It’s time to play Book Trivia! Periodically, we scour the Internet for interesting authors who would like to play Book Trivia with us. By answering our book trivia questions, we get to learn things about the author no one else knows! So, let’s get ready…let’s play…Book Trivia!

Today our guest author is Cherie Burbach, author of the nonfiction book, Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza.

Cherie Burbach is an author, blogger, poet, crocheter, and geek. She loves football and is obsessed with anything having to do with the Green Bay Packers.

Cherie used her experience with meeting her husband online to pen At the Coffee Shop, a humorous look at the world of Internet dating. Cherie went on over 60 coffee dates in just six months. She met lots of great people and one of those turned out to be the guy she would marry just one year later.

Cherie’s new book, Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza, is available now.

She is the Dating Feature Writer for Suite101, staff writer for b5media, and also the author of three poetry books, including A New Dish and The Difference Now. Her latest, Father’s Eyes, has received the 2008 Editor’s Choice Award by Allbooks Review.

Readers have resonated with Cherie’s honest and inspirational “This I Believe” essay, which is the second-most popular out of over 40,000 entries on the NPR website. For more information, please visit Cherie’s website, www.cherieburbach.com.

Thank you for playing Book Trivia with us, Cherie! Here are your questions:

If Tom Hanks, in the movie Cast Away, unearthed a copy of Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza, how would that help Tom find a way off the island?

Tom would probably have wished he would have brought a bible or GPS with him, instead! But if he did bring my book, he would be inspired by all the concrete examples on how to write a profile, email an online dating match, or end a coffee date. So much so that he would find a way off the island simply because he would so badly want to get back and meet someone special!

Everyone knows rock star idol Britney Spears is always in trouble with everything you can think of. In what way could your book help her and set her life back on track?

Britney has had some bad luck in the “man” department. She hasn’t quite found the right guy for her yet. My book would show her how to present herself online and in real life so that people would take her seriously and see her for the sweet girl she is. She would get tips about moving on from the past and finding mature love that will give her the confidence to feel comfortable and secure.

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi determining whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay. What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your best review – and why?

Just like with the singers they audition, the judges know that a book truly is judged by the outside to start out with. They’d let me through to the next round because they would enjoy the cover. Then, they would read an excerpt and become wowed with the conversational style of writing and intelligent examples. They know this book would appeal to millions of people and would encourage America to make sure I was the next American Book Idol!

Hulk Hogan, the famous wrestler and star of his own reality show, has invited you and your book to appear on his show. One catch. You have to read a passage out of it to convince him you are star material. What part would you read?

I’d read the section on posting photos and looking your very best. It isn’t simply about putting up a good picture, there is a science to the pictures you post and they should help tell a bit about your personality. (Hulk would be impressed because he knows looking good is part of the battle.)

They’ve invented a board game using the theme of your book. What would the title of it be that would be different from your book and which retail store would they place it to make the most sales?

The title of a game on Internet dating would be “Mystery Date.” (Oh wait, they already did a game called that! haha!) They would have to sell it in pizza joints because you know Internet dating IS NOT like ordering a pizza!

The Arbor Day Foundation has decided to pick one tree in your honor because of your writing brilliance. What kind of tree is it and why did they choose that tree in relation to your book?

They would plant an apple tree, because one tiny seed sprouts a tree filled with beautiful fruit and leaves that grows for many years to come. With Internet dating, the seed is the act of logging on to an Internet dating website with the desire to find someone special. The fruit, leaves, and branches are the love you find, the color it adds to your life, and the development of a new family.

President Barack Obama has become the author of several books and he has requested your presence at a special hush hush meeting to discuss ways to promote it. Through luck of the draw, you were chosen. What would be the first thing you would tell Barack?

I think President Obama would probably do just fine with book promotion! But if he needed a couple tips, I would tell him to hire the best possible marketing team he could so people who would most enjoy his book the most would be able to find it.

Finally, you just got word that your book has received the 2009 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan. Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for stardom. On stage, you must give an acceptance speech. What would you say and who would you thank?

I would thank God for giving me strength and guidance and blessings beyond my wildest imagination. I would tell my husband that his love and support mean everything to me. And I would tell anyone who doesn’t believe that dreams really do come true!

Thank you for playing, Cherie! What a good sport…everyone go out and pick up a copy of her latest book, Internet Dating is Not Like Ordering a Pizza!

Então povo, depois de uma longa ausência, voltei para fazer um post sobre um tema inusitado. Retomando o retorno à infância originalmente proporcionado pelo post do LEGO, venho aqui hoje trazer algumas das várias repaginações que o velho, famigerado e querido Banco Imobiliário já sofreu.

O Banco Imobiliário (Monopoly, no inglês), começou a ser produzido nos EUA em 1935, e chegou ao Brasil em 1944. No início o jogo disponibilizava para venda alguns endereços e bairros famosos do Rio de Janeiro e de São Paulo (e.g. Leblon, av. Rebouças, Jardim Paulista, etc.). Porém, à medida que o jogo foi ganhando novas versões, os fabricantes tiveram que adaptar o tabuleiro, para abocanhar uma fatia cada vez maior do mercado consumidor. Vejamos então algumas dessas versões (mas tenham em mente que a maioria delas só está disponível em inglês):

Las Vegas Monopoly

Esse aqui é um dos que faz mais sentido para mim. E também, fala sério! Só o tabuleiro por si só já é uma verdadeira obra de arte!

Nintendo Monopoly

Nessa versão os endereços são substituídos por personagens, e sorte e revés dão lugar aos blocos de moeda e aos blocos com interrogação.

