Meet Pierce Lilholt, Entrepreneur

Pierce Lilholt is a serial entrepreneur. He creates companies and brands. In his free time, he likes to play the piano. To learn more about him and his work, please visit www.PierceLilholt.com.

1. What drew you toward media and communications as you built your career?

Media and communications are fun! 2. Would you tell us a little more about Lilholt Technology Solutions LLC and the work you do with software and other technology?

Lilholt Technology Solutions LLC is an internationally diversified software development and information technology company. Lilholt Technology Solutions is launching an app in conjunction with the media giant Universal Language Productions. With Universal Language Productions as a branding and content syndication partner, Lilholt Technology Solutions plans to leverage the ULP network to launch the ULP TV app. The first launch phase of the ULP TV app includes a multi-platform rollout across Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android, as well as a fully functional experience on web browsers at www.ULPTV.com.

3. As a serial entrepreneur, how do you choose the projects you wish to become involved in?

I choose projects based on their FV. FV is term used a lot at Universal Language Productions. FV, or Fun Value, is a percentage based on an individual's FVI (Fun Value Index). Everyone has a different FVI, because everyone has a different idea of fun. What someone might find fun, another person might find scary, overly stimulating, or downright boring. When I am choosing a project, I disregard my own FVI, and I consider the potential FV that the results of the project will have based on the FVI of the target market. If it is not fun, I don't touch it. If the FV is high, I am all over it. It's all about the fun!

4. What projects are you currently working on?

The project I am most excited about is ULP TV. ULP TV makes watching TV easy and fun. Unlike Netflix or other streaming services where you have to know what you want to watch and then search for or browse for the titles of shows you want to watch, ULP TV allows you to flip through channels like you are watching cable TV. Searching for something to watch isn't fun. ULP TV is a container app, so anyone can make a channel and syndicate content they want to watch to custom tailor their experience and watch the shows that they think are fun. Friends, family, and people all over the world can tune in to watch your syndications. You don't need to make a channel to start watching. The channels are organized in ways which are conducive to the easiest possible watching experience. People often wonder why you can't filter out all of the four and five star reviewed movies on Netflix. I think it is pretty obvious. I believe that if I filtered out all of the four or five star movies and TV shows on Netflix, I would watch all of the highly rated movies and TV shows and never even peek at the titles with poor ratings. In my opinion, that would make Netflix seem much less valuable. With ULP TV, you can see what is popular, and watch what is good. ULP TV is just plain FUN!

5. Do you have any plans for 2017 that are particularly exciting for you?

I only have one plan for 2017. I plan on having the most fun in 2017! Now, that's exciting!

Thanks, Pierce!

Meet Reece Kenney, Creator of Present Finder

Reece Kenney is a software engineer from England and the creator of an iPhone app called Present Finder. The app helps you find the perfect gift for anyone by asking you a series of questions about your intended gift recipient. Reece operates a technology company called Cyber Shark Technology which specializes in websites, software, and logo design.

1. What gave you the idea for Present Finder?

Well, the inspiration for this app came from the fact that I'm awful at picking out gifts for people. No really, I am absolutely hopeless! Unless the recipient shares similar interests to me, you probably wouldn't be overly impressed with the gift I pick out! I would spend ages scrolling for the "gifts for him/her" pages of various websites, and 90% of the gifts I saw were either not relevant or not interesting... I wanted a list of gifts that were specific to the person I was buying for e.g. a 19 year old male student who likes sci-fi, doesn't drive, and doesn't care for sports. And so, Present Finder was born! 



2. How did you come up with the questions to help find the perfect gift?

It mostly came down to how the items were categorized. I wanted to cover as many areas as I could in as little questions as possible so that the user could get through them quickly. In order to keep the number of questions to a minimum, but still provide accurate suggestions, the algorithm has to make some assumptions based on answers given. For example, would a person who said that they dislike sports be interested in a desktop football game? It's not a sport, but it is a game based on a sport. Or would someone who said they dislike cars be interested in a remote control car toy? So I just thought of all the questions that would allow me to cover a large amount of categories. I am planning on introducing an "advanced" mode where the user will see more questions. This means the app will be able to provide even more accurate suggestions!



