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"It seems to be going from strength to strength," said Daniel Middleton, also known as DanTDM, who at 23 has over 6.8 million followers for Minecraft videos on Google's YouTube.
"Signing autographs, taking pictures ... it's insane," he told Reuters.
A bit like a virtual Lego set, Minecraft is set in a limitless world in which some choose simply to build and others to fight monsters - and each other.
Released to the public in 2011 with its block-based, somewhat retro graphics, Minecraft has over 100 million registered users across all computers, gaming systems and mobile apps.
"I just love that you can hang out with your friends and just build stuff and just meet new people," said Cody Vansickle, 18, from Ohio in the United States.
Michael Smith, 15, said: "I am the sort of person who doesn't do anything else because I am not very good at sports and I don't like the outside."
Mojang's brand director Lydia Winters gave cheering Minecraft fans a preview of a story mode coming for the game. Unlike many video games, it has so far lacked a specific story plot for players to follow.
Tickets for Minecon sold out within hours when they went on sale in March.
In an exhibition centre away from the blue summer sky, the most devoted followers carried foam swords and pickaxes, replicas of those in Minecraft, as they played games and sought to at least glimpse their heroes.
"I don't think about when it's going to end if it does at all," said professional gamer Middleton. "It's my full-time job."
Media captionBBC director general Tony Hall outlines his plans to get Britain coding in 2015.
The BBC's director general, Tony Hall, has announced plans to "bring coding into every home, business and school in the UK".
It comes 30 years on from a BBC push to make computing mainstream by putting BBC Micro computers in the majority of schools.
In a speech to staff, Mr Hall said that the initiative would launch in 2015.
"We want to inspire a new generation to get creative with coding, programming and digital technology," he said.
Government and technology experts are becoming increasingly worried that vital computing skills are no longer being taught in schools.
Meanwhile interest in higher-education IT and computing courses is falling, giving rise to fears about a massive skills gap.
From September 2014 children in schools in England will start learning computer coding from the age of five, so today's announcement from the BBC is timely.
After mounting criticism of ICT as a subject concentrating on office skills rather than anything more in-depth, the government acted to scrap the curriculum in search of something better.
From Codecademy to Raspberry Pi to CoderDojo, all kinds of initiatives are springing up with the aim of transforming the way children understand computers.
But there's a problem - many teachers feel they lack the skills and the materials needed to teach coding.
Exactly how the BBC's year of coding will work is still to be decided - but there may be a role in acting as the glue to bring all these different initiatives together.
The Corporation will have to be careful that it doesn't tread on anyone's toes - one previous educational venture BBC Jam had to be cancelled after complaints from commercial companies.
But if the BBC can use its creativity to make coding cool that could have a big impact, giving the UK skills that are vital for a modern economy.
This term a new computer science curriculum has been introduced to schools in England, and Education Minister Michael Gove has made it clear that he wants to see coding taught as a priority.
Ralph Rivera, director of future media at the BBC, said: "The BBC has played a hugely important role in inspiring a generation of digital and technology leaders in the past, and now it's time to reignite that creativity."
"We want to transform the nation's ability and attitude towards coding," he added.
Details of the programme were limited, but the BBC said that it would partner with government, educators and technology companies.
"From working with children and young people, to stimulating a national conversation about digital creativity, the BBC will help audiences embrace technology and get creative," the corporation said in a blog post.
A range of tools would be made available to give people "the skills to solve problems, tell stories and build new business in the digital world", it added.
Experts appearing in a video to accompany the speech, agreed that action was needed.
Martha Lane Fox, charged with getting more people online via her organisation Go on UK, said: "We are going to need a million more people who can work in the technology sector over the next 10 years. We don't have them. We've got to help to encourage people to go into that sector."
Meanwhile, Eben Upton - founder of the Raspberry Pi budget computer project - said he looked forward to seeing how the scheme developed.
"A generation of UK developers got their start thanks to the original BBC Computer Literacy Project and the BBC Micro," he said.
"This initiative represents a welcome return to computing education from the organisation that was responsible for my interest in the subject."
However, the comparison of the project to the BBC Micro raises potential controversy.
