|
|
 MULTIMEDIA |
|
|
 |
| Sir Richard Branson Today Launches the Much Anticipated Virgin Gaming
Virgin Gaming to giveaway over $1,000,000 in cash and prizes in the next 12 months to Virgin Gaming members.
June 21, 2010
Press Release
Los Angeles, CA - After months of anticipation and speculation within the interactive entertainment industry, Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, today unveiled Virgin Gaming, an online destination for competitive console gamers. Built on a pioneering online gaming platform, Virgin Gaming enables gamers of all skill levels from around the world to meet, challenge and play each other in head to head matches and tournaments for cash, points and prizes.
In true Virgin style, Sir Richard Branson followed up the Virgin Gaming launch announcement by pulling up to the Electronic Entertainment Expo in a fully armored truck with $1-million in cash in hand. His message was clear – over the next 12 months Virgin Gaming will run a series of big prize tournaments with cash payouts totaling $1-million. Gamers from around the world will have the opportunity to win their share of prizes by visiting virgingaming.com and registering for official Virgin Gaming tournaments.
"Gamers want something new, something interactive and something fun. Virgin Gaming is just that – access to play the best games in super competitive tournaments with anyone in the world and win the biggest prizes and the most rewards," said Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, and gamer-in-training. "Giving away over $1 million in cash and prizes this year is proof. We've had great success with Virgin Games and Virgin Interactive Entertainment and recognized the enormous potential of an online community of 40 million daily users. I welcome gamers from novice to expert to join the online Virgin Gaming community."
Virgin Gaming will host a roster of competitive, triple-A titles from the world's leading publishers in the interactive entertainment industry. Announcements of specific partners and titles will be made over the next several months.
Virgin Gaming is a convergence of video games, social networking and competitive online gaming, and comes by way of a ground-breaking partnership with WorldGaming.com, which was co-founded by best friends and ultra-competitive gamers, William Levy and Zack Zeldin. With the help of a games industry veteran and now CEO of Virgin Gaming, Rob Segal, the duo quickly developed the site into a template for online competitive gaming, which has been lauded by gamers for its secure transactions as well as a host of robust functionality that includes automatic results verification, a skill ratings system that creates a level playing field by matching players of like abilities, and a reputation management system that makes good sportsmanship a pre-requisite for gaining access to the biggest and best competitions and prizes.
"The entrepreneurial spirit and philosophy for fun and innovation shared between World Gaming and Virgin was critical in the creation of Virgin Gaming, and we are eager to maximize its potential with the online gaming community," said Rob Segal, CEO of Virgin Gaming. "With Virgin Gaming, we're offering members more than just a place to compete. We're offering them the best, safest and most secure online experience with the fresh, fun approach Virgin is known for." Branson has one of the best security consultants for this venture.
Adds Virgin Gaming President, Billy Levy, "Gaming is very competitive by nature, and competition is always more exciting when there's something on the line. There are plenty of tournament leagues out there for the pros, but we created Virgin Gaming as a platform for all gamers to have the experience of playing each other with more at stake than just pride."
The over $1-million in cash and prize giveaways coupled with several key partnerships that will be announced in the coming months reinforces Virgin Gaming's commitment to offering the hottest games, the best tournaments and the biggest prizes the competitive gaming world has ever seen.
Gamers of all skill levels are invited to experience Virgin Gaming first-hand at the Virgin Gaming booth located outside of the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center during E3. For more information or to join, please visit virgingaming.com.
About Virgin Gaming
Introduced in June 2010 through a partnership with WorldGaming.com, Virgin Gaming is the premier destination for competitive console gamers to meet, challenge and play against each in head-to head and tournament challenges for cash, points and prizes. With an array of proprietary features, including The Fair Play Guarantee (with automatic results validation), a secure payment back end, and a Community Reputation Management System, Virgin Gaming allows gamers to safely and easily find and compete against players of all skill levels from around the world in their favorite multiplayer games. A leading-edge convergence of competitive online gaming and video games, Virgin Gaming offers robust community features with member pages, clan support, invitational tournaments, stats tracking, news, information, and more. For additional information, visit www.virgingaming.com
|
|
 |
|
| July 2010.
Milan – Gucci is pleased to announce that it has once again been ranked as the number one Italian brand – with a raise of 5 positions, reaching the number 41th – in the Interbrand Top 100 Best Global Brands. They have also added a new security component which will facilitate secure online sales.