3. What are some examples of the gifts that the app suggests?

Oh there are tons of gifts in our database! We have everything from Bluetooth speakers, to emoji pillows, to funny novelty items. Our most popular item based on the number of clicks and favorites is actually an item called "Nothing." It is literally an empty box for people that when asked what they want for their birthday, responded with "oh, nothing."



4. What was your process like in building the app?

It was pretty tough, honestly. It actually ended up taking the best part of a year because I took a break halfway through. I started working on it during my final year of university as I had finished my class work early and had some free time. I was finding it difficult to create the algorithm and eventually put the project on hold once my next classes started. A couple of months later I revisited the project and figured out a way to get it all to work. Many months of programming later, the app was ready for release! 



5. In your own experience giving and receiving gifts, what do you think separates a great gift from a mediocre one?

If you had asked me this question when I was a child, I probably would have told you the larger the gift size the better! But now I find that it's not so much the size or price of the gift that makes a gift great, but if you can see that the person genuinely purchased it with you in mind (as opposed to just buying a generic gift for a 22 year old male, for example), that's what makes it great. Oh, unusual gifts are cool, too!

Thanks, Reece!

A Guest Post on Online Employee Time Clocks

The following is a guest post from Time Clock Hub, a site which offers a free employee time clock which includes payroll reports, advanced employee scheduling, time tracking, and other options.

Online Employee Time Clocks: Using the Power of Technology to Make Your Business More Efficient

There are many different types of time clocks out there, and if you haven't used these programs with a business before, it's easy to understand how intimidating it can be to try and find the perfect one. Do you want an employee clock that just creates an easy clock in and clock out system that helps reduce the need for HR and back and forth, or are you looking for a truly good system that helps you keep track of all your employees so those who work remotely don't just get lost or forgotten in all the back and forth?

In addition to this, using a web-based time clock to track remote employees helps make sure everyone is staying on course and makes it much easier to manage since a supervisor or employer doesn't need to waste a lot of time figuring out where certain employees are: their clock in times and locations will help tell the whole story. This is a level of information that is critical for a very fluid or multi-faceted business to work in today's modern technological workplace.

Non-Invasive Tracking

In addition to all these positive reasons, it's also important to think of how many tracking options you actually get in regards to being able to keep up with all your employees. Almost anything mentioned is invasive or pushy, or requires constant follow-up. When it works with time clocks, you have your employees' location when they clock in and when they move about or clock out. This isn't invasive, and it still helps you keep track of where everyone was, where they currently are now, and where they are going to be.

That's a lot of information you need to effectively manage your employees, especially when you have large groups working remotely. Having a piece of software you need anyway like a time clock help you with that tracking process just makes sense. What is really going to have more benefits and less drawbacks than an online time clock that not only records hours but also locations in order to help you track your remote work employees?

In Summary

As you can see, using an online employee time clock can be a great way to keep track of all your remote employees so you don't feel like you are always herding cats. With a free automatic software that allows for clocking in and the tracking of a special IP code when each employee logs in, it helps them know they are getting paid for all the time they are putting in. An employer gets the peace of mind from knowing where all his employees are at any given time, and how the entire operation is running at any given time.

The fact is that many of these high quality online clocks start at free pricing or reduced pricing and move from there. This is an outstanding program and one that should be looked at as a potential solution by far more businesses.

Introducing Pixel Robot Jump Saga on Google Play

If you have an Android phone, Pixel Robot Jump Saga (available on Google Play) is a game that has charmingly retro graphics and a simple, fun interface.

The game features, yes, a pixel robot character, and the goal is to make the little guy jump vertically as many times as you can. The catch is that he's jumping inside a moving circle, and there's a gap in the circle, so you have to time your jumps carefully so that he doesn't jump through the gap, thus ending the game.

This YouTube video gives you a very clear idea of how the game works.

