Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Interview with a Market Maker-- An OTCBB News Network exclusive!! Reporter Michelle DeMeritt talks with Jack Martin, Head Trader, for The National Capital Companies, a leading OTCBB Market Maker. Forget what the message boards say about Market Makers and learn the truth from this informative program. (April 5, 2001--26 min.)
http://www.otcbbnn.com/audio/mminterview.rm
Interview with a Market Maker-- An OTCBB News Network exclusive!! Reporter Michelle DeMeritt talks with Jack Martin, Head Trader, for The National Capital Companies, a leading OTCBB Market Maker. Forget what the message boards say about Market Makers and learn the truth from this informative program. (April 5, 2001--26 min.)
http://www.otcbbnn.com/audio/mminterview.rm
The Insider Review features GAMZ.
GameCom Inc. (GAMZ, 27c)is an intriguing story and we feel it has developed into a situation that warrants adding it to the portfolio also. We have followed this company for years, even trading it way back when it was just a penny. After reviewing the recent developments of the company we are excited enough to feature it. Briefly, the company produces and operates virtual reality products for entertainment facilities. Since its acquisition of Ferris Products, the company has been a whirlwind of exciting developments.
Recently the company announced it had acquired the patent to its universal control board. The board is used in the company’s "virtual reality zone" arcades. It allows the transformation of a PC game to be turned into a coin-operated program. All without any new software or changes to the PC. It is available in custom programs for clients also. GAMZ also acquired all rights to ’Net GameLink(TM), which is an interactive entertainment system designed to allow multiple players to compete with one another in a game via an intranet or the Internet.
What’s exciting also is the company’s move into VR combat simulations. The company recently retained Douglas Klugh, who has over 10 years of experience in hypermedia design programming and the development and sales of real-time interactive educational multimedia for use in the areas of electronic entertainment, energy, firearms, and judgmental use of force for law enforcement personnel. Klugh’s resume includes contract management and curriculum development for the United States Navy F-14D Aircrew Training Program, the operation and maintenance of the Navy's F-14 flight simulators, and media support for the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). Add to this the company’s retaining of the services of Richard McPherson of Security Planning and Management International, an expert in the field of advanced technology for training and simulation. The company plans to make a major push into this arena and it could pay off huge dividends.
With a good push, GAMZ could easily take out that 30c area, and then the move to 40c could come quick. Momentum is very strong in the stock and with the current flow of developments being released by the company, this momentum could easily continue. This all makes for an intriguing story and there is actually more. We’ll keep you filled in through the newsletter and on the Insider Review website message boards. But for the sake of not making this week’s NL a novel, we’ll leave you with that. You can visit the company’s website at http://www.GameComInc.com if you want to read more before then.
[Disclosure: As of this writing, the writer of this newsletter currently has no position in any of the stocks mentioned above. Nor has this newsletter, its writer or its affiliates been compensated in any form or manner for the review of STOR and/or GAMZ.]
As always you are welcome to visit the website at http://www.theinsiderreview.com/
Send comments and spam to editor@theinsiderreview.com
Until next week, Good Trading and Aloha!
Pat Comer
http://www.theinsiderreview.com/pages/nl/2002/011602.htm
The Insider Review features GAMZ.
GameCom Inc. (GAMZ, 27c)is an intriguing story and we feel it has developed into a situation that warrants adding it to the portfolio also. We have followed this company for years, even trading it way back when it was just a penny. After reviewing the recent developments of the company we are excited enough to feature it. Briefly, the company produces and operates virtual reality products for entertainment facilities. Since its acquisition of Ferris Products, the company has been a whirlwind of exciting developments.
Recently the company announced it had acquired the patent to its universal control board. The board is used in the company’s "virtual reality zone" arcades. It allows the transformation of a PC game to be turned into a coin-operated program. All without any new software or changes to the PC. It is available in custom programs for clients also. GAMZ also acquired all rights to ’Net GameLink(TM), which is an interactive entertainment system designed to allow multiple players to compete with one another in a game via an intranet or the Internet.
What’s exciting also is the company’s move into VR combat simulations. The company recently retained Douglas Klugh, who has over 10 years of experience in hypermedia design programming and the development and sales of real-time interactive educational multimedia for use in the areas of electronic entertainment, energy, firearms, and judgmental use of force for law enforcement personnel. Klugh’s resume includes contract management and curriculum development for the United States Navy F-14D Aircrew Training Program, the operation and maintenance of the Navy's F-14 flight simulators, and media support for the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). Add to this the company’s retaining of the services of Richard McPherson of Security Planning and Management International, an expert in the field of advanced technology for training and simulation. The company plans to make a major push into this arena and it could pay off huge dividends.
With a good push, GAMZ could easily take out that 30c area, and then the move to 40c could come quick. Momentum is very strong in the stock and with the current flow of developments being released by the company, this momentum could easily continue. This all makes for an intriguing story and there is actually more. We’ll keep you filled in through the newsletter and on the Insider Review website message boards. But for the sake of not making this week’s NL a novel, we’ll leave you with that. You can visit the company’s website at http://www.GameComInc.com if you want to read more before then.
[Disclosure: As of this writing, the writer of this newsletter currently has no position in any of the stocks mentioned above. Nor has this newsletter, its writer or its affiliates been compensated in any form or manner for the review of STOR and/or GAMZ.]
As always you are welcome to visit the website at http://www.theinsiderreview.com/
Send comments and spam to editor@theinsiderreview.com
Until next week, Good Trading and Aloha!
Pat Comer
http://www.theinsiderreview.com/pages/nl/2002/011602.htm
This appears to be the same Richard McPherson
Update November 3, 2001 from Richard McPherson
Since 11-12-01
From: RMcphe8888@aol.com
Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2001 8:14 AM
Subject: Update November 3, 2001 Richard McPherson
"Shipmates"
As the war unfolds we all can see in the media that the United States is ill prepared for dealing with weapons of mass destruction ("WMD") and mass casualties.
Many of you are so much more qualified than I to talk on that subject. In reading all your e-mails and the life you have led, and the work you have done for the Red Cross, Fire Departments, State and federal Organizations, etc., it does not surprise me.
For you, you know only to well that we have not built our medical infrastructure to handle and volume of mass casualties that WMD might bring. Just look at what a little Anthrax has done. In Washington, DC are so many people showing up at the hospitals they are just being given pills and told to go home and do not go back to work.
In fact most of our 6,000 hospitals are struggling just to stay in business. If the insurance companies (HMO's, etc.) would pay their bills our hospitals would be in much better shape. We must get the word out to not let people contaminated as a result of some WMD get into our hospitals and contaminate them.
I just spent another three days in Washington, DC. One full day was spent at a closed meeting at the "DOT/FAA Aviation Security Summit." It was about 600 people from the government, airports, airlines, consultants and aircraft manufacturers. Boy, do they need a bunch of Submariners to organize that group for security purposes. If any of you are in or around that business, let me know and I will let you know who might have been there from your organization.
I would like you to think of this:
What hospitals are close to you? Including VA hospitals?
Are there any National Guard bases close to you?
Are there any airports or ports close to you?
I am putting the growing list of Submariners (and now others) into States, Counties and Cities or Towns. If you could let me know what county you are in with any hospitals, national guard bases, or airports or ports close to you it would help me compile my master list to be ready...if (when) we are tapped for assistance. I already know from some of your e-mails and telephone calls that some of you are already involved.
Veterans Day is approaching and I urge all of you to go to some event and talk to other veterans. It is a rewarding experience.
Some of you ask what else I do with my time. You can find part of it at www.DipetaneUSA.com or www.Dipetane.com. I have not been able to get to far away from energy conversion. For those who have sent me your web sites or your company web sites... thanks.
Between e-mails and telephone calls I have been contacted by well over 100 former Submariners... now spreading to other veterans. As veterans, we are over 24 million strong. For the WW II veterans we are loosing you at about 30,000 a month. Thanks for your service. I suspect that if we keep going we can reach about a 1.0 million veterans with the requisite skills to make a difference here in the "homeland" as has become the buzz word for America today.
Think about us being organized into state groups and county groups. There are a little over 3,000 counties. I'll bet we have a former Submariner living in each one. For those that do not know, in the counties, the county sheriff is generally overall in charge for disasters and will have a command center "of sorts" somewhere. Most of them are above ground out in the open and vulnerable to be attacked and rendered useless. It was a matter of funding and the experience that most of us have that allowed them o be created that way so don't beat up your local sheriff...besides he has a gun. The lack of funding is due to the federal and state government taking to much away from local uses.
That's a different fight to pursue.
Thank you all for coming forward, I will keep you informed as things progress. Hopefully we will not be needed, but if so, there is no better trained group available except those in uniform today.
Very truly yours,
Richard McPherson, LCDR (DV) (SS)
25121 Via Portola
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
1-949-363-5648
Mary - I agree and I think GAMZ will be attending those shows in the future. IMO currently their main focus is closing a homeland security deal once that is accomplished they should have the funds necessary to attend any show they like:)
Take Care,
Greg
GameCom Delayed Reaction to Announcement Yesterday? Stock Up 36%
Houston, TX – (OTCBB NEWSNETWORK) – January 16, 2002, Yesterday GameCom Inc. (GAMZ: .30) announced it retained the services of Richard McPherson of Security Planning and Management International, an expert in the field of advanced technology for training and simulation. The stock didn’t react much to the announcement, closing with only a penny gain.
However, today the stock is on the move. At 11:18 EST, it is posting .08 (36%) gains. Volume is 280,200, over 17x its daily average. It only traded slightly over 11K yesterday.
The press release said Security Planning and Management International has assisted such high-profile international companies as Nippon Steel Corporation and Fiat of Italy.
GAMZ acquired all rights to ’Net GameLink(TM), an interactive entertainment system designed to allow a number of players to compete with one another in a game via an intranet or the Internet. Since closing its microbrewery operations GameCom has been devoting substantially all of its efforts to implementing the ’Net GameLink(TM) product.
For the quarter ending 09/30/2001, revenue was 941.7K while net income was -649.4K. Reportedly there are 32.70 million shares outstanding.
http://www.otcbbnn.com/active/GamzDelayedReaction.htm
Mary - IMO I don't see GAMZ currently going to anymore shows they appear to already have made the contacts they need to reach the next level.
Take Care,
Greg
LTCO is currently boxed (he locked the spread) we will probably need buying at the ask to back him off the ask MM games continue. The imaginary .30 cents wall stills appears to be up.
