text:
Search for jobs in West London
Buying, Selling or Renting?
Find New & Used Cars for sale
Search our local business directory
View latest announcements online
Find 1000s of local products and services
Looking for a date?
Create Private and Trade ads
Find and book your next holiday with us

subset: commoncrawl


text: Quality is evident in Caprice's sleek design, crafted from North American hardwood... featuring horizontal oak grains hand-rubbed to a deep Espresso patina and accented by gracefully contoured pulls with a lustrous satin nickel finish. There are soft-closing door and drawer versions offering plentiful storage while a petite vanity and wall-mounted style complete with vitreous china sink top are ideal in compact space. Add a beveled mirror or medicine cabinet with neat clipped corners, the perfect complement for Caprice... and a reflection of your discriminating taste.


text:
Paris, Je t'aime!
Life is better with...
(1)Fashion (2)Gavin & Stacey (3)Marie Antoinette (4)Chris Lilley (5)Harry Potter (6)The Inbetweeners (7)Keats (8)Sarcasm (9) Summer Heights High (10)Jane Austen (11)HIMYM (12)Giraffes (13)Outnumbered (14)BBC (15)Downton Abbey (16)Travel (17)History (18)The Big Bang Theory (19)Pomeranians (20)Charles Dickens (21)Literature ...............AND a sense of humor!
-All of my movie reviews are out of 5 diamonds <>
-I was diagnosed with CRPS/RSD (reflex sympathetic dystrophy) in 2008.
-Political Science Major
-I've had 21 spinal blocks
-3 medically induced conscious comas
-diagnosed with hypothyroidism 8/13/12
I'm on POTTERMORE
--> OwlMugwump716
--> Ravenclaw
Strike Out ALS - In loving memory of Nana & Mimi (Team Magnolia)
p.s. I always follow back
Paris, Je t'aime!


text:
News from WTOP
News from the AP
Mike Causey
Shows & Panels
- Agency of the Month
- Business of Government Hour
- The CFO Agenda: Delivering value from financial transparency and audit efforts in the public and private sector
- CXO Surveys
- Federal News Countdown
- Government Perspectives on Mobility and the Cloud
- Reducing Risk in the Cloud
- Reimagining the Next Generation of Government
Shows & Panels
- The 2014 Big Picture on Cyber Security
- AFCEA Answers
- American Readiness: Renewable Power and Efficiency Technologies
- Ask the CIO
- Building the Hybrid Cloud
- CDWG/NetApp
- Connected Government: How to Build and Procure Network Services for the Future
- Continuing Diagnostics and Mitigation: Discussion of Progress and Next Steps
- Delivering the Digital Government Mission
- Federal Executive Forum
- Federal News Radio's National Cyber Security Awareness Month Special Panel Discussion
- Federal Tech Talk
- The Future of Government Data Centers
- The Future of IT: How CIOs Can Enable the Service-Oriented Enterprise
- Government Perspectives on Mobility and the Cloud
- The Intersection: Where Technology Meets Transformation
- Maximizing ROI Through Data Center Consolidation
- Mitigating Insider Threats in Virtual & Cloud Environments
- Modern Mission Critical Series
- The New Generation of Database
- Reducing Risk in the Cloud
- Reimagining the Next Generation of Government
- Targeting Advanced Threats: Proven Methods from Detection through Remediation
- Transformative Technology: Desktop Virtualization in Government
- The Truth About IT Opex and Software Defined Networking
- Air Traffic Management Transformation Report
- Cloud First Report
- General Dynamics IT Enterprise Center
- Gov Cloud Minute
- Government in Technology Series
- Homeland Security Cybersecurity Market Report
- National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
- Technology Insights
- The Cyber Security Report
- The Next Generation Cyber Security Experts
Shows & Panels
On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or Recovery Act, into law. Federal News Radio follows how agencies have enacted the law and how the government is tracking spending through Recovery.gov.
White House out of ammo for further economic stimulus
Thursday - 6/9/2011, 9:39pm EDT
Paul Brandus, West Wing Report


text:
10 New Ways To Make Amazing Egg Salad
Recipe Roundup
Egg salad is a terrific quick and inexpensive meal. Here are 10 new takes on this classic for when you want to spice it up a little:
• Egg Salad Gribiche from CHOW
• Basic Egg Salad Sandwich from Martha Stewart
• Egg Salad BLT's from MyRecipes
• Best Ever Egg Salad Sandwiches from Bon Appetit
• White Truffle Egg Salad from MyRecipes
• Curried Egg Salad Sandwich from MyRecipes
• Crisp Pancetta and Egg Salad Sandwich from CHOW
• Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Egg Salad and Bacon from CHOW
• Sumptuous Egg Salad from MyRecipes
• Deviled Egg Salad from Rachael Ray
Related: Recipe: Kale, Bacon & Egg Whole Wheat Breakfast Sandwich
(Image: See links above for full image credits)
2 Comments
Where I grew up egg salad is almost always made with green olives. It is such a delicious combination that I am constantly confused as to why this is not the norm. Mayo, green olives and season all. These variations do look great though.
To me, egg salad is comfort food. If I did't use my plain old family recipe, I wouldn't be comforted.


text:
- Flat Rate Shipping. Any Size Order! -
- A Portion of Proceeds Benefit Miami Athletics -
HOME Miami Hurricanes Gear Miami Hurricanes Mens Miami Hurricanes Mens T-Shirts Miami Hurricanes Mens T-Shirts Long Sleeved $10 to $20 (28 items) Product ID: 1473249
Main Content
Showing off your Hurricanes school spirit comes easy to you, but you are always looking for new pieces to add to your team-spirited collection. This Miami Hurricanes Perennial II long-sleeve T-shirt is perfect for any Hurricanes fan. This tee features a Miami Hurricanes logo and school name printed on the front.
- 50% Cotton/ 50% Polyester
- Machine-washable
- Officially licensed
Hurricanes Customers also liked:
Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


text: I am in need of a second digital Slr camera. I work as a tree surgeon which means I am able to get some great shots from up in the tree tops. I take my other camera out all the time but at work I dont want to risk it being damaged when being passed up the tree etc. I also take a lot of sport and gig photos. Ideally the camera would have a good burst mode and also produce good quality pictures as I have had some pictures blown up to quite large sizes so quality is key. Any ideas of new or old models would be a great help (i have about £300 to spend ).


text:
News from WTOP
News from the AP
Mike Causey
Shows & Panels
- Agency of the Month
- Business of Government Hour
- The CFO Agenda: Delivering value from financial transparency and audit efforts in the public and private sector
- CXO Surveys
- Federal News Countdown
- Government Perspectives on Mobility and the Cloud
- Reducing Risk in the Cloud
- Reimagining the Next Generation of Government
Shows & Panels
- The 2014 Big Picture on Cyber Security
- AFCEA Answers
- American Readiness: Renewable Power and Efficiency Technologies
- Ask the CIO
- Building the Hybrid Cloud
- CDWG/NetApp
- Connected Government: How to Build and Procure Network Services for the Future
- Continuing Diagnostics and Mitigation: Discussion of Progress and Next Steps
- Delivering the Digital Government Mission
- Federal Executive Forum
- Federal News Radio's National Cyber Security Awareness Month Special Panel Discussion
- Federal Tech Talk
- The Future of Government Data Centers
- The Future of IT: How CIOs Can Enable the Service-Oriented Enterprise
- Government Perspectives on Mobility and the Cloud
- The Intersection: Where Technology Meets Transformation
- Maximizing ROI Through Data Center Consolidation
- Mitigating Insider Threats in Virtual & Cloud Environments
- Modern Mission Critical Series
- The New Generation of Database
- Reducing Risk in the Cloud
- Reimagining the Next Generation of Government
- Targeting Advanced Threats: Proven Methods from Detection through Remediation
- Transformative Technology: Desktop Virtualization in Government
- The Truth About IT Opex and Software Defined Networking
- Air Traffic Management Transformation Report
- Cloud First Report
- General Dynamics IT Enterprise Center
- Gov Cloud Minute
- Government in Technology Series
- Homeland Security Cybersecurity Market Report
- National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
- Technology Insights
- The Cyber Security Report
- The Next Generation Cyber Security Experts
Shows & Panels
What's happening in Congress?
Wednesday - 5/14/2014, 5:19pm EDT
May 14, 2014 -- This week on "Your Turn", Jennifer Mattingley, director of government affairs for the law firm Shaw, Bransford and Roth, joins host Mike Causey to talk about pending legislation in Congress that affects federal workers.
Federal Times writer Andy Medici will also join the show to talk about what's moving, and what's stalled, on the government beat.
Listen if you can (1500 AM or online), and if you have questions email them to Mike at email@example.com or call in during the show at (202) 465-3080. The show will be archived here.


