By Reed Fujii, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Sep. 8--Morgan Boyd was born about the time that the classic Atari 2600 video game system was introduced in 1977.
Boyd, a former Lodi resident now attending California State University, Sacramento, recalled playing Atari as a child, but he was too young to develop any real skill or passion for the game system before it passed into obsolescence. No, he had to wait until four or five years ago when he got hooked on games like Pac-Man, Gravitar and Yar's Revenge after playing at a friend's house.
"He had a ton of them, because they were so cheap," Boyd recalled "I just really got hooked."
"I don't really like the new systems," he said. "... They're just too complex, I guess. Plus the old games, the prices ... you can get 10 Atari games for like seven, eight or nine bucks."
And Boyd is not alone.
The recent Classic Gaming Expo 2001, an annual convention in Las Vegas for fans and dealers in old video games and game system, high a four-year high for attendance and participation by sponsors.
The inaugural affair in 1998 drew about 150 people, while the 2001 event was attended by more than a thousand people from across the United States and Canada.
Classic games and game systems, including such names as Atari, Intellivision, Colecovision and Odyssey, constitute a good portion of the business at Video Game Exchange in Stockton, owner Tom Martin said.
Martin, who keeps an Atari 2600 system on hand at the store (it's not for sale) to play Pac-Man or Pong when businesses gets slow, said he's built a steady trade through his on-line Web site, www.videogex.com
"It helps a lot, particularly in the slow months."
Perhaps about 20 percent of his sales are made on the Web and the bulk of that trade is in classic games.
When Martin opened the first Video Game Exchange store in Lodi about six years ago, he decided he would try to carry games and accessories for all the popular systems, from the Atari 2600 to the then-state-of-the-art Playstation.
"We've always had a loyal customer base as far as Atari goes," he said. "We have a very loyal customer base on the Internet, as well."
The old games have a wide appear, he added.
"It's funny because you'll get kids, 12 and 13 years old, get hooked on it," Martin said, As well as middle-age men and women.
That appeal is a mixture of nostalgia, simplicity and pure fun, classic game fans said.
"It's simple, one button and a joystick," Martin said. ... "They had to concentrate on making the game fun instead of blowing you away with graphics."
"I definitely like the simplicity of the games," Boyd said.
"The new (game-system) controllers, there's like six buttons and all these combinations you have to do.
..."It takes a lot more time to get into those games, unlike an Atari game when you sit down and within a couple of minutes you're on your way."
Renewed interest in classic video games has made them harder to find and somewhat more expensive, although they still come nowhere near the price of a new Playstation2 ($300) or Nintendo's next-generation GameCube, expected to be released this fall for $200.
Martin, who has no Atari or original Nintendo Entertainment System game consoles currently for sale, has waiting lists of customers for both machines.
If he has them, Martin said he sells Atari 2600 consoles for about $30, while they might go for $50 to $60 at other dealers.
"Atari, they're very hard to find," said Fred Karimi, who's operated the Tracy Game Exchange in Tracy for the past six years. "We get calls, maybe three or four times a month, from people looking for units."
"The best place you can find Atari games are flea markets or swap meets."
Karimi recalled he did sell an Atari system with a number of games about three months ago when a buyer offered him $100.
"I was willing to go even lower. I don't know why he needed it so badly," Karimi said.
Perhaps, he said, people will pay anything to bring back the memories.
Collectors have also driven up the price on rare game titles, even though them games themselves might not be worth playing. Such buyers ask for games in their original boxes, with certain types of labels or unusual items.
Rare games such as Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as some unauthorized adult titles, might fetch as much as $50 or more, Martin said.
He estimates there may be as many as 1,300 different game titles for the Atari console and occasionally new games continue to appear.
"There are still fans that learned to program for Atari. Every once in awhile, a new game will come out for ... homemade games," Martin said.
"Most people by the common games they played growing up."
Serious collectors might have as many as 300 to 400 different titles.
Martin, who opened his Stockton store in the spring, said the business keeps himself and his wife, Bridgitte (another Atari fan) very busy.
He has taken on a partner, David Flanagan, to continue to run the Lodi store.
Martin said another reason he likes the old games was than many of them were designed for more than one player, adding a welcome element of competition and unpredictability.
"My wife, Bridgitte, before we got together, she had a system," he said. "So we play together."
"I was a 2600 fan, he was a(n Atari) 5200 fan," Bridgitte Martin said.
"Pretty geeky, huh?"
Instead of trying to settle the debate about which game system was the best, the couple simply kept them both.
To see more of The Record, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.recordnet.com
(c) 2001, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
ATC, NTDOF, NTDOY,
According to the authors of recent research from Lisbon, Portugal, "In 2000, the Russian ultranationalist movement began a new developmental phase, marked by extensive use of the Internet for communication and organization."