This game is made by Universal Games Team, and I asked them if there was anything in particular they wanted readers to know about it. They replied, "Pixel Robot Jump Saga is an insanely difficult retro game with pixel design and vintage sounds, making Flappy Bird seem easy."

I have to agree about the vintage sounds; listening to the game reminds me of my old Atari system in the best way possible. :) And the ease of the game--you just tap to jump--reminds me of old-school games, too.

I also asked the team what makes the game fun to play, and they said, "It's a frustratingly addictive game, an almost impossible game where you must tap to help a robot jump vertically out of a rotating circle and help it get back in safely. Just test your reflexes and see if the highest score you can obtain exceeds a single digit--you'll be a master if you get a two-digit score."

Have you played a game like this, where the creators say it will be hard for you to break into two-digit scoring? Sounds like a worthy challenge, if ever I've heard one!

Learn more by checking out the free app on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pixel.robot.jump.

Introducing Penguin Run Saga on Google Play

I recently interviewed one of the game designers from Universal Games Team about their car racing game called Neon 2 Cars Saga, available on Google Play. They have so many fun and creative games that I wanted to feature another game in its own post, so this post is dedicated to their game called Penguin Run Saga.

Do you love cute animal games? This game lets you be a cute penguin who is trying to catch fish, but who also encounters obstacles like snowballs and ice cones. The more fish you collect and points you rack up, the more colorful penguins you unlock. As with other games from Universal Games Team, you can compete against players all over the world using the global ranking feature.

I asked the game's creator to share what he wants people to know about the game and he described it as "a frustratingly addictive and challenging game with cute and smooth graphics." He added that his goal in creating the game was to give players an opportunity to test their reflexes with the high-speed action in the game.

The setting of this game is really fun, and as you play, be sure to carefully watch the behavior of the Antarctic and Arctic animals.

To learn more and to download the game and become a penguin legend, check out https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cartoon.penguin.run.

Introducing ThingsTwoDo, A Website for Finding Great Things to Do

One of the most common questions in the world has to be, "What do I do?". I remember asking my parents that question over and over as a kid when I would get bored and didn't want to do the usual things I enjoyed. And I still ask that question as a grownup at times! But guess what? There's a website with the sole purpose of providing creative answers to this very question.

The site is called ThingsTwoDo. What I like about the site is that the writers offer suggestions geared toward activities for people who are looking for different things. For example, there are ideas for things to do on a date, and there are ideas for things to do by yourself. There are also lots of ideas for things to do with kids and as a family. You can find ideas for things to do with friends, too, and ideas for activities that can be fun to do with seniors.

Sometimes there's something in the back of your mind that you know you want to do, but it takes someone suggesting it to you to really make you actually plan to do what you want. I feel like ThingsTwoDo functions in that way. I read a recent post on things that married couples should do without their kids and found some very practical suggestions for activities that people get so in the habit of doing as a family that they neglect to take the time to do the activities just as a couple.

There is also an app currently in development from ThingsTwoDo to make it even easier to find ideas for activities for yourself, your friends, or your family. I can see that this website and app is really going to grow over the next months, and I'll be checking back to watch its development.

The next time you want to find a new activity to explore--or maybe to be reminded of an activity you haven't done in a long time!--check out www.ThingsTwoDo.com for a diverse selection of ideas. And new posts are being added all the time.

Meet Todd Miller, Realtor and Creator of the Homing In App

Todd Miller is a Las Vegas real estate broker. In 2009, he and his wife were the #1 team in the nation for real estate sales in the US, according to the Wall Street Journal. He is the creator of an app called Homing In, which gives people expert-sourced values of their homes. To use the app, a homeowner takes a couple pictures of their house and submits the photos with any relevant notes about the property; then, up to five real estate agents can respond with their opinion on the value of the house. Learn more at HomingInApp.com/.