text:
2010 Honda Civic Chassis Parts
|Genuine 2010 Honda Civic chassis parts at hondapartsnow.com; your best source for cheap Honda Civic 2DR DX KA 5MT chassis parts.
|ABS - Vsa Modulator
|Brake Lines (ABS) (Drum)
|Brake Master Cylinder - Master Power (KA) (KC)
|Clutch Master Cylinder (1.8L) (KA) (KC)
|Driveshaft - Half Shaft (1.8L) (MT)
|Front Brake (1.8L)
|Front Knuckle
|Front Shock Absorber
|P.S. Gear Box (HPS)
|P.S. Gear Box Components (HPS)
|P.S. Lines (HPS)
|Parking Brake
|Rear Brake (Drum)
|Rear Lower Arm
|Rear Shock Absorber
|Shift Lever
|Steering Column
|Steering Wheel (SRS)
|Wheel Disk (KA)


text:
George Hincapie finished 10th – his highest placing in an individual time trial in more than two years – and Jeff Louder retained the Best Utah Rider jersey for the BMC Racing Team Friday night at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.
Circuit Race Saturday
Hincapie was 30 seconds off the winning time of Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Highroad) on the 15.6-kilometer course and climbed into ninth overall. Defending champion Levi Leipheimer (Team Radioshack) finished second and took the overall lead. Louder is16th overall and helped design Saturday's 11-lap, 131-kilometer circuit race through Salt Lake City. "It will basically be Radioshack trying to keep it together for Levi and the Columbians trying to make it as hectic and isolate him as much possible," he said. "I hope to play off that and go for a stage win."


text:
Blog Posts
Read our Blog for quick, straight to the point Thought Leadership pieces. Get our stance on news breaking industry happenings which we deem to be significant.
Blog Posts
Greenlight shortlisted for three UK Search Awards
By Greenlight | 10 October 2014 |
Greenlight is named as a finalist in this year's UK Search Awards, achieving its 7th award nomination in 2014.
Blog Posts
hybris releases version 5.2. We take a look at what's inside.
By Kevin Murray | 19 September 2014 |
hybris debuted version 5.1 of their platform in 2013, bringing us some great capabilities. Since then we've now had version 5.2 which brings even more improvements. So what is it about this version of hybris that makes it a contender for your re-platforming or upgrade all the more worthwhile?
Blog Posts
An Introduction to the Hybris China Accelerator
By Kevin Murray | 12 September 2014 |
International eCommerce is a topic at the forefront of eCommerce directors' minds, and there are few places more opportune, more exciting and simultaneously more complicated than China. Fortunately, this is something that Hybris is able to solve with the China Accelerator.
Blog Posts
Greenlight co-hosts Glass event with Google
By Greenlight | 09 September 2014 |
On Thursday 4th September, Greenlight and Google hosted an exclusive event in London for clients, showcasing Google's latest technology, Glass.
Blog Posts
Closing the gap on relevant search: Close keyword variants and what they mean to you.
By Mariana Saraceni | 15 August 2014 |
Google announced this morning they will be enforcing the close variant feature at the end of September. While the news suggests advertisers will have more control over their campaigns, the reality is we actually lose control and potentially see some budget wastage as a result.
Blog Posts
Dynamic Sitelinks: What Are They All About?
By Inderpaul Rai | 08 August 2014 |
As all advertisers know, Sitelinks are one of the most important ad extensions available in Adwords. They're known to increase CTR by as much as 30%, and with Google's change to Ad Rank at the tail end of last year, it's made it all the more important that you're making use of all the ad extensions.
Blog Posts
BlogWatch - Pigeon Update, Keyword Rich Links and Dynamic PPC Sitelinks.
By Greenlight | 31 July 2014 |
BlogWatch - The weekly round-up that brings you the latest news and insights in the world of SEO, PPC and Outreach.


text:
We use cookies and other similar tools to help you discover what you love about Mary Kay. By continuing to use this site, you consent to the use of cookies on your device unless you have disabled them. You can change your cookie settings using the controls on your web browser at any time, but parts of our site may not function correctly without them... (Click To Close)
3.75 fl. oz.
Gently removes eye makeup, including waterproof mascara, without tugging or pulling the delicate skin in the eye area. Formula does not leave skin feeling greasy.
All prices are suggested retail.
Get All For:
I ♥ Black
The skin around the eyes is the most delicate skin on your face. All the more reason to use a makeup remover that gently removes all types of eye makeup, without leaving skin feeling greasy.


text:
Complete forecast by
Text size:
Date: Saturday, November 17, 2012The annual Holiday Pops concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the i wireless Center, 1201 River Drive, Moline. Mark Wood, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, the Sanctuary Choir of First Presbyterian Church, and the Holiday Pops Children's Chorus and Youth Orchestra will perform. Tickets are $15, $25, $37, $47 ($13, $23, $37, $47 for ages 3-12 and 60 and up). Part of the proceeds will benefit Genesis music therapy programs. Call (800) 745-3000 for details.
Esther's Golden Vegetable Bake
(More recipes)
Visit our other local sites: Daily-Journal.com | MyWebTimes.com | PostBulletin.com
Copyright 2014 QCOnline All Rights Reserved


text: What if you don't know if you'll be able to make seek the peak until that weekend? Would it be possible to make a fund raising page and if you can't go, to donate your money to someone else's fund? Because when we to up north our money is tight so it depends up onto that weeks paycheck. I really want to participate but I want more to earn some money for the Observatory.


text:
You are here: /
STOP SNORING once and for all with the Snore Stopper!
Snore Stopper
Just $39.95
STOP SNORING once and for all with the Snore Stopper!
Seeking a simple and effective solution to snoring has been a major concern for the 37 million American sufferers and their loved ones. Snoring is a humiliating and embarrassing occurrence. In serious cases, health problems that are related to interrupted breathing patterns associated with severe snoring may arise. Your snoring problem could be a thing of the past, and you never again will have restless nights because of your snoring, get up tired in the morning, worry about your partner leaving the bedroom or worry about snoring surgery or dental implants. You won't have to undergo surgery or take medications.
This revolutionary product will end your misery and the misery of those around you. Just strap it to your wrist and, thanks to its sensitive micro-sound detector, it will detect your snoring and send a harmless electric signal without waking you or disturbing your sleep. Eventually your body will learn to avoid the electrical signals by not snoring during sleep. Try it and sleep well!
Measure 8" x 5"x 2"
Weight: 1.6 oz
Item No. 1179
Just $
Please take a look at the highlights in this category:
Adm Nelson's Telescope (Brass with table tripod)...
400 Watt Power inverter...


text:
Philippe Gilbert continued his climb up the results Wednesday with third place at Flèche Wallonne, his best performance of the season for the BMC Racing Team.
Looking Ahead To Liège
The Belgian national champion and the rest of the peloton could not match an acceleration by race winner Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha Team) in the last 300 meters of the steep, twisting climb of the Huy. Gilbert rolled across four seconds later, just behind Michael Albasini (GreenEDGE Cycling Team) and ahead of Jelle Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol). The winner here a year ago, Gilbert said his result was an encouraging sign. "I've come from a long ways down so I am satisfied to be back at this level," he said. "Being on the podium is nice, but most important is a victory. Today, Rodriguez was the deserving winner." Gilbert said he's not making much of his mathematical progression of improving results – from 12th a week ago at Brabantse Pijl, to sixth on Sunday at Amstel Gold Race, to third on Wednesday. "The number three can't be divided, so we'll see what can happen Sunday at Liège-Bastogne-Liège," he said. "I think that the weather plays into my favor. I can stand the cold, maybe more than the Italian or Spanish riders. So that can be an advantage for me."
Great Teamwork
In achieving another podium finish in one of cycling's "monument" races, the BMC Racing Team added to third place finishes at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix (both by Alessandro Ballan). "In critical moments, the teamwork was great," BMC Racing Team Directeur Sportif John Lelangue said of the 194 km race that featured periodic rain showers and windy conditions. "We proved one more time that we were there and could make the race. We didn't want to control it completely to preserve the guys a little bit for Sunday, which will be even longer and more difficult. It also gives Phil and Greg Van Avermaet more confidence."
Click here to more post-race comments from Gilbert and Lelangue in several languages on the BMC Racing Team AudioLine.
Click here to view photos from the race.


text:
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (September 3, 2010)—The spirit of cooperation and the manner in which planning for the first Oak Tree meet at Hollywood Park has progressed has led to the two sides agreeing to run a second fall meet at the venue in 2011.
An agreement was finalized Friday to continue the arrangement, meaning plans call for Oak Tree's 2010 and 2011 seasons to be conducted here.
While the California Horse Racing Board has allocated racing dates for the 2010 Oak Tree meet, dates have yet to be awarded for the 2011 season and the allocation of those dates is at the discretion of the CHRB. Both the 2010 and 2011 Oak Tree race meets have not secured the necessary licenses from the CHRB and the issuance of those licenses is at the discretion of the Board.
The inaugural Oak Tree at Hollywood Park meet will commence on Sept. 30 and continue through Oct. 31. Uncertainty regarding the condition of the main track at Santa Anita caused the move of the Oak Tree Racing Association, which is a not-for-profit, non-dividend paying group of California owners and breeders, from the location it had occupied since 1969.
"We're very glad to have this done,'' said Hollywood Park president Jack Liebau. "Hollywood Park looks forward to a long and successful relationship with the Oak Tree Racing Association.''
Sherwood C. Chillingworth, the executive vice president of the Oak Tree Racing Association, was thankful and looking forward to the future.
"Oak Tree is very appreciative of the cooperation we have received and the spirit in which Hollywood Park has offered its facility for the next two years,'' said Chillingworth. "We understand that the California Horse Racing Board has to approve our dates and licenses, but we are hopeful that the Board will respond positively to our request.''
Copyright © 2009-2014, Hollywood Park. All rights reserved.