The broadcaster's decision to partner with Acorn Computers three decades ago angered Sir Clive Sinclair as he prepared to launch a rival machine, the ZX Spectrum.
"They are marvellous at making programmes and so on, but by God they should not be making computers, any more than they should be making BBC cars or BBC toothpaste," he told Practical Computing magazine in 1982.
"They were able to get away with making computers because none of us had sufficient power or pull with the government to put over just what a damaging action that was. They had the unmitigated gall to think that they could set a standard - the BBC language. It is just sheer arrogance on their part."
However, Apps for Good - an organisation which has helped students research, design and make software for three years - was not concerned by the new scheme.
"The BBC is entering a market where there's a number of players, but players who already work quite collaboratively," said Debbie Forster, the organisation's chief operating officer.
"Because there is such a big issue at stake and it is so important to so many different organisations what we are finding is that partnerships are formed more easily and more positively.
"Obviously the devil is in the detail in making it work - it always is - but it's a fascinating space and we look forward to hearing more and would be delighted for the BBC to join forces with everyone who is in here doing something."
Learning Tree International - a firm which makes money from running programming training courses - was also unworried about the idea of the BBC becoming a competitor.
"From the point of view of getting people more inspired about IT and into that world, as such, it can only be a positive thing," said the firm's marketing director Christian Trounce.
MONZA, Italy — Even after winning four Formula One titles, Sebastian Vettel is still prone to worrying errors.
Vettel made some key mistakes last season, allowing rival Lewis Hamilton to win the title, and the Ferrari driver appears to be throwing away his chances this year, too.
Ferrari was quicker than Mercedes all weekend at the Italian Grand Prix, even achieving a front row lockout in qualifying. That set the stage for what should have been Ferrari's first victory at its home track since 2010 and for Vettel to cut further into Hamilton's overall lead after winning the previous race in Belgium.
However, an early misjudgment cost Vettel as he hit Hamilton's Mercedes and briefly lost control, dropping back to 18th. Vettel eventually finished fourth but Hamilton won the race and extended his advantage to 30 points.
Last year, Hamilton publicly spoke about his rival's apparent vulnerability under pressure as something he could exploit. That might work even better this season, with the intensity ramped up even further.
"The heat is there and it is unavoidable for all of us, for me and him," Hamilton said. "It is very difficult for people watching who are not naturally in it to feel what we feel. The pressure is at its highest I can ever remember.
"That's the pressure you put on yourself, because you want to succeed. That's the pressure of all your desires and all your fears and also all the people who are depending on you, which is a lot of people."
Vettel insisted he had not been at fault in the collision but Hamilton pointed out that he and Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen engaged in an identical exchange later in the race with both drivers exiting the chicane cleanly.
It was the latest in a series of mistakes by Vettel, who crashed under no pressure while leading the rain-soaked German GP in July and gifted victory and the championship lead to Hamilton.
Vettel and Hamilton are both chasing a fifth F1 title to move level with Argentine great Juan Manuel Fangio and go two behind record-holder Michael Schumacher.
Ferrari has arguably had the better car this season but Hamilton and Mercedes still have the advantage in the drivers' standings.
"The pressure is so high, all I can do is really focus on trying to deliver every single weekend, which obviously I'm trying to do," Hamilton said. "I definitely feel I'm extracting everything and more out of the car, but these last races, considering we've definitely felt we've not had the upper hand, we have been one or two steps behind to then finish ahead by one step, that's an incredibly proud feeling for everyone in the team."
Vettel has not been helped by his Ferrari team making errors, too, despite the team's new-found speed.
In Hungary, Ferrari botched the pit stops of Vettel and Raikkonen, while the decision not to invoke team orders in Monza was criticized as an "own-goal" by the Italian media.
Vettel was furious after Ferrari's rotation policy in qualifying saw him miss out on pole position after completing his final lap in front of Raikkonen and giving his teammate a vital tow.
Vettel tried to pass Raikkonen right at the start in Sunday's race but the move was fended off by the Finn.
In contrast, Valtteri Bottas sacrificed himself for the good of the team again, waiting to come in for fresh tires so he could hold up Raikkonen and allow teammate Hamilton to close the gap after the British driver's pit stop.
