Library of Congress Brings National Book Festival Direct to Mobile-Phone Users

Washington, DC (Vocus) September 4, 2009

The Library of Congress has launched its first-ever mobile campaign to provide National Book Festival-goers with SMS text alerts about the festival, which will be held on the National Mall from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 26. By texting 'BOOK' to 61399, mobile-phone users can opt in to receive the latest festival announcements, as well as author presentation and signing schedules; standard messaging rates apply. Presentation and signing schedules are also available on the National Book Festival website (http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/).

The mobile text campaign is one of many interactive features to bring booklovers up-to-the-minute information about the festival. Festival-goers also have the option to receive updates for this year's event such as author activities, day-of event details and more, by following the Library on Twitter (@librarycongress, hashtag #nbf) or becoming a fan of the Library on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/libraryofcongress).

Other online additions include new downloadable author podcasts, which can be accessed free of charge through the Library's website or on iTunes. These recordings feature candid interviews with award-winning authors George Pelecanos, James Patterson, Rickey Minor, Nicholas Sparks, and more. Additionally, The Washington Post is hosting live online discussions in the week leading up to the festival with several participating authors, including Annette Gordon-Reed, Ken Burns, and Douglas Brinkley.

Whether participating in-person or online, festival-goers will discover endless activities to indulge their love of books and reading. More than 70 celebrated authors, poets and illustrators are participating in this year's event, including James Patterson, Jon Scieszka, Nikki Grimes, John Grisham, Judy Blume, Jodi Picoult and Walter Mosley.

Parents and kids will explore the world of literacy in the PBS KIDS Raising Readers pavilion, featuring live stage performances by Elmo and Chris from Sesame Street, sing-alongs with PBS KIDS' SteveSongs, story readings and skill-building activities. Young readers can pose for pictures with their favorite PBS KIDS characters, including the cast of Super Why, Martha from Martha Speaks, Leona and Cleo from Between the Lions and Duck from Word World, as well as other book-based characters such as Curious George and Maya & Miguel.

In the Let's Read America pavilions, children and families will enjoy a range of activities including taking photos with Bullseye, the Target dog, and coloring in the Bullseye Book of Activities. At the Scholastic Family Corner, families and children can create their own books and also learn about volunteer opportunities through Clifford the Big Red Dog's BE BIG!?, a national campaign that invites everyone, big and small, to take action. Additional activities, story times and photo opportunities will be available courtesy of the Washington Post, AT&T, US Airways, ReadAloud.org, the Penguin Group and the Library of Congress Federal Credit Union.

New to the festival is the Digital Bookmobile, a high-tech exhibit powered by OverDrive, which supports reading and literacy with eBooks from libraries. Equipped with Internet-connected PCs, sound systems and a "Gadget Gallery," the Digital Bookmobile enables visitors to browse a public library's website, sample popular eBook, audiobook, music and video titles, learn how to download, and try out supported mobile devices.

The 2009 National Book Festival is made possible through the support of Target, the Distinguished Benefactor; Charter Sponsors PBS & PBS KIDS Raising Readers and The Washington Post; Patrons AT&T, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, The James Madison Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts; Contributors Borders, Digital Bookmobile powered by OverDrive, the Library of Congress Federal Credit Union, Penguin Group (USA), ReadAloud.org, Scholastic Inc., and US Airways; and Friends the Marshall B. Coyne Foundation, The Hay-Adams, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Thanks also to C-SPAN2's Book TV for providing onsite coverage of the festival and to the Junior League of Washington for providing 400 volunteers for the event.

The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and the world's preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library's rich resources and treasures may be accessed through the Library's website, http://www.loc.gov, and via interactive exhibitions on myLOC.gov.

Jennifer Gavin (202) 707-1940

Jeanette Casselano (202) 828-8833

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Oy Vey! New Apple iPad App Judoku Teaches Users About Jewish Culture

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) July 30, 2011

Oy vey! Move over, world of Sudoku iPad apps targeting Jewish youth?there?s a new game in town! Okay, so maybe the Jewish Sudoku mobile gaming market isn?t huge, but it?s just grown by one. Today the Apple App Store published Judoku(TM), an educational Sudoku puzzle game aimed at educating Jews and Gentiles alike the basics of Jewish culture.

Judoku (rhymes with Sudoku) by ACME Digital Laboratories LLC, is not your everyday Sudoku app. The iPad game, which sells for $ 1.99 on the Apple App Store, can be played as a traditional Sudoku game, with numbers 1 through 9 ordered across columns and rows, or by using Jewish symbols or the Hebrew alphabet in place of numbers. The game also includes humorous explanations of the Jewish components to further engage and educate players.

Judoku creator Andrew Charon, lead developer on the Webby Award-winning Yearbook Yourself web microsite, said ?I?ve been creating educational games for companies like General Mills, Colle+McVoy, takemefishing.org and Blue Earth Interactive for many years, and most recently, I created a successful mobile app Sudoku game. My whole life people have asked me questions about Judaism, and then it occurred to me?here?s the opportunity to merge both into one fun user experience! I wanted a captivating tool I could use to teach my own children about Judaism. Learning the Torah was competing for their attention against Angry Birds and Justin Bieber Tweets. I figured if you can?t beat 'em, join 'em! That, and frankly, I really just wanted to create something called Judoku,? he added.