text:
Oct. 29 session on the critical issues in the upcoming election, including the economy, health care, the environment and education, will be broadcast live on Detroit Public Television
October 22, 2008
DEARBORN / Oct. 22, 2008---The University of Michigan-Dearborn will host a town-hall meeting on the issues facing Michigan in the presidential election at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 in Room 1500 in the Social Sciences Building. The discussion will be broadcast live on Detroit Public Television as part of DPTVs collaboration with UM-Dearborn on an interactive multimedia project called MiVote.org.
The town-hall discussion will be moderated by Channel 4 news anchor Devin Scillian. The session is free and open to the public, but space will be limited. Those interested in attending should plan to be seated by 8 p.m.
The program will feature UM-Dearborn students and experts from the faculty and community on the critical issues of interest to voters in the upcoming election, including the economy, health care, the environment and education, according to Prof. Jonathan Smith, associate dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters. We are inviting the entire university community to join us for this unique and historic event.
The core of the UM-Dearborn-Detroit Public Television collaboration is an interactive Web site at www.mivote.org that has enabled students and others to upload videos explaining to the presidential candidates what they should know about Michigan and its citizens, according to Dave Manney, DPTVs director of program development.
Since the project began in early September, more than 300 videos have been uploaded by students all across the state, and the site has been visited by thousands of visitors from more than 40 states and dozens of foreign countries. Some of the videos are being broadcast on Detroit Public Television and other media outlets, and some of the students who produced them will participate in the town hall.
This live discussion promises a great opportunity for serious discussion of the issues that are central to this presidential election and how they affect people in Michigan, especially our young people, Smith said. It also is a terrific chance to see how the world of live TV meets the realities of a political campaign.
CONTACT: Terry Gallagher
The Office of University Relations
Room 1040, Administration Building
University of Michigan-Dearborn


text:
Chicago Bulls
In the history of the game, you can't touch the six-time World Champion Bulls. And when it comes to official Bulls caps, you can't touch Lids.com. Lids.com is your headquarters for Chicago Bulls hats, and all your favorite NBA team hats and accessories. Lids.com has a complete selection of Chicago Bulls hats in the sizes and colors you need to support Bulls basketball.
Currently there are no products available...
Shop By
- Apparel & Accessories
- Auto Accessories
- BBQ & Grilling
- Bed & Bath
- Bobbleheads
- Bumper Stickers & Decals
- Cellphone Accessories
- Checkbooks, Wallets & Money Clips
- Collectibles
- Flags & Banners
- Gameday & Tailgate
- Golf
- Headbands & Wristbands
- Holiday
- Home Office & School Supplies
Whats New


text:
to page content
to site navigation
The Resource Center has all the info you'll need From content to user feedback, the resource center has the information you need for every level of the entrepreneurial process.
When it comes to angel investors, who's wearing the wings isn't as important as what's under the halo.
With federal grant money for startups being scarce, entrepreneurs are turning to state-level sources. Massachusetts leads the way in filling the funding gap.
There's no time like the present when it comes to small business loans. Thanks to more financially stable small businesses, healthcare entrepreneurs may have a clearer path to capital.
Healthcare stocks are just what the doctor ordered when it comes to a tough economy – at least, that's the opinion of one investment guru.
It's no secret that the economy is in sickbay. But healthcare entrepreneurs looking for a big transfusion of cash shouldn't look to an initial public offering.
The most promising incubators for young healthcare entrepreneurs are U.S. colleges and universities. Case in point? Wake Forest and its "Business Elevator" competition.
Medical device startups and other new healthcare businesses can benefit from StartUp Health, a strategic initiative to connect entrepreneurs with resources.
Two leading academics are out with a new book that says the key to making money for new business owners is this: your financial statements are your friends.
Want to get connected? Sign up to receive regular news, polls and updates from The Kauffman Foundation.


text: My husband is an avid bowhunter and I'm wanting to start into it also. I've been looking at the new Cheetah and the Bengal 50# bows. I know the Cheetah is a shorter bow but what other differences are there that might be preferable for a woman shooter (Im 5'4" 25-26" draw). Is there anyone here who has shot both bows that could give me an opinion? My local dealer doesnt have any 50#ers in stock yet (said he is getting them in a month). Any help would be greatly appreciated. My local dealer is wonderful and I dont think he would try and sell me the higher priced bow if it wasnt a good fit, but an unbiased opinion is always good! Thanks!!


text:
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (December 16, 2011)—Cutting back in distance and going turf to synthetic, Blue Tambourine made it three consecutive wins in the $48,638 allowance feature Friday at Hollywood Park.
The gate-to-wire victory was her second since being claimed for $20,000 by trainer Peter Miller for Altamira Racing Stable and David Bernsen. The 5-year-old Proud Citizen mare was taken from a race in which she defeated maidens by 3 ½ lengths Oct. 14 at Santa Anita, an outing that followed a layoff of more than 15 months.
Providing jockey Joe Talamo with his third win of the afternoon, Blue Tambourine, who led throughout to win going one mile on turf Nov. 11 in her first for Miller, completed the 6 ½ furlongs over Cushion Track in 1:16.55. The margin of victory was 1 ½ lengths.
Now 3-for-9 lifetime, the New York bred, who is out of the Pleasant Colony mare Tantrum, increased her earnings to $87,160. She's banked $48,000 since the claim.
The 3-1 third choice in a field reduced to six after the scratch of Lucky Trippi, Blue Tambourine returned $8.60, $5 and $3.60.
All On the Table, a 7-1 outsider who was second for most of the trip in her first with blinkers, saved the place, paying $8 and $5. Teroda was a neck back in third and paid $3.20. There Is No Limit, the 2-1 favorite, finished fourth, a nose behind Teroda and a nose in front of 5-2 second choice Screaming Regal.
Talamo's other wins came aboard 1-2 favorite Si Mar's Dear in the first and 17-10 choice Spirit Rules, who defeated California bred 2-year-old maidens by 8 ¼ lengths, in the fifth. Talamo is fourth in the Autumn meet standings with 22 victories.
Corey Nakatani collected his first win since returning to Southern California, winning the fourth race aboard 5-1 shot Fear the Beard for trainer Doug O'Neill.
The most recent victory at Hollywood Park for Nakatani, 41, prior to Friday was with Streakin' Mohican – also for O'Neill – May 20. The rider has 1,172 career wins locally, leaving him eighth on the all-time list.
Fear the Beard was the first of two winners for O'Neill Friday and came on the heels of his 500th Hollywood Park victory courtesy of Pop the Cork in Thursday's finale.
With two days remaining in the meet, Mike Mitchell leads the trainer standings with 16 wins, one more than O'Neill and two more than Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.
Joel Rosario, who doubled Friday, leads the jockeys with 34 wins, five more than his closest pursuer Rafael Bejarano.
Racing resumes Saturday. Post time is 12:30 p.m.
The highlight of the 10 race card is the $750,000-guaranteed CashCall Futurity.
A Grade I at 1 1/16 miles over Cushion Track, the Futurity attracted 13 entrants, including a trio from the Baffert barn. The Futurity is the ninth race and has a scheduled post time of 4:37 p.m. PST.
There is also a hooded sweat shirt giveaway – one per paid admission while supplies last.
Copyright © 2009-2014, Hollywood Park. All rights reserved.


