latest racing games, then Stunts is for you.

Also known as 4D Sports Driving, Stunts features everything one could possibly want in a racing game: sharp turns, ramps, loops, extreme jumps, corkscrews, and lots of speed.

Players can choose from 29 tracks and 11 different cars and either race these against the clock or challenge up to six differently-skilled opponents.

One can also choose between manual and automatic transmission, switch between four different camera views, and save your insane wipeouts, stunts, and write-off crashes as instant replays.

Courses like these make for great instant replays

In addition to all this is a built-in track editor that allows you to design your own tracks. With this you can choose to ice your track with snow, rough it up with gravel, or smooth the surface with a selection of paved roads.

Stunts was originally written for MS-DOS and therefore runs in 320x200 with 256 colours. However, it has a relatively advanced pseudo-physics engine for its time (1990), which is able to simulate oversteer and understeer.

Although Stunts is now more than 18 years old, it remains a popular and addictive title that maintains a large fan-base worldwide. It has seen a few World Stunts Meetings and there are even still online competitions held whereby players can send in their saved replays via e-mail.

• Stunts is available for free download via the link below and is a mere 1mg zipped file. Also note that you’ll probably need to run the game in DOSbox with Mo’slo, otherwise you may have almost no control over your car! May make for better replays though...

Resources:

• Download Mo'Slo
• Download DOSbox
• Download Stunts now!

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