I’ve just received an email from Nonoba with information on their new multi-user offering, which includes an AS2 and AS3 API, but what I find particularly interesting is that they also include free hosting and execution of your game logic.

The aim appears to be to lower the barrier to entry for anyone wishing to create a multi-user game. These can include turn-based, or real-time games. They currently have some demos up on the site, and these include Nonoba Racer, Fridge Magnets, Multiplayer Asteroids and DrawPad.

Finally they are holding a $20,000 USD competition, with a first prize of $15,000 for the best game built on the new API.

Sign up for the beta here.

More information on the APIs here.

Nonoba

It’s that time again :)

The 3rd Adobe sponsored London Poker Tournament is now open for registration. The event is completely FREE and will take place on the 27th May at 7pm at the Loose Cannon Poker club in Cannon Street. Adobe are providing the beer and prizes as usual. This event is open only to those who use Adobe products professionally. Don’t worry if you’ve never played before as there are always lots of newbies and the dealers at your table will be giving you all 20 minutes of training if you need it. Go register at www.pokercoder.com and if you have any further questions, contact the organiser at sean@pokercoder.com.

Register at: www.pokercoder.com

UPDATE: It was raining cats and dogs but it didn’t seem to put people off. I ended up getting 45 mins 5 seconds so I’m quite happy with that and really keen to do another one soon!

On the 26th of May I’ll be running the Bupa London 10,000 charity event beginning and ending in St James Park, London. This is just a shout out to say I’ve set up a sponsorship page, so if you know me, you’ve found this blog useful in the past, or you just feel like helping a good cause please click the link below and donate anything you can.

Donate to the SHINE trust here.

I thought long and hard about which charity to choose, and I’m a strong believer in education being a primary facilitator in the creation of a more sustainable environment. In short, saving people’s lives is an incredibly noble cause, but we don’t want them to survive only to live in misery or poverty. Education can improve these things because someone who receives education will not only stand a better chance of making a good life for themselves and their family, but they are less likely to make the wrong decisions in the first place. The men and women at SHINE are dedicated to this cause, so I’d like to help just a little.

I got hold of a Nike+ kit about 10 months ago and I cannot recommend it enough if, like me, you’re in front of a computer for most of your day. And unlike the gym, it’s not boring! I was the kid at school who completely avoided any physical education, preferring to take in a GameBoy and play up the asthma. But what Nike and Apple have managed to do is nothing short of brilliant, bringing geekiness and health together in one nice little gadget. If you aren’t familiar with Nike+, it’s a chip for your shoe, combined with a chip for your iPod; together they record distance, pace, total time, provide audio feedback and upload data to a website to plot graphs of your runs. There’s also a social side, personal and group challenges, forums, iTunes mix’s and workout plans. All in all, even if you think you are never going to run more than a few paces, think again, you will surprise yourself if you give it enough time. :)