GAMZ - GAMECOM INC Address
Last
Sale:
0.25
Best
Bid:
0.25
Best Bid
Depth:
5000
Best
Ask:
0.29
Best Ask
Depth:
5000
MPID Bid Size Ask Size U O/C
LTCO 0.25 5000 0.29 5000 Open
HRZG 0.24 5000 0.37 5000 Open
FLTT 0.23 5000 0.43 5000 Open
BAMM 0.2 5000 0.45 5000 Open
SCHB 0.18 5000 0.3 5000 Open
WIEN 0.18 5000 0.33 5000 Open
MHMY 0.18 5000 0.48 5000 Open
NITE 0.17 5000 0.3 5000 Open
PGON 0.14 5000 0.55 2500 Open
HILL 0.13 5000 0.51 2500 Open
GVRC 0.12 5000 0.31 5000 Open
NATL 0.11 5000 0.3 5000 Open
FRAN 0.1 5000 0.3 5000 Open
PILL 0.1 5000 0.35 5000 Open
NAIB 0.01 5000 2.02 500 Open
GameCom retains another training expert
• 16 January 2002
ARLINGTON, Texas - Kiosk and virtual reality developer GameCom/Ferris Inc. (OTCBB:GAMZ) has named a second consultant to its new multimedia training and simulation services division - Richard McPherson of Security Planning and Management International.
A former Naval submarine officer, McPherson has represented the United States at the International Atomic Energy Agency, and has worked in investment banking and negotiating international joint ventures.
In December, GameCom/Ferris announced that training simulation consultant David Klugh would assist in the development of multimedia training and simulation services (See story: GameCom expanding development options).
http://www.kioskmarketplace.com/news_story.htm?i=11515
Muell - We all waited a long time for GAMZ to arrive lets hope the uptrend continues.
Take Care,
Greg
Arch check GAMZ out it is running Hot Pick time!!! I think I am going to cry LOL.
Take Care,
Greg
Steve - Link to the USA today article is in this post.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=247226
Take care,
Greg
Gartner Dataquest Says U.S. External Services Market to Reach $276 Billion in 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01-15-2002 --
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2002--U.S. IT external services spending grew 5 percent in 2001, and in 2002 the industry will show a slight improvement as it's projected to grow 8 percent, according to Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT - news and ITB - news).
U.S. external services spending totaled $254 billion in 2001 and the market is forecast to reach $276 billion in 2002. By 2005, the industry is expected to surpass $395 billion. Gartner Dataquest analysts said financial services, manufacturing and government will continue to be the three largest vertical market opportunities.
External IT services include consulting, application development and integration, management services and outsourcing, business process management, transaction processing, hardware and software product support, and education and training.
"Macroeconomic factors in 2001 impacted industries such as communications, manufacturing and transportation with significant industry revenue slowdowns, reduced capital expenditure and personnel layoffs,'' said Robert Goodwin, vice president for Gartner Dataquest's Global Industries Practice. ``IT investment strategies for 2002 will shift to phased engagements to deal with centralized budgeting and closer IT spending scrutiny. Users will want to wring more value from effective integration of existing products, and an emphasis on delivering ROI to shareholders will continue.''
The U.S. federal government has the highest forecast growth in external services, and spending is expected to reach $23 billion by 2005. The outlook for increased federal spending is based on the proactive response to Sept. 11, an increase in defense and intelligence technology implementation, and the continuing adoption of outsourcing contracts.
The recession felt in the manufacturing industry led to only 1.3 percent growth in 2001. However manufacturing spending is forecast to be $96 billion in 2005. Through 2002, manufacturers will continue to reduce spending on IT upgrades and implementation of new initiatives such as collaborative commerce; this delayed spending is expected to resume in 2003.
The financial services industry also experienced slow growth in 2001 with many services pure-plays failing and IT projects being placed on hold because of the economic slowdown. Modest growth is forecast for 2002 with a concentration on security, infrastructure and e-business optimization. Demand for business process solutions will boost spending to $94 billion by 2005. In particular, the insurance industry is seeking technological improvements to automate paper-based and labor-intensive processes.
The transportation industry has been significantly affected by the events of Sept. 11. However, long-term demand for IT services remains strong, and this market is forecast to grow from $13.2 billion in 2001 to $20.5 billion in 2005. In the airline and railway sector, there is now a dramatic shift to security-oriented applications, services and consulting services.
"Last year, check-in kiosks and wireless network implementation in the airports were the impetus for growth in consulting and development and integration services, but these implementations will slow in 2002,'' said Goodwin. "In the freight transportation sector, logistics services for trucks, trains and intermodal containers has spurred demand, along with wireless data communication with remote tractors, trailers and transponders.''
Additional information is available in the Gartner Dataquest Global Industries report ``IT Spending Forecast Opportunity in Selective Vertical Industries Despite Slowing Economy.'' This report examines the outlook for U.S. external services through 2005. The Global Industries Practice advises Gartner clients on the outlook and market forecasts for global and regional IT spending in 13 vertical markets. Global Industries analysts provide forecasts and analysis of external services, hardware, software, network equipment, and internal spending for each of these vertical markets.
Gartner will provide additional analysis on the future of the IT services industry during Gartner IT Services and Sourcing Summit 2002, which will be held May 15-17, 2002 at the Rio Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event brings together both buyers and sellers of IT services and is focused on helping each with tactical market research and advice delivered by the largest and most experienced team of IT services and sourcing experts anywhere. For more information on this conference, please go to http://www.gartner.com/2_events/conferences/std5/std5.jsp.
This information is produced by Gartner Dataquest's IT Services group. This group provides a complete picture of the IT services industry, including network integration and support, hardware services, consulting and system integration, outsourcing, life cycle service, strategic partnering and services marketing, software support, and vertical markets, including communications, education, financial services, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail. To subscribe to one of Gartner Dataquest's IT Services programs, please call 408-468-8000. Reports can be purchased on the Internet at www.gartner.com.
Gartner Dataquest is the recognized leader in providing the high-technology and financial communities with market intelligence for the semiconductor, computer systems and peripherals, communications, document management, software, and services sectors of the global information technology industry.
Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than 11,000 clients understand technology and drive business growth. Gartner's divisions consist of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting, Gartner Measurement and Gartner Events. Founded in 1979, Gartner, Inc. is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and consists of 4,300 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in more than 90 locations worldwide. The company achieved fiscal 2001 revenue of $952 million. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.
Contact:
Gartner Dataquest
Christy Pettey, 408/468-8312
christy.pettey@gartner.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Gartner Dataquest
http://www.kioskcom.com/article_detail.php?ident=1107
Richard McPherson info...
First this is what Mr. McPherson had to say about Gamecom/Ferris technology.
Mr. McPherson commented: ``I find the direction GameCom/Ferris has taken with its virtual reality technology to be exciting. In the field of VR training, I've not seen its equal in any capacity that produces such a realistic environment. I am very pleased to become part of the team and to help move GameCom/Ferris to its next level of business development, including governmental and security training arenas.'
Here is a report Mr. McPherson gave.
Richard McPherson, former U.S. Navy nuclear engineering officer, discusses homeland security issues and U.S. military tactics in Afghanistan.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/press_release.asp?pr_id=1841
E-mail he sent out concerning homeland security.
Short history of "Homeland Defense"
Since 11-07-01
From: RMcphe8888@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2001 6:16 AM
Subject: Short history of "Homeland Defense" Richard McPherson
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2001 -- Since the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes in New York and Washington, many Americans have been calling for the military to do more for "homeland defense."
The recent Quadrennial Defense Review also said DoD must make homeland defense its first priority.
Ironically, the U.S. military doesn't need that kind of reminder -- homeland defense has been its first priority since the founding of the Republic. Many Americans may not see things that way, but it's because the nature of that defense and the agencies involved have changed over the years.
Providing for the common defense was so crucial and basic a government obligation that the framers explicitly said so in the Preamble of the Constitution. When George Washington became president in 1789, "common defense" primarily meant two things: defeating a foreign invasion and defending against Indians.
Military forces -- and this included the various state militias -- were raised to defend the country against England, France and Spain. With the Revolution fresh in their minds, American leaders considered Britain the main enemy and a second war and possible invasion their greatest threats.
France, though a Revolution ally, claimed ownership of a huge tract to the west that posed a potential threat to American interests. Spain held Florida and virtually all the lands to the west not claimed by the French.
French and British naval ships both preyed on American merchantmen.
In the interior of the United States, settlers confronted American Indians as the boundaries of the country pushed west.
The Army and the Navy were the homeland defense. Congress authorized the Army to build or strengthen fixed harbor defenses and the Navy to build blue-water ships to defend America's right to the sea lanes.
The USS Constitution, berthed in Boston, is a material example today of this building program. Fort Monroe, Va., Fort Washington, Md., and Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., are also remnants of these homeland defense efforts.
This does not mean the defenses were successful. During the War of 1812, neither Fort Washington nor the one that is now McNair stopped the British from capturing Washington and burning it. Seems the forts were in place, but not the manpower to adequately garrison them.
A bit later in the war, the British wanted to burn Baltimore as they had Washington. Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor withstood a British naval onslaught that inspired eyewitness Francis Scott Key to pen "The Star-Spangled Banner."
After the war, Congress appropriated more money to harbor defense. The best and brightest graduates of the U.S. Military Academy became engineers, and many were assigned to work on these fortifications.
Robert E. Lee worked all along the East Coast building brick forts to defend the United States from foreign enemies. Fort Pulaski on the Savannah River in Georgia, Fort Totten in New York and Fort Jackson on the Mississippi were just some of the forts strengthened or built during this time.
In 1861, the Civil War broke out at Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, S.C. The masonry fort withstood Confederate pounding, but the Union garrison surrendered because food was running out.
But technology was already passing these forts by. Conventional wisdom was that forts could withstand anything a ship could shoot. That wasn't true with the Union Navy's new rifled cannons. The weapons fired projectiles at higher speeds and with greater penetrating power than smooth-bore guns. Union ships pulverized Fort Pulaski in 1862 and ran past the forts on the Mississippi to take New Orleans.
The forts built at such expense and with such effort were obsolete.
On the frontier, the U.S. Army patrolled. Soldiers protected settlers and trade routes. In many cases, the Army acted as "frontier cops." This mission would continue through the 1890s.
After the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era saw changes in homeland defense. The Army occupied and policed the South. It propped up courts and protected former slaves, and soldiers had arrest powers. Reconstruction ended in 1876. The passage of the Posse Comitatus law in 1878 ended the military's having civilian law enforcement powers.
In the latter part of the 19th century came another era of ship building. While Americans still considered the Atlantic and Pacific oceans enough of a defense against foreign enemies, a strong Navy upon those waters was important. The U.S. Navy built larger all-metal steam ships that sported larger and larger guns.
The theories of Alfred Thayer Mahan became current. Americans viewed the Navy as America's first line of defense. Mahan, who wrote "The Influence of Sea Power upon History" and retired as a rear admiral, was instrumental in persuading Americans that the United States needed a large
"battleship Navy."
By the time the Wild West was tamed, the Army was reduced to maintaining small garrisons in the West and now-obsolete forts in the East.
In 1898, the Spanish-American War broke out. During the six-month war, the Navy handily defeated Spanish fleets off Cuba and in Manila Bay, the Philippines. But Americans were shocked at what they perceived as thousands of miles of
undefended coasts. In the years following the war, money poured into building new defenses around U.S. ports.
Retractable guns and electric mines were the primary defenses. The coastal artillery branch of the Army manned these posts. They were never tested.
