Special effects guru Stan Winston died this Sunday.  Stan is most well-known for his visual effects work on "Aliens", "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", and "Jurassic Park", for which he won Academy Awards. 

A pioneer in the world of visual effects, Stan was a co-founder of special effects companies Digital Domain, Stan Winston Digital, and Stan Winston Studios.  Most recently, he worked on special effects for the films "Iron Man" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". 

Personally, I will never forget sitting in the darkened movie theatre as a kid and watching the dinosaurs of  "Jurassic Park" come alive in the most eye-popping and thrilling of manners.  Stan created some of cinema's most imaginative and enduring images that will live on through new and old movie fans for years to come.  He was truly a genius of the entertainment industry.

Here's a clip show of some of Winston's best work. 

Please note, Gamesville's database is going to be upgraded at 4AM eastern time on Tuesday, June 17, 2008. During that time--which should only be a few minutes--Gamesville games will not be available. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,
Chris Cummings
Manager, Gamesville.com 

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Hi all,

We regret the disruptions over the past several days.  Thanks to our team - who have worked long hours this week - we believe that we have resolved the site-wide game freezing issues many experience.  We are working to make GV Rewards updates more frequent. While we implement a better fix, we will only update your profiles with newly awarded GV Rewards about once an hour. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. The popularity of the new Bingo Zone surprised even us, so we're adding extra capacity to ensure a smoother experience for all.

Thanks!

As all Gamesvillers know, playing games - online or off - can be pretty addictive.  But the best time to play is probably not when you are serving your civic duty. 

A judge in Sydney, Australia recently had to excuse a trial in which the jurors were a little too distracted by a popular word game.

From the article:

An Australian drug trial lasting more than three months and costing taxpayers over $947,000 has been aborted after a number of jurors were found to have spent up to half the time doing Sudoku puzzles.

"Some of the evidence is rather drawn out and I find it difficult to maintain my attention the whole time," [one] juror was quoted saying by the Australian Associated Press.

Game Three of the NBA Finals took place in Los Angeles last night.  While the Celtics had been leading 2-0, the Lakers took the game last night on their home turf.   The next two games - now needed - will be played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles at which point the series will return to Beantown. 

So, Gamesvillers, which team are you rooting for this June?

Please be advised: There is an issue with the timer, most visibly in some Magic 21 and Bingo Zone games, but a few other games as well. This issue is being investigated, and we hope to have it resolved soon. As soon as a fix is in place, we'll let you know. Thank you for your patience, and your patronage. It's our goal to have this resolved quickly and with as little disruption as possible.

Sincerely,
Chris Cummings
Manager, Gamesville.com

UPDATE TUESDAY 4:20 PM ET

A release has just gone out that should alleviate the timer/"freezing" issue. If you continue to experience issues with your game freezing, please send customer service the text from your computer's Java console ASAP. (How do I send Gamesville my Java console info?)

UPDATE WEDNESDAY 8:00 AM ET

Last night's update helped some of you, but not all. Thank you to everyone who sent us their Java logs. We're pouring over those documents now, identifying trends, and will issue another release shortly.

UPDATE THURSDAY 6:15 PM ET

PLEASE NOTE: GV Rewards won are being credited to accounts, but not currently in real-time; it may take several hours or longer for them to appear. We are currently working to resolve these issues and apologize for any inconvenience. 

Yesterday, we posted an interview with Gamesviller Sherry Wade.  Today, we'll catch up with Sherry to see if she's still an avid fan of Bingo.

So, what did you spend your winnings on?
I split it with my mom.  I don't remember exactly what I bought.

What are your hobbies these days?
I spend time with my son and my pets.  I’ve got 3 dogs and 3 cats. And I crochet and sell small crochet items on etsy.com.

What kinds of crochet items?
I do small crochet flowers for other crafters, some doilies, and things like that. 

What's your favorite thing about your hometown?
It's a peaceful, small city.

Do you still have your ghost Bob living with you?
I haven’t heard from him in awhile.

Any other paranormal encounters?
Just dealing with my family.

Do you still believe in ghosts?
No, not really.  After my mother passed away, I thought if she came back, I’d believe in it, and if she didn’t, I wouldn’t.  And I never got a visit from her. 

Oh, I'm sorry for your loss.
Thank you.

Do you have any big plans this summer? Any movies you're looking forward to?
I'm not that into movies - its probably why I won on Bingo! 

We are relaunching the Bingo Zone with a new design, a new chat game, and prizes.  You should totally check it out.
I will!

 
Do you want to be a featured Gamesviller? Email us at members@gamesville.com and tell us your story!

In 2000, Sherry Wade (Gamesviller "donsherr") won $1,300 playing Catch Up Coverall. She talked to us about spending her winnings on Christmas presents and her ghost, Bob.

Tomorrow: Does Sherry still get visits from Bob?  

Sherry, what's your favorite Gamesville game?
Catch-Up Coverall, because it's fast. I like fast.

 How did you spend your winnings?
Christmas presents! 

What do you do for work?
I'm a caregiver to my son who is handicapped.

What do you like best about your job?
All the things I've learned — kindness, patience and how to laugh.

Name something hiding in your closet.
Mice. And my cats, they're after the mice.

What's the strangest thought you've ever had?
Idea of traveling into space.

Is there life in outer space?
Oh yes! We aren't the only ones.

Do you believe in ghosts?
Oh yes! And I have one living with me. We hear and see him frequently. He turns the radio on and off, and calls out names in different voices. We call him "Bob".

Have you ever seen 'Bob' the ghost?
Sure we've seen him. He appears when something bad is going to happen, like before a death or before someone gets sick. If we were smart, we'd pay more attention to Bob.

Name a book you highly recommend:
"The Green Mile" by Steven King. I read all of his books.

What's a piece of advice you live by?
Never ask anyone to do something you wouldn't be willing to do yourself.

What's the most physical pain you've ever had to endure?
Torn ligaments. I got knocked over by a bunch of dogs. They were just running and they hit me from behind, I was flipped over, and landed on the ground.

What's something you wish you could learn with the snap of your fingers?
How to forgive and forget. (Especially dogs.)

 
Do you want to be a featured Gamesviller? Email us at members@gamesville.com and tell us your story!