Transformers Monopoly

Esse aqui tem até peão em forma de transformer e a Terra como um dos terrenos mais valiosos do jogo.

US Navy Monopoly

Não, eu não estou brincando, é isso aí mesmo. Americano que é americano tem que mostrar o patriotismo até na hora de jogar banco imobiliário! E o pior é que esse não é o único inspirado no orgulho de ser da terra do Tio Sam. Além desse da marinha, tem também dos fuzileiros, do exército, da aeronáutica…

America’s National Parks Monopoly

Os maiores parques nacionais estão presentes nesse aqui. O que desperta mais interesse, realmente, são os peões, que são artigos necessários para explorar esses parques nacionais.

Monopoly – Star Wars Saga Edition

O legal desse é que você pode jogar com os personagens mais sagazes dos filmes, como o Yoda, Obi-Wan, Princesa Léia… Enfim, tem sempre um pra agradar alguém! Fizeram um trabalho de arte tão bem feito com esse aqui que não pude me conter, e acabei tendo que colocar mais fotos do jogo, porque ele com certeza merece!

Night Sky Monopoly

Se você sempre pensa grande, sempre quer dar um passo maior que a perna, e tem sonhos megalomaníacos até acordado, esse é O jogo! Por que comprar um bairro aqui, e uma avenida acolá se você pode comprar cometas, satélites, planetas e galáxias inteiras? Ambição pouca é bobagem…

Houve também várias outras versões, inspiradas em…

… Seriados e desenhos:

Snoopy

Family Guy (Uma Família da Pesada)

American Chopper

… Filmes:

O Senhor dos Anéis

Piratas do Caribe

… E comida!

Coca-Cola

M&M

E algumas versões também foram lançadas aqui no Brasil, entre elas:

Disney-Pixar

Bob Esponja

Os Simpsons

É tanto Banco Imobiliário que rola solto por aí, que acabaram lançando uma versão não-oficial de algo que realmente deveria ter seu próprio monopólio, o Googolopoly!

É isso aí minha gente, pra compensar a falta de posts nos últimos dias, fiz um megapost com um quinquilhão de inutilidades que vocês poderiam morrer sem saber, mas que te divertiram (espero eu) por pelo menos uns cinco minutos. XD

Beijos, e até o próximo encontro!

Googolopoly (Google+Monopoly) is a very creative monopoly board game inspired by Google.

Like the regular one, the objective of this game is to acquire companies over the internet using google shares. Instead of Hotels and homes you can hire developers or buy new servers for the acquired companies.

And the good thing about this game is “its available for free as a PDF format”. All you have to do is to grab the PDF file, print it, find people and start playing the game.

To download the game in its entirety (including instructions, google shares, googleplex pieces, and more), visit here: http://www.box.net/shared/dguu2bfy88

SIMPLEMENTE GENIAL!

Visto en Inpire me, now!

Con su ilustrativo título, no hace falta explicar la temática del blog.

Google ne serait-il pas sur le point de monopoliser toute l’information? C’est la question qu’avance Box.net en nous proposant un jeu décidément original et décalé: le googolopoly.

Et au vue de l’activité du géant, il serait peut-être de bon ton que chacun, de 7 à 77 ans, joue un peu à s’ angoisser, le dimanche après-midi, en famille, autour de la table de jeu.

En attendant le weekend, vous pouvez télécharger tous les éléments sur http://www.box.net/shared/dguu2bfy88.

Το box.net ( παροχέας υπηρεσιών online storage ) έκανε αίσθηση με το νέο του παιχνίδι. Μια έκδοση του παιχνιδιού Μονόπολη με θέμα του το Google. Η έντονη δραστηριότητα του Google τους τελευταίους μήνες ( βλ. Google App Engine, OpenSocial, Android, πιθανή αγορά του Skype ) έδωσε την έμπνευση στους ανθρώπους της υπηρεσίας box.net για τη δημιουργία της Googolopoly. Όντως οι αγορές του Google, η επιχειρηματική του δράση και η εισαγωγή νέων τεχνολογιών τα τελευταία χρόνια, θυμίζουν το παιχνίδι μονόπολη.

Δεν πρόκειται για ένα online παιχνίδι σε αντίθεση με τις τάσεις των καιρών. Το παιχνίδι είναι χάρτινο. Το κατεβάζετε το τυπώνεται, κόβεται τα κομμάτια και το παίζεται. Τυπώνετε μετοχές ( αντί για τα χρήματα του κλασσικού παιχνιδιού), κάρτες, servers (!!!), developers (!!!), το ταμπλό τα πάντα. Όλα παρέχονται σε ένα pdf αρχείο, περίπου 20 megabytes.

Μπορείτε να το κατεβάσετε από τη σελίδα: http://www.box.net/shared/dguu2bfy88

Σκοπός του παιχνιδιού…να κάνετε αυτό που έκανε και κάνει το Google…να γίνεται ιδιοκτήτες όσων περισσότερων εταιρειών μπορείτε, χωρίς να πέσετε στην Deadpool “Error 404 File not found” οπότε χάνεται. Θα χρειαστείτε servers, developers και νέες αγορές για να επικρατήσετε.

To box.net κατάφερε παρέχοντας κάτι το ιδιαίτερο και έξυπνο, να τραβήξει την προσοχή όλων. Πολύ καλή διαφημιστική κίνηση. Αλήθεια η Hasbro πώς θα το χειριστεί; Ίσως έτσι;