Another result of the Spanish-American War was the United States obtained the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico. A Navy able to keep the sea lanes open became a necessity.
In World War I (1917-18), the British bottled up the German fleet. America girded for war untouched by a threat to U.S. soil.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was the first foreign strike against U.S. territory since the war of 1812. While coast artillery units continued manning their forts early in the war, none ever fired a shot in anger.
When it soon became apparent that aircraft and ships would be the main line of homeland defense, the Army transferred coast artillery officers and NCOs into field artillery.
During the war, the Army Air Forces and the Navy defended the homeland. Aircraft patrolled the approaches to ports looking for German and Japanese submarines. Navy destroyers and corvettes patrolled the sea lanes and pursued enemy craft that aircraft could not engage.
The Navy even launched anti-submarine blimps to patrol the East Coast. At least one blimp attacked a German U-boat and was shot down for its effort.
Air power entered the homeland defense equation during World War II. The Nazi bombing campaign against Britain and the U.S.-British campaign against Germany made real the threat from the air. The safety America felt by being separated from the rest of the world by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans evaporated.
The United States was first in developing intercontinental bombing platforms with the B-29 Stratofortress. If the United States could develop long-range bombers, so could other countries. Nazi war plans in fact called for an "Amerika Bomber."
Conventional bombs were scary enough for defense planners, but the atomic bomb totally changed homeland defense.
The United States developed the atomic bomb and used two against Japan. The devastation and radiation dangers posed by the bomb caused the military to think of new means of defense. After the Soviet Union developed the bomb, the threat to America came from the skies.
The United States responded with the North American Air Defense Command. NORAD was a U.S.-Canadian organization charged with the missions of air warning and air control for North America. The command searched the skies for Soviet planes and would direct interceptors to shoot them down.
Later, with the development of intercontinental nuclear ballistic missiles, NORAD became the early warning system. To this day, there is no defense against these missiles. The NORAD warning would give people a chance to take cover
in the event of a nuclear strike.
In the minds of the average American, "homeland defense" became "civil defense." And civil defense programs consisted of urging families to take cover and build fallout shelters and directing the development of community air raid shelters. Air raid drills became as common at schools as fire drills -- children practiced hiding under their desks or sitting together in the hallways.
In the traditional military sense, "homeland defense" meant forward deployment. U.S. forces stationed everywhere from Europe to Korea were America's line in the sand against the Soviet Union. Engaging the Soviets and their allies overseas precluded having to fight them in the United
States.
With the exception of NORAD, a direct military connection to homeland defense eroded. Many Americans came to perceive the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps as assets to defend U.S. interests in distant lands, but not actively defending U.S. shores. Wars in Korea and Vietnam reinforced this attitude, as did operations in the Dominican Republic in 1965, Lebanon in 1958 and the Berlin Wall crisis in 1961.
Historians view the 1970s as the age of détente. President Nixon recognized the People's Republic of China. He and President Gerald Ford met with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. The Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 resulted, and the two superpowers moved to relax tensions. Through this period, homeland defense was seen mainly as a function of civil defense.
In the late 1960s, terrorism in the form of plane hijackings and assaults on innocent civilians grabbed public attention. U.S. aircraft were hijacked and diverted to Cuba or Mexico City or Rome. The U.S. response was not military, but centered on law enforcement. Sky marshals appeared. FBI agents investigated hijacking crimes and threats. Justice Department counterterrorism programs appeared.
So, the U.S. version of homeland defense meant the FBI was the lead federal agency for investigating or preventing terrorist incidents and the Federal Emergency Management Agency was the lead for remediation. The military stood by to help if called.
The events of Sept. 11 seem to be bringing homeland defense full circle. From the halls of Congress to New York street corners, Americans are calling for more military involvement in homeland defense. Sept. 11 changed the world just surely as the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki did. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has said that the people of the United States need to debate this issue long and hard.
President Bush appointed former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge as his director of homeland security. Ridge must see how the Defense Department fits in with all the other federal agencies and coordinate responses to threats to homeland security.
While the threats to America have evolved and changed, one aspect is clear: Whatever happens, the Defense Department will play a major role in defending America.
http://diodon349.com/Attack_on_America/short_history_of_homeland_defense.htm
GameCom/Ferris-another simulation expert
Friends and shareholders:
Attached is this morning's press release announcing that we have enlisted the expert services of Richard McPherson to assist our efforts in moving into the training and simulation market.
We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to bring a person with the caliber of Richard onto our professional team, and I believe that it's a testament to our technology that we were able to attract his interest. He quite simply brings an immense international presence to our efforts.
I again invite you to take a look at Dave Klugh's credentials, whom we announced joined the team last month, and now Richard's, to see the type of firepower we now have working for GameCom/Ferris to meet this unparalleled opportunity.
Again, I must remain very reserved in my comments at this time. I can, however, refer you to the January 7, 2002 edition of Forbes for a glimpse of how large this market was even before September 11th. Further, I invite you to take a look at last Thursday's USA Today feature story in the Life section for just one potential Homeland Security initiative, a copy of which is attached for your convenience. (I assure you no comment was made by any GameCom/Ferris representative to USA Today.) Please pay careful attention to the type of technology an FAA representative is attributed as desiring for training purposes.
I am very confident that our team will make our capabilities very well known. With Bob Ferris and Matt Burlend heading up our technological capabilities, Dave Klugh's proven experience in applying technology to innovative training methods, and now Richard McPherson's proven reputation of contract procurement and subsequent successful applications in this field, I believe we have assembled an "all-star" team for this endeavor.
All I have publicly stated to this point is that we have been in discussions with Homeland Security representatives at the highest levels regarding our capabilities in the detection and mitigation of risk. I cannot further comment at this time, but I continue to stand by my prior statements.
These are simply my personal comments, and should not be relied upon in your investment decisions. I strongly urge you to conduct your own due diligence with regard to any investment in GameCom/Ferris. I respectfully refer you to the GameCom/Ferris' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
--L. Kelly Jones, GameCom/Ferris CEO
Tuesday January 15, 8:31 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: GameCom Inc.
GameCom/Ferris Retains Senior Expert for Government & International Training & Simulation Business
ARLINGTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2002--GameCom Inc. (OTCBB:GAMZ - news) today announced that it has retained the services of Richard McPherson of Security Planning and Management International, an expert in the field of advanced technology for training and simulation.
SP&M, based in California, has assisted such high-profile international companies as Nippon Steel Corporation and Fiat of Italy. Mr. McPherson, a principal at SP&M, is a former United States Navy nuclear submarine officer. Mr. McPherson served by invitation as the United States representative in a six-nation delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency for four years following the Chernobyl nuclear incident.
Mr. McPherson's experience in the private sector includes international investment banking, and facilitating international joint ventures. Mr. McPherson has lived abroad including in Hong Kong, where he developed and helped finance large projects throughout the Far East, Russian Far East and Asian regions.
Mr. McPherson commented: ``I find the direction GameCom/Ferris has taken with its virtual reality technology to be exciting. In the field of VR training, I've not seen its equal in any capacity that produces such a realistic environment. I am very pleased to become part of the team and to help move GameCom/Ferris to its next level of business development, including governmental and security training arenas.''
``Last month, we retained the services of Mr. David C. Klugh, an expert in virtual reality simulation and training. Today, we are pleased to announce our relationship with SP&M and Richard McPherson, bringing to GameCom/Ferris an international reputation and presence in both the private and public sectors,'' stated Lance Loesberg, GameCom/Ferris' executive vice president.
``Mr. McPherson is very experienced in both military and commercial security-related applications, and in contracting. He brings a recognized and influential senior management skill set to the GameCom/Ferris team. Further, Mr. McPherson represents another advancement in our announced intent to expand into the simulation and training market with our revolutionary virtual reality applications,'' Loesberg concluded.
About GameCom/Ferris
GameCom/Ferris designs, manufactures and operates virtual reality entertainment products for use in entertainment facilities and at special events, including carnivals, festivals and trade shows. Customers include Six Flags, Busch Gardens, Paramount, Circus Circus, Carnival Cruise Lines, Chevrolet, Pepsi, Buick and Red Baron Pizza. Virtual reality is the next generation of the $2 billion video game business, and is also finding strong demand in the $90 billion product advertising/promotional market. In addition, GameCom/Ferris has developed and is marketing an interactive kiosk gaming platform with potential applications in multi-user game play and online gaming. For more information on GameCom/Ferris, visit www.GameComInc.com and www.FerrisVR.com. Additional information on the company's stock can be obtained at www.magnumfinancial.com.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally preceded by the words such as ``plans,'' ``expects,'' ``believes,'' ``anticipates,'' or ``intends.'' Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. GameCom/Ferris urges investors to review in detail the risks and uncertainties contained within its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Magnum Financial Group LLC, Los Angeles
Michael Manahan, 213/488-0443
mike@magnumfinancial.com
Training sky marshals is deadly serious business
By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY
By Jeff Reinking for USA TODAY
USA TODAY reporter Marco R. della Cava, aided by Greg Hoover of Seattle's Advanced Interactive Systems, takes aim at video hijackers.
SEATTLE — For any frequent flier, the scene is so routine, it borders on the invisible.
As the packed jetliner reaches cruising altitude, a flight attendant appears at the front of the plane to announce that passengers are free to move about the cabin. At the rear of the Boeing 737, other stewards prepare coffee and snacks. A few folks stand to retrieve items from the overhead bins.
But the deceptive calm will be shattered by deadly chaos. And I, the flight's sky marshal, am the only one who can stop it. As a strapping man makes his way toward the cockpit, my heart rate soars as my palms press hard into the heavy steel of a Beretta 92F pistol.
This airborne drama is a video-based simulation created by Advanced Interactive Systems, which devised a pair of scenarios that reflect both the events of Sept. 11 and the input of hijacking experts. While security concerns mean that little is known about the federal sky marshal program, founded in 1968 to counter hijackings to Cuba, AIS' simulator provides a look at how future sky marshals might train to protect increasingly threatened skies.
AIS training programs already are used by police departments in Seattle and Portland, Ore., the U.S. Border Patrol and various federal agencies, including the New York National Guard. A few months ago, Canadian federal security officials approached AIS to modify their police-focused products to train sky marshals. They'll travel here later this month to view AIS' new training scenarios. Both were experienced this week by USA TODAY, one involving a passenger with a bomb, the other a threatened flight attendant.
The USA's own air security needs will be met by the new Transportation Security Administration, which will hire 28,000 passenger and baggage screeners, as well as an undisclosed number of air marshals. (Some industry experts guess the current number of marshals hovers around 40 — enough for some international flights — and predict the new force could number 4,000.)
"Unfortunately, these are good times for us," says AIS president Timothy May, whose systems range from less than $20,000 for a portable version to several hundred thousand for complete trailer-based facilities.
Although officials at the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees the sky marshal program until it falls under Transportation Security Administration jurisdiction next month, are tight-lipped about their plans, they are "extremely interested" in video-based training systems, says FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler.