text:
Party Enderman
Comments : 0
Join us to post comments.
Join us to post comments.
Started 10/21/2014/
Advanced Raids said 10/21/2014/
I need an animated .gif banner for my server! I will pay you with 25$ worth of donation credits at o...
A Question to Evolutionists. (94)
Started 10/20/2014/
BestMinerGavin said 10/21/2014/
Nobody can know exactly, but it really isn't thought that it was just two atoms. If we can get our t...
Favorite types of games? (13)
Started 09/29/2014/
BestMinerGavin said 10/21/2014/
Strategy. And I'm not talking some joke strategy game, like CoC, I mean stuff like Civ V on high dif...
Recording Software? (28)
Started 10/20/2014/
RyanTheSwag said 10/21/2014/
If your using an nvidia graphics card, i recommend using a program called "ShadowPlay" It'...
Dark Knight Skin Contest - Create A Character From Batman (8)
Started 10/21/2014/
DarthNexxus said 10/21/2014/
I will helo judge if you need help...
Palette Battle League [PBLS6] Week 2 Underway! (1360)
Started 12/07/2013/
XDInsanity said 10/21/2014/
i dont think about the skin i would make until the palette is released to everyone...
Deadfrost Online (2D MMO I'm making) *New Screenshots* (398)
Started 07/27/2014/
dog51848 said 10/21/2014/
Looks awesome man! But seriously, make pet turtles. Thanks Also I'll try my best to but no promises...
--Show your gaming setup!-- (58)
Started 10/20/2014/
Jessegator922 said 10/21/2014/
Here's mine. (The lighting is really bad, sorry.) (And yes, I had the camera tilted while taking the...
A personal issue with skins! (21)
Started 10/20/2014/
Chron said 10/21/2014/
Well, um, on the topic of skins... I'd have to say that there are quite a few more female skins than...
Propose PMC Classes (1592)
Started 06/24/2011/
WhirlingMinds said 10/21/2014/
Level 15 : Unknown ^^ Must be included! ...
Be Recognized! Show Everyone Your Awesome Skins! (5636)
Started 09/07/2011/
Thedanyman said 10/21/2014/
FREE Cinema 4D Intro Templates (27)
Started 10/07/2014/
BrosUltimateGaming said 10/21/2014/
Cubition~A new-up-and-coming sandbox game. (3)
Started 10/21/2014/
Agentchasew said 10/21/2014/
Looks like a nice game, The images were huge and I recommend using imgur so that it can all be in a ...
Messaging App, need input and ideas! (25)
Started 10/20/2014/
AzroWear said 10/21/2014/
Trust me. Anything sent over the Internet is not secure no matter how secure you claim it to be. You...
I need a build. Budget = I dont have one. (2)
Started 10/21/2014/
SasukeUchiha2214 said 10/21/2014/
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Proc...
|People Online
|Total Members
|Minecraft Submissions
|Total Submission Views


text:
Don't Have an Account? Join the IHG® Rewards Club
Redeem when you want, for what you want. Your points never expire and there are no blackout dates.
Reward Nights
When redeeming points for a Reward
Night, you may only book one room at a time.
Once you complete your Reward Night
reservation you will be given the option
to duplicate this reservation
* Requires affiliation in the respective organization.
** Best Available Rate Search does not include affiliation rates.
To book more than 9 rooms for one stay or request a quote, please use our Easy Meetings tool, call 1-800-MEETING (in United States, Mexico and Canada) or contact a Global Sales Office.
Our courtesy shuttle will take you to the only hotel on the Delaware River waterfront. Located adjacent to Governor Printz Park, our guests enjoy the scenic views of the river and marina.
Explore the attractions, restaurants and entertainment of Downtown Philadelphia. Don't miss the historic sites, including the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, National Constitution Center and
View More
Explore the attractions, restaurants and entertainment of Downtown Philadelphia. Don't miss the historic sites, including the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, National Constitution Center and Betsy Ross House. Also discover the Old City District, where you will experience the best shopping, dining and culture.
If you're a sports fan, the hotel is minutes from the Philadelphia Sports Complex. This site includes Lincoln Financial Field, Wells Fargo Center and Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Union Soccer Stadium, PPL Park, is 3 miles away, near Harrah's Casino and Racetrack.
For our business clientele, we are located close to Boeing, UPS, Sunoco, Philadelphia Navy Yard, and the airlines serving the Philadelphia International Airport.
After a long day, enjoy the scenery from our outdoor terrace, or keep up with your workout routine in our fitness room. Jump start your day with our Express Start breakfast, serving your favorite hot breakfast selections and hot cinnamon rolls.
Best Price Guarantee
We promise you access to the guaranteed best available prices, or your first night is free.
Online Reservation Guarantee
Your room is guaranteed.
No Booking Fees!
We do not charge any booking fees for making reservations directly with us.
Data Privacy and Site Security
IHG takes your privacy seriously and works to protect you. All personal information you provide is encrypted and secure.
About IHG
IHG Careers
IHG Global Brands
Explore Hotels
Email Management
Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Cookie Usage
Learn more about our free apps
and mobile websites.
Top Destinations
Atlanta Hotels | Chicago Hotels | Dallas Hotels | Honolulu Hotels | Houston Hotels | Los Angeles Hotels | New York Hotels | Orlando Hotels | San Francisco Hotels | Washington DC Hotels | Las Vegas Hotels | New Orleans Hotels | London Hotels | Paris Hotels | Dubai Hotels | Sydney Hotels | Hong Kong Hotels | Amsterdam Hotels | Toronto Hotels | Shanghai Hotels
© 2014 IHG. All rights reserved. Most hotels are independently owned and operated.
The standard cookie policy for this website is to allow all cookies. This helps to ensure you have the optimal experience. If you would like to continue with our optimal website experience, you don't need to make any changes. If you would like to learn more about how we use cookies or change your settings, you can use the link at the bottom of any page at any time.