1. What gave you the idea to create Homing In?

I came up with the idea to create Homing In after years of doing a few thousand Broker Price Opinions for banks during the foreclosure boom. The banks would use this information to price their homes before listing them. Often, they would ask multiple agents to do them and pick which one did the best job to give the listing to. I decided this tool should also be something that consumers have access to. So I created the Exactimate, which gives any home owner the same power a bank has: getting accurate values quickly from actual professionals.

2. How does the app come up with the "exactimate" for the value of a home--and how many real estate agents are currently sharing their expertise through the app?

Right now there are about 200 agents nationwide signed up. We've completed value requests in Boston, Las Vegas, San Jose, and Durham NC. Up to five agents can respond. The Exactimate is just the mathematically most likely number, so if three agents all come up with $250,000 for a house, that's going to be the Exactimate. Since they don't see each other's values, they are truly doing their work independently without bias.

3. Why aren't the guesstimates on other sites more accurate?

Online valuation tools like the Zillow Zestimate use lots of data, but sometimes that data is misleading. If a person buys a fixer upper, and then puts $50,000 into repairs, they may have added as much as $100,000 in value to a property. Zillow doesn't know that because the computer can't see the inside of the house and get that information from the consumer. It just knows it sold for X. An agent makes a qualitative decision and can accurately value it. The computers can't.

4. Why did you decide to give the app away for free?

I felt this was something people need to have. Consumers should just have more access to information, and agents should be able to share their knowledge quickly and in a meaningful way. The agent may end up listing the house for sale if they do a good job, and the consumer might just find a really good agent in the process.

5. For people who are looking to sell, do you have any favorite tips for increasing the value of their home before putting it on the market?

The best thing people can do it talk to their agent before they sell. Agents tend to know which things add value and which don't. It depends on the house, the features, and the condition of the inside of the house. The key is to only upgrade things that add more value than the cost of the upgrade. With Homing In, they can get those recommendations through the app.

Thanks, Todd!

Introducing YouQuest, An App for Self-Discovery

I always like hearing about brand-new apps, and here's one that's just been released. It's called YouQuest, and it was created by a company called 500 BC. In fact, when I clicked on the 500 BC site, I was greeted by a line which read, "Update your life, not your status," and I have to admit that this caught my interest!

The idea of the YouQuest app is that it is a game of self-discovery. As you use the app, you explore history and imagine your own ancient past. The app incorporates timeless wisdom from ancestors like Buddha. The app gives you a two-fold journey: discovering the past, and discovering yourself.

When we think about smartphones, the first thing we think of isn't generally inner wisdom or self-discovery, is it? YouQuest wants you to start using your phone for different purposes, rather than always skimming the surface of our usual activities of instant messaging, looking at viral videos, and so on.

YouQuest utilizes an algorithm and starts by guiding the user, over time, through a series of quizzes and offering targeted wisdom based on the user's responses.

The app was inspired by 500 BC's founder, Carol Phelan-Marsh, reflecting on her daughter's experience surviving cancer. She said, "My daughter survived bone cancer, and had to dig deep to do it (we all did). We used every tool, ancient and modern, to help her successfully battle osteosarcoma. I swore if she came through this that I'd launch a product to help others find their inner warriors."

You can download the app via iTunes and Google Play.

Introducing Track Kit, an App and Website to Share Travel Routes

Track Kit is a website and app with a clever idea behind it. Like many good ideas, it takes something familiar (online maps) and combines it with something unique: the ability to create your own "tracks" on the maps and include original photos at points of interest along the route that your track follows. It lets you record, upload, edit, and share GPS tracks.

It also has a built-in tool that lets you share your tracks to Facebook, which I think is great because really Track It gives you a nice-looking, visual way to share your experiences with other people.

You can track all sorts of trips. Maybe you want to track a long road trip. Maybe you want to track a walking or running path you've come up with by exploring the different streets in your neighborhood. I really like how you can add photos to your track to show people what you've seen along the way. Maybe there's something really cool but hidden--you can point it out on your track so that others can find it, too.

When you use the "upload track" feature to share your route, you can select from different options, including driving, walking, hiking, swimming, ATV, and geocaching. You can also explore tracks that others have uploaded by searching for specific places or just browsing--there's an editor's choice feature, too, that lets you look at a selection of cool tracks.

