posted by admin on May 12

My little nephew has taught me something great about his new DSi!

I recently wrote about the new Nintendo DSi and how my little nephew was addicted to the thing!  Playing Pokemon games even when he was asleep!

Anyway, I was watching him playing one game (which I couldn’t quite understand) when he suddenly started playing a completely different one with just a few bangs of his stylus! 

How on earth??

Well, it turned out he had heard about the r4i adaptor card and was taking full advantage!

So, what’s the r4i adapter card then I hear you ask?  Well, it’s a modified flash memory card that is exactly the same shape and size as a normal DSi games cartridge – but it can hold more than just the one game!

Basically you can use it as a sort of memory stick.  You can download games that you have already brought from sites on the Internet for free – this way, you are getting a ‘back-up copy’ of your favourite game.  So, if you damage your original cartridge, you don’t have to buy a whole new one – just stick in the r4i adaptor cartridge and carry on playing.

Is that all?
Well, no.  The thing is that the r4i adaptor can hold more than the one game – therefore allowing you to download copies of all the games you already own into one cartridge – and as my nephew had just done – switch from one game to the next without having to swap cartridges – or spend 20 minutes trying to wrestle the other game off of his younger brother!

The technology is so simple that my nephew was downloading files himself from his Mac – it was basically using drag-and-drop technology to move the files across!

And, further to the whole games concept – the r4i adaptor can also hold anything else you fancy from your computer.  For example, you can download movies onto it to watch on your DSi, or music to play when you are supposed to be brushing your teeth!

It also allows you to perform other simple functions from your media, including browsing through your favorite photos with family, reading e-books about tips for your new games and you can read your own downloaded computer files including birthday lists (with more games on it) or boring work documents!

The r4i cartridges can hold up to 32gb of memory – so there will be plenty of space for a bit of everything inside!

What’s the catch?
To be honest – there isn’t one!  It does exactly what it says on the packet.  It is a cartridge-shaped flash memory ‘stick’ that works with the new Nintendo DSi.

There is a separate r4 adaptor you can buy that works with the original DS, as these cannot be used for the new version, and vice versa.  That way, which ever console you choose to use – you just need the one cartridge!

Both the original r4 cards and the new r4i cards are readily available from www.gamesbackup.co.uk – so you can start moving your games across and enjoy your games and personal media files in a whole new way!

But, please remember- you need to have originally brought each game before you can legally download it from the Internet to make sure you stay within the bounds of copyright law.  These files are only meant to be an online back-up for damaged cartridges or to move your favourite games into a new media format – i.e. – onto the r4 cards!

posted by admin on May 7

An Innovative Way To CPD For Your Online Fundraising Team.

Coming up next week is the world’s first virtual fundraising conference to highlight new media techniques.  It will take place 100% online and will offer subscribers 3 days of live, interactive seminars and workshops to the world.

What Is It?
Basically, it is an event from The Resource Alliance (a charity which helps other non-profit companies to raise funds) which will offer relevant advice from experts and fundraisers alike who have used online techniques to contact supporters, increase revenue and generally increase global interest in their events and/or the charities.

A huge number of guest speakers will give over their time to offer listeners (and watchers) plenaries on their specialized areas throughout the event and 10 workshops.  Such topics include ‘Using video to connect with your donors and prospects’ and ‘Applying Web 2.0 principles to a non-profit organisation’.

Although online, there is the ability to interact with the speakers through a VOIP connection, or to email in comments or questions as it airs live.

How Does It Work?
Registration is based on your actual site connection, and once booked up, you will be able to watch all the events live online straight to your pc or mac – in any time zone and in any location (office, home, friends house, the garden….).

As it is based on any site connection rather than per person, you could link up your laptop to a projector and fill a conference room with your colleagues or associates and all watch together, benefiting your company or society and also all the individuals involved.

After the live events have been broadcast, they then become available as pod-casts for you to enjoy over a longer period of time or to use for further training.  And in addition, the site will continue to stay active for a further 6 months so that you have all the resources from there to hand too.

This ingenious technology will facilitate a lively dialogue with a community of participants. Hopefully, this will result in the exchange and synthesis of practical ideas that companies can effectively and instantly weave into their online fundraising plans.

The Future Is Online:
Unlike normal conferences, this online exchange has no actual land-based location – it is all in cyber space.

By shifting this conference completely onto the Internet, the event takes place wherever you plan to be.  Whether that is at home, at the office or in bed! All you need is a web connection, a VOIP account, and a computer with speakers and you are welcome!

Not only does this mean that you don’t have to take time out of your normal working life to get to the conference in the first place, but the whole world is better off as nobody has to fly anywhere!

This is great for your company or your charity’s eco credentials, but will no doubt save yourself quite an expense – especially if you can involve everyone over the same site connection in or near your offices.

Hopefully, this will be the way of the future for all international conferences.

posted by admin on May 3

Fancy a chance to win $20,000 to implement your very own Green Invention or Idea?

That’s just what you could get if you enter your great green idea in to National Geographic’s new competition.

They are looking for exceptional concepts or new products and technology with a green twist, to battle it out for the 5 lots of prize money!  This includes implementing that idea, profiling you in National Geographic Magazine and whisking you off to a conference to discuss your ideas with some ‘green’ heavy-weights!

Fancy the challenge – Think you’ve got something different out there?

They are hoping that everyone in the States pitches in, as even a small idea by one person, can grow into a whole new technology or way of life for others.  Your idea may be just the seed that gets something big to happen – and that’s why they are calling the The Green Effect.

What Do You Have To Do?
Well firstly, go to their website and you can watch their promotional videos and also read other peoples ideas.  Don’t worry if someone has a similar idea to yours – as it is how you ‘pitch’ your idea that will win the day.

If you can see a different result or a different action plan – then it could be your idea that leads the way.

If your invention does something slightly different to another, or is virtually the same but has that little unique selling point that strides past the others, then you are what they want!

You don’t have to go it alone either – a group of you can enter the idea, invention or concept.  You have more great minds to channel your thoughts through, and back up in those moments of ‘mind-block’.  And more people is always fun!

How Do I Enter?
Well, you need an great idea – and a passion for it too!  You need to be able to talk about this idea, product or concept as though you mean it!

You also need to be over 18 years of age and live in the US to enter.  Now, you can be younger or live outside of the states and have this great idea – but you need to get a person who is over 18 and resident of the US to enter on your behalf. 

They will be the name shown on the winning entry (should you be so lucky) and they will be the one forwarded and in charge of the prize money to get your winning idea off the ground – so make sure you know them well enough!

What Do I Need?
You need to register with National Geographic online and then you are ready to go. 

You are expected to enter an essay detailing your idea and how it al comes together, and you can enter up to 4 images and or 1 3 minutes max home video to support your idea if you feel you need to!

You can only enter 1 idea per person or group.

Scoring is based on 4 areas of 25 points max each,  They are perceived benefit to the environment, impact on the local community, feasibility of achievement with the funds offered and relationship to the sponsors ethical philosophy regarding ‘small steps’.  Obviously you need to read the full ‘rules’ section for yourself to clarify all the relevant points.

How Long Do I Have?
The competition closes for entries on June 8th 2009, and the 10 finalists will be announced the first week in July.

So get on to The Green Effect now and register