Join me on XBOX Live!
The XBOX 360 gaming experience is quite simply the best. Over the course of a year, as a side benefit to my [former] job at Millions of Us, I have had the opportunity to view many game titles on both the XBOX 360 and PS3 platforms. I also had the unfortunate pleasure of writing code for the Playstation 3 console itself. I can honestly say that the user experience and graphics are simply better on the Microsoft platform.
That said, I am (and have been for the last 7 months) the proud owner of an XBOX 360. When I have extra time there is nothing I like better than a little console gaming. The Live experience from XBOX is also second to none. You can generally find me playing RockBand 2, Guitar Hero World Tour or Call of Duty. I am also a big fan of the Tom Clancy Rainbow Six series. My Gamer Tag is BigMikeJ Cali - let’s play!
Read MoreSam’s Fish Bowl - a Facebook App
Sam’s Fish Bowl allows you to become the caregiver of a super-unique fish. Your fish is alive and well and lives everyday on Facebook. He will require special care and feeding from both you and your friends, and will certainly become a beloved member of the family.
Each time you feed your fish you will earn Super Feeder Points. These points can be shared with your child’s Super Reader Points within Sam’s Interactive Reader. You’ll love this casual game and it also helps spread the word about Storybook Anytime through everyone’s social network on Facebook.
Read MoreSam’s Interactive Reader
It’s been five months since Storybook Anytime launched the first version of its online children’s library. It is amazing the amount of feedback and suggestions that was received from users. That feedback did not fall on deaf ears. Storybook Anytime is pleased to announce “Sam’s Interactive Reader”- a child safe downloadable application that allows your children to discover the fun of reading and learning through interactive media.
The application is available to download for free and comes with a free story to get you started. Its easy to use interface allows your children to instantly access their own library of stories while simultaneously allowing you to shop for more stories in our online bookstore. The online store has originally written and illustrated stories available for purchase with brand new stories, activities and age appropriate entertainment always in production.
There are also brand new Storybook Anytime Gift Cards available that make a fantastic present for the upcoming holiday season.
Read MoreThe 4-Hour Work Week - Experiments in Lifestyle Design
Take a break from the normal and learn about the adventure of working on your own terms. Sound like a vacation you’d like to take? Then The 4-Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferriss is for you.
Entrepreneur Timothy Ferriss rewrites the rules and upsets conventional wisdom about work and success in his self-help guide to the new, rich economy. It is not necessary to toil for 70 hours per week, according to Ferriss, who runs a company called BrainQuicken. Successful people, he says, have actually mastered a system of working less by outsourcing tasks, severely cutting back on timewasters such as meetings, and working offsite. Ferriss tells how the principles that made him rich are transferable to other companies.
Read more at Ferriss’ blog http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/
[Repost of Original Mike Johnston Vox Blog of July 6, 2007]
Read MoreSony Home for Playstation 3 - Beta Demo @ E3 2008
While Director of Engineering at Millions of Us, my team was responsible for the early US content development on the Sony Home project for Playstation 3.
This early work was showcased by Sony at the E3 conference (video below). Myself and two other engineers spent the bulk of our early development time creating the elements shown here. Specifically the RC Boats shown in the Home Lobby (US), The Sand Table in the “Warhawk” space and the “Mercenary Madness” retro arcade game for the “Uncharted” space.
Read MoreStorybook Anytime - Website Launch
Storybook Anytime is a company founded my wife and I in May of 2007. My wife and mother-in-law along with other talented artists, writers, programmers, sound engineers and voice talent have been working extremely hard over the past year to bring Storybook Anytime to life. Storybook Anytime is publishing a library of children’s stories designed specifically for children ages 3-9. The company is on a mission to improve the education and literacy of young children through entertaining and diverse interactive media. Library access is made available through Sam’s Interactive Reader- the iTunes for Children’s Stories (and more to come in the future). Stories can be purchased individually and downloaded to your local machine. The software and library will be provided to pre-schools, libraries and elementary schools free of charge.
I am so very proud to announce that the official beta site has launched and we could not be happier with how it has turned out.
Currently, the first 11 stories are available in the library, with 20+ more in production that will be added as they are completed. There are many other features being added along the way including the Spanish language stories that will launch in the next few weeks. So please everyone take a look when you have a minute and let us know what you think! You can find it at http://www.storybookanytime.com. Oh and don’t forget to tell as many people as you can… she needs your help to grow!
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