The Mana Bar, a new bar for mainstream gamers
First off, I love this idea as a concept. Combining two of my favourite activities, gaming and partying, The Mana Bar claims to be (and I believe them) Australia’s first video game bar. Combining alcohol with gaming is potentially a recipe for a great night out. Attempting to take the modern day house party into a licenced venue is bold move.
Located in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, renovations are nearing completion for a launch any day now. It’s new venues like this, run by people who really understand what people want, that will likely take advantages of new technologies like location aware mobile apps like Foursquare. Hopefully we see the mayor get a free drink, or game priority.
What they need to be careful of, is attracting a disproportionate quantity of guys, therefore becoming uninviting to females. With the right vibe, this idea has massive potential. If this works out, expect to see a Mana Bar in your city soon. Guaranteed there’ll be copy-cats as well, so TheManaBar needs to stay ahead of the curve and continue to innovate.
Get the latest info about TheManaBar from:
Website: http://manabar.com.au/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheManaBar
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheManaBar
3rd Borderlands DLC available now: General Knoxx
The next chapter of the Borderlands Saga is upon us. With new guns, class mods, vehicles, missions, enemies this DLC is the biggest yet. Add to that the fact the level cap increases from 50 to 61 !! Available on the Xbox a couple of days ago, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is now available for PC as well.
At US$9.99 it’s great value. By the way, if your playing with mates, one purchase will get your up to 5 installs 
Grab it from https://store.gearboxsoftware.com/
ABC Open launches, crowd sourcing regional content
Today ABC are launching a new project called ABC Open.
“The aim is to give people the chance to participate in lots of different ways – to create, share and collaborate with the ABC and each other through ABC Platforms; radio, online, tv and mobile.”
This works by gathering up to 45 of the best multimedia producers across Australia, and help tell the stories of communities which otherwise would never be heard.
It’s an interesting project, one that’s starting with a trial in Tasmania, then will spread across Australia.
Apple iTunes 9.0.3 released
Overnight Apple has released iTunes version 9.03. You can get it by going to Help > Check for updates. Included in the update is support for a new iPhone OS – 3.1.3 (more on this in the next post).
Additionally, there’s a number of bug fixes as to be expected in a small point release like this. I tried downloading the iPhone OS update prior to having the latest iTunes and it failed, so it looks to be a required update going forward.
Fixes include:
iTunes no longer ignores your "Remember password for purchases" setting.
• Addresses problems with syncing some Smart Playlists and Podcasts with iPod.
• Resolves a problem recognizing when iPod is connected.
• Addresses issues that affect stability and performance.
MediaFly Mobile: Video + Audio iPhone app now available
Wanna get your favourite video and audio podcasts on your iPhone ? Then you should check out the free MediaFly iPhone app, now available in the App Store. There’s lots of audio and video content from partners like Cnet, Revision3, TWiT and more.
My only complaint is that on launch it can take some time to update the channels. Other than that, it’s a great app. More content is being added all the time.
Check out the video below to see the app in action.
MediaFly is also available on a bunch of other devices.
More info @ MediaFly
MyKi Victorian ticketing system goes online, sort of.
Unexpectedly the new Victorian card-based ticketing system went online. Designed to simplify and update the process of purchasing train, tram and bus tickets around the state, the launch today only encompassed trains. Travellers who venture between the different transport options will need to carry both the older Metcard and their MyKi pass, which removes the intended convenience.
Users are required to press the card against the MyKi panel on the way on, then again on the way off. Should you forget to end your journey you will get charged a set capped fee for that zone. Note: it’s obviously beneficial to remember to press off as often as you can to minimize the cost charged.
MyKi does solve the issue of needed to carry coins, however so many other purchases in our lives still require it, we won’t be leaving them behind any time soon. Another complaint is the time required for the machine to register your card. This is reportedly noticeably longer than the current paper cards.
This brings up the point of durability. Paper cards often get crushed fairly easily amongst those wads of $50’s, so having a hard plastic, credit-card type card will be much more resilient to abuse.
Whilst the MyKi project was well intentioned (keeping up with technology the rest of the world is using / moving to) it hasn’t been without its issues. Transport ministers have received widespread criticism of it being overtime and over budget.
MyKi cards are currently available online at http://myki.com.au but should be available for purchase using a similar vending machine to the current system. There’ll also be MyKi information booths (see below) and most post offices will also act as retailers for the card.
Different card types have been catered for and are actually easily identifiable. Options are: full fare, concession, seniors and child cards.
After signing up for a card (to test their purchasing system), the process is pretty much what you’d expect, except how long it’ll take to get the card.
Delivery details
Your myki will be delivered in 7 days.
So while some of the MyKi system went online today, it’s going to have very few users for at least the next week.
There is an option to auto top-up. This will automatically topup your MyKi balance from your credit card once it drops below a specific balance. This will avoid ever being left in a situation without MyKi credit, but is not the default option.
Reminder: Albury Wodonga Twitter Meetup tonight !
It’s nearly Xmas and there’s a few out of towners visiting, so the locals have decided a twitter meetup is in order.
Details are as follws..
Date: Today (Wed, 23 Dec 09)
Time: 6:30 – late
Venue: 3 Monkeys Tavern (on the causeway).
More details @ http://twtvite.com/1qiumh
There’s also a Twitter hastag to keep track of all the conversation around the event – #AWTUBxmas
Hope to see you there.