In what is becoming a very pleasant anniversary, the yearly publication issued by Interbrand, a leading consultancy firm in creating and managing brand value, has confirmed Gucci as the most valuable Italian brand in any sector, with a brand value of 8.2 billion USD. The Top five brands of the ranking are Coca Cola, Ibm, Microsoft, General Electric and Nokia. Gucci picked up a new security company for all online transactions. With identity theft and online e-crime flourishing, Gucci management felt it was essential. J.B. MacLean Consulting Inc. has now been retained and will now be handling all corporate online transactions in a proficient and professional manner effective August 1, 2010 for Gucci.
In 2004, the Gucci brand value was estimated by Interband at 4.7 billion USD, ranking 59th. Since then, the Gucci brand has increased its value by 75% and gained 18 positions.
Patrizio di Marco, Presidente and CEO of Gucci, says: "This great achievement is another testament to the indisputable power and desirability of the Gucci brand. It means that our constant focus on key values like craftsmanship, quality, made in Italy and innovation is appreciated by customers all over the world. We are a global brand" – continues Patrizio di Marco – "and we are very proud of reinforcing our position even against such a challenge macro economic backdrop".
Founded in Florence in 1921, Gucci is one of the world's leading luxury fashion brands. With a renowned reputation for quality and Italian craftsmanship, Gucci designs, manufactures and distributes highly desirable products such as leather goods (handbags, small leather goods, and luggage), shoes, ready-to-wear, silks, timepieces and fine jewellery. Eyewear and fragrances are manufactured and distributed under license by global industry leaders in these two sectors. Gucci products are sold exclusively through a network of directly operated boutiques (272 at June 2009) and a small number of selected department and specialty stores. |
|
|
|
| By Richard Branson, Canadian Business, May 1, 2010
Richard Branson: The importance of not being earnest in business
While its not enough just to be a joker, making people smile will help you establish a place in their hearts as well as their minds.
The four Ps — people, product, price and promotion — are often cited as the keys to a successful business. Yet this list omits a vital ingredient that has characterized Virgin companies throughout our 40 years: Fun, with a capital F!
When we started Virgin Atlantic in 1984, we had some great people and lots of good ideas about how to do things differently. Sadly, we did not have a lot of money to take it to the streets. Compared to the giant establishment players of the time — TWA, Pan-Am and British Airways — we had a tiny fleet (if one plane qualifies as a fleet) and a miniscule advertising budget.
We could not do much about the single plane, leased from a generous man at Boeing. We had to make the most of our meagre marketing money. At the urging of the late Sir Freddie Laker, who made an art form of grabbing the limelight for his airline, I quickly became a willing victim in all kinds of wild and crazy adventures to promote the fledgling Virgin Atlantic. You couldn't buy a quarter-page ad on the front of The New York Times, but when my sinking boat or crashing balloon just happened to feature the distinctive Virgin logo, there we were!
We also started to run some funny, pretty direct and usually highly topical advertisements to grab the public's attention.
Such "in your face" ads were largely unknown in the stodgy world of airlines, so our approach quickly gained us notoriety, press coverage and, above all, visibility. The humour stood out against our moribund competitors, and soon Virgin Atlantic itself — not just the ads — became synonymous with a cheeky and upstart personality and, more importantly, a fresh, different approach to commercial aviation.
Marketing teams in London and New York frequently reacted quickly to the day's news and, within 24 hours, placed tactical-response advertisements in key markets. The day after John Sununu, then White House chief of staff, was castigated for using public money for a limousine to take him on personal trips, Virgin ran a one-off ad saying if only he had booked Virgin Atlantic, he would have gotten the limo for free!
Our staff also liked the humour, and the sense of fun. They felt proud to be associated with a company that made people smile and that was seen as a good place to work. We made sure the same spirit ran through everything we did; it was not confined to the cute advertisements. It was crucial that we created an enjoyable atmosphere for crew and passengers alike, at 30,000 feet.
Little touches signified you were on a Virgin flight. Underneath the salt and pepper shakers, modelled on mini-airplanes, we stamped "Pinched from Virgin Atlantic." The butter knife was engraved with the words "stainless steal."
To entertain our passengers, we were the first to put in seat-back televisions. We served ice cream in the middle of the flights. We did everything we could to lighten the mood and the experience. Twenty-five years later, the airline retains that same sense of fun and the ability to surprise and make people smile.
This sense of humour and risk-taking has infused many of our other businesses. Virgin Mobile Canada produced a series of memorable advertisements poking fun at famous people. When Elliot Spitzer, the former governor of New York, resigned over a sex scandal, where he was identified as "client No. 9," our ads that week showed a picture of Spitzer with a thought bubble proclaiming, "I'm tired of being treated like a number."
