Honestly, most gamers I know purchase their own games on the release day and seldom ask for games as gifts no matter what the occasion since we all feel the need to beat the game before stumbling across the ending online. While I personally enjoy picking up some of the good games from the used rack in February, I know that I forget about at least one game that slipped out in the avalanche of games.

Unless your game’s target player is an 8 year old with mountains of patience and a long memory I see no reason to fight for the consumer’s dollar in November and leave the month of June barren in terms of new releases. For many developers releasing in November is akin to launching your indie movie the same day as Watchmen or The Dark Knight! In reality it isn’t a battle worth fighting.

I’ll be watching to see if this trend changes in the coming years; already Halo Wars slipped to an early 09 release which, I think will prove beneficial as more gamers will be in the market for a new game. What are your thoughts on the mountains of games released in November and early December? Do you like it or are you as overloaded as me?

Photo - Kevin Walter - Flickr

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It seems that businesses and people everywhere are jumping on Twitter and some are doing it well while others, like the local comedy club who is promoting upcoming shows from a protected feed are doing it poorly to say the least. I spent Saturday at Cedar Point with some friends and was twittering the waits away in line when I came to the realization that theme parks and amusement parks need Twitter more than diabetics need insulin!

With Twitter Cedar Point could:

• Allow guest to get ride wait times
• Tell guests when rides are down
• Promote specials to people throughout the year
• Get showtimes for in park entertainment
• Learn about in park disruptions or issues
• emergency broadcast system

I’m sure other Twitterers can come up with a few more reasons but by far the most useful way to use Twitter from a rollercoaster rider’s standpoint has to be automated wait time updates. If Remember the Milk and so many other services can use the Twitter API to handle automated responses I’m sure Cedar Point could cook up a service to deliver ride wait lengths to them park goers over Twitter.

The park already has wait lengths posted at the beginning of each line, it would only take a minimal investment to put an electronic wait display that updates Twitter while informing those close by. As an added bonus, the new system could log wait times to help Cedar Point better understand the guest experience and learn how to tailor the experience to make more money while providing a better experience for visitors.

The Twitter feed could also be used to send out alerts when a ride goes down explaining what Cedar Point knows about the issue and a time estimate if it is available. I know this would have made my day when we were standing in line for the Maverick trying to decipher an attendant’s mumbling explanation.

From a promotion standpoint Twitter would provide Cedar Point with a quick and easy way to promote specials for season passes or ticket sales. So long as the deals were worthwhile people will still follow, just look at Dell Deals. The Twitter feed could also be used to promote shows and specials events like the current Halloween parades.

Finally if Cedar Point listens to Twitter for mentions of the park they can stay on top of disturbances, dirty bathrooms, commotions, and other issues that people will complain about on Twitter. Also in the unlikely event that something goes wrong at the park the Twitter account can be used to blast out relevant info quickly.

In all there are plenty of opportunities for Cedar Point to make use of Twitter to better reach out to their already enthusiastic audience. If anyone from Cedar Point is reading this right now feel free to reach out for more details!

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The above image is currently on election.twitter.com during the debate. I don’t care which side you’re on, this to me is a huge indication of character and tactics. I wish both of these accounts would have had a “Good Luck!” or Hoping to share information with America, rather than seeing McCain link to an ad of “gotcha moments” starring Biden.

What are your thoughts?

/politics on Imjosh, back to the regularly scheduled tech and books.

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I shared a promo for Rob Kutner’s Apocalypse How earlier this week and wished for the ability to see inside it in order to understand what it was about. Imagine my surprise when Rob took time out of writing for the daily show and promoting his new book to email me and point me to the excerpts section of the Apocalypse How website.

After looking through several pages of the book, I can’t wait to head down to my local bookstore to pick this one up, I just hope they have it in stock or I’ll have to pick it up on Amazon.

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Got any better EULAs, other than a lack of a EULA?

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I only wish you could look inside the book on Amazon so I could get a better idea of what’s inside….

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A prime example of a Twrumor as I write this:

Just down at Lehman headquarters and Associated Press reporter says that rumors are that AIG will declare bankruptcy tomorrow.

Via Scobleizer on Twitter

What do you think? Got anything better? By the way AIG Terrible Tuesdays Batman!

