Archive for April 6th, 2009

The Difficulty with Trading Card Games

I understand the business model for setting your card games up like this. You can generate a steady interest among kids by creating card games that fosters a sort of "planned scarcity" of goods. It's not like the card game company couldn't give everyone what they want, by printing more of the popular and most useful cards, they simply decide not to.

Booster packs have always been what I don't like about the current trading card game industry. Most of the trading card games in stores today require kids to buy piles of useless cards in order to get one or two good ones. My local game stores behind the counter area is stacked high with old cards that nobody wants, because their trading card game insists that chance discovery is preferable to everyone getting the cards they want.

It doesn't have to be like this. A collectible card game can be just as exciting when everyone has access to all the cards. What's more, the waste of paper and dollars is sharply reduced if a collectible card game is modeled on full access to cards.

Where the play and collectability of a collectible card game centers on the characters and a full deck, game balance is also upheld. If everyone has access to the same cards they can test their talent rather than their wallet.

It's like a lottery for kids, as they purchase booster packs to hopefully pick the winning card. The other downside of a trading card game designed this way is that kids can spend themselves into an unfair advantage - affecting game balance and putting entry level players at a disadvantage.

Learn to change your caller identification

Everyday we're swamped by calls from people who we don't even know. They have ways to block the number they are calling from.

Through the creation of Voip, Voice Over Internet Protocol, the caller's number can be changed by calling an internet server first which hosts a software that allows you to call it, then it creates a virtual three way call allowing it to enter in the number that you tell it to display.

An example of how to do this is as follows:

 

     

     

  1. You get a Spoof Card
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  3. The card can be physical or a virtual card via the internet (which is the more popular option).
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  5. You call the number given to you via the card or site.
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  7. The card asked you which number you want to call.
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  9. You put that number in.
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  11. Then it asks you which number you want to be displayed.
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  13. You put that number in for example: 123-456-9087
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  15. Your real number is 654-876-5309
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  17. It then makes the connection and switches your number to the one you inserted.
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The use of caller identification spoofing was first widely utilized for the FBI and other government organizations trying to search for people who skip their bail or for other various law violations.

By using this technology it has a lot of valuable uses. But in the same respect it has it's bad points which include prank calling and stalking.

If you are like me, I like to use the change caller id options when I'm checking numbers that are unknown to me.

Other uses can include keeping tabs on cheating husbands, wifes or lovers. I know this is a very popular application.

Work from Home

Working from home is becoming increasingly popular. I work from home and I love it. I don't think I could ever work at an office again, but I must face the possibility that I may have to transfer my business into commercial premises if it keeps growing like it has in the last few years. Even if parts of my business move out of home, I'll try to stay there myself as much as I can. The sorts of people who work from home include Brisbane web designers, SEO training consultants and travel agents.

Times are changing and working from home, particularly for the self-employed is becoming more common. It is pointless paying rent for commercial premises if it isn't necessary. Working from home has many advantages. You can work back late without getting into strife with your family. You can "drop into the office" anytime you like. But as an accountant, there is one feature I really like, all the tax deductions! You can claim some of your household expenses on your tax return. Based on the floor area used for business purposes, you can claim mortgage interest, insurance, rates, water, electricity, maintenance and the bulk of your internet bill as well as depreciation on the carpets, curtains, business furniture and so on. At the end of the financial year you will be surprised by the list of deductions.

You will also save on travel costs, wear and tear on your car and more importantly wear and tear on you, having not to deal with traffic jams or public transport. Not to mention picking up approximately an extra two hours per day of work when you don't have to travel.

There is a downside to working from home. The first problem is family distractions. Children home from school at three o'clock, a friend at the front door, phone calls for other members of the family, the list of things to do from your partner, the distractions can be endless. You also may not have the perfect workspace, or space may be limited. Work space is vitally important, you must have an area set aside purely for business, nothing else, just business. I have found that it's best also if you can close the door on the weekends so you can "leave work".

I think many of the perceptions of people that working from home is "unprofessional" have lapsed into history. The number of major companies that allow their workers to work from home via computers has increased enormously in recent times.
 
"Outsourcing" has become a commonly used term and this has brought about a trend of self-employed former workers, most of them working from home.

The other problem that many people working from home suffer is motivation and discipline. You must start work everyday just as you would if you were employed by someone else. ST300309