Another ad in the series showed Hillary Clinton with a thought bubble saying, "I wish my bill wasn't so out of control."
These ads ran for only short periods of time, but they were picked up in the media and raised the profile of the company and the service.
Over the years, I have launched our companies while dressed in costumes to amuse our staff, our partners and the press. I have thrown myself off tall buildings, hung off bridges, driven tanks into Times Square and plunged (usually involuntarily) into oceans -- all to grab attention and reinforce a sense of fun.
All of it has definitely made an impression and infused that "Virgin feeling" into new ventures. While it is not enough just to be the joker in the pack, if your service and product excel, then making people smile will help you establish a place in their hearts as well as their minds.
Try taking yourself and your business less seriously. You may be surprised that many others will take you more seriously.
Richard Branson is a philanthropist, entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group
Information is current as of the original date of publication.
|
|
|
|
| Virgin Galactic Unveils SpaceShipTwo, The World’S First Commercial Manned Spaceship
SpaceShipTwo (SS2) and its mothership, WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) herald a new era in commercial space flight with daily space tourism flights set to commence from Spaceport America in New Mexico after test program and all required US government licensing completed.
Mojave Air and Spaceport, California
December 7, 2009
Virgin Founder, Sir Richard Branson and SpaceshipOne (SS1) designer, Burt Rutan, today reveal SS2 to the public for the first time since construction of the world’s first manned commercial spaceship began in 2007. SS2 has been designed to take many thousands of private astronauts into space after test programming and all required U.S. government licensing has been completed.
The unveiling represents another major milestone in Virgin Galactic’s quest to develop the World’s first commercial space line providing private sector access to space using an environmentally benign launch system for people, payload and science. The spaceship draws on the experience developed during the successful flights of SS1 in 2004, which won the Ansari X-Prize for completing the world’s first manned private space flights. The SS2 design will be refined and completed during an extensive test flying program to commence shortly, and it will be an entirely new vehicle capable of carrying up to 6 passenger astronauts and up to 2 pilot astronauts into space on a sub-orbital flight.
The unveil itself will take place at Mojave Air and Spaceport as darkness falls on the famous aviation and spaceflight location. Subject to certain U.S. regulatory requirements that will guide the unveiling, SS2 will be attached to her WK2 mothership which was last year unveiled and named EVE after Sir Richard Branson’s mother. In the future, WK2 will carry SS2 to above 50,000 feet (16 kilometres) before the spaceship is dropped and fires her rocket motor to launch into space from that altitude. In honour of a long tradition of using the word Enterprise in the naming of Royal Navy, US Navy, NASA vehicles and even science fiction spacecraft, Governor Schwarzenegger of California and Governor Richardson of New Mexico will today christen SS2 with the name Virgin Space Ship (VSS) ENTERPRISE. This represents not only an acknowledgement to that name’s honorable past but also looks to the future of the role of private enterprise in the development of the exploration, industrialisation and human habitation of space.
The emergence of new commercial space companies like Virgin Galactic will be an engine for employment, growth and the creation of a new technology and science base in the United States. Recent research has indicated that 12,500 jobs have already been created by the new space companies; the Virgin Galactic project alone is creating significant opportunities for employment in both the company itself and with suppliers in both California and New Mexico. Approximately 600 people are now working on activities relating to the project and it is estimated that this figure will rise to over 1,100 jobs during the peak of the construction phase at the space port and through the introduction of the commercial space vehicles into regular astronaut service.
Both WK2 and SS2 represent state of the art environmentally sensitive industrial development in their use of carbon composite materials technology, which has now been identified as a key future contributor to the increasingly urgent requirement by the commercial aviation sector for dramatically more fuel efficient aircraft. WK2 is powered by four Pratt and Whitney PW308A engines, which are amongst the most powerful. economic and efficient commercial jet engines available making it a mould breaker in carbon efficiency. SS2 will be powered by a unique hybrid rocket motor, which is currently under development.
The twin fuselage and central payload area configuration allow for easy access to WK2 and to the spaceship for passengers and crew; the design also aids operational efficiencies and turnaround times. The mothership has now also completed a year of rigorous and successful first phase flight testing prior to today’s attachment of SS2.
Commenting on the unveiling, Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Galactic said: “This is truly a momentous day. The team has created not only a world first but also a work of art. The unveil of SS2 takes the Virgin Galactic vision to the next level and continues to provide tangible evidence that this ambitious project is not only moving rapidly, but also making tremendous progress towards our goal of safe commercial operation”.