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In case you need to fill Nintendo’s coffers even more you can pick up Wii branded water bottles.

Or you can go for Wii Fit branded towels.

They had a few other Wii Fit fitness items but these two were the funniest to me since you could easily use any other Water bottle or towel. I think these are aimed at those who don’t have a Wii and still want to feel special in public!

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Sly Mongoose also provided me with something to chew on as Tobias explores governments and the pitfalls that come with different kinds of ruling societies ranging from the old school council of elders style taking place in Yatapek to the, everyone must vote, government of the Aeolian Consensus. My favorite protagonist Pepper takes a young emissary to task over the shortcomings of this severely democratic process in a scene which caused me to explore my own conceptions about government and the differing forms democracy takes.

“What do you call sex without consent, Pepper?” She leaned forward like a large cat.

“Rape,” Pepper said evenly.

An invisible trap sprung. She smiled, reciting a script that came easily to her. Pepper imagined it being taught in schools to Aeolians all around Chilo. “Indeed. Rape. It is the consent that is the key. What is the act of governing without consent?”

“Getting shit done.” Pepper didn’t like getting lectured at by little girls, even if they embodied the will of millions.

She ignored his irritated reply. “Think of government as a marriage Pepper. You’ve entered into a bond, but it does not mean that the right to do certain things are guaranteed. A wife who doesn’t consent can still be raped, as an elected government can still run over its people. Better to do make sure that permission is asked for each act, every time. Better yet to make the government vanish: run by monthly volunteers and automated frameworks. For a month you’ve been chosen to be a judge, study hard. Next year you’ll be a filing clerk for a month. We all serve. We all vote. We’re the government.”

“That crap’s nice until you have a threat breathing down your your neck,” Pepper growled. “Even the Athenians you adore so much turned quickly towards strong leaders when it came time to face invaders. Our time on Chilo is countable in days. You will need leaders, not town meetings.”

She recoiled from the intensity he hissed the last word out with. He noticed that she had bags under her eyes. It was late into the night, and she was just a tired, stressed out teenager. “Well,” she whispered. “It did turn out rather well for the Athenians, throwing away freedom for a good defense, didn’t it? After centuries under the boot of the Satraps, I would have thought dying free would beat living safe.”

Amazingly Tobias is able to provoke these questions all while providing a race to the end adventure. This is his third book and it is clear that he has further honed his writing chops. If you can’t find anything deeper than the action in Sly Mongoose, I suggest you avoid the deep end of the swimming pool. Sly Mongoose was able to pull me in much quicker than the first two books and I felt even more connected to Pepper and Timas than I did to John DeBrun in Crystal Rain.

This novel is sure to be enjoyable even to readers who missed out on the planetary adventure that was Crystal Rain and the space opera of Ragamuffin. I think the first two books and his short stories only whetted my appetite for Sly Mongoose. I was thrilled to see Pepper get the attention and time his character deserved. I truly hope that we see more of Pepper in the future. If you aren’t familiar with Pepper, my best description would be Chuck Norris circa Delta Force a little bit of shaft, one part terminator, a dash of Steven Hawking and dreds…don’t forget the dreds.

Also be sure to check out his next novel, which is part of the Halo series called, Halo: The Cole Protocol. If you need to get acquainted with Pepper check out Fish Merchant which makes for an excellent introduction to his character, and follow it up with Manumission which provides a sense of who Pepper is.

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The book got me thinking that in all of the post apocalyptic fiction I have been reading lately nobody has used been using solar power to survive. Even in the altered future gasoline is still one of the most important resources for individuals and governments.

I find this somewhat surprising given the provenance of solar powered accessories in the marketplace. There are solar powered ties, purses, backpacks, tables and even mini solar powered “receivers” which can be found in many stores. I hope that some new fiction in the future has at least one survivor which gets by through the use of a solar powered item that would be within the grasp of an everyday person.

I know if I sense an upcoming plague or disaster of epic proportions I’ll be busting in to my local Bestbuy, scavenging every battery in site as well as the collection of solar backpacks. Hitting up the sporting goods store next door to get decked out in the finest outdoor apparel and switching my cavalier for a Hummer on the way to stock up on non perishable food, then heading for the hills. See you there!

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