"We are hoping to find something that might offer a 360-degree experience (for trainees)," Trexler says. Marshals currently train aboard grounded airplanes — an impractical practice if the number of marshals swells significantly.
"Virtual training technology is very valuable, particularly if you're faced with the daunting task of hiring thousands of new marshals," says Douglas Laird, former security chief for Northwest Airlines and now an aviation security consultant for BGI International.
Training issues aside, Laird is a sky marshal skeptic. He cites the sheer number and expense of marshals necessary to guard some 30,000 U.S. flights daily ("And I think you'd have to have two per plane") as well as the risks inherent in each onboard confrontation.
"In my opinion, you could be better off simply improving your screening and security on the ground," he says. "There is a huge difference between a shootout at a 7-Eleven and one inside a crowded metal cylinder filled with people flying at 30,000 feet."
'Never shot a gun, huh?'
Greg Hoover, 6-foot-4 and barrel-chested, walks with the bearing of someone who for years called the SWAT division of the Los Angeles Police Department home.
Now with AIS, Hoover is in charge of running police officers through the company's simulators and has trained some of the best and brightest of law enforcement worldwide. My own handgun experience reached its zenith at age 7, when I hit my cat with plastic discs shot out of a Star Trek phaser and decided that was enough of that. I fear an impending disaster.
"Never shot a gun, huh?" says Hoover, slipping a device onto my finger that registers my pulse. It's racing. After a spell, it settles in the 60s; Hoover wants to see that double during my sky marshal stint.
"If you don't have an adrenaline rush, something's wrong," he barks. (He won't be disappointed.)
Since security veterans often are the best sky marshal candidates, Hoover races me through a 20-year career in 10 minutes: learning how to hold a gun (keep your trigger finger extended, not on the trigger where a muscle spasm could cause a discharge); how to take a stance (arms extended and elbows locked); how to react if the gun misfires (check the magazine, but at that point I was totally lost).
Hoover asks product manager (and another ex-cop) Carl Ueland to put targets on the screen. I squeeze the trigger until my extended arms sag with fatigue. Amazingly, the results seem to indicate that my phaser days have paid off. I'm told I'm ready for my moment of sky-bound bedlam.
And I actually think I am, and take a seat in a makeshift "row" in the middle of the plane.
Computerized training
The AIS sky marshal training system uses two 7 1/2-by-9 1/2-foot screens, placed fore and aft of the seated participant, that play live-action scenes that a computer will change, or "branch," based on the actions taken by the trainee.
Shoot the right person at the right time with either the Beretta or a Glock 17 — both police-issue firearms modified to shoot beams of light — and the scene spools forward to a safe conclusion. Make a mistake and your virtual self will head to the morgue.
Video games may come to mind, but between the screams and blood of real people (not animated figures) and the sophistication of the program (it can tell you the precise location and timing of every shot discharged), the difference is readily apparent. When was the last time a video game left you feeling anxious, shaking and somewhat nauseous?
Resume airplane scenario.
The well-built man has re-emerged from the front galley, holding a knife to the throat of the flight attendant who shields his body. Trained to assess threats front and rear, I spin my head toward the plane's rear and see a man making stabbing motions with his right arm behind a seat.
I decide he poses the immediate threat and move to take him down. I fire once, then twice. Five shots in all before he starts to fall.
I wheel around to the front expecting to dispatch another terrorist. But all I see is a woman with hate in her eyes and a raised knife in her hand. Her body soon fills the screen, which then fades to black.
We replay the scene. To me, it felt like minutes. In reality: I fired five shots at the terrorist behind me in a frantic 1.35 seconds.
"Were you focused on the gun's front sight?" Hoover asks, knowing the answer. I shake my head, the panic flooding back.
In fact, my first bullet struck the terrorist's leg, but the actor did not fall because he had not been seriously debilitated. That would have required repeated shots to the legs or a single shot to the head.
My second, third and fourth shots had pierced passenger seats, without question injuring innocents. My fifth shot lodged in the terrorist's hip and, finally, sent him crashing face-down in the aisle.
But what happened up front was tragic. My inability to quickly handle the situation behind me meant that the tall man's accomplice had stabbed two passengers and slit one man's throat, finishing up her rampage by dispatching me.
Filled with appreciation
No one will be rushing to fly Air Marco, I thought in a glib moment, setting down the Beretta. But my realistic brush with in-flight terror also filled me with appreciation.
For the dizzying decisions law enforcement personnel have to make in terrifying moments that paralyze most of us. For the tremendous precision required to stop a suicide-fueled terrorist who has no rules, while you are entrusted with saving lives while sticking with the letter of the law.
And, most vividly, for the 40 heroes of United Flight 93 — sky marshals by fate — who rushed real terrorists with real knives armed with nothing but courage.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/01/10/sky-marshals-virtual-training.htm
GameCom/Ferris-another simulation expert
Friends and shareholders:
Attached is this morning's press release announcing that we have enlisted the expert services of Richard McPherson to assist our efforts in moving into the training and simulation market.
We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to bring a person with the caliber of Richard onto our professional team, and I believe that it's a testament to our technology that we were able to attract his interest. He quite simply brings an immense international presence to our efforts.
I again invite you to take a look at Dave Klugh's credentials, whom we announced joined the team last month, and now Richard's, to see the type of firepower we now have working for GameCom/Ferris to meet this unparalleled opportunity.
Again, I must remain very reserved in my comments at this time. I can, however, refer you to the January 7, 2002 edition of Forbes for a glimpse of how large this market was even before September 11th. Further, I invite you to take a look at last Thursday's USA Today feature story in the Life section for just one potential Homeland Security initiative, a copy of which is attached for your convenience. (I assure you no comment was made by any GameCom/Ferris representative to USA Today.) Please pay careful attention to the type of technology an FAA representative is attributed as desiring for training purposes.
I am very confident that our team will make our capabilities very well known. With Bob Ferris and Matt Burlend heading up our technological capabilities, Dave Klugh's proven experience in applying technology to innovative training methods, and now Richard McPherson's proven reputation of contract procurement and subsequent successful applications in this field, I believe we have assembled an "all-star" team for this endeavor.
All I have publicly stated to this point is that we have been in discussions with Homeland Security representatives at the highest levels regarding our capabilities in the detection and mitigation of risk. I cannot further comment at this time, but I continue to stand by my prior statements.
These are simply my personal comments, and should not be relied upon in your investment decisions. I strongly urge you to conduct your own due diligence with regard to any investment in GameCom/Ferris. I respectfully refer you to the GameCom/Ferris' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
--L. Kelly Jones, GameCom/Ferris CEO
Tuesday January 15, 8:31 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: GameCom Inc.
GameCom/Ferris Retains Senior Expert for Government & International Training & Simulation Business
ARLINGTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2002--GameCom Inc. (OTCBB:GAMZ - news) today announced that it has retained the services of Richard McPherson of Security Planning and Management International, an expert in the field of advanced technology for training and simulation.
SP&M, based in California, has assisted such high-profile international companies as Nippon Steel Corporation and Fiat of Italy. Mr. McPherson, a principal at SP&M, is a former United States Navy nuclear submarine officer. Mr. McPherson served by invitation as the United States representative in a six-nation delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency for four years following the Chernobyl nuclear incident.
Mr. McPherson's experience in the private sector includes international investment banking, and facilitating international joint ventures. Mr. McPherson has lived abroad including in Hong Kong, where he developed and helped finance large projects throughout the Far East, Russian Far East and Asian regions.
Mr. McPherson commented: ``I find the direction GameCom/Ferris has taken with its virtual reality technology to be exciting. In the field of VR training, I've not seen its equal in any capacity that produces such a realistic environment. I am very pleased to become part of the team and to help move GameCom/Ferris to its next level of business development, including governmental and security training arenas.''
``Last month, we retained the services of Mr. David C. Klugh, an expert in virtual reality simulation and training. Today, we are pleased to announce our relationship with SP&M and Richard McPherson, bringing to GameCom/Ferris an international reputation and presence in both the private and public sectors,'' stated Lance Loesberg, GameCom/Ferris' executive vice president.
``Mr. McPherson is very experienced in both military and commercial security-related applications, and in contracting. He brings a recognized and influential senior management skill set to the GameCom/Ferris team. Further, Mr. McPherson represents another advancement in our announced intent to expand into the simulation and training market with our revolutionary virtual reality applications,'' Loesberg concluded.
About GameCom/Ferris
GameCom/Ferris designs, manufactures and operates virtual reality entertainment products for use in entertainment facilities and at special events, including carnivals, festivals and trade shows. Customers include Six Flags, Busch Gardens, Paramount, Circus Circus, Carnival Cruise Lines, Chevrolet, Pepsi, Buick and Red Baron Pizza. Virtual reality is the next generation of the $2 billion video game business, and is also finding strong demand in the $90 billion product advertising/promotional market. In addition, GameCom/Ferris has developed and is marketing an interactive kiosk gaming platform with potential applications in multi-user game play and online gaming. For more information on GameCom/Ferris, visit www.GameComInc.com and www.FerrisVR.com. Additional information on the company's stock can be obtained at www.magnumfinancial.com.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally preceded by the words such as ``plans,'' ``expects,'' ``believes,'' ``anticipates,'' or ``intends.'' Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. GameCom/Ferris urges investors to review in detail the risks and uncertainties contained within its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Magnum Financial Group LLC, Los Angeles
Michael Manahan, 213/488-0443
mike@magnumfinancial.com
Training sky marshals is deadly serious business
By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY
By Jeff Reinking for USA TODAY
USA TODAY reporter Marco R. della Cava, aided by Greg Hoover of Seattle's Advanced Interactive Systems, takes aim at video hijackers.
SEATTLE — For any frequent flier, the scene is so routine, it borders on the invisible.
As the packed jetliner reaches cruising altitude, a flight attendant appears at the front of the plane to announce that passengers are free to move about the cabin. At the rear of the Boeing 737, other stewards prepare coffee and snacks. A few folks stand to retrieve items from the overhead bins.
But the deceptive calm will be shattered by deadly chaos. And I, the flight's sky marshal, am the only one who can stop it. As a strapping man makes his way toward the cockpit, my heart rate soars as my palms press hard into the heavy steel of a Beretta 92F pistol.
This airborne drama is a video-based simulation created by Advanced Interactive Systems, which devised a pair of scenarios that reflect both the events of Sept. 11 and the input of hijacking experts. While security concerns mean that little is known about the federal sky marshal program, founded in 1968 to counter hijackings to Cuba, AIS' simulator provides a look at how future sky marshals might train to protect increasingly threatened skies.
AIS training programs already are used by police departments in Seattle and Portland, Ore., the U.S. Border Patrol and various federal agencies, including the New York National Guard. A few months ago, Canadian federal security officials approached AIS to modify their police-focused products to train sky marshals. They'll travel here later this month to view AIS' new training scenarios. Both were experienced this week by USA TODAY, one involving a passenger with a bomb, the other a threatened flight attendant.
