Until today, I had never even seen FarmVille in action. Sure, I had received all the Facebook notifications asking me to help my friends, but no part of me had any desire to do so. Then I read an article in TIME magazine called Zynga Harvests the Cyberfarmer, and decided to take a peek at this game so I could write about it. The article points out just how scammy and shady Zynga is (or at least was) with all kinds of outsourced offers that snag users into unknowingly shelling out cash.

I won’t criticize players of FarmVille, because I have friends who play it. I can see how the soothing guitar music would suck someone in (I have it playing in the background as I write this), but the game itself seems to just be a time-sucker and not even challenging. There are games out there that require strategy, problem-solving and cleverness. This does not appear to be one of those. As far as I can tell, it’s a simplistic game that depends on spreading the word to friends so that enough people will spend real money to buy farm money.

I understand that the SIMS-y/Second Life-y feel of FarmVille would be comforting to many people who enjoy the social aspect of the game. Hell, the game may even be a way to relieve some stress. According to the TIME article some people have gotten sucked into the darker aspects of the game

But because people who play free games on the Internet like the free part, Zynga needed a third income stream–product come-ons.

These offers are like ads, except that when you click on them, you’re agreeing to try and then buy a company’s service in exchange for game points. Sign up for a Netflix subscription, get two months free plus 100,000 points. Some players cancel as soon as they have the points. Other deals, like those that snagged Michelle, are shady. Michelle took a quiz that required her to enter her cell-phone number and a code. At some point during the exchange, there was supposed to be a notification that she was signing up for an SMS subscription at $9.99 a month. Michelle says she never saw it.

The article goes on to say that “for the moment, Zynga has removed all offers and says it’s going to vet each one before it appears”, but it still seems like the entire point of these games is to drain unsuspecting FauxFarmers out of real money. According to TIME:

There are two ways to move ahead in the game. One is to grind, as it’s known–plow, plant and harvest. Once you’ve grown, say, eggplant, you accumulate enough points to move up to a wider choice of crops. You invite friends to be your neighbors. You exchange gifts and help out, all of which let you accrue the capital you need to expand your farm, thus making it ever more remunerative.

But if you want to skip all that backbreaking plowing, er, clicking, or if you’ve run out of friends who faux-farm, you can buy farm cash and get what you want. These virtual goods are the products that social games are actually trying to hawk. People hand over real money for make-believe merchandise.

As you can see, I’m a friendless farmer, and that’s the way it will remain.

As reported on The Big Money Google plans to prevent you from seeing ads that promise white teeth and a flat belly! Why does Google want us all walking around with guts and stained grills? What does the search engine giant have against its users’ bodies? I explore…

Oh, wait. It turns out that most of those ads are scammy bait-and-switchers that promise one thing but lead you somewhere totally different. Google is taking aim at the advertisers rather than just the misleading ads. According to The Big Money:

If an ad violated one of Google’s terms of use, the search giant would take it out of circulation, but that’s it. Google briefed TBM on its new policy: It will now ban the advertiser, not the ad, effectively neutering the advertiser’s ability to shift from one ad and shell site to another. Think of it like the struggle between the police and a graffiti vandal. Up until now Google has only been erasing the tags after they’ve been put up. Going forward, they’re going to take away his spray cans and put a GPS collar on him, making sure he never does it again. It would be a principled stand by any company, but especially by Google because of its position in the market. I worry, though, that the rest of the industry won’t pay attention. On this issue, Google might be a leader without any followers.

Although I can honestly say I don’t really see too many of these ads, I know they’re out there. I have managed to very successfully ignore them because, honestly, they just LOOK scammy. No good can come from clicking on an ad that promises to

WHITEN YOUR TEETH 9 SHADES AND LOSE 30 POUNDS IN 4 DAYS

If you missed it and would like to see for yourself (you brave soul) here’s a video. I’m not sure how long this will exist before it’s taken down for copyright infringement.

Will.I.Am, Fergie and those two other dudes may have created some catchy tunes, but they looked ridiculous performing this one. Somehow, seeing three 34-year-olds and a 36-year-old bounce around, giving thumbs up signs (oh yeah), just doesn’t do much for me. Even the Spice Girls didn’t feel this corny. At least they knew they had a shtick.

I wish I could put this in my ear, cuz even I don't wanna hear this.

I realize I’m probably not their target audience, but I actually enjoyed “I Gotta Feeling” when it came out this summer. Not everyone liked it, and I can see why, if you stop and actually pay too much attention to the lyrics. At least the music VIDEO succeeds in evoking a party atmosphere. Watching the BEP’s do whatever it is they were doing on stage made me embarrassed for them. In fact, I think I saw a look of “get me outta here” on Will.I.Am’s face at one point. And those atrocious dance moves! They would be laughed off the America’s Got Talent stage, I think. Please, Will.I.Am and gang, no matter how much you wanna do it again, I implore you not to.