"A social movement analytic framework is used to consider the structure of the movement's web space. The World Wide Web is the data source for investigating the movement's use of the Internet to organize itself and its alternative knowledge production, identifying the ideological content of the movement's main actors and web communities, and examining a central movement actor," wrote D. Zuev and colleagues, University of Lisbon.
The researchers concluded: "The mechanism of knowledge production in this social movement and its organizational culture are explored in the Russian context and as part of larger extreme-right trends."
Zuev and colleagues published their study in Post - Soviet Affairs (The Russian Ultranationalist Movement on the Internet: Actors, Communities, and Organization of Joint Actions. Post - Soviet Affairs, 2011;27(2):121-157).
For additional information, contact D. Zuev, University of Lisbon, Center Research & Studies Sociol, University of Institute Management Social Science & Technology, CIES ISCTE, P-1699 Lisbon, PORTUGAL.
Publisher contact information for the journal Post - Soviet Affairs is: Bellwether Publ Ltd., 8640 Guilford Rd., Ste. 200, Columbia, MD 21046, USA.
Keywords: City:Lisbon, Country:Portugal, Region:Europe, Political Science
This article was prepared by Politics & Government Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Politics & Government Week via VerticalNews.com.
Hudson Institute, a policy research organization, launched the Center for Economics of the Internet, a program on Internet policy that focuses on free-market principles.
"Federal agencies are currently addressing policy decisions based on a theory of 'Internet exceptionalism,' where ordinary principles of economics do not apply," said Furchtgott-Roth. "Unfortunately, this arrangement only serves to harm consumers and weaken our businesses. The Center for Economics of the Internet will dispel the myth that regulating one part of the Internet ecosystem can be walled off from impacting other parts of the ecosystem."
According to a release, the Center will produce analysis of relevant trends and policy debates. Programs will include studies, white papers, and regular seminars and briefings in DC featuring scholars, beginning with a breakfast dialogue on June 17. These thought leaders will present original research and opinion on issues including but not limited to intellectual property rights, peering, investment, competition, regulated pricing of services, and privacy and cybersecurity.
"Consumers expect faster Internet service, carriers are working to overcome impediments to infrastructure development, and Americans are concerned about the privacy and security of personal information online," said Furchtgott-Roth. "We will strive to provide market-based guidance to those policymakers and government officials who are formulating and implementing Internet policies."
The Center's academic advisory board includes Viet Dinh, Georgetown University School of Law; Richard Epstein, NYU Law School; Robert Hahn, Oxford University, Georgetown University, and the University of Manchester; Jerry Hausman, MIT; Thomas Hazlett, George Mason University Law School; Bruce Owen, Stanford University; Greg Sidak, Criterion Economics; and Christopher Yoo, University of Pennsylvania School of Law.
More Information:
http://cei.hudson.org
www.hudson.org
((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))
CHICAGO, May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- DIME announces iPointOfCare, a simple, direct, web-based browser that is designed to deliver targeted, relevant content to busy clinicians.
Internet point-of-care research is steadily on the rise among physicians. Currently over 86 percent of physicians now gather health, medical, and prescription drug information online, according to a recent study. DIME's iPointOfCare website is poised to become the premier web-based continuing medical education resource for time-limited physicians.
Leveraging the expertise of leading professionals, the iPointOfCare portal is a key leader in offering concise, on-demand educational resources for a variety of crucial therapeutic areas. These educational resources can be researched while also providing CME credit to the physician. The platform's clean and clutter-free design allows for ease of access to content for improved overall care for patients throughout the course of their treatment.
iPointOfCare integrates across all browsers and devices and is optimized for the mobile environment, making it even more accessible to physicians seeking point-of-care information or CME credit. Visit on the web at http://www.ipointofcare.org.
DIME is an independent healthcare continuing education provider with 17 years of experience. Based in Chicago, the company serves physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the US through a variety of educational formats. DIME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. It was the first medical education company to receive Accreditation with Commendation from the ACCME under its 2006 Updated Criteria for Accreditation.
DIME's areas of expertise include autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, pain, and women's health.
DIME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. DIME is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Illinois Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
DIME uses both digital and face-to-face formats to deliver education that meets the needs of physicians and other healthcare professionals. DIME is part of the Publicis Healthcare Communications Group. For additional information, please visit DIMedEd.org.
For more information about iPointOfCare please contact Dawn Kenny at 312-553-8003 or email dawn.kenny@dimeded.org.
This press announcement was released on behalf of DIME by Audience Generation(TM), a digital, advertising, marketing and technology agency working with DIME to drive web users to the iPointOfCare portal. For more information or a complete list of services, visit www.audiencegeneration.com, by phone at 512.708.4679, or email mwayne@audiencegeneration.com.