The USA's own air security needs will be met by the new Transportation Security Administration, which will hire 28,000 passenger and baggage screeners, as well as an undisclosed number of air marshals. (Some industry experts guess the current number of marshals hovers around 40 — enough for some international flights — and predict the new force could number 4,000.)
"Unfortunately, these are good times for us," says AIS president Timothy May, whose systems range from less than $20,000 for a portable version to several hundred thousand for complete trailer-based facilities.
Although officials at the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees the sky marshal program until it falls under Transportation Security Administration jurisdiction next month, are tight-lipped about their plans, they are "extremely interested" in video-based training systems, says FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler.
"We are hoping to find something that might offer a 360-degree experience (for trainees)," Trexler says. Marshals currently train aboard grounded airplanes — an impractical practice if the number of marshals swells significantly.
"Virtual training technology is very valuable, particularly if you're faced with the daunting task of hiring thousands of new marshals," says Douglas Laird, former security chief for Northwest Airlines and now an aviation security consultant for BGI International.
Training issues aside, Laird is a sky marshal skeptic. He cites the sheer number and expense of marshals necessary to guard some 30,000 U.S. flights daily ("And I think you'd have to have two per plane") as well as the risks inherent in each onboard confrontation.
"In my opinion, you could be better off simply improving your screening and security on the ground," he says. "There is a huge difference between a shootout at a 7-Eleven and one inside a crowded metal cylinder filled with people flying at 30,000 feet."
'Never shot a gun, huh?'
Greg Hoover, 6-foot-4 and barrel-chested, walks with the bearing of someone who for years called the SWAT division of the Los Angeles Police Department home.
Now with AIS, Hoover is in charge of running police officers through the company's simulators and has trained some of the best and brightest of law enforcement worldwide. My own handgun experience reached its zenith at age 7, when I hit my cat with plastic discs shot out of a Star Trek phaser and decided that was enough of that. I fear an impending disaster.
"Never shot a gun, huh?" says Hoover, slipping a device onto my finger that registers my pulse. It's racing. After a spell, it settles in the 60s; Hoover wants to see that double during my sky marshal stint.
"If you don't have an adrenaline rush, something's wrong," he barks. (He won't be disappointed.)
Since security veterans often are the best sky marshal candidates, Hoover races me through a 20-year career in 10 minutes: learning how to hold a gun (keep your trigger finger extended, not on the trigger where a muscle spasm could cause a discharge); how to take a stance (arms extended and elbows locked); how to react if the gun misfires (check the magazine, but at that point I was totally lost).
Hoover asks product manager (and another ex-cop) Carl Ueland to put targets on the screen. I squeeze the trigger until my extended arms sag with fatigue. Amazingly, the results seem to indicate that my phaser days have paid off. I'm told I'm ready for my moment of sky-bound bedlam.
And I actually think I am, and take a seat in a makeshift "row" in the middle of the plane.
Computerized training
The AIS sky marshal training system uses two 7 1/2-by-9 1/2-foot screens, placed fore and aft of the seated participant, that play live-action scenes that a computer will change, or "branch," based on the actions taken by the trainee.
Shoot the right person at the right time with either the Beretta or a Glock 17 — both police-issue firearms modified to shoot beams of light — and the scene spools forward to a safe conclusion. Make a mistake and your virtual self will head to the morgue.
Video games may come to mind, but between the screams and blood of real people (not animated figures) and the sophistication of the program (it can tell you the precise location and timing of every shot discharged), the difference is readily apparent. When was the last time a video game left you feeling anxious, shaking and somewhat nauseous?
Resume airplane scenario.
The well-built man has re-emerged from the front galley, holding a knife to the throat of the flight attendant who shields his body. Trained to assess threats front and rear, I spin my head toward the plane's rear and see a man making stabbing motions with his right arm behind a seat.
I decide he poses the immediate threat and move to take him down. I fire once, then twice. Five shots in all before he starts to fall.
I wheel around to the front expecting to dispatch another terrorist. But all I see is a woman with hate in her eyes and a raised knife in her hand. Her body soon fills the screen, which then fades to black.
We replay the scene. To me, it felt like minutes. In reality: I fired five shots at the terrorist behind me in a frantic 1.35 seconds.
"Were you focused on the gun's front sight?" Hoover asks, knowing the answer. I shake my head, the panic flooding back.
In fact, my first bullet struck the terrorist's leg, but the actor did not fall because he had not been seriously debilitated. That would have required repeated shots to the legs or a single shot to the head.
My second, third and fourth shots had pierced passenger seats, without question injuring innocents. My fifth shot lodged in the terrorist's hip and, finally, sent him crashing face-down in the aisle.
But what happened up front was tragic. My inability to quickly handle the situation behind me meant that the tall man's accomplice had stabbed two passengers and slit one man's throat, finishing up her rampage by dispatching me.
Filled with appreciation
No one will be rushing to fly Air Marco, I thought in a glib moment, setting down the Beretta. But my realistic brush with in-flight terror also filled me with appreciation.
For the dizzying decisions law enforcement personnel have to make in terrifying moments that paralyze most of us. For the tremendous precision required to stop a suicide-fueled terrorist who has no rules, while you are entrusted with saving lives while sticking with the letter of the law.
And, most vividly, for the 40 heroes of United Flight 93 — sky marshals by fate — who rushed real terrorists with real knives armed with nothing but courage.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/01/10/sky-marshals-virtual-training.htm
* GameCom/Ferris has entered into an agreement with the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002 to place the Universe VR720 virtual reality entertainment system at the Olympic Village Ski Lodge in Park City, Utah. GameCom/Ferris will operate the system under a revenue sharing arrangement. The system, which was introduced at the Association of Science and Technology Centers Annual Conference in 2001, will be in place in Utah until March 2002. A demonstration of the system was held Dec. 12, 2001, in conjunction with the arrival of the Olympic torch in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, area. Call (817)261-4269; fax (817)271-6636; Web sites (www.gamecominc.com) or (www.ferrisvr.com).
http://www.playmeter.com/0102heard.htm
Greg
Muell - That's great news hopefully GAMZ will get a bigger following soon.
Take Care,
Greg
OT - Thread with many research links.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=474
Greg
Virtual sport!
The advent and rapid improvement of virtual reality technologies are even encroaching into athletic and gymnastic training. The US Olympic bob sleigh team already uses a virtual reality simulator so that they can practice when snow is a little thin on the ground. But this is only the tip of the virtual reality sporting iceberg. If you want to learn how to do a triple back flip in the year 2010 you will simply slip into your virtual reality body suit and the computer will take you through all the movements. You will be able to rehearse your performance to perfection by adjusting your head to the left a fraction or tucking your elbows in just a tiny bit more and with the aid of virtual reality the computer will physically take you through the movement each time, allowing for your adjustments and avoiding any virtual accidents.
And if you do have the misfortune to injure yourself when doing it for real then you need not suffer any loss of motivation while you recuperate. Just carry on practising in pain-free virtual reality.
http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/soundofsci/sport.html
Up next: Virtual reality training
October 23, 2001 Print it
More from Attner: The Wired World of Bill Billick
In the future, the Wired World of Brian Billick will include virtual reality training of players, particularly quarterbacks.
"Virtual reality represents the next significant step in the use of technology and athletic training," Billick says. "You will be able to create a realistic environment for a quarterback, for example, and no matter what happens, he will never get hurt. It will affect how you practice, how much you practice and how well you can prepare for a game."
Right now, there are no available, affordable virtual reality programs that could be used by NFL teams. But Billick is convinced that sometime in the near future, both the cost and technological advances of virtual reality will make it feasible for use in the league. "It'll come," he says.
So will game plans on CDs that players can take home to study instead of loose-leaf binders. That advance could happen within a year for the Ravens.
In Billick's virtual world, a quarterback would enter a playing field that would include a defense programmed to react in various situations that directly reflects the tendencies of the upcoming opponent. He would be able to practice against that defense and its intricacies: various coverages, blitzes, personnel changes, etc.
"We try to duplicate those things in practices," says Billick. "But it's hard to reproduce exactly what an opponent does. And you are always risking getting your quarterback hurt. But in a virtual reality environment, you could give your quarterback such a realistic picture that it would have to enhance his ability to perform well against that team."
Virtual reality could be used in offseason teaching programs. Imagine training your cornerbacks against all manner of pass routes, using all manner of coverages and techniques.
"Its value is practically limitless," says Billick. "In terms of efficiency, accuracy and energy preservation, you have to love it."
Senior writer Paul Attner covers the NFL for The Sporting News. Email him at attner@sportingnews.com
http://www.sportingnews.com/voices/paul_attner/20011023c.html
Virtual reality training helps the Navy safely and effectively train sailors in Orlando without the risk!
http://www.qwestdm.com/navy/122101_vsub.html
Greg
VR Zones Now Hiring.
Tired of the usual summer jobs? Then join the VR Zone team and have fun this summer instead! VR Zones are an exciting and fun environment in which to work. Surrounded by high tech VR entertainment equipment, we require our associates to have fun.
Ferris' exciting VR Zones are virtual reality entertainment centers located in theme parks and other large entertainment complexes throughout North America (click here for map).
As one of our VR Zone associates, you'll help visitors enjoy the interactive virtual realtiy games and virtual reality experiences produced by Ferris. Many associates enjoy the VR Zone so much, their freinds ask to be hired, too!
Don't miss out this summer - have fun, make money.
We have flexible hours, great pay, and a fun filled atmosphere.
You can join the Ferris team today! Click Here!
An equal oppurtunity employer.
http://www.ferrisvr.com/vr_zones_employ.html
I was at the Fiesta VR Zone bottom right it was just as packed as the picture when I was there.
Pictures of Gamecom/Ferris at the CPL last year.
http://www.fragwire.com/graphics/cpl/12052001/imagepages/image9.htm
http://www.fragwire.com/graphics/cpl/12052001/imagepages/image10.htm
Gamecom/Ferris setup to the right of the car.
http://www.fragwire.com/graphics/cpl/12052001/imagepages/image13.htm
Picture index.
http://www.fragwire.com/graphics/cpl/12052001/index.htm
Enjoy!
Greg
Dennis - I agree DaDoc's post was great and he is due for a promotion:) I think our director board is full now:)
Take Care,
Greg
Gamecom/Ferris patent news in Playmeter.
GameCom/Ferris patent is accepted
GameCom/Ferris’ application for the company’s proprietary Universe Control Board has been allowed by the United States Patent and Trademark office. It is a key element of its technology, according to the company, and powers both the virtual reality products as well as its gaming platform.
CEO L. Kelly Jones said, “Not only does it allow for relatively easy conversion of gaming or other PC software, but it also expands the reach of PCs by allowing the PC to control additional functions. The UCB is at the heart of our technology and has been successfully utilized over and over again in the field, both for our own operations as well as in third-party applications.”
