(Via Ted.com)

See also: 5 creepy ways video games are trying to get you addicted

And:

Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world

So far, World of Warcraft players have spent 5.93 million years solving problems in the game. . Jane McGonigal

“We’re witnessing what amounts to no less than a mass-exodus to virtual worlds and online game environments” – economist Edward Castronova

Wired: Reality Is Broken. Game Designers Must Fix It

Human computation, a talk by Luis von Ahn

Over 9 billion human hours of solitaire was played in 2003.

Luis von Ahn talks about how to “constructively channel human brainpower using computer games. For example, the ESP Game, described in this talk, is an enjoyable online game — many people play over 40 hours a week — and when people play, they help label images on the Web with descriptive keywords.” Not sure that is very useful or constructive, or fun, but perhaps some other real world game can be made using the same mechanisms.

Luckily I seldom get calls from people who want me to answer silly questions about what potatochips I like, but when I do I usually wonder why THEY should get paid for my information. That seems a little unfair, doesn’t it?

I recently stumbled upon the canadian site my2cents.ca where teens age 12-17 can register (!?) to participate in surveys, and the payment is gift sertificates from amazon.ca (so participants don’t need to provide a credit card etc).

I have no idea if this is legit or not, the frontpage seems a little amateur-ish, but still, it’s great concept, and I hope I can find one for people over :)

Boing Boing: Napoleon Dyanamite action figures on the way: “Torn from the vaunted html pages of The Hollywood Reporter:

Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising and McFarlane Toys announced a new licensing agreement to develop a line of action figures based on characters from the hit movie ‘Napoleon Dynamite.’ The toy line, which will hit store shelves in the fall, will feature characters Napoleon, Pedro and Kip. ‘Napoleon Dynamite and action figure may seem like an oxymoron, but McFarlane Toys has the appreciation and understanding of this character and the film to create some truly fun and highly appealing toys,’ said Peter Byrne, executive vp licensing at Fox Licensing & Merchandising. “