text:
"The creation of addiction-driven games needs to stop, for the sake of everyone those games take advantage of," they continued. "If companies like [that company] refuse to change how they conduct business, then the problem will only be solved if they go out of business. While it is unfortunate that people are losing their jobs, that may be a necessary, painful step in ridding the world of one of the harmful aspects of gaming."
I showed the stories I had found to the employee, who found them upsetting. "When people play games, they are entrusting the developers with their time and money," they told me. "As developers, we have a responsibility to make sure that we give them something equally valuable in return."
The ex-employee says that it all comes down to one main point: "Enabling self-destructive behavior is wrong."
"It's wrong when the tobacco and gambling industries do it, and it's a shame that portions of the game industry do it too," they added.
Despite this, the former free-to-play employee says that they don't believe government regulation would be a good way to fix the issue. As they point, some of the mechanics utilized in these games are used elsewhere in a more positive way, "so regulation could cause collateral damage across the games industry."
They added, "Based on their track record, I certainly don't trust Congress to pass responsible legislation dealing with video games."
And yet, the trouble still remains: The free-to-play model has been proven to work best when games find and exploit whales.
"Any [free-to-play] game that makes it virtually impossible to advance beyond a certain point without spending money was almost certainly designed with whales in mind," the employee notes. "Games that allow players to advance to the highest level without spending anything are less exploitative. At least they don't actively encourage addiction."
Now that my source is out of the free-to-play space, they are happy to be making games that don't exploit players anymore. "I'm now working on serious games, which have the potential to produce a substantial, positive effect on the world," they tell me. "I'm sorry for what I've done, but I promise to more than make up for it in the future."
It's clear, then, that while a large portion of free-to-play consumers are able to take business model in stride, there are also those whose lives are being strained and, in some cases, even ruined by a number of these games. With this in mind, I took the commentary I had found straight to the developers, to gauge what exactly is going on, and why these people are spending as much as they do.
Battlefield Heroes is an instructive example of a developer moving toward an emphasis on incentivizing players to pay. When the game originally launched, it was a true free-to-play game. Players could jump into the game, sample everything it had to offer, grind a bit to unlock specific elements, but generally get plenty of enjoyment out of it for free.
Unfortunately, the amount of money coming in wasn't good enough to keep the game afloat, and so a large-scale price restructuring was developed, as detailed in this article. With this in place, players were now a lot more restricted in what they could see and do, and had far more grinding to go through to unlock items -- unless, of course, they chose to pay real money.
Ben Cousins was the senior producer on Battlefield Heroes back at the time when John (whose story is told above) found himself addicted to the game. Cousins now works on free-to-play games for DeNA, and is an outspoken proponent of the free-to-play model.
Upon reading John's story, Cousins remarked that numerous Heroes players were upset when the price restructuring occurred within the game. This led to lots of negative comments on the official forums, and stories such as John's.
However, Cousins notes that the restructuring led to an influx of revenue, it had the effect of safeguarding of many jobs on the Heroes team. Essentially, by forcing players to grind just that little bit more for items in the game, and by introducing weapons that gave paying players an advantage, the development team at EA caused an uproar among fans -- yet suddenly its long-term revenue was assured, as many of these very same players stuck around and submitted to the new pricing regime.
"I believe that the responsibility to control spending on any product or service lies with the consumer, unless there is some scientifically proven link to addiction as is the case with products and services like alcohol and gambling," Cousins tells me. "When these links are established, I feel industries should self-govern first and if they fail to act responsibly, be subject to governmental control."
|Dane MacMahon
It's kind of like gambling, isn't it? Most people can do it responsibly but the addict percentage is high enough we regulate the hobby to some extent. Some would argue too much, some would argue not enough. You say government bodies getting involved is not desired, yet obviously the precedent is there.
The only F2P game I've ever played for an extended period of time is The Old Republic, and I only spent five dollars on it, but it was obvious the whole thing is designed to get you to be irresponsible. The ethics of that might require a higher authority to figure out.
|E McNeill
This is an important article. Thank you for writing it! I have lots of things I want to say; here are a few:
1) The usual defense we hear is that the players spend their money willingly, and that they are responsible adults. But this defense only works when the trade is not exploitative in any way. This article focuses on one aspect of exploitation (addiction), but there are lots of ways that a game can exploit its players. You don't have to be addicted to be wronged by a business, and you don't have to go bankrupt either. I think our ethical concerns extend far beyond these worst case scenarios.
2) A lot of the best stuff I've ever heard on this topic was said several years ago by Jon Blow. Look up his lectures "Design Reboot" and "Video Games and the Human Condition" on YouTube.
3) "Games that allow players to advance to the highest level without spending anything are less exploitative. At least they don't actively encourage addiction." I disagree. They limit one axis of harm, but keep in mind that totally-free games can still be addictive, and that exploiting someone's time is just as ethically wrong as exploiting their money.
4) Another occasional defense is that any time voluntarily spent playing must be considered "fun" time. But even if we accept that playing the game is enjoyable (not always a given), there are different levels of "fun" or fulfillment that people can experience, and very low levels of fun (essentially "killing time") might not be a good thing in large amounts. I tried to have a conversation on this subject on reddit once: http://www.reddit.com/r/philosophy/comments/1d51ab/im_a_video_gam
Gosh this is a big subject. I should write my own article. Gah.
|Nicholas Lovell
This is an important article and ethics in F2P are something which we will need to address (F2P and paymium are here to stay, and will be the predominant business model for most games by value pretty soon. Note that I define "Skylanders" as a paymium game because of its core business model).
but this sentence on the first page is pretty inflammatory and, I think, wrong. "they're after weak people in vulnerable states for hundreds, if not thousands."
|Zach Zebrowski
This was great read, thank you!
|Noirin Curran
This is a great article - really interesting stuff. It seems to be the general consensus that regulation would be a bad result for everybody concerned, especially as so many psychological techniques are very effectively used by games in a positive way.
I think that most of us can say that we know at least one person who was "addicted" to a game at one point or another. I've seen it happen to quite a few people, but adding money as a whole other element in the equation makes the topic even more complex, and makes the topic even more complicated to research.
I'm hopeful that some research into aspects of this will emerge soon, as there are more and more people studying games in academia, which is great to see. This is such an important topic and brings up a lot of pressing questions about video game ethics that need answers.
|Yuval Bayrav
I find this article to be very interesting.
However, if the vast majority of players in F2P games never pay a dime, and among the few that do pay "a good portion... felt that, despite spending in the thousands, they had got their money's worth", then it begs the question - what is the actual % of players who become so addicted that it threatens their well-being? And how does it compare to other, more socially-accepted activities?
It bears pointing out that there are many activities in which a small minority of people decide to invest outrageous amounts of their money. For example, I personally know of a few people that spent thousands of dollars on bicycle equipment, which I find ridiculous, but it's their money to spend. Yet no-one would ever characterize cycling as a negative activity or call to limit the max amount of $ spent on it.
So I guess it is really a question of how socially-acceptable the activity is.
|Alex Boccia
Free to play is almost always a long-term negative, imo.
|Remy Trolong
Excellent article, really. As an indie, free-to-play meant the gold rush for me, we have examples of games making millions by day.
Your researches revelated what was logical : those 1 or 2% of people paying on the "i-don't-know-how many" millions users panel are "abused".
I really thank you for your investment in this subject, and really hope it will result in good things for the gaming industry. I think we should (players, devs and writers ) be aware of what is done, and encourage people who build a real trust between studios and consumers. You should know what you buy, for each $!
|Peter Christiansen
While the question of exploiting the most vulnerable customers is certainly an important issue (since that's the one that has the potential to ruin people's lives), I think that the free-to-play model is problematic even for those customers who don't fall into that category.
I attended a tech summit last fall that happened to have some presentations and panels on "game design" featuring developers from some prominent web and moblie developers. As it turned out, it was just a huge discussion of how to transition the maximum number of players from "free" to "paying" to "whale" status, with almost nothing relating to actual gameplay. The question that kept coming up throughout the discussion was "How can we tweak our game to get every last bit of available money from these different groups?" - not just the whales. If someone had just happened to walk in not knowing that the panel was about videogames, they might have just as easily assumed that the men on stage were talking about oil fracking as about taking money from customers.
The issues is certainly more complicated than simply saying free-to-play is inherently bad and traditional models are inherently good. Still, any business model that revolves around trying to come up with elaborate schemes to take every last cent of available funds from your customers rather than something like making a really good game (which for some reason sounds strangely idealistic) should really throw up some red flags when you think about it. Even if free-to-play companies found some way to protect the whales who might develop serious problems, that doesn't mean there aren't still problems with the way that the free-to-play model treats players, whales or not.
This was an excellent and timely article, Mike. Thank you!
|Tony Harrison
Interesting article, but as Nicholas Lovell says there seems to be a slight conflation of "whales" and "pay to win"; Kyle is a whale in PlanetSide 2, later the suggestion is that Wargaming.net aren't gunning for whales due to changes in World of Tanks removing real-money-only advantages.
Having played the two, I don't see a significant difference between the current World of Tanks model and Planetside 2; both offer premium/subscription options to speed things up, the items that can only be purchased with real money in PS2 are cosmetic, weapons can be bought either with real money or in-game-earned certificates (granted you'd have to be playing a crazy amount to earn the certificates for piles of weapons, but that's hardly dissimilar to World of Tanks and the amount of credits you have to earn for high tier tanks). I don't know how much Kyle spent on Planetside 2, I'd be shocked if you couldn't find someone who'd spent the same or more in World of Tanks; I made a post ( http://www.kiasa.org/2011/06/28/free-to-pay-to-play-to-win/ ) about payment models in 2011, about three months after the release of WoT, and a chap in the comments reports a clan mate who'd already spent $360.
The idea of "whales" spending massive amounts on a game makes me very uncomfortable, especially those who can't really afford to do so, just as the idea of people sinking absurd amounts of time into games, particularly MMORPGs, at the cost of the rest of their life makes me uncomfortable, but I feel that, when well implemented, free to play can work.
|Simon Ludgate
I think the most telling part of the article isn't even F2P related:
"There were plenty of times when the rent would go unpaid because I had spent the money on the game instead," he says. "However, I don't know if I can blame the game for that. If I hadn't spent the money on Mabinogi, I would have spent it on something else."
All the stories about "exploited whales" are stories about fiscally irresponsible people. These are people with low incomes (and quite possibly low education) and the inability to budget towards financial growth. They are going to misspend their money, whether on F2P games or something else.
That F2P games try to exploit these kinds of vulnerable people is deplorable, to be sure, but the problem lies in the social acceptance of mismanagement. So long as there exists a group of people who can't hold onto their money, there will exist countless people holding out buckets for them to dump the cash into.
As the article itself points out, this kind of exploitation is the exception, not the rule. "There are plenty of happy free-to-play customers out there, and the aforementioned story from Chris only makes up a very tiny portion of the tales I received." So what we actually have is a model that allows for uncontrolled spending, and for the majority of people this is a nice way for them to dispose of excess income. Meanwhile, a smaller group of people are swept along in the tide of spending, and because of their irresponsible behavior we vilify the F2P model as a whole.
Understand that I'm not voicing my support for all F2P here: I often find it implemented in an exploitative manner too. But my solution to the problem is to simply not play that particular game. There are other games with very reasonable F2P models, which don't require endless spending in order to enjoy. Can we, as members of the game development community, condemn an entire business model -- the one that may well have kept our industry afloat through rough economic times -- because of those games that abuse it?
I think we would we be better off focusing our efforts praising those games that are good and condemning those games that are bad. We would be better off providing our financial support to those games that are good and denying our cash from those games that are bad. We would be better off guiding our community to identify good F2P games from bad ones rather than throwing a blanket of badness over the whole affair.
|Lewis Pulsipher
Outstanding article.
Anytime a game designer's focus becomes extracting money from players, rather than entertainment (or education, or other non-financial goals), then they're no longer game designers, they're revenue designers. F2P can be designed to be entertaining, but can it then sustain itself?
|Ramin Shokrizade
Mike, this is a very powerful article, and thank you for citing me. I've been interviewing "whales" since 1999 and I realize just how hard it is since they don't often like to talk about their habits. In the early years I would just survey customers in order to maximize my personal profits since I got my start as a virtual goods seller. There was no altruistic motivation, that took years to develop. Eventually I became haunted by the possibility that my actions and the actions of my peers would create a situation like, well, like what we have today.
Making models that would create extreme revenues was not all that hard. What took just as long was figuring out how to deploy models inside F2P that would set maximum fair spends that would not lead to unhealthy behavior. This is a very challenging added layer that many in this field don't feel obliged to bother with. Why cap spending when you could, you know, not cap spending? I hope in my various papers I explain why, but for most the answer is not intuitive.
As many of you point out, the line between gambling and current F2P monetization is razor thin, and getting thinner. What should worry you more is that interactive media is MUCH more powerful than traditional gambling mechanisms. IM is so powerful that the trend is for it to be bigger than all other forms of entertainment combined (except perhaps eating and sex) by any measure. Of course people are already working on combining eating, sex, and IM.
Soon people are going to laugh at casinos for being so archaic, considering how much more money can be made through exploiting the same people in IM. IM has at least two characteristics that Casinos don't:
1. Peer to Peer reinforcement. When you do something cool in a game, you get the admiration of your peers. The closest thing to this in a casino is winning a jackpot, and this sort of adoration is short lived.
2. Persistence. Again, short of winning a jackpot, there is little of real worth you get to hold onto after visiting a casino. In a virtual world you can build all sorts of virtual wealth that is there for you every time you log in. "Yea it took me 400 hours to earn this sword, and people know it every time I whip it out!". I really get into this when I talk about equity effects.
So the "casinoization" of games is inevitable in our current society, with our current rules. At least in casinos you can set a minimum age. Online this is hard to do outside of Korea. My understanding is that there you have to use something like a social security number to log into games to prove your age. Of course Korea is way ahead of the rest of the world in gaming, by necessity, since they are the world's top gamers.
|Tyler Shogren
F2P games are like vending machines: they have their place, but I don't want to go to a supermarket full of them.
|Mike Jenkins
Mike, amazing job. Truly wonderful.
This quote by Dr. Griffiths hits something that I have always felt very strongly:
"Griffiths goes on to argue that it would be potentially possible for a "safe" scenario to be achieved, by which a game is designed such that players cannot spend money past a enforced structural limit -- this would ensure that players were not able to develop a gambling problem, regardless of their susceptibility."
The fact that the majority of these f2p games do not have a cap on the amount of money a player can spend on them is what exposes them as evil. If a player is going to give you investment level capital in return for some boosts and a sword of slaying, who are you to stop them? If they didn't give you the money, they'd give it to someone else, right? Whatever helps you sleep at night.
|Martin Petersen
Say 'NO' to F2P, and other hard drugs!
|Ian Young
I've played my fair share of F2P games, and looked at it from a developers point of view.
As a consumer, I dislike the use of "Whale" and other such terms, and find it indicative of the developer's unpleasant view on their player base, seeing them only as a resource, to be milked with micro transactions. When a developer reaches that point, often they genuinely do not see that what they are doing is, at best amoral, and at worst, skirting the edges of legality.
From a developers point of view, If you have a game that you want to get out there, and remain on the market for more than a few months, it's a tempting model to follow, as it offers pretty good returns on investment, but requires you to overlook the reason why video games exist: to provide fun for everyone who plays it.
I would hesitate to call F2P applications "games", as many titles require excessive grinding, in order to acquire resources that other's can just pay for, or you simply don't get to play when your "credit" runs out. They are more like fruit machines, or "one armed bandits", so called for a very good reason.
I've heard arguments like "it's just good business", and "it's not our fault people spend that much money". To these arguments I say this: These are the arguments that casino's and online gambling sites use, and they are government controlled (as they should be). The mere fact that this article concerns F2P, means that the games are in fact, not free to play. You are still paying for your experience, or the "whales" are paying for you.
I personally believe that any game which markets itself as free to play, should be just that, rather than "play now, pay later". When I buy a game, I expect it to be completely available to me, to be playable whenever I wish, subject to progress. I do not appreciate hidden costs after point of sale. I do not appreciate pay to win. I do agree with ethical microtransactions, such as aesthetic upgrades, or more inventory space, just so long as it's reasonably priced, or it can be achieved in a reasonable amount of time, through gameplay (or both).
I personally believe free to play had potential, and was a good way for smaller companies (like Grinding Gears), to fund their project long term, and pay their bills, but sadly, the bigger companies (Yes EA/Zynga, I'm pointing at you lot), abused this, and warped it, from an honest way to fund games, into a way to squeeze every last cent from the consumer.
The responsibility lies with us, as developers, to create ways of monetizing our games, which are transparent, ethical, and honest, just as the responsibility lies with the consumer, to control his or her spending. The difference is, that vulnerable individuals can be hurt when we do not take this responsibility seriously, all in the name of "good business". This kind of behaviour disgusts and repulses me, and if we cannot handle this responsibility, then government control is needed.
I'm sure there are many games out there that do F2P responsibly, but there are far more that do not, so If legislation is required, it is because of those developers. Not the consumers. It is these same developers who give the good ones a bad name, and bring the industry into disrepute. Seriously, how can we be expected to be treated as more than greed fuelled, faceless corporations, when that is exactly how we act, on the whole?