According to Charon, whether or not Judoku will be released for other devices such as Apple?s iPhone and iPod, or for the Android and Blackberry devices will all depend on Judoku?s demand from those users. ?I?m eager to hear how people are using the game, what they?re finding useful, and just getting their overall feedback. I?m expecting a lot of questions ? it?s sort of a Jewish thing.?

For more information on Judoku, please visit http://www.judoku.net or http://www.acmedigitallabs.com; for review copies of the game, please contact ACME public relations firm WriteBrain Media by phone at 630.215.5623 by email at denise(at)writebrainmedia(dot)com or via Twitter.com/writebrainmedia.

ABOUT ACME DIGITAL LABORATORIES LLC (ACME)

ACME Digital Laboratories LLC (ACME), founded in Chicago in 1997 by Andrew Charon, is now a Minneapolis-based creative software development company specializing in web and mobile application development. Judoku(TM) is the latest app developed by ACME. Previous mobile applications include The Crazy Monster Matching Game (iPhone) and The Monster Madness Memory Game and Sudoku Mania (iPad).

ABOUT ANDREW CHARON

Andrew Charon, Webby Award-winning lead developer of Yearbook Yourself, has been working professionally in web development, design, and marketing since 1996. The Rubik?s Cube may have been the impetus for his award-winning career. At age 11, Fargo, ND native Charon was featured on his local ABC-TV affiliate solving the Rubik?s Cube in record-breaking time. Currently, Charon is a full-time contractor at General Mills with a focus on creative software development, user experience, design and interactive strategy. Previously, Charon was employed at Minneapolis-based agency Colle+McVoy as a Sr. Creative Developer. He was a significant part of the agency?s transformation from a traditional to a highly interactive-focused agency, and while there, lead many award-winning projects for clients such as Yahoo!, Johnson and Johnson, Taubman Malls, Manhattan Toys, Kiehls and Rhymsayers Entertainment. With an undergraduate degree in fine art, Charon is continuing his education at the University of St. Thomas masters program in Software Engineering and Information Systems. Charon enjoys spending time with his family, long bike rides, around Minneapolis, soccer and listening to and composing his own music. When he?s not developing games for his clients or his children, he?s?sigh?still developing games.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Denise Dorman | WriteBrain Media

P: 630.845.4694 | M: 630.215.5623 |E: denise(at)writebrainmedia(dot)com

Twitter.com/WriteBrainMedia | Facebook.com/writebrainmedia | linkedin.com/in/writebrainmedia

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1,000,000 Users and Growing, StarMaker Karaoke App for iPhone Has Pop Music Fans Singing to Top Hits

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) November 16, 2011

StarMaker, the #1 karaoke app with genuine Auto-Tune, is enabling pop music fans to experience their favorite songs in an entirely new way: singing for themselves. With their growing community now greater than 1 million users, StarMaker has won over fans of Top 40 hits like Adele?s ?Rolling In The Deep,? Nicki Minaj?s ?Super Bass,? Justin Bieber?s ?Baby,? Lady Gaga?s ?Bad Romance.? StarMaker singers spend more than 2.7 million minutes each month making recordings of the songs they love -- that?s enough time to sing ?Don?t Stop Believin?? more than 650,000 times.

StarMaker has also caught the attention of pop artists who see the app as a new platform to engage with their fans and transform their songs into anthems. Musicians like Andy Grammer, whose hit single ?Keep Your Head Up? reached #11 on Billboard?s Hot AC chart, are giving away recordable versions of their singles on StarMaker and holding contests to find the best fan-recorded version of the song.

?Pop artists are beginning to realize that there?s no better way to promote a new single than to get the fans singing it,? says Jeff Daniel, Co-founder and CEO of StarMaker Interactive. ?We're excited for our current partnership with Honor Society, an emerging band with active Facebook presence of over 130,000 fans. With these contests, fans are averaging over 20 recordings of each song. This is real engagement that fosters a truly intimate connection between fans and great songs.?

With a growing library of over 500 popular songs, StarMaker provides casual singers with all the tools necessary to sing, record, and publish recordings, and share them via Facebook, Twitter and email. StarMaker?s online community, StarMakerStudios.com, allows users of the app to get encouragement from fellow singers and share their talents with the world. ?Our expanding web presence is designed to showcase the enormous amount of talent StarMaker is unearthing,? says StarMaker President and Co-founder Nathan Sedlander. ?It doesn?t matter what you look like or if you can dance. StarMaker is a place to sing your heart out.?

Download the free app from iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/starmaker-karaoke-auto-tune/id342138881?mt=8

About StarMaker Interactive:

StarMaker Interactive is a leading developer of music-based social media platforms that empower anyone to participate in music creation. Their flagship product StarMaker enables users to sing and share personal recordings of their favorite songs by top artists such as Adele, Justin Bieber, Lady GaGa, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5. ?Complete with high quality voice effects and processing, sophisticated game dynamic integration and access to a huge catalog of hit songs, StarMaker stands to revolutionize music engagement. Their other apps include Auto-Tune Birthday and KIDZ Star USA. StarMaker Interactive was founded in 2010 by a pair of music industry veterans and is headquartered in San Francisco.

Connect with StarMaker on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starmakerstudios

Follow StarMaker on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/starmakerapp

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