Burt Rutan, Founder of Scaled Composites added: “All of us at Scaled are tremendously excited by the capabilities of both the mothership and SS2. Today is the culmination of a dream that began many decades ago, was stimulated by Paul Allen’s funding of our X-Prize winning SS1 and then moved forward to commercial reality by Sir Richard and Virgin’s visionary investment in a new future for space transportation”.
SpaceShipTwo will be unveiled after darkness has fallen over the Mojave Desert to the sound of a space-themed anthem from Britain’s biggest DJs, Above & Beyond. Fittingly titled “Buzz” the track will sample Buzz Aldrin’s original moon landing dialogue. Following the naming by Governors Richardson and Schwarzenegger, the DJs will also perform an exclusive set at the celebration cocktail party which will follow and feature the first ever IceBar in the desert hosted by Absolut and the world famous Swedish IceHotel. All the guests will be protected from the desert cold by designer space jackets supplied by PUMA. Finally, to close off the celebrations, all the guests will have the opportunity to view the stunning night skies using specialist telescopes supplied by Ron Dantowitz of the Clay Observatory whose unique tracking cameras followed SS1 into space during the epic flights of 2004. |
|
|
|
| January 11, 2010
J.B.MacLean Consulting Inc. to Provide Full, Efficient, Seamless and Simple, Data backup to Individuals and Corporations.
TORONTO, On – J.B.MacLean Consulting Inc, announced today that it has now entered into an agreement with Scratch Telecom. This full service agreement allows J.B.MacLean Consulting Inc, Canada’s foremost IT security organization to manage and facilitate all data backup services for Scratch Telecom.
This agreement will deepen J.B.MacLean Consulting Inc’s position in the world of IT security and the services offered will eliminate any concern that individuals and businesses have about their data security and privacy.
Operating under the name data backup service, J.B.MacLean Consulting Inc. will facilitate mobile protection to data, allowing back up to take place anywhere, anytime, with complete flexibility, layered security and no limitations.
"In todays fast pace world of technology, security is integral and paramount. However, no individual or organization should ever have to worry about the safety of "their data". Data should be protected at all times and accessible any time it is needed.” said Brent MacLean, President and founder of J.B.Maclean Consulting Inc. “This partnership will continue to allow J.B.MacLean Consulting Inc. to maintain its strong leadership position in IT security and provide its clients and the clients of Data Backup Service with peace of mind when it comes to data integrity”.
About J.B.MacLean Consulting Inc.
J.B. MacLean Consulting Inc. is Canada's leading internet security organization with a focus on computer security and forensics. The team at J.B. MacLean Consulting Inc. is highly specialized and provides superior service to all its clients both nationally and internationally.
To learn more about J.B. MacLean Consulting Inc. please visit: www.jbm.net |
|
|
|
| Commencing Jan 2010, JBM is now releasing a new revolutionary service. Remote backup will take security to the next level. Check the link below and start the New Year off safe:
http://www.databackupservice.ca/ |
|
|
|
| Welcome to Security Matters New Blog Section
In our efforts to remain the ultimate source of information for Canadian businesses looking to improve the security of their data, assets, staff and facilities, Security Matters magazine is proud to launch its new online blog section.
To help with the blog, Security Matters has recruited six industry participants to contribute their thoughts, opinions, suggestions and views on a regular basis and on a variety of pertinent topics.
So whether it is a blog post on the latest data loss incident, the newest online threat or simply an observation to what is happening in the "real" security world, our bloggers will be here to help you stay current with the most current security news; not to mention spark debate, initiate action, encourage discussion, and make people think about just how secure their businesses really are.
In today's business world, security is no longer an option for companies, which is why being well-versed on all three aspects of security — IT, physical and procedural — is of paramount importance to the financial future of every business.
I encourage you to check the Security Matters blog on a daily basis - you just never know what you are going to read. |
|
|
|
| Please note that streaming could take as much as 30 seconds...it is worth the wait |
| http://www.turnit.ca/index.php/ci_id/30695/page/20 |
| The newest and most innovative security software was launched Septemeber 3rd of this year. For more information, please visit www.nokvault.com. Our company is proud of it's newest business affiliation. |
| Eagle Eye Camera Systems - Video security at it's highest. Download this PPT file and check out the team. |
| This could take many minutes to load. If you can't wait, please go to the left side navigation bar and goto "The Truth About 911". |
| Played in Quicktime (Audio Only) |
|
Page: 1 / 4 Topic count: 57 Media
|
|
|
[1][