|Jay Grule
I'm the owner and lead developer of a multi-million dollar game studio that exclusively produces free-to-play products. I've designed and implemented several F2P systems, and interact daily with thousands of customers.
I could probably earn several honorary doctorates of psychology were I to write about my experiences and lessons learned in this industry. It has radically altered my view of humanity, behavior, ethics, and morality (both simulated and real).
This is going to sound cruel, but it all boils down to this: "A fool and his money are soon parted."
And by that I mean their money is going to be spent frivolously regardless of circumstance.
If not in a game, then on some other fleeting whim like music, movies, spinning hubcaps, truck balls, etc.
Even people living paycheck to paycheck, as highlighted in the article, have no problem disposing of what should really be non-disposable income.
So... The money is out there, clutched in frantically-waving unwashed hands, begging for something to be wasted on.
We supply for a demand. If there was no demand, we couldn't do what we do.
You could ban F2P games and burn your so-called evil developers at the stake... And it wouldn't matter. You would still have people buying stupid things they don't need and can't afford.
The problem isn't with games. The problem is with humanity.
|James Henn
What it comes down to is this: is the content the game is providing in line with the amount the player is being asked to spend? If the answer is no, then it is exploitative and immoral. I don't exactly know what that ratio is, but I bet it could be quantified.
|Josh Neff
It must be noted at this point that a good portion of the "whale" correspondence I received was from players who felt that, despite spending in the thousands, they had got their money's worth Of course they did, cause they love their pavlovian addiction. Why would anyone tell you otherwise when the same social pressures coerce them into exactly the same reactions as Chris?
Other players also told me that they loved the free-to-play model, and that if they ever did feel like they were spending too much on these games, they could easily stop any time they wanted - Much in the same way drug addicts and alcoholics love their respective addiction of choice... and they can stop whenever they want? The parallels there exist for a reason I'd say. I'd argue you wont find many willing to admit being exploited.
|Teut Weidemann
I am now playing arrogant. Sorry for that.
This article and the comments show how far behind the industry is in this regard. F2p is >10 years old now, has been well established and the discussions has already been done - not not in US. So this is old. This discussion is so old that is bores me.
You compare f2p to gambling. BS.
You want spending caps. Bs. Tell the US guy he can'T spend more than $200. Thats ok, but the Ukrainian guy says thats his monthly income. So how do you want to even out the spending over the world? You can't.
So there is a golf player. He is spending like $1000 per month on courses and new balls. He is clearly a whale. Does any Golf club limit the spending on their members?
People. If players spend a lot of money on a game its not a game anymore, its their hobby. You want to regulate this as some human beings can't control their spending habits? Welcome to humanity.
The reason you never encountered those people before is that you put a $60 (game) + $399 (console) pay wall in front of you. Any f2p gamer would be considered a whale spending $460 on a single game. You never complained about that.
I am still bored about this discussion.
|Eric Robertson
With respect to the poster, no.
This has very little to do with monetization. The same self destruction can take place without a single dime being spent on a game.
I would argue the Time spent on the game is equally expensive as the dollars they spend, and in most cases, worst. We are trained to pattern filter out money requests, we are less trained to filter spending 20 hours a day playing an online game.
ex. My first online game was low tech and in generous terms, ugly, but one of the players divorced his wife to keep playing.
|Remy Trolong
Finally whales appears to be a good reason to argue on F2P model, with good and bad arguments.
To be honnest, I see F2P as something frightening. It shoved the gaming habits we had, it is showed as the NEW WAY TO MAKE MONEY, the most efficient, and soon everything will be free-to-play... Maybe people who dislike this model are just full of nostalgia, maybe they just see where it's leading us and don't like it.
Like others i want to make games like those I played younger, sometimes for a story, for an unforgetable "4-players-evening" or else, games where you know what you buy.
I think some dislike F2P because it led us to a world we don't want to see, where every games will have content you'll have to pay more to unlock, where you don't know that if you pay, you'll have this full experience or not, and if yes, for how much time?
"Whales" are a part of this model, and sure we can be more responsible thinking about them, but after reading many comments, it's hard not to think that we can't be responsible for all people who can't manage their spendings... It appears more as a social disease that some games try to capitalize on.
Although, we are still responsible of what we do and what we offer, making conscious choices.
|Martin Petersen
Being a community of industry people, I'm surprised how few are concerned about the implications these "creative" business models might have on the development process! Whether or not F2P can be done in a justifiable manner (I believe we have examples showing that it can) is not the only issue in question...
If F2P truly is the model to rule them all, then our design process will be largely impacted. This immediately reduce the level of artistic/poetic expression in the games we're making, since these are typically difficult to do as F2P. While I don't think F2P will end the world, I fear we lose out as an industry if customers grow accustomed to F2P games when not all games thrive under such conditions. Hopefully I'm wrong, but we might see even fewer Journey's, Walking Dead's and Proteus' in the future as it becomes increasingly difficult to charge for games upfront...
|Andrew McKay
Interesting article. I've generally stayed away from all the MMO and games where you have to pay regularly to play. I like DLC, I was happy when they added it to Sid Meier's Civilization V as it lead to lots of variety and things to try. There is a game that is addicting, the expansion just came out and I started playing again and it has lead to some late night.
I think some people are more susceptible to addiction than others, but I'm not psychologist. I think any well designed game whether it is a Sid game or Tetris or even say Super Mario Brothers can be addicting, beyond captivating. The problem comes when it starts affecting your health because you spend all your waking hours in front of a computer/console or you neglect personal relationships or damage your finances.
There was a story of a guy who's fiancee left him because he spent too much on iTunes Music going deeply in debt. People damage their life with dangerous obsessions all too often, the problem with some of these games is they are designed specifically to be addicting. If you like fly fishing and think about fly fishing all the time and spend your vacations fly fishing it can get expensive with gear, flies, trips, trucks, boats, hip waders etc. but generally people don't get addicted to fly fishing, it wasn't designed to be addicting.
It is definitely a problem that affects society, even just spending too much time online looking at YouTube videos or Pinterest, people lose track of time, but that doesn't have a pay as you go model.
On one hand it is hard to break bad habits, especially addictive bad habits like smoking, but on the other hand "A fool and their money are soon parted." People have to take responsibility for their own actions and their own spending. I myself need to step away from the laptop more and go to the gym.
|Ray Beez
I am really uncomfortable by the article's suggestion that any sort of "regulation" is required or an option to consider. There was a time when I would come home after work and rent a Super Nintendo game to play that evening and I did this 5 times a week, sometimes renting two at the same time. I do so despite having a very limited budget. I also ate lunch out every day instead of bringing a (much cheaper) home-made munch to work every day. Were rental video stores responsible for my video game excess? We're restaurants at fault for my irresponsible decisions? Sometimes I ended up having to borrow money because my bank account was Zero and payday still a ways away.
I was irresponsible. I made bad choices. Just like these F2P players, I am responsible, not the providers of the goods.
|Gil Salvado
I'm glad this article shows some examples that free-to-play can be done socially acceptable.
I have to admit, I was a bit naive to think 'whales' where mostly people who could afford spending large amounts of money. At least that was the image of these people we were talking about in our meetings and discussions, when I was still working at a free-to-play game studio.
Every time when we ask about what would happen to the games balance if a whale would tip it to its favor, the answer always had been "we solve it, when we get there".
Free-to-play is the newest model and to some extent it receives a larger amount of guilt for the current state of the games business - this is the only part where I am with Delany - but for me this prove that this new model is still in its infancy. Companies like Wargaming.net, Hi-Rez and Riot Games seem to have founnd a way to grow up and show us a path of how it can be done. Becoming socially acceptable and more profitable along the way. However, it does not come to a surprise to me that this realization comes from PvP-centric studios first.
|Stock Watcher66
Great article and good comments.
Now I will drop the big one since this is critical to any business.
Has anyone defending the F2P business model actually stopped and talked with your customer base (other than Mr. Shokrizade who I have tremendous respect for his work) to see if this model is even considered acceptable to them? I bet none of you have. Instead, you have taken your view of your customers and are applying your logic to make you feel better about exploitation. Your may argue you are not exploiting, but when you can create both the "problem" and the cash shop "fix" you are exploiting customers.
Let me give a few examples of other industries that have tried this, against their customers wills, and have met, industry-wide, with untimely ends.
1.) Video Rental Industry: Used to nickel-and-dime customers for every little thing they did. NetFlix and monthly subscriptions to streaming killed a $280 billion industry. Why? Because customers universally HATED being nickel-and-dimed but the companies justified their "need to put food on table". Amazingly, NetFlix seems to be able to put food on the table without having to use the old nickel and dime video rental model of old.
2.) Online Recruiting: Monster is tanking in a industry consistently producing double-digit year over year growth, why, because they continue to nickel-and-dime customers.
Why will F2P eventually fail (along with it's evil twin DLC)? Because the majority of customers HATE the business model (and P.S., they feel as if they are being exploited). I have personally done the research among more than 10,000 gamers and I will confront anyone of you head on who defend this BS business practice. Even the ones who play for free all the time HATE this model because of the purposefully limits (heavier grinds, better looking armor skins, faster farm production, limits on daily builds, better RNG in store bought chests versus world drop ones, etc.) for not paying and making them feel inferior.
Fact is, the F2P business model (at least for Western markets) is a pile of trash in customers eyes and once a company comes along with a good title and a more universally fair business model (like NetFlix did in the $280b video rental industry), the F2P model will go down and go down hard.
So, while you all argue back and forth, perhaps you should actually ask your customers if they like the model before you argue your one-sided viewpoints. Businesses do not survive without customers. This F2P model is a plague on the whole industry right now that is being crammed down customers throats like the old video rental industry. Funny how a company with a few hundred million in revenue brought down a $280 billion industry. All because they stopped and talked to customers then delivered what customers wanted.
Here's a parting thought for those defending F2P business models: There are some very questionable practices in some companies in the world, much, much more questionable than anything in gaming. So why is it, that EA has not once, but twice, gained the glorious title of WORST COMPANY IN AMERICA? Because customers feel they blatantly exploit their customers (at least other industries try to be a little more subtle about it). Guess what - in more than 10,000 customers I surveyed they feel the same damn way about the F2P business model. So look at the company you are keeping and wake up before your industry joins the likes of Blockbuster Video.
|Mike Scott
Games these days are designed to be addictive in every sense of the word. In fact, have a good look at any course on game design/mechanics fundamentals, and it outlines how to make the player's interaction such that they feel compelled to return to it, they instruct you on how to make the game addictive.
Ideally, the compelling force to return is "fun", but I've seen other forces pull a player back to the game, and have had it happen to me as well. There's this "hope" that the next few minutes will make the game worthwhile. I suppose, in a way, it is still "Fun" which is that compelling force.. not because you're having fun, but because you're almost sure it's right around the corner.
THAT, is the element that makes some games a lot like gambling, even with no money on the table.
I've noticed that this is especially true of games with integrated chat. In some games, for some players, the Chat element is the whole point of playing, with the game itself being a sort of time killer until certain chatters return, or a good conversation starts.
This scenario feeds addiction, and is present in a lot of games. It USED to be that having a game be called "addictive game" was considered high praise. Like Tetris or something. Attempting to regulate the industry by removing certain forms of reward systems, and eliminating behavior modifying to achieve addiction, would remove most of what's in every game.
Most games have a real element of fun in them, but for some of these games, they're fleeting moments, rather than a steady supply of fun. The reason for this is that you never want to truly satisfy the player. If you satisfy the player, they lean back in their respective chairs, pleased, and happily leave the game.. satisfied, and satiated. The whole focus in game design is to never give them anything but the promise that the game will become better, the further they progress, or give them accomplishments that they feel they can brag about.
Everything in a game is geared towards reward systems for behavior modification. You click on a button, it makes a happy noise, maybe shows a neat animation, and also possibly gives a player a temporary advantage. The player is happy to have done that, and that's the basic reward for everything in the game. It's either fun, or promises to lead to fun.
The thing is.. the player can't just sit there and hit that button, there's a cost for that, and maybe it's money, maybe it's in-game money, or maybe it creates a need for grinding, maybe it's just a timer, or maybe the advantage is a plateau where others will also elevate themselves towards, or perhaps it's a win, and requires a restart to do it again, or a rank on leaderboards, or straight-up bragging rights. The point is, the quest goes on to be able to successfully hit that button again.
Remove that from games, and games will no longer exist. Even Chess gives you the satisfaction of beating an opponent, Risk gives you bragging rights, etc..
It is the function of being a video game that it's typically, an escape from reality, and being rewarding in some way. An addict, will always be an addict to stuff that pushes away reality. That's where the hygiene goes away, bills aren't paid, etc, it's true of literally anything that pushes away reality.
|Gerry Quinn
Companies might consider talking an idea from online poker sites (and I assume gambling sites in general) which is that players can self-restrict the amount they want to spend. For example you can tell a poker site that you don't want to be able to deposit more than $50 in any one week, and they will not accept deposits beyond that amount.
|Pete Smith
I paid for TF and TF2 and I am not a fan of the free-to-play model. It destroyed TF2 in order to bring in money through processes that took too much focus away from the game and brought in people as players who were more attracted to the hoarding/collecting aspect that TF2 incorporated. This completely halted gameplay as many times most player characters would be standing around talking about hats and trading. Valve's greed undermined a great game and Valve now won't even talk about it. Although I stopped playing it, it would be nice if they put a $50.00 per month came on in-game purchases for everyone.
|Regine Pfeiffer
Hi everyone
I am supposed to write a first comment immediately, so here it is.
I am German and I am a free-lance-researcher for KFN, Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony. You can check it out, their site is in English, too. They have done and are still doing a lot of empirical research on video-game-addiction.
My particular interest have been f2p games for some time. What interests me is their monetization ethics and the connection between f2p games and addiction. I have a particular and unusual (also expensive) way of doing my research: I attend monetization conferences, and also buy post-conference material from conferences that I dont attend. So I listen to what the industry has to say. Of course this method cannot prove that monetization practice increases the risk of addiction, but there are strong reasons to be suspicious. And of course, there are games that are particularly addictive, in the clinical sense of the term. Not meaning just attractive. We have identified some culprits in our research.
Now a number of German experts have made a book on video game addiction, and are presently working on the second edition. I am responsible for the chapter that explains the inside of the games: What are the addictive qualities. And this time I had to add a large part on f2p. I found the things I described rather depressing, and then after I had nearly finished writing, I discovered this page and Ramin Shokrizades Top F2P monetization Tricks. I was just overwhelmed with relief and the sense of support and confirmation, so I wrote about you in my book chapter.
I am 72, in my former life I used to be a teacher of English and German, also I taught computers as an autodidact. Games I dont play them myself. I work together with young gamers, we record sessions and then I analyze the videos. This should do for today.
|Regine Pfeiffer
In case you don't recognize from my name, I am a woman, so maybe this helps to understand that I don't play.
I have started CandyCrushSaga now.
|Matt Ployhar
I think there's a ton of valuable insights in this article; however, it doesn't really address some of the core root issues as to how & why F2P became such a force to start with.
1) Piracy - was so bad in Asia that it was the only business model that proved to be resilient enough to capture some ROI back to the Game Devs. THERE IS NO PIRACY WITH FREE TO PLAY.
2) Follow the Money - Who does F2P really threaten most? Answer: Console hegemony. Please don't ask me to 'air the dirty laundry'. Trust me... a very large proportion of the largest AAA ISVs in the Western Hemisphere LOVE the cause/effect that Consoles have done for their bottom lines. Want a fighting chance as a small to mid size Game ISV? Consider F2P or some derivative thereof.
3) F2P - No COGs to speak of. No Returns to speak of. No royalty to speak of; etc = more money back to the Game Dev. Also; less middle men.
Ethics? Yes - I'm admittedly a gamer. Also a gamer that has in times in his life been overly addicted to video games. However; there's ethics questions surrounding 1) the Gamer, and 2) the Publishing/ISV side of the equation. Both need scrutiny but for entirely different reasons.
So... before we start demonizing F2P too much.... I'd pause a minute. I'd say while we're going through some growing pains with F2P; my hunch is that it'll shake out eventually. Let's recognize first how it's revolutionizing the games industry and its benefits first. Let's also put the 'bad' under a microsope and try to see what we can all do to help make it better.
|Ian Griffiths
There are lies, damned lies and statistics. Then of course, there is anecdote.
Despite what Shokrizade, Rose and co say, people do not have some incomprehensible lack of agency in their lives. If they do not want what these games offer they merely need close or delete them. There are many points of friction in making a purchase from the App Store to entering one's payment details, people are free and able to stop at any one of them.
As anyone who has worked on real freemium titles from the Product side of things will tell you, the hardest thing is getting people to spend, followed closely by getting them to stick around. This anti-monetization sentiment that runs through Gamasutra is really quite tiring, all of the serious players in this field are not 'tricking' anyone, they are not lying to them and they are not ripping them off. It's frankly rather incredulous that commentators think they are so gifted that they, and not the average player, are the only ones who can discern the systems and mechanics these games use.
|Jon Boon
If these games are not taking advantage of a player's spending habit, why don't any of them have an upper ceiling that if a player spends X dollars on a game, they own the game, in whole? Why is there not a "It's free to play, with micro-transactions, but if you spend X dollars, you don't need to spend any more?" You've made your money, they have their game at a price they choose to spend up to, everyone's happy, and no one is taken advantage of.
It's because these developers know they can get more money out of you if they don't have that ceiling. They didn't create a good game; they created a "monotenization strategy". There are very few games that I have played that have micro-transactions within them that I would consider a well-designed game (Path of Exile for an example of a f2p game done right).


