Paula Deen’s Supporters Take to Food Network’s Facebook Page; Hilarity Ensues

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For those of you living under a rock for the last 72 hours or so, you may be unaware that the Food Network has fired Paula Deen for admitting during a deposition to making racist and anti-Semetic jokes, using the N-word, and planning an Antebellum Southern Plantation-style wedding.

Paula Deen has many fans, and they have taken to Food Network’s Facebook page to protest Paula’s firing. Their comments are hilariously awful. These are their stories. Continue reading →

25 Interesting Facts About the -Stans

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, it broke apart into 15 separate countries. The five in Central Asia– Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan– are largely unknown to the outside world. Here are some fun facts to share with your friends at the next Sunday BBQ. Continue reading →

A Descent into the Mallstrom

Ifc_mall (30pct)I had long passed the point of caring whether I lived or perished. My progress through the world was a resigned, head-down trudge. I reduced carbs, streamed Netflix hits, paid my student lenders with regularity. I held doors for war criminals and voted in municipal elections. Occasionally I commented on the internet. Continue reading →

How to Build an MMO in the Free-To-Play Era

For those of you that follow MMORPGs, you’ve probably noticed that the big trend among new games is the free-to-play model. For those of you that have actually played some of these games, you’ve probably noticed that free-to-play either becomes pay-to-play or pay-to-win pretty quickly. Although many developers are gamers themselves, they are also attempting to create a profitable product, and when those two instincts collide the business side inevitably wins. This creates friction with their user bases, and if left unresolved inevitably leads to the game failing.

I recently started playing Marvel Heroes, an MMO based in the Marvel universe, which uses a League of Legends-style Heroes system. The launch has not exactly been smooth, to say the least. So, speaking as a both a gamer, with insider knowledge of gamer psychology, as well as someone with a business background, I’m hoping to bridge the gap and explain how it’s possible to create a Free-To-Play game that convinces the gamer to spend money and make the game profitable. Continue reading →

Summer Reads: Smutty Celebrity Biographies for the Beach and Poolside

I adore a juicy read in the summer. I like to dumb it down a bit as well. It’s just too hot for me to get into the heavy stuff and magazines have less and less content these days. Plus, it’s harder to digest hard words when you’ve had a few cocktails. Therefore I choose this time to delve into several biographies/autobiographies that have been gleefully gossipy page turners. Here are some good ones that I recommend for your beach or poolside reading. Continue reading →