The website egyptsaidso.com has a great rundown on the interview, and also shows the video. I’m not sure if it’s the entire interview, but if not, you can find Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 on YouTube. Some sites point out that Rihanna’s interview coincides with the debut of her new single, but I honestly don’t think the two are connected. At least I’d hate to think that she would open up about such a personal and painful experience just because she has a new song on the airwaves. Let’s not kid ourselves, she is talented, produces hits and has Jay-Z as a mentor; does she really need 20/20 to boost her star power?

Just Don’t Do It

I will first say that under NO circumstances should a man EVER do what Chris Brown did. The interview showed YouTube clips where people wondered what Rihanna may have done to set him off, which is what always happens when women are physically abused – people blame the female victim. There were MANY other ways that situation could have ended differently, and the simple fact is that Chris Brown severely injured Rihanna with repeated blows, headlocks and bites. It’s unacceptable.

Rihanna Speaks Out

Although there are some who think Rihanna’s interview felt rehearsed or that it was a publicity stunt, I honestly didn’t get that impression when watching her speak. First of all, she is very well spoken (especially for her age) and more genuine than I expected her to be. At one point she said she went to bed as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears, which I thought was interesting. Here she was saying she didn’t want the kind of attention and fame that surrounds a person like Britney. All in all, I felt she did a great job of opening up and explaining her feelings about the whole situation. It remains to be seen what will come of all of this, but for now Rihanna seems to be continuing her career and putting the events of that night behind her.

Brown’s Apology (and MTV Interview)

Although the incident occurred on February 8th, Brown’s public apology didn’t appear until July 20th. Part of this was no doubt because of the legal proceedings and him being told by his handlers to avoid doing so. I watched that apology when it surfaced and it felt to me (and many others) that he was reading from a teleprompter or something. Hell, even Kanye West (after storming on stage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance at the VMA’s) seemed to be sincere in his apology on The Jay Leno Show. He fumbled with his words but he looked genuinely distressed that he had done that to Swift. Not to say that what he did wasn’t terrible, but he didn’t physically abuse her like Brown did to Rihanna. And yet Brown comes off seeming scripted and trying to save his career, rather than being honestly sorry that he abused Rihanna.

I’m not going to get into the MTV interview (that aired on the same day as the 20/20 interview), because honestly, I haven’t watched much of it. You can see parts 1, 2, 3 on YouTube and judge for yourself how you feel about Chris Brown.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I recently read something in a book by Christopher Hitchens that surprised me: “We have only recently established that a cow is closer in family to a whale than to a horse: other wonders certainly await.” Whoa. What? I did not know that. Then I learned that baby whales and cows are both called calves. Of course, I got curious and explored further. Here’s what I found:

USA Today says

New fossil discoveries add weight to the conclusion that whales are related to land-based plant-eaters such as cows and hippopotamuses rather than to an extinct group of carnivores, two groups of researchers report.

This site I’ve never heard of says

In their study, the genes of about twenty animals were analyzed and retroposons common to cows, hippopotami and whales were found. Professor Okada says “Whales and hippopotami look quite different, but they have the same abilities to communicate by sound in the water.”

It also includes the following less-confusing-than-it-looks-diagram:

thecreationofanevolutionist.blogspot.com has an amusing, and potentially genuine, image:

The Sydney Morning Herald has a piece about crazy Japanese experiments:

A review of the controversial scientific research conducted by Japan and its whalers has uncovered a list of “bizarre” and useless experiments, including how to cross breed cows with whales.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought that whales and cows would both benefit SO much by having attributes of the other. I can’t be alone in this line of thinking.

IM Not Fooled (please don’t click on links)

oh my God you wont believe this…
http://Face-The-Fact.com/?naughty=my-friend’s-username&image=DSC007956.JPG

hehe  its funny loool )

You may notice that the link did not even use MY username, but my friend’s. Why on earth would there be a link on the Internet that has anything to do with ME that uses THEIR username.

:O oo you and your classfellows had a get together?? i got you
http://my-friend’s-username.Face-The-Fact.com/

brb

Oh wow, that link looks really legitimate, huh? Especially after getting the first message. Not to mention this friend of mine never actually talks to me on IM. Yet some people will click these links.

hey are you on facebook ???
if u are then check this out
http://my-friend’s-username.Face-The-Fact.com/

brb okay

Aside from the fact that this person is a FRIEND on Facebook, why would this link have anything to do with it? And again, with the same Face-The-Fact nonsense. Who writes this stuff?