There are other cool tools to explore, too, like adding videos to your tracks and utilizing Google street view. Say you wanted to keep a blog where you recorded your travel experiences or your hikes or your bike adventures--you could embed your tracks from Track It in your blog.

To learn more, check out the Track Kit website: Track-Kit.net. Or learn more about the Track It apps for iOS and Android here: http://www.lifewaresolutions.com/trackkit_screen.html.

Introducing INRTracker, a Tool for People Who Take Warfarin

Do you or does someone close to you take Warfarin (Coumadin)? It's a very commonly prescribed blood-thinner. Personally, I've had more than one relative who has been on this medication, and it's one of those meds where you have to keep on top of your follow-up appointments for blood draws to make sure that you have the correct level of medication in your body.

INRTracker is personal health management tool for people who take Warfarin, and the name of the tool comes from the INR Test that patients get to check their level of Warfarin. INRTracker is a free web app that lets you enter your personal health data and generate reports to keep track of your medication level and try to figure out why you might be having any fluctuations in your drug therapy. You can use the app to enter lots of data that factors into your health, such as what you eat and what your blood pressure is.

INRTracker was co-founded by someone who is on Warfarin therapy for a genetic blood clotting disorder (Veronica), and someone who learned code specifically to build the website (Pavan). Oh, and they are also a couple. :) In other words, the site is brought to you by people who care about people who need to take Warfarin.

In addition to their app, Veronica and Pavan share other resources useful to patients. For example, check out their Warfarin diet guide. And check out this article about blood clot symptoms in the leg.

This screenshot also gives you a good idea of the app.

I think this is definitely a resource worth exploring if you are managing Warfarin therapy!

Introducing ZyShopper, an App for iOS and Android

Do you like window shopping? Is it hard to find the time to actually walk down the street or through the shopping mall and browse for items to buy? Well, the idea behind the ZyShopper app is to give you a browsing/shopping experience from your smartphone.

The way the app works is that when you click to open it, you're taken to a selection of ten items from one of the stores that partners with ZyShopper. You can browse through the items and, if you're interested, you can buy them and/or click to view similar items from that store. You can also choose to look at a new set of ten items from a different store.

The idea of the app is to create a fast and fun way to shop online--from anywhere. Whenever you have a few minutes, you can open the app and find new fashions. So far, over 100 of the world's largest brands are represented in the app.

For the best idea of how ZyShopper works, check out this YouTube demo:

The app is available in the iTunes store and through Google Play.

Meet Paul Etienne of 1Branch

Paul Etienne is the founder and project manager of 1Branch. His background includes graphic design and web and mobile development, and he has published games in iOS and Android in the past. Paul is a Christian looking for his true purpose, but he found he was sometimes afraid to ask questions of members of his church because he's been going to church for so long, so in 1Branch he has created a platform where people can feel free to express themselves and to find their true purpose.

1. Could you tell us a little more about some of the features you wanted to include when you came up with the idea for 1Branch--and also, how did you choose the name?

I wanted to include: a church suggestion feature that would send you notifications about suggestions for churches to attend based on reviews whenever you go to a new town or city. I came up with the name from John 15:5, in which Jesus said, "I am the Vine. You are the branches." 1Branch means each of us is 1 branch from Jesus' vine.

2. Is going to a website on a computer the only way to access or sign up for 1Branch?

No, right now we know everyone is always busy and always on the go, so there is a very responsive version of 1Branch for all mobile phones. Also, the official 1Branch app is available in the Apple app store, and in Google Play by just typing "1Branch" in your app store's search bar.

3. How have you been reaching out so far to tell people about 1Branch?

So far, we have used press releases to let the press know about 1Branch, and we use social media a lot to get the word out. Social media is now the new "word of mouth," and it is very powerful, so when people see something they like, they share it on social media with their friends.