text:
Hikari Premium Fish Foods - BRStv Product Spotlight
Hikari Premium Fish Foods - BRStv Product Spotlight
Finding the right food to feed your fish can make all the difference in your saltwater tank. Hikari makes a wide variety of foods in both frozen and dry varieties including pellets, wafers and freeze-dried shrimp and krill. Disclaimer
Latest Videos
Views: 16044
How to Glue PVC Pipe and FittingsTodays episode of BRS TV is all about priming and ...
More13727 Views
5 Stage Chloramines RO/DI Installation InstructionsThis video is a more in depth instructional video ...
More15217 Views
Float Valve InstallationToday's Episode of BRS TV is about float valves. ...
More23025 Views
5 Stage RO Drinking & Reef System InstructionsIn this episode of BRSTV, learn how to install a B ...
More9762 Views


text:
Main Content
What to hear something crazy? We are the children of vision! You know full well that we are gonna have to step up and fix all these problems cause the ones in charge now are already counting down the days to retirement. Don't worry too much about it just yet, just do what you do best and keep learning. In the meantime, grab this sweet-looking COV tank from LRG so your fellow forward-thinkers can spot you in a crowd. One day soon, we'll make our move. It won't be hard because these old folks are already halfway out the door!
- 60% Cotton/40% Polyester
- Imported
- Lightweight LRG tank
- Rib-knit collar & arm holes
- Tagless collar
- Yarn dyed stripes
Other Customers also liked:
Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