You can contact GameCom/Ferris at its Web sites (www.gamecominc.com) or (www.ferrisvr.com).
http://www.playmeter.com/pmnews.htm
GameCom receives patent approval
1/11/2002 12:13:00 PM
By Pavan Lall
Arlington gaming company GameCom Inc. received approval from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on a patent application for the company’s Universal Control Board.
The UCB technology is used in the company’s (www.gamecominc.com) "virtual reality zone" arcades and in custom programs for clients, according to company reports. The platform transforms any PC game into a coin-operated program without requiring software changes either to the PC or the operating system.
The board extends a PC’s capability to control different peripherals such as disk drives, electrocounters, video inputs and outputs, joysticks, magnetic card readers, bill and coin acceptors and standard arcade controls. It also controls external virtual reality effects, mouse emulation, player-to-player microphone communications, keyboard emulation and head-tracking.
The company’s immediate focus is on virtual reality products in the military training simulation markets.
http://www.dfwtechbiz.com/displayarticledetail.asp?Art_ID=53681
This is a good place to check to see when GAMZ is being promoted.
http://www.knobias.com/individual/research/quote.htm?oldticker=&ticker=gamz
Greg
GameCom patent claims successful
• 11 January 2002
ARLINGTON, Texas - GameCom/Ferris Inc. (OTCBB:GAMZ) on Jan. 10 received a notice of allowance of claims made on its revised patent application for the company’s Universe Control Board. The device speeds up the customization of a PC game into a coin-operated arcade program.
GameCom officials said the decision, rendered by the United States Patent & Trademark Office, was essential to the company’s plans for marketing an interactive kiosk gaming platform. While company officials said GameCom/Ferris is focusing on security-related products in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, its gaming platform was still a part of its core business plan.
"This technology moves us far beyond the capabilities of any other public game purveyor that we know of," Bob Ferris, GameCom/Ferris president, said in a news release.
http://www.kioskmarketplace.com/news_story.htm?i=11485
SF - I agree all GAMZ needs is more volume and it needs to be consistent to maintain the uptrend.
Take Care,
Greg
Hi Berstein - sounds great but I would expect Gamecom/Ferris to apply for an AMEX listing first since the share price requirements are lower.
AMEX listing requirements...
http://www.amex.com/about/AMEX_listus.stm
NASDAQ listing requirements...
http://www.nasdaq.com/about/nnm1.stm
Take Care,
Greg
Dennis - The USA Today article was sent to me by Profit central. There are many companies that provide a 360-degree view within a headset but I believe Gamecom/Ferris is the only company that can produce a photorealistic 360-degree view. Here is one company that provides 360-degree VR.
Flying into the Future:
SGI Makes Virtual Reality Airport Possible
Virtual reality, made possible by SGI, is playing a key role in a multimillion pound development at Teesside Airport in the Northeast of England. The proposed £300 million project will cover 3.5 million square feet, will take 10 to 15 years to complete, and is expected to create 5,000 new jobs. The virtual reality model, created at the University of Teesside, will help the airport and the developer, Moorfield Group plc, convey the scale of the project and highlight its huge potential.
Several international airports, such as Miami, Frankfurt, and Charles de Gaulle, have extensive airside developments used by global manufacturing organizations. One advantage is that components produced in various parts of the world can be brought together to be assembled into end products and then easily distributed.
Having seen the success of such developments, Moorfield began to look for a suitable location in the UK. The company reviewed several sites; Teesside not only fulfilled all the criteria, it had an airport authority actively looking to expand its facilities by utilizing 250 acres of land. The airport at Teesside has very long runways, it can easily accommodate jumbo jets, and it has no flight slot restrictions. There is plenty of space to build short feeder roads to connect to main routes. The railway passes close by, and the UK's second largest deep-sea port is just 14 miles away.
The development falls within the constituency of Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair. It has the backing of the two local county councils and the regional development organization because it will be a focus for regeneration in an area of high unemployment.
"We saw the potential of virtual reality as a marketing tool," says Gordon Smith, development consultant. "The development relies on bespoke use, with facilities customized to meet the exact requirements of users. We expect that global companies will be considering the site, and the model will not only stimulate interest, it will aid understanding of the whole development."
The model, which was unveiled at the airport in December, contains aircraft, ground vehicles and buildings. Viewers can explore the development using fly-through or drive-through functions that enable the images to be viewed on the move at different angles. "VR is at the core of our marketing campaign," says Gordon Smith. "The model will allow engineers, developers, and architects to walk around. In addition, we will be able to explore and resolve any technical or environmental issues that might arise."
The virtual reality model took around 300 hours to produce. Team leader John Robinson explains how it was done: "We worked from pictures we took at the airport, aerial photographs, and architectural plans. These enabled us to create realistic details right down to airline liveries." As Moorfield Group embarks on a serious marketing and procurement plan, the model will be presented at other regional and international venues over the coming year. It will also be available for local people to view.
As the development grows, the model will be expanded to include completed facilities and will reflect the names of companies who have already bought space.
The University of Teesside and SGI have a long-standing relationship. The university bought its first SGI workstations in 1989. In 1996 it won EC funding for an SGI® Reality CenterTM, curved-screen virtual reality facility powered by a 12-processor Silicon Graphics® Onyx® system. With a further European grant combined with university investment and a 32% contribution from SGI, the HemispheriumTM was opened in 1998. This has a seven-projector system and provides true immersive virtual reality designed for group interaction, training, and design review. The projection technologies for both the Reality Center and the Hemispherium facilities were designed and installed by leading visualization partner Trimension Systems of Burgess Hill, UK.
The university now has an expanding team of 30 full-time experts in VR modeling, project and technical management, business development, sales, and creative direction. It has created VR models for a range of applications, including construction, manufacturing, tourism and global real estate development. Janice Webster, director of the VR Center, is keen to demonstrate the strengths and flexibility of virtual reality to local businesses. "We want to get local companies interested by cutting through the hype and emphasizing the practical benefits."
Visualization plays a key role in the aviation industry. One of the most innovative projects is NASA's Futureflight Central, one of the world's most advanced virtual airport control towers. This uses SGI graphics technology. The $10 million facility resembles a traditional control tower, but instead of windows it has 12 giant projection screens run by a 16-processor Silicon Graphics® Onyx2® system. The interior can be reconfigured to look like any control tower, and a room underneath can accommodate a team playing the part of pilots and ground crew communicating with the controllers via headsets. Using numerous data sources such as satellite imagery, digital photographs and architectural data, the system can portray traffic and weather conditions at any airport in the world in 360-degree high-resolution virtual reality.
With air traffic continually growing, safety is a prime consideration. The facility will enable aviation engineers and airport planners to explore the use of new guidance and tracking systems and test ways to prevent potential air and runway problems. The center can also be used to visualize the impact of construction projects and for training air traffic controllers.
Images courtesy of the VR Centre, University of Teesside, UK.
Silicon Graphics, Onyx, Onyx2 and InfiniteReality are registered trademarks, and SGI, InfiniteReality3 and the SGI logo are trademarks, of Silicon Graphics, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
http://www.sgi.com/features/2000/august/vrairport/
Received this USA TODAY article from Profit Central.
Training sky marshals is deadly serious business
By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY
By Jeff Reinking for USA TODAY
USA TODAY reporter Marco R. della Cava, aided by Greg Hoover of Seattle's Advanced Interactive Systems, takes aim at video hijackers.
SEATTLE — For any frequent flier, the scene is so routine, it borders on the invisible.
As the packed jetliner reaches cruising altitude, a flight attendant appears at the front of the plane to announce that passengers are free to move about the cabin. At the rear of the Boeing 737, other stewards prepare coffee and snacks. A few folks stand to retrieve items from the overhead bins.
But the deceptive calm will be shattered by deadly chaos. And I, the flight's sky marshal, am the only one who can stop it. As a strapping man makes his way toward the cockpit, my heart rate soars as my palms press hard into the heavy steel of a Beretta 92F pistol.
This airborne drama is a video-based simulation created by Advanced Interactive Systems, which devised a pair of scenarios that reflect both the events of Sept. 11 and the input of hijacking experts. While security concerns mean that little is known about the federal sky marshal program, founded in 1968 to counter hijackings to Cuba, AIS' simulator provides a look at how future sky marshals might train to protect increasingly threatened skies.
AIS training programs already are used by police departments in Seattle and Portland, Ore., the U.S. Border Patrol and various federal agencies, including the New York National Guard. A few months ago, Canadian federal security officials approached AIS to modify their police-focused products to train sky marshals. They'll travel here later this month to view AIS' new training scenarios. Both were experienced this week by USA TODAY, one involving a passenger with a bomb, the other a threatened flight attendant.
The USA's own air security needs will be met by the new Transportation Security Administration, which will hire 28,000 passenger and baggage screeners, as well as an undisclosed number of air marshals. (Some industry experts guess the current number of marshals hovers around 40 — enough for some international flights — and predict the new force could number 4,000.)
"Unfortunately, these are good times for us," says AIS president Timothy May, whose systems range from less than $20,000 for a portable version to several hundred thousand for complete trailer-based facilities.
Although officials at the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees the sky marshal program until it falls under Transportation Security Administration jurisdiction next month, are tight-lipped about their plans, they are "extremely interested" in video-based training systems, says FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler.
"We are hoping to find something that might offer a 360-degree experience (for trainees)," Trexler says. Marshals currently train aboard grounded airplanes — an impractical practice if the number of marshals swells significantly.
"Virtual training technology is very valuable, particularly if you're faced with the daunting task of hiring thousands of new marshals," says Douglas Laird, former security chief for Northwest Airlines and now an aviation security consultant for BGI International.
Training issues aside, Laird is a sky marshal skeptic. He cites the sheer number and expense of marshals necessary to guard some 30,000 U.S. flights daily ("And I think you'd have to have two per plane") as well as the risks inherent in each onboard confrontation.
"In my opinion, you could be better off simply improving your screening and security on the ground," he says. "There is a huge difference between a shootout at a 7-Eleven and one inside a crowded metal cylinder filled with people flying at 30,000 feet."
'Never shot a gun, huh?'
Greg Hoover, 6-foot-4 and barrel-chested, walks with the bearing of someone who for years called the SWAT division of the Los Angeles Police Department home.
Now with AIS, Hoover is in charge of running police officers through the company's simulators and has trained some of the best and brightest of law enforcement worldwide. My own handgun experience reached its zenith at age 7, when I hit my cat with plastic discs shot out of a Star Trek phaser and decided that was enough of that. I fear an impending disaster.
"Never shot a gun, huh?" says Hoover, slipping a device onto my finger that registers my pulse. It's racing. After a spell, it settles in the 60s; Hoover wants to see that double during my sky marshal stint.
"If you don't have an adrenaline rush, something's wrong," he barks. (He won't be disappointed.)
Since security veterans often are the best sky marshal candidates, Hoover races me through a 20-year career in 10 minutes: learning how to hold a gun (keep your trigger finger extended, not on the trigger where a muscle spasm could cause a discharge); how to take a stance (arms extended and elbows locked); how to react if the gun misfires (check the magazine, but at that point I was totally lost).