4. The impression I got from checking out the site is that the main idea is that it's a place for conversations and mutual support. How would you describe your goals in building it--and where do you hope to see it go over the next year?

The spirit of 1Branch is to embrace the totality of the religious experience; I want to enable people to talk about issues that really matter to them, even if they are considered off-limits. When a user signs up, that user is asked to enter a denomination. This is the "Branching" section of the network. Branching offers two streams: "Dirty Laundry" and "General," and those streams are specific to the chosen denomination.

Dirty Laundry allows users to post freely and anonymously about things they don't like or don't understand, or things that confuse them, and even about secrets a denomination may have. Anyone (within the denomination branch) can comment on the posts to bring answers and clarification. The idea is to connect people who know the truth to people who are seeking the truth, so I hope that a lot of people contribute to the overall experience of 1Branch. I hope to hear people talk about how they have found the truth through 1Branch.

5. Based on your own experience, what's your advice to other people who want to develop their own apps?

If you have a good and unique idea, then go for it. Reach out to people who have done it before, and ask for advice if there are things that you do not know how to do. There are a lot of resources out there for people who are willing to learn. "Ask and it will be given to you." Matthew 7:7

Thanks, Paul!

Introducing RoomHints, A Home Design App

How would you like to use your phone to take photos inside your home and upload them to get design tips from professional designers? The RoomHints app, founded by Tiffany Willson, lets you do just that. The app also makes it super-easy to shop for items for your home.

To use the app, you can upload a photo of your home or of an item you're thinking about buying for your home. RoomHints uses "decor matching algorithms" to suggest items to decorate your room based on the photo you've uploaded. You can also request advice from designers, and/or that designers manually choose items that they would recommend for your room, which they then send to you as "Hints."

The RoomHints app was recently recommended in the Consumer Reports' ShopSmart guide as the best app for home design shopping advice.

There's a community of designers all over the world who contribute advice to RoomHints. If you post a specific question, you can get advice within seconds. And the visual aspect of the app is very useful because designers can actually see your room and/or the product(s) you want to buy and make recommendations based on what they see.

Keep an eye on this app because I suspect it will explode as more and more people use it to design their rooms--and more and more designers and retailers sign on to participate in the community behind the app.

Kelly Le Brock Takes Action for National Hunger Action Month

Did you know that September is National Hunger Action Month? Actress and model Kelly Le Brock (I know you remember her in The Woman in Red and Weird Science) is busy with a project that both helps food banks across the country and helps families eat in a healthier way.

The project is a collaboration with foodtweeks™, a mobile app that you download for your Android or iPhone. The idea of the app is that it suggests tweaks to help you adjust your diet in little ways that add up to big reductions in calories. The cool part is that foodtweeks™ donates the same amount of calories you save to food banks across the US.

When you set up your free account and use the promo code KELLYLEBROCK, foodtweeks™ will double your donations. Kelly Le Brock is also doing some special social media campaigns where you can add even more to your donations. Check out her Pinterest page as well as Instagram. Kelly will be using hashtags such as #healthycooking and #foodtweeks4foodbanks and #hungeractionmonth. Keep an eye out on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Kelly will be doing public service announcements and other publicity throughout September to promote National Hunger Action Month and increase awareness of the needs of our food banks. In her off-screen life, Kelly has been a rancher for the past ten years and raises her own food for her family. She hopes to promote healthy eating choices through her work with foodtweeks™.

Meet Paul Grossinger, Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of MMGuardian

Paul Grossinger is one of the co-founders of MMGuardian, which is an android application that protects kids from cyber-bullying and texting while driving. It also lets parents block kids' phone use in school.

1. What motivated you to create MMGuardian?

My co-founders and I realized that parents needed an effective way to manage their children's smartphones. Texting and driving, cyberbullying, sexting, and even general phone management are major issues parents struggle with that we designed MMGuardian to solve for parents.

2. Looking at your website, I noticed a lot of features parents can use. Would you tell us a little more about the specific features that come with the purchase of MMGuardian?

