Web-based game is all business

Online multiplayer games now have their own Wall Street category. These are online Web-based games that bring out the Gordon Gekko or the Jack Welch in all of us.

One new entry is IndustryPlayer, a game that allows players to form trusts or partnerships, all in the cause of gaining the largest pile of money.

It’s found at: IndustryPlayer.com, where the game involves creating a free account, downloading a six-megabyte setup file and then playing against other competitors.

Still, the game is totally serious and remarkably complex, based on the variables that come into play. Its chief strategy is for players to acquire commodities or licenses to technology and then develop those licenses into revenue. Players interact, trading assets and adjusting to market dynamics, such as shortages of fuel and bad weather. At level one, everyone gets $10 million and runs five companies.

The company, Tycoon Systems, makes money by upgrading players to the advanced version of the game. Since the game doesn’t bother adding a regulatory agency that would flag illegal or questionable behavior, it’s just like running a business in the 1990s. Have fun.

Getting the voice message right http://app.yourmail.com/signup

It’s now possible to set up distinct voice mail messages for your cell phone that vary according to who’s calling your number.

Stop worrying that your mother will hear the nasty greeting you like to leave for your frat mates.

YouMail allows you to record a different set of greetings that can be matched with the caller ID.

Only available for Verizon, Cingular and T-Mobile users. It’s currently in beta stage and remains free for now, but it will start charging for the service at some point.

Business information, quickly http://business.gov

This newly launched federal government Web site provides business owners with a one-stop resource for federal business regulations and compliance information.

Business.gov has links to taxes, immigration laws, workplace safety, environmental requirements and other regulations that can present challenges for small and mid-sized businesses.

The overall goal, according to those who’ve organized the site, is to cut red tape.

DaVinci of da streets http://gprime.net/images/ sidewalkchalkguy

If you haven’t seen the jaw-dropping works of street art done by chalk artist Julian Beever, this site is sure to leave you dazed and humble.

Another site managed by Beever and devoted to his work is:

http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/ where the images include not just works chalked onto streets but murals and fine art done by the artist. You can also e-mail him a message from here.