Hoover asks product manager (and another ex-cop) Carl Ueland to put targets on the screen. I squeeze the trigger until my extended arms sag with fatigue. Amazingly, the results seem to indicate that my phaser days have paid off. I'm told I'm ready for my moment of sky-bound bedlam.
And I actually think I am, and take a seat in a makeshift "row" in the middle of the plane.
Computerized training
The AIS sky marshal training system uses two 7 1/2-by-9 1/2-foot screens, placed fore and aft of the seated participant, that play live-action scenes that a computer will change, or "branch," based on the actions taken by the trainee.
Shoot the right person at the right time with either the Beretta or a Glock 17 — both police-issue firearms modified to shoot beams of light — and the scene spools forward to a safe conclusion. Make a mistake and your virtual self will head to the morgue.
Video games may come to mind, but between the screams and blood of real people (not animated figures) and the sophistication of the program (it can tell you the precise location and timing of every shot discharged), the difference is readily apparent. When was the last time a video game left you feeling anxious, shaking and somewhat nauseous?
Resume airplane scenario.
The well-built man has re-emerged from the front galley, holding a knife to the throat of the flight attendant who shields his body. Trained to assess threats front and rear, I spin my head toward the plane's rear and see a man making stabbing motions with his right arm behind a seat.
I decide he poses the immediate threat and move to take him down. I fire once, then twice. Five shots in all before he starts to fall.
I wheel around to the front expecting to dispatch another terrorist. But all I see is a woman with hate in her eyes and a raised knife in her hand. Her body soon fills the screen, which then fades to black.
We replay the scene. To me, it felt like minutes. In reality: I fired five shots at the terrorist behind me in a frantic 1.35 seconds.
"Were you focused on the gun's front sight?" Hoover asks, knowing the answer. I shake my head, the panic flooding back.
In fact, my first bullet struck the terrorist's leg, but the actor did not fall because he had not been seriously debilitated. That would have required repeated shots to the legs or a single shot to the head.
My second, third and fourth shots had pierced passenger seats, without question injuring innocents. My fifth shot lodged in the terrorist's hip and, finally, sent him crashing face-down in the aisle.
But what happened up front was tragic. My inability to quickly handle the situation behind me meant that the tall man's accomplice had stabbed two passengers and slit one man's throat, finishing up her rampage by dispatching me.
Filled with appreciation
No one will be rushing to fly Air Marco, I thought in a glib moment, setting down the Beretta. But my realistic brush with in-flight terror also filled me with appreciation.
For the dizzying decisions law enforcement personnel have to make in terrifying moments that paralyze most of us. For the tremendous precision required to stop a suicide-fueled terrorist who has no rules, while you are entrusted with saving lives while sticking with the letter of the law.
And, most vividly, for the 40 heroes of United Flight 93 — sky marshals by fate — who rushed real terrorists with real knives armed with nothing but courage.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/01/10/sky-marshals-virtual-training.htm
Mary - Level II links.
http://www.value-stock.com/level2.htm
Take Care,
Greg
Europe’s kiosk gamble
by Stephan Herron • 10 January 2002
It is a trickle that has become a flood, and it has implications for the kiosk industry. Every significant video amusement machine manufacturer in Europe has launched a network-enabled product within the past two years.
The benefits for the gaming industry are compelling. Games and other content are kept fresh through the network. Player loyalty is increased through multi-site tournaments with player rankings and prizes. A new generation of players can be attracted through Internet and mobile-based services.
The challenge for the industry has been how to achieve all of this with scaleable and reliable solutions, compelling content and attractive packaging while at the same time generating an acceptable return on investment.
For the kiosk industry, integration and cohabitation with the gaming industry boils down to two basic questions: How and when.
Machines and kiosks
The amusement machine industry is very large and includes many categories of products - pinball, video games, and pay-per-use games of chance. Games of chance include coin-operated gaming machines with touchscreens that allow the user to play trivia, card, and other games. Most of these games are installed in bars or video arcades.
The use of the Internet keeps content fresh, offers varied types of entertainment, and keeps track of cash intake and machine performance. The savings and potential for increase traffic mean the games can be profitable over a longer period of time.
The convergence of Europe’s amusement and kiosk industries has not been lost on some of the best-known technology providers in both industries.
Companies such as NetShift Software Ltd. and Elo TouchSystems Inc. are leveraging their positions in the kiosk industry to successfully enter the amusement market. Similarly, 3M Touch Systems is leveraging its position in the amusement industry to successfully enter the kiosk market.
Among other technology companies, ePoint has won projects in both the kiosk and amusement markets.
Identical twins?
One key to convergence is the practically interchangeable nature of kiosks and amusement machines. Most kiosks and gaming machines alike feature enclosures, interactive displays, graphical user interfaces suited to touchscreens, multimedia capabilities, computers, and network connections.
However, this is about where the similarity ends.
Who’s who in gaming
A list of leading amusement game manufacturers in Europe and North America:
EUROPE
Amatic Industries
AMUsys
Barcrest Group
Bell-Fruit Games Ltd.
funworld AG
Games Network Ltd.
Gauselmann Gruppe
JPM International Ltd.
JVH Gaming
Kunick PLC
Leisure Link Group Ltd.
Maygay Machines Ltd.
Recreativos Presas
SISTEME S.A.
TAB-Austria
NORTH AMERICA
Ecast Inc.
Merit Industries Inc.
TouchTunes Music Corp.
uWink Inc.
Content is significantly different, locations are different, and ruggedness requirements are different. Games tend to include proprietary hardware/software/network platforms to handle coins and notes and to copy protect games. Kiosks tend to have a more open architecture with improvements for user interface security, transaction security, remote management, and delivery of updated content.
Another important difference involves scale. The amusement machine industry deals with significantly larger volumes than the kiosk industry. According to Intergame, a trade publication for the amusement industry, there were about 217,000 touchscreen games in Europe in 2000. Given that the average lifespan of an amusement machine is just under three years, that means 70,000 or more games would have been installed during 2000. By contrast, in Germany, considered one of Europe’s leading kiosk deployers, 11,120 kiosks were installed during 2000.
Formulating strategies - part one
The key to convergence could focus on how the amusement industry approaches the Internet access segment of the kiosk market. Two leading European game manufacturers, funworld AG and Leisure Link Group Ltd. are already eying that market.
In 1999, funworld became the world’s leading producer of touchscreen games, a status it still enjoys. By focusing on strong content, customization by country, and a reliable hardware platform, funworld is currently producing more than 30,000 terminals annually.
Beginning in 1998, funworld established its fun.net and fun-dot.com operations. These groups link the company’s Photo Play terminals into an international tournament system and execute major projects requiring custom applications and integrations. After three years, funworld has 11,500 networked machines with about 610,000 registered players.
The company views the network as a strategic tool to develop a global amusement brand and to have direct contact with the players. Prior to the network, Photo Play players interacted with site owners and operators, not with funworld itself.
Early last year, funworld launched its Touch2Web terminal. Originally launched with e-mail, news, and Internet browsing capabilities, Touch2Web is being marketed by fun-dot.com as part of a turnkey solution approach for kiosk projects. Company officials would not discuss how many units have been shipped, but said the biggest challenge in 2001 was solving ISP problems. In 2002, funworld plans to add telephony services.
Photo Play and Touch2Web inhabit the same technology universe, but take different approaches, according to funworld public relations manager Ilse Retzek.
"funworld positions its Photo Play terminals as 80% games and 20% communication and information," Retzek said. "The Touch2Web initiative is positioned for 80% communication and information and 20% games. We have a lot of excellent, positive content in our systems and we are extending our Positive Games concept into the online environment and to mobile telephone networks."
Formulating strategies - part two
Leisure Link is the UK's largest operator of amusement machines. They manage more than 90,000 pay-to-play units in more than 30,000 locations. This is approximately twice the size of their largest competitor, Kunick PLC.
In January of 2001, Leisure Link launched the itbox, a next generation game based on a touchscreen/PC/Windows platform that accepts coins, notes, and cards. Network connectivity via ISDN or ADSL and an advanced server-side infrastructure are integral parts of the design. The end result is an amusement game with the technological niceties of a kiosk.
"One of the key benefits of the product are its choice of content, including games, SMS messaging, videos, multi-site tournaments, and new ringtones and screen logos for mobile phones," said Chris Simon, Leisure Link marketing director. "The other key benefit is the technology platform, both hardware and software. These features are attracting new players and reducing cost of ownership which serves the interests of both the operator and the site owner"
About 1600 units have been installed in pubs and clubs with a further 400 sites on a waiting list. Players have been willing to pay per-minute charges of about 75 cents. The games are expected to take longer to reach profitability because of the equipment and infrastructure, but the longer life of the game is expected to create greater long-term profitability.
While the project has met its goals, it faces continuing challenges, particularly on the remote management side. The machine’s event logs are pulled only overnight, so Leisure Link’s goal is to get closer to real-time performance management to optimize reliability.
Plans for 2002 include deploying up to 4,000 additional units, and invest in additional content. The platform has already been adapted to provide a different feature set for 100 licensed betting offices in the UK. Simon sees this trend continuing with new itbox versions developed for different sites. He also sees the content platform eventually becoming independent of the game equipment itself.
"itbox will become its own form of branded entertainment as it delivers a consistent, high-quality player experience and moves to other platforms and locations," Simon said. "After this first experience, we will be investing in our own content creation capabilities. This is the only way to realize long term value from a new entertainment medium."
What it all means
Both funworld and Leisure Link are focused on creating a new type of branded entertainment and envision networked entertainment as a way to increase the numbers of locations where people play, lower installation and maintenance costs, and attract a new generation of players.
Both companies have a strong penetration in pubs, clubs, and arcades and these locations remain their primary focus. The networks they have created allow them to get closer to their players, but the games must continue generating revenue for site owners to remain viable.
But in some ways, the games they are creating will stand aside, rather than compete with, traditional kiosks.
Because of the high margins necessary for profitability, requiring the machines to charge 75 cents a minute, it is unlikely these games will compete head-on with Internet access kiosks for customers.
And Internet kiosk operators have found it difficult to exist in the environment that works for amusement machines. A French company, Webfinger, tried installing Internet access kiosk in pubs throughout Europe, but went bankrupt.
Leisure Link, while developing a sophisticated entertainment technology platform, has resisted the temptation to expand its business opportunities in order to focus on its core business.
"We are actively seeking further opportunities to expand into other sectors utilizing the core technology and content from the itbox platform," Simon said "It remains to be seen whether this will include a major push into traditional kiosk applications."
But funworld is willing to go farther, branching its core entertainment games business into payment-accepting, self-service devices similar to kiosks, such as Touch2Web. Time will tell what sort of impact a manufacturer such as funworld can have on the European kiosk market.
http://www.kioskmarketplace.com/news_story.htm?i=11479
OT - I remember when this company and GAMZ was the same price. I didn't buy any of it an put the money into GAMZ. It is a multiple dollar stock now. Check out the historic quote history.
http://host.wallstreetcity.com/wsc2/Historical_Quotes.html?template=hisquote.htm&Symbol=BGII&...
