Denuo - denuology.com

After a nice long Memorial Day weekend ushered in the summer, students across the country are taking that last set of finals in hopes of maintaining good grades or bumping up those so-so grades. With the spirit of report cards in the air, I thought it was a good time to give out a report card of sorts to the latest social media/mobile/application craze, location-based apps.

In lieu of grades, I’m taking a more general approach of commenting on: The Good, The Bad, and My Wish. Now bring on the judgment.

You know those people who have a natural sense of direction? Who seem to just know how to navigate new neighborhoods, where to turn right or left? Who can give a map a once-over without furrowing their brow? I am not one of those people.

In fact, about a month ago, I got lost on my 0.1 mile walk to work off the Clark/Lake stop. I somehow managed to head west on Lake Street and walked in squares around Clark, LaSalle, and West Wacker. I even annoyed not one, but two, busy-looking people on the street by asking which way West Wacker was. At this point, it was 8:54am and I was getting dangerously close to being late, so I hailed a cab to work (I’m serious.) Quite possibly the most embarrassing $5 I ever spent.

It got me thinking: I am one of those people who should get a smartphone. I’m constantly looking up train schedules, walking directions, restaurant menus, movie times, concerts and events information. When I’m out with friends, I always have to ask two questions: 1) “Where are we going?” and 2) “Who has a smartphone?”

Did you miss us? We sure missed you. Most of all, we missed bringing you the latest gaming industry news and trends in this excited-for-E3 issue of PLAYED. This month, we consider the celebrity of developers and how it may shape the industry in years to come. We also check out Apple’s latest step into the gaming space with their Game Center mobile network and proprietary approach to the mobile space, along with the industry’s “green” efforts towards an improved environment. Finally, with achievements and rewards an integral part of gaming, we look at how high scores and in-game bonuses are influencing real-life programs and activities.

Last week, Denuologist Matt Story participated as a speaker at the 2010 Digital Hollywood Spring event in Santa Monica, CA. A collection of leaders from the media, creative, technology and entertainment industries gathered for this three-day event exploring topics ranging from smartphones to online video to music to Hollywood to videogames.

Matt’s panel focused on the strategies, market and rewards for games, music and content. It also specifically spoke to the rise of SmartPhones, iPads and digital tablets. Joining him on the panel was Stephen Jackson, President and CEO of Smashing Ideas; Jason Henderson, Games Product Manager at Verizon; Michael Schade, CEO and Co-Founder of Fishlabs; Daniele Calabrese, Founder and CEO of sountrckr; and Jennifer Cooper, Founder and Principal of Rocket Spark Media, who also participated as the panel moderator.

Fellow sneaker heads, we are not a secret society.

There is a group of us out there that agree there are few feelings better than scooping an exclusive pair of your favorite sneakers (whether that’s Air Max 95s, Jordan Vs, or Dunks in my case). There are numerous sneaker shops throughout the country (and abroad – don’t sleep) that are always good for that unexpected gem that completes your collection (until you come back next time) and leaves you on cloud nine with a reward for your sneaker sleuth skills.

Unfortunately, technology and innovation are ruining that euphoric feeling for me. Whether it’s the traditional email/newsletter or the constantly growing social media landscape, shoe companies are making it tougher to get my hands on their exclusive goodies. A culture once dominated by word of mouth is now fully embracing the tools of the digital word of mouth landscape. Woot for them. FML for me.