SOURCE DIME
Executive Team Addition Advances eCert's Leadership in Email Protection For Major Brands and Financial Institutions
SAN FRANCISCO -- eCert, Inc. (www.ecertsystems.com) continues its rapid growth by hiring Erik Johnson as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to oversee its award-winning email protection services and advance industry efforts to develop standards. As former SVP of Enterprise Technologies at Bank of America, Johnson's experience in security, messaging and financial services technology enables eCert to continue industry-leading innovation and drive progress in addressing critical security needs for its customers and the global Internet community.
Johnson spent more than a decade at Bank of America, most recently as the Senior Vice President of Enterprise Technology & Delivery, where he focused on best practices for consumer security, including the development of global secure electronic messaging services for over 300,000 employees and millions of customer relationships. During his tenure at Bank of America, Johnson managed the technology program portfolio for all enterprise messaging initiatives, delivered solutions specific to enterprise electronic collaboration, social networking and messaging capabilities, and created and led global teams responsible for enterprise technology, risk and operational strategy on client/server, web hosted and cloud models.
"Erik Johnson's experience in security, messaging and financial services technology are a powerful addition to eCert's strong team of industry veterans. He brings a depth of understanding of the specific requirements of the financial institutions, major brands, and government agencies that eCert's email protection services support," said Kelly Wanser, CEO, eCert. "With email-related attacks a more powerful threat than ever, eCert is committed to helping these companies and their customers stay safe online. Erik's appointment to the role of CTO supports our ability to advance protections and meet the needs of the world's most demanding companies and environments."
A leading expert on email authentication and online fraud, Johnson was also selected as Executive in Residence for Bank of America at the MIT Center for Future Banking - a joint, multi-year collaborative effort specializing in privacy, identity and security solutions. Johnson previously served on the Email Security Work Group of BITS, part of the Financial Services Roundtable, and on the board of directors for major industry consortium the Online Trust Alliance (OTA).
About eCert, Inc.
eCert provides critical protection against email fraud ("phishing") and other threats to enterprises, governments and other major organizations and their customers. eCert's award-winning Email Protection Identity Cert (EPIC) service is the first to support open standards-based email authentication for blocking malicious traffic and now protects over 100m consumers and $50 billion in brand value for several of the country's largest financial institutions and email providers. eCert was founded in 2008 by veterans with experience in email, security and financial services technology. In 2010, eCert was selected by BITS, a division of the Financial Services Roundtable, and the Financial Services - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) to extend its email protection capabilities to the entire U.S. financial services sector as a Trusted Email Registry. www.ecertsystems.com
ENCINITAS, Calif., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Com-Guard, Inc. (Pink Sheets: CGUD), the technology company that has offered integrated solutions for several computer security markets, announced today that it has it has signed an exclusive License Agreement for the sales of its Transaction Processing Software with Lightstorm USA Pty, Ltd. Com-Guard will capitalize on its previous strengths in the distribution and sales of software.
Dr. Edward W. Savarese, CEO and founder said, "We are working hard to procure and develop software products to fit our strategic plan. We have researched different markets and saw a need for software to process transactions and to provide security for data." The Company has signed an exclusive Distribution and Licensing agreement for North America, including Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean with Lightstorm USA Pty, Ltd. Also, the company has the right under its contract to apply for other territories.
Lightstorm USA Pty, Ltd. has developed the technology to enable merchants to run rewards programs, payment systems, check cashing systems, pay day loans systems and several other related applications. Lightstorm USA Pty, Ltd. and Com-Guard, Inc. have had a long history of licensing technologies and using its industry knowledge and contacts to implement and repackage those technologies to meet major corporate needs. Com-Guard, Inc. will be able to offer its customers a reduced rate from the current fees charged by major Credit Card companies. The Company expects to immediately commence marketing and sales of its licensed, "Transactional Cash Engine Software."
The Company will commence a sales and marketing program to target four growth opportunities.
Loyalty Card Programs - Retailers are finding it more costly to accept Credit Card payments and develop customer loyalty. The "Transactional Cash Engine Software" technology will allow merchants to combine their loyalty programs with a combined payment technology. The retailer will save transaction fees and the consumer will be rewarded with savings and gifts as decided by the merchant.
Online Payments - Consumers are increasingly using the internet to pay for transactions. And they are concerned about internet fraud and the theft of credit card details. Merchants are searching for ways to transact sales in a secure manner with the least expense.
Pay Day Advance and Money Transfers - The "Transactional Cash Engine Software" is especially suited to allow merchants to secure their pay day advances and to securely transfer money over the internet.