Absolutely. With MMGuardian, parents get comprehensive parental control. That includes: the ability to lock or locate your child's phone anytime with simple text commands, advance scheduling capability for locking and locating, blocking capability for calls and apps that you deem unsafe, text message monitoring, and the ability to stop teens from texting while driving.

3. What devices currently work with MMGuardian?

MMGuardian Parental Control works with all android smartphones. MMGuardian Tablet Security works with all android tablets.

4. What prevents kids from disabling or reconfiguring the apps themselves?

MMGuardian includes proprietary uninstall protection and tamper prevention technology, which parents can enable to stop teens from reconfiguring or removing the application.

5. How have parents and kids responded to your product so far?

MMGuardian has been greeted with excitement by parents across the US, and MMGuardian Parental Control has been installed by over 120,000 parents and won six product awards.

Thanks, Paul!

Meet Naser Abdulghani, Game Designer and Entrepreneur

Naser Abdulghani is an internet and multimedia entrepreneur who has recently launched his new Maryland-based start-up company, Jokerware LLC, specializing in mobile games and application development. Naser works alongside his creative team on a creating and launching new, challenging, and fun games that appeal to almost every type of gamer. Naser has launched his first ever mobile game "Love Gears" and is willing to launch more games in the near future.

Download Love Gears from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

1. What was your inspiration in designing your first mobile game, Love Gears?

I've always been a fan of mobile games that I play during my free time which I consider as a mind sport. I always look for a game that joins simplicity, fun, and challenge, and this is where the idea of creating my own game came from. 

  2. What are the unique challenges in creating a mobile app, as opposed to a game that would be played on a larger screen?

Mobiles are very easy to be carried around wherever you go, so the need for mobile games is much more higher than larger screen games; therefore, the competence to stand out from the crowd is higher and more difficult. There are hundreds of thousands of mobile games available at reasonable prices, so the tricky part is to design a game that fits perfectly with the taste of players. 

3. How did you get started in designing games, and what would you suggest other people do if they are interested in making games themselves?

Mobile games are today's trend, and there are many good and bad games out there. The idea behind the game should be unique and fun. I would advise people to innovate and be creative when it comes to designing games. People who download games are smart and would not fall for replication or boring ideas.

4. Who do you think would especially enjoy Love Gears? Are there other popular games you might compare it to?

Love Gears is designed to match the taste of people who like challenging, addictive games: people who like to think while they play and spend their time in something fun and useful. Love Gears is suitable for all family members especially those who like to challenge each other. Our game has been compared to "Cut the Rope" which flatters us and makes us proud as start-ups to be compared to such a successful game. 

5. What's next for Jokerware?

This was our first game, but stay tuned for more interesting competing games.

Thanks, Naser!

Meet Daphne and Diane, Creators of Tell a Fortune

Tell a Fortune is a fun, intuitive app based on principles of astrology and cardomancy, and meant to give "answers, inspiration, and hope." Inspired by the Tell a Fortune board game, the app is available on iPhone and iPad and soon to be available for Android.

Daphne Weld-Nichols is a renowned psychic, intuitive, healer, astrologer, fortune teller, reiki master, numerologist, tarot card reader, and feng shui practitioner. Daphne had her first psychic awareness experience at age seven. Since then she has devoted over 30 years to researching the mysteries of various healing frequencies of sound, color, music, crystals, gemstones, far infrared light, flower essences, flower energy, aromatherapy, power animals, feng shui balancing, and crystal energy healings.

Diane Dalpe is an intuitive counselor, card reader, psychic, palmist, reiki master, and life coach. From her earliest years, she possessed a unique ability to predict events prior to them happening. These unusual gifts motivated her to learn as much as possible about the paranormal and psychic awareness. She developed an understanding of how to use her natural psychic ability to help others through the use of their own tarot cards, palmistry crystal energy, and reiki healings. She draws upon all of these special gifts to guide her clients in her life coach practice.

The interview below is with Diane.

1. What was your process for taking your knowledge of card readings and fortune telling and making it available in the format of a mobile app?