text: We're sorry, Personalised Letter T Shirt is no longer available Why not try one of these instead? Hobbies T Shirt by A Piece Of £24$45.78€31.60$40.18 can be personalised 'Established 1984' 30th Birthday T Shirt by Tee Total Gifts £19.99$38.13€26.32$33.46 'Established 1993' 21st Birthday T Shirt by Tee Total Gifts £19.99$38.13€26.32$33.46 Bike Race T Shirt by Stabo £18$34.34€23.70$30.13 Personalised Letter T Shirt by Not For Ponies £25$47.69€32.91$41.85 This item is no longer available £1.75$3.33€2.30$2.93 mainland UK delivery £1.75$3.33€2.30$2.93 mainland UK delivery International delivery available sizesize (required)SmallMediumLargeX LargeXX Largesize (required)SmallMediumLargeX LargeXX Largesize (required)SmallMediumLargeX LargeXX Largesize (required)SmallMediumLargeX LargeXX Large letter (required) we're sorry we're sorry, This item is no longer available buy a gift voucher related categories fashion > men's fashion > t-shirts & vests by Not For Ponies Location: Lancashire, GB read seller's profile see seller's complete range you may also like PRODUCT DETAILS DELIVERY RETURNS A customisable letter t-shirt. A grey t-shirt with feauturing the letter of your choice in red and white varsity style / college font. This makes an excellent gift for someone special! Round neck, short sleeves and a modern, slim-fit cut Not For Ponies is a small independent fashion brand. Based in Manchester, each and every item is hand made in the UK Please note: Model is a size 38" chest, wearing a size medium made from: 100% cotton. Machine washable at thirty degrees. dimensions: Men's Size Guide: Small: chest size 86-91cm / 34-36" Medium: chest size 96-101cm / 38-40" Large: chest size 106-111cm / 42-44" Extra Large: chest size 116-121cm / 46-48" Extra Extra Large: chest size: 127-132cm / 50-52" product code: 226949 This product is dispatched to you by Not For Ponies. MAINLAND UK order now and receive this item on or before price Standard Delivery Friday 7 November £1.75$3.33€2.30$2.93 NON-MAINLAND UK estimated delivery price Highlands & Islands of Scotland 2-5 daysfrom dispatch £1.75$3.33€2.30$2.93 Northern Ireland 2-5 daysfrom dispatch £1.75$3.33€2.30$2.93 Other UK Islands 2-5 daysfrom dispatch £3.95$7.53€5.20$6.61 INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY estimated delivery price Western Europe 2-5 daysfrom dispatch £4.45$8.49€5.85$7.45 Rest of Europe 5-10 daysfrom dispatch £4.45$8.49€5.85$7.45 Rest of the world 5-14 daysfrom dispatch £6.95$13.25€9.15$11.63 You have 28 days, from receipt of cancellable goods, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item. Please note: goods that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements, perishable products and personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken are non-refundable, unless faulty. Read more about our returns policy.Should you choose to return or exchange your order you will need to deliver the item(s) to the UK, where this seller is based. Not For Ponies's return policy


text:
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 27, 2012)—The popular Show Me The Money online contest – presented by Golden Nugget Las Vegas – will return Sunday, May 6 at Betfair Hollywood Park.
The winner-take-all prize is $3,000 plus a two-night VIP stay at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas.
Contestants choose a single horse from one of six designated races each day.
If the horse finishes first, second or third, players remain in the contest. If the horse is out of the money, contestants are eliminated.
The deadline for enrollment is 12:45 p.m. May 6. Post time that day is 1 p.m. Daily selections must be made 10 minutes before the first race.
For more information and complete contest rules click here.
Copyright © 2009-2014, Hollywood Park. All rights reserved.