There financials and profile:
http://biz.yahoo.com/p/b/bgii.ob.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/fin/l/b/bgii.ob.html
IMO a run like this is possible with GAMZ we just need to be more patience.
Take Care,
Greg
SF - I am out of ideas. We will just have to wait for GAMZ to close a major deal to cause interest. There are a lot of groups that know/follow GAMZ but since the stock is dead they probably lost interest. A big deal should get those groups interested again. I am trying to look on the bright side it GAMZ doesn't issue much news I don't have to update the GAMZ DD page that often LOL.
Take Care,
Greg
GAMZ CEO shareholder e-mail concerning todays news...
Friends and shareholders:
Attached is this morning's press release announcing that GameCom/Ferris' patent application for the company's proprietary "Universe Control Board" has been allowed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
This is a key element of our technology, and powers both our virtual reality products as well as our gaming platform. Not only does it allow for relatively easy conversion of gaming or other PC software, as discussed in the release, but it also allows expands the reach of PCs by allowing the PC to control additional functions. The UCB is at the heart of our technology, and has been successfully utilized over and over again in the field, both for our own operations as well as in third-party applications.
As Steve Haag mentioned in the release, this also signifies that we have not abandoned our business plan in the areas of kiosk development and computer gaming. We continue to move forward, not only in the area of virtual reality, but with our gaming platform as well.
As was mentioned in the release, however, our immediate focus is on the deployment of the company's virtual reality products in the training simulation markets. There can be no doubt that the aftermath of September 11th has brought the company an unique and threshold opportunity in this huge market.
As an indication of the breadth of this market, I respectfully refer you to page 68 of the current January 7, 2002 edition of Forbes magazine. The article, a feature on L-3 Communications, discusses military "simulation" and mentions that L-3 is currently grossing $400 million from its simulation products, and Secretary Rumsfeld is attributed as saying that simulation is a "priority" for the military.
According to the article, L-3's technology features 180-degree views of simulated images. Ours? 360-degree views of photorealistic images. We sincerely believe that our photorealistic "immersive" virtual reality is the next level of technology is this burgeoning, but already huge, market.
I am extremely limited in what I can say regarding our progress into this market with Homeland Security, but I can advise you that our immediate focus remains in this area. We look forward to being able to share our progress with you.
These are simply my personal comments, and should not be relied upon in your investment decisions. I strongly urge you to conduct your own due diligence with regard to any investment in GameCom/Ferris. I respectfully refer you to the GameCom/Ferris' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
--L. Kelly Jones, GameCom/Ferris CEO
Thursday January 10, 8:31 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: GameCom, Inc.
GameCom/Ferris Notified of Patent Allowance
ARLINGTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2002--GameCom, Inc. (OTCBB:GAMZ - news) today announced that it has received a notice of allowance of all claims made on the revised patent application with regard to the company's Universe Control Board (``UCB').
UCB technology, used in the company's ``VR Zone' arcades and in custom applications for Fortune 100 clients, can transform any off-the-shelf PC game or application into a coin-op-ready program without requiring software modifications to either the PC application or the operating system. The average UCB conversion takes about 24 hours. Without the UCB technology, video game manufacturers must adjust the program's source code, requiring hundreds of hours and costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to convert.
The Universe Control Board also extends a PC's ability to control many different types of peripherals. The UCB controls such items as laser disc players, CD players, DVD players, electro-counters, video inputs/outputs, joystick outputs, magnetic card readers, bill acceptors, coin acceptors, LED light boards, 25-pin switch inputs, a JAMMA harness, networking, player-to-player microphone communications, standard arcade controls, keyboard emulation, mouse emulation, external virtual reality effects, and head tracking.
Bob Ferris, GameCom/Ferris' president and inventor of the Universe Control Board, commented, ``Having this proprietary technology to convert PC games to arcade machines allows easy and inexpensive conversion of off-the-shelf software. This technology moves us far beyond the capabilities of any other public game purveyor that we know of. Considering the size of the PC game market, this could translate into a fast-track for adding the most popular PC games to VR Zone equipment already in place, thereby vastly increasing our potential audience. In addition, our UCB controls many different multisensory peripherals in our proprietary virtual reality systems, and is a key competitive advantage in the commercial application marketplace.'
``We are pleased to receive this notice from the Patent & Trademark Office,' commented Steve Haag, GameCom/Ferris' vice president of business development. ``Although our immediate focus is on the unique Homeland Security opportunities presently afforded the Company in the areas of simulation and training, this patent indicates that the Company is moving forward with our pre-September 11th business plan in our core technological areas.'
About GameCom/Ferris
GameCom/Ferris designs, manufactures, and in some instances, operates, virtual reality entertainment products for use in entertainment facilities and at special events, including carnivals, festivals, and trade shows. Customers include Six Flags, Busch Gardens, Paramount, Circus Circus, Carnival Cruise Lines, Chevrolet, Pepsi, Buick, and Red Baron Pizza. Virtual reality is the next generation of the $2 billion video game business, and is also finding strong demand in the $90 billion product advertising/promotional market. In addition, GameCom/Ferris has developed and is marketing an interactive kiosk gaming platform with potential applications in multi-user game play and on-line gambling. For more information on GameCom/Ferris, please visit www.GameComInc.com and www.FerrisVR.com. Additional information on the Company's stock can be obtained at www.magnumfinancial.com.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally preceded by the words such as ``plans,' ``expects,' ``believes,' ``anticipates,' or ``intends.' Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. GameCom/Ferris urges investors to review in detail the risks and uncertainties contained within its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Magnum Financial Group, LLC
Michael S. Manahan, 213/488-0443
mike@magnumfinancial.com
Here is a link to the product.
http://www.futuretest.com/ucb.htm
GAMZ CEO shareholder e-mail concerning todays news...
Friends and shareholders:
Attached is this morning's press release announcing that GameCom/Ferris' patent application for the company's proprietary "Universe Control Board" has been allowed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
This is a key element of our technology, and powers both our virtual reality products as well as our gaming platform. Not only does it allow for relatively easy conversion of gaming or other PC software, as discussed in the release, but it also allows expands the reach of PCs by allowing the PC to control additional functions. The UCB is at the heart of our technology, and has been successfully utilized over and over again in the field, both for our own operations as well as in third-party applications.
As Steve Haag mentioned in the release, this also signifies that we have not abandoned our business plan in the areas of kiosk development and computer gaming. We continue to move forward, not only in the area of virtual reality, but with our gaming platform as well.
As was mentioned in the release, however, our immediate focus is on the deployment of the company's virtual reality products in the training simulation markets. There can be no doubt that the aftermath of September 11th has brought the company an unique and threshold opportunity in this huge market.
As an indication of the breadth of this market, I respectfully refer you to page 68 of the current January 7, 2002 edition of Forbes magazine. The article, a feature on L-3 Communications, discusses military "simulation" and mentions that L-3 is currently grossing $400 million from its simulation products, and Secretary Rumsfeld is attributed as saying that simulation is a "priority" for the military.
According to the article, L-3's technology features 180-degree views of simulated images. Ours? 360-degree views of photorealistic images. We sincerely believe that our photorealistic "immersive" virtual reality is the next level of technology is this burgeoning, but already huge, market.
I am extremely limited in what I can say regarding our progress into this market with Homeland Security, but I can advise you that our immediate focus remains in this area. We look forward to being able to share our progress with you.
These are simply my personal comments, and should not be relied upon in your investment decisions. I strongly urge you to conduct your own due diligence with regard to any investment in GameCom/Ferris. I respectfully refer you to the GameCom/Ferris' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
--L. Kelly Jones, GameCom/Ferris CEO
Thursday January 10, 8:31 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: GameCom, Inc.
GameCom/Ferris Notified of Patent Allowance
ARLINGTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2002--GameCom, Inc. (OTCBB:GAMZ - news) today announced that it has received a notice of allowance of all claims made on the revised patent application with regard to the company's Universe Control Board (``UCB').
UCB technology, used in the company's ``VR Zone' arcades and in custom applications for Fortune 100 clients, can transform any off-the-shelf PC game or application into a coin-op-ready program without requiring software modifications to either the PC application or the operating system. The average UCB conversion takes about 24 hours. Without the UCB technology, video game manufacturers must adjust the program's source code, requiring hundreds of hours and costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to convert.
The Universe Control Board also extends a PC's ability to control many different types of peripherals. The UCB controls such items as laser disc players, CD players, DVD players, electro-counters, video inputs/outputs, joystick outputs, magnetic card readers, bill acceptors, coin acceptors, LED light boards, 25-pin switch inputs, a JAMMA harness, networking, player-to-player microphone communications, standard arcade controls, keyboard emulation, mouse emulation, external virtual reality effects, and head tracking.
Bob Ferris, GameCom/Ferris' president and inventor of the Universe Control Board, commented, ``Having this proprietary technology to convert PC games to arcade machines allows easy and inexpensive conversion of off-the-shelf software. This technology moves us far beyond the capabilities of any other public game purveyor that we know of. Considering the size of the PC game market, this could translate into a fast-track for adding the most popular PC games to VR Zone equipment already in place, thereby vastly increasing our potential audience. In addition, our UCB controls many different multisensory peripherals in our proprietary virtual reality systems, and is a key competitive advantage in the commercial application marketplace.'
``We are pleased to receive this notice from the Patent & Trademark Office,' commented Steve Haag, GameCom/Ferris' vice president of business development. ``Although our immediate focus is on the unique Homeland Security opportunities presently afforded the Company in the areas of simulation and training, this patent indicates that the Company is moving forward with our pre-September 11th business plan in our core technological areas.'
About GameCom/Ferris
GameCom/Ferris designs, manufactures, and in some instances, operates, virtual reality entertainment products for use in entertainment facilities and at special events, including carnivals, festivals, and trade shows. Customers include Six Flags, Busch Gardens, Paramount, Circus Circus, Carnival Cruise Lines, Chevrolet, Pepsi, Buick, and Red Baron Pizza. Virtual reality is the next generation of the $2 billion video game business, and is also finding strong demand in the $90 billion product advertising/promotional market. In addition, GameCom/Ferris has developed and is marketing an interactive kiosk gaming platform with potential applications in multi-user game play and on-line gambling. For more information on GameCom/Ferris, please visit www.GameComInc.com and www.FerrisVR.com. Additional information on the Company's stock can be obtained at www.magnumfinancial.com.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally preceded by the words such as ``plans,' ``expects,' ``believes,' ``anticipates,' or ``intends.' Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. GameCom/Ferris urges investors to review in detail the risks and uncertainties contained within its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Magnum Financial Group, LLC
Michael S. Manahan, 213/488-0443
mike@magnumfinancial.com
Here is a link to the product.
http://www.futuretest.com/ucb.htm