What Does Norton Say?

A quick Google search led me to a useful site called Norton Safe Web. Here’s what it has to say about Face-The-Fact:

Hey
How is going now !
It is amazed.I got a great website,that guys sell electronics,the price is cheapest and quality is nice.Fast service to receive the products from them.
Go and check it :   [site removed]
Email: [removed]

MSN:  [removed] Download Messenger onto your mobile for free. Learn more.

More to the Story

Being the curious person that I am, I googled the website that is listed above and found out the following from Windows Live Help. Someone posted a question about having a hacked email account because they received replies in regards to having “sent” an email much like the one above. Here’s the answer given by Windows Live Help:

We’re aware of the issue you’ve encountered and we’ve determined that it is due to Malware. Visit the link below to know more about this:

The Link They Give

15 Celebs You Didn’t Know Were Canadian

Alex Trebek

Born: Sudbury, Ontario

Claim to Fame: Host of Jeopardy and former owner of rad mustache.

Carrie Ann Moss

Born: Burnaby, British Columbia

Claim to Fame: Played the role of Trinity, in a little movie called The Matrix. Also starred opposite Guy Pearce in Memento.

Drake

Born: Toronto, Ontario

Claim to Fame: Starring as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Oh, and he’s in every rap song on every radio station. Lil Wayne has taken a liking to him, and Kanye helped with the video to “Best I Ever Had”.

Evangeline Lilly

Born: Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

Claim to Fame: Plays the role of Kate Austen in ABC’s Lost, her first speaking role.

Hayden Christensen

Born: Vancouver, British Columbia

Claim to Fame: Starred as Anakin Skywalker in the second and third Star Wars prequel trilogy. Also starred opposite Jessica Alba in Awake and Samuel L. Jackson in Jumper. Shows up below Hayden Panettiere in Google suggestions.

Jay Baruchel

Born: Ottawa, Ontario

Claim to Fame: Most recently in Tropic Thunder, with Ben Stiller. Also in Knocked Up alongside Seth Rogen. And way back when, in Judd Apatow’s Undeclared.

Linda Evangelista

Born: St. Catharines, Ontario

Claim to Fame: She’s a model. You’ve seen her.

Lorne Michaels

Born: Toronto, Ontario

Claim to Fame: Creator and producer of Saturday Night Live. Also produced the wildly-popular (in Canada, at least) Kids in the Hall sketch comedy show, featuring Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson.

Michael Cera

Born: Brampton, Ontario

Claim to Fame: Starring opposite Jason Bateman in Arrested Development. Also featured in Superbad, Juno and Year One. Nobody famous in those movies, though.

Natasha Henstridge

Born: Springdale, Newfoundland

Claim to Fame: Plays an alien succubus in the movie Species. She is a fashion model turned actress, but unfortunately has not gotten the greatest roles.

Neve Campbell

Born: Guelph, Ontario

Claim to Fame: You probably know her from Party of Five, where she played Julia,  the sister of Mattthew Fox and Scott Wolf.  She subsequently starred in Scream, The Craft and Wild Things.

Ryan Gosling

Born: London, Ontario

Claim to Fame: One of his most notable roles is from The Notebook, also starring Rachel McAdams (Canadian). Had amazing performances in The United States of Leland, Stay and Lars and the Real Girl (not to mention The Believer, Half-Nelson and Fracture).

Ryan Reynolds

Born: Vancouver, British Columbia

Claim to Fame: Starred in Two Guys and a Girl on ABC. Also had small parts in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, Waiting, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe and The Proposal. He was pretty bad-ass in Blade: Trinity, too.

Sandra Oh

Born: Ottawa, Ontario

Claim to Fame: Best known for her roles in Rick, 3 Needles and Defendor.  I think she might be on Grey’s Anatomy, too, but I’m not sure.

Will Arnett

Born: Toronto, Ontario

Claim to Fame: Also stars in Arrested Development. You may know him from his roles in Semi-Pro, Blades of Glory or Hot Rod. Maybe Let’s Go to Prison, or Brothers Solomon.

5 More You Probably Knew Were Canadian

Ellen Page

Keanu Reeves

William Shatner

Nelly Furtado

Mike Myers

If you’ve never seen this video, please do so. It’s an eye-opener, to say the least. It puts in perspective just how very tiny we are compared to other celestial bodies in our solar system, our galaxy and the universe.

An interesting book to read (even just the first few chapters, which is all I’ve read) is Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything. Here’s a snippet:

Crazy, huh? It’s important to stop and put things in perspective sometimes. We are very, very tiny.