Well, it's been nearly three decades since the release of our Tell a Fortune board game, which offers answers to people's questions via cards and an astrological wheel. We created the company in 1977, long before people had cell phones of course! Our mission has always been to provide high quality psychic guidance and tarot readings to all areas of one's life, including but not limited to relationships, career, finances, and health issues.

The process started when Daphne was a young girl and she used to rely on her gut or "personal guidance system" (the letters GPS rearranged). To help interpret her own feelings, she marked up an ordinary deck of playing cards, assigning meanings to numbers and suits. For example, the ten of diamonds meant big money, success and advancement, while the ace of spades was a major change, challenge, or decision. When faced with a choice, Daphne would read the cards. Friends called her so often asking what cards meant that she finally designed a deck everyone could use, enlisting a graphic artist to illustrate each card. The cards could be placed on a circular zodiac chart, which came with the deck. The whole set was dubbed Tell a Fortune.

Now everyone is carrying around smart devices, so we felt that it would be good to have the cards be mobile! They have a whole new modern life to them now! And with so many negative things in the environment, it's a challenge to stay positive every day; that's why ultimately why we wanted to make the app: It's renewal every day at your fingertips.

2. What can users do with the Tell a Fortune app?

Imagine being able at any time to ask questions and receive instant answers about any of life's important decisions or concerns. People can play by themselves, or with friends and family! The Tell a Fortune App is fun, accurate and insightful! Users are just a click away from receiving a Tell a Fortune card containing messages and answers to their questions along with daily affirmations. Users will download this app to receive amazingly accurate answers and future predictions to their questions about love, money, or any general category. The Tell a Fortune app will appeal to anyone interested in card reading, horoscopes, and the Zodiac; this includes beginners and experienced card readers.

Tell a Fortune is a fun, intuitive psychic oracle game that users will want to play again and again. They can ask as many questions a day as many times a day as they want. In the "Ask a Question" section, users can choose between three categories of questions: Love, Money, or General Questions. Users will receive straightforward answers and positive affirmations. They will also be able to play the "Zodiac Game of Life" which consists of 12 astrological houses representing 12 aspects of one's life including; Money, Relationships, Career, Health, and Goals. It can be played individually or with family and friends. A "Tell a Fortune" card will appear with insightful messages for each house. When playing with others you can take turns being the reader and interpreter of the other player’s cards.

3. Does the app have social features as well, to allow users to connect with each other?

"The Social Zodiac Game of Life" can be played with up to 12 players from all parts of world. This divination consists of a live, ongoing chat room in which the players can discuss their messages and other players' readings. This is a great way to develop your own intuition by giving suggestions, interpretations, and even guidance to others in your game. There is also a permanent chat room for use outside of the social game.

4. How can people benefit from daily affirmations, and could you describe the role of affirmations within Tell a Fortune?

Affirmations on the Tell a Fortune app are positive little bits to help a person's mind to start thinking positive. A lot of research has been done over the last two decades about happy, successful people. Time and again research shows that successful people aren't happy so much as happy people are successful. They found happiness comes first and then success follows, not the other way around like our culture would have us believe. Our affirmations help users be grateful for who they are right now and to cultivate an attitude of gratitude that is receptive to good things happening. The Tell a Fortune app doesn't have downers; there are no predictions of doom or gloom. The messages and the cards are designed to be direct and inspirational. The affirmations are not included as a bonus but as a very real tool in helping users create the life they want live.

5. In your experience, how does an openness to asking questions have an effect on people's lives?

Because people make their own reality, the answer is more effective if you believe it will be. However, there are skeptics and science-oriented people who became believers after getting unexpectedly accurate cards. One of these was me! I began marketing Daphne's cards after leaving a career as one of the first female executives at Gillette. I swore I'd never read them myself--until I started doing it by accident. As I demonstrated how the cards worked to prospective buyers, they would exclaim I was spot-on and ask how I could possibly know these things! I became a believer! I love how these cards show people they have options, and we love putting people in touch with instincts they may have ignored until now.

Thanks, Diane!