Specialty Payment Programs - Schools, travel companies, restaurants, etc. are looking for ways to have their goods and services paid for without incurring Credit Cards fees. The "Transactional Cash Engine Software" will allow the Company to personalize these payment programs at a reduced rate.
About Com-Guard, Inc.:
Com-Guard, Inc. (http://www.com-guard.com/) has developed and marketed a line of software and hardware products for the computer industry that provided enhanced system security for both individual users and network administrators.
This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. Expression of future goals and similar expressions reflecting something other than historical fact involve risks and uncertainties. The actual results the company achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties may cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from expectations in this press release. These and other risks are detailed in Com-Guard's Disclosure and Information Statement at http://www.pinksheets.com/ and its previously filed quarterly reports on Form 10-QSB and its annual report on Form 10-KSB.
CONTACT: Dr. Edward W. Savarese, CEO, Com-Guard, Inc., +1-858-381-7800, ews@com-guard.com
Web Site: http://www.com-guard.com/
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 1996--HomeCom Communications (http://www.homecom.com), an Atlanta-based Internet development company, today announced the online presence of their new title, Post on the Fly Conference(TM), a web-based conferencing application for the World Wide Web.
Several corporations are currently using Post on the Fly Conference as part of their Internet presence or Intranet solution, or are currently developing sites that will use the product. Among them:
-- AFLAC Bullpen (http://www.aflac.com) - Batter up! Join the
1996 Major League Baseball playoff and world series
conference area to talk about everything related to baseball
and this year's series.
-- Wolf Camera's Ask the Experts (http://www.wolfcamera.com) -
Used both internally and externally, Wolf Camera encourages
customers to give feedback or ask questions and encourages
employees to share ideas.
-- The Jimmy Buffet Conference (http://www.homecom.com/buffett) -
Just wastin' away on the World Wide Web. Talk about the man,
his music and margaritas.
-- Fit-Online (http://www.fit-online.com) - This online personal
trainer gives members forums to receive information and
support on cross-training, relaxation and nutrition.
Priced at $495, Post on the Fly Conference is available on the Internet at the company's web site at http://www.homecom.com/conference. The product is targeted to web site developers, Internet Service Providers and industry consultants. A limited, 100-posts version is available for free, giving users the option to try the product before they purchase the retail version.
Post on the Fly Conference is currently available and shipping for BSDI v2.1, HP-UX v9.0, IRIX v5.3, SPARC Solaris v2.x, and Windows NT v3.51 and will soon be available for IBM AIX and Macintosh OS.
"Any company with a Web presence benefits when they offer a conferencing tool on their web site, whether for internal or external communications," said HomeCom spokesperson Shannon Kinnard.
Among Post on the Fly Conference's features:
-- The ability to hold private or public forums with moderated
or unmoderated posts
-- Extensive administration features allowing point-and-click
management
-- Unlimited posts, unlimited users, no client software needed
except a browser
HomeCom Communications, Inc. is a full-service Web presence provider, Internet applications developer and security consulting company. With an eye on the future of networked computing, the company develops custom applications and services that enable businesses to provide secure information via private Intranets and the Internet to employees, business partners, customers and the public.
CONTACT: HomeCom Communications, Inc.
Shannon Kinnard, 404/237-4646 ext. 183
shannon@homecom.com
ATHLONE, Ireland, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Elan Corporation plc. (NYSE: ELN) today issued the following statement in response to queries from the financial community:
Following on the receipt of the FDA Warning Letter on July 14th, Elan requested and subsequently held a meeting with the FDA to establish the extent of the agency's concerns and the responses and corrective actions which they required. Since that time the company has been in regular communication with the FDA to ensure that all issues raised have been dealt with comprehensively and satisfactorily.
In addition the company has confirmed that since the receipt of the letter they have been inspected by third party CGMP consultants who have certified that the company's facility in Athlone is in compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices.
Following the discussions with FDA and the review carried out by third party consultants, the company believes that it will deal with these matters promptly without affecting the scheduled launch of Naprelan.
Elan is a leading worldwide drug delivery company with innovative drug absorption technologies designed to improve patient care in a cost effective manner. Its principal research and manufacturing facilities are in Ireland and the United States of America.
-0- 8/9/95
/NOTE TO EDITORS: Elan Corporation's press releases are available at no charge through PR Newswire's Company News On-Call fax service and on PRN's Web site. For a menu of Elan's press releases or to retrieve a specific release, call 800-758-5804, extension 231593, or http://www.prnewswire.com on the Internet/
/CONTACT: Donal J. Geaney, President & CEO; or Brian Crotty, Group Vice President, Communications, 011-353-902-95000, both of Elan Corporation/
(ELN)
CO: Elan Corporation plc. ST: IN: MTC SU:
TW-DC -- NY067 -- 3189 08/09/95 15:07 EDT