Evolver is one of the better R&B albums of 2008, and Legend goes a long way towards proving himself as a jack of all trades.
Anthony Hamilton may have the better voice. Ne-Yo might write better songs. However, when it comes to smooth, mature R&B, John Legend is the man to beat. The protégé of Kanye West, Legend has amassed strong sales and critical kudos for his first couple of albums, Get Lifted and Once Again. He’s become known as the R&B singer you can take home to mom, a piano man in the mold of Lionel Richie and Brian McKnight. However, he’s got a more pronounced hip-hop vibe and a wink-nudge, sly sexuality that‘s a refreshing change from the crass sexuality found in most R&B and hip-hop lyrics these days.
This summer, as the release of Legend’s third album, Evolver, approached, the singer talked it up as a bit of a departure from the classy ballads he was known for. First single "Green Light" suggested a departure indeed. Spacey '80s synths and a rap from the irrepressible Andre 3000 contributed to make this bouncy, danceable jam a hit. With Evolver finally in stores and online, two questions need to be asked. 1) Is the entire album a departure for John Legend, and 2) Can he make it work?
The answer to the first question? Well, yes-the album is a departure if you compare it to the lounge-y Once Again. However, there was a strong hip-hop influence on Get Lifted, and Evolver is basically a better-produced, more eclectic version of his debut. It has a danceable, midtempo vibe that will appeal to the exact same people who already buy his music. So it’s not a departure in the sense of “John Legend Goes Gangsta”, but if all you know of Legend is his hit single "Ordinary People", then you’ll be in for a bit of a start.
Any great artist knows that in order to not shock their fans too much, they have to temper any “experimentation” with a little bit of what they do best and Evolver’s best songs are, you guessed it, the ballads. Two stick out immediately. "This Time" has to be one of the best songs Legend’s ever written and performed, with a majestic, cinematic quality. No doubt that’s due to the usage of former Yes-man Trevor Horn as a co-producer. I would be quite intrigued to see what Horn could do with Legend over the course of a full album. The other spectacular ballad is "If You’re Out There", a political-tinged “up with people”-type song that Legend performed for Barack Obama at this year’s Democratic National Convention.
The remainder of Evolver manages to successfully incorporate a few different styles while staying true to John Legend’s sound. It’s contemporary without sounding desperate. Highlights include the dramatic Brandy duet "Quickly", where the former teen diva and the piano man improbably match up quite well. There’s also a couple of reggae-flavored tunes that suggest Legend has gotten the island fever. "No Other Love" is a grooving, melodic jam with a quick cameo by Legend discovery Estelle (of American Boy fame), while "Take Me Away", a song that conjures up thoughts of white sand and clear blue water, finds Legend handing his pen over to another songwriter for the only time on Evolver. No surprise that the songwriter is current “it” man Ne-Yo. However, the song’s feel is decidedly unlike most of Ne-Yo’s other material, and as much as I like the music of both men, I don’t think John Legend would sound very good singing a stereotypical Ne-Yo song.
The great thing about John Legend is that he brings out the best in collaborators who are talented but don’t always put out satisfying work. Black Eyed Pea will.I.am has turned out to be a great songwriting partner, and the three songs he’s written here are strong enough to forgive "My Humps" (but not "Fergalicious"). The Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams, who has been on autopilot for at least half a decade, delivers a winner with "It’s Over", which manages to be hooky without being juvenile as so many Neptunes productions are. The signature horns from Grandmaster Flash’s Freedom are tastefully woven into this midtempo banger, and it’s enough to excuse the album’s low point-a half-assed rap cameo from Kanye West, who really, really needs to put the Auto-Tune machine away.
"Evolver" is certainly one of the better R&B albums of 2008, and Legend goes a long way towards proving himself as a jack of all trades. This more electronic, less organic version of John Legend is more or less as enjoyable as the balladeer stuck behind the piano. So I guess that answers question #2, doesn’t it?
At one point, the Chinese online travel industry (OTA) was fairly fragmented. But last year, Ctrip.com put an end to that. A strategic investment in smaller player eLongand the essential acquisition (in reality, a "partnership") of its main competitor, Qunar , gave Ctrip a 75% market share of China's OTAs.
But even though management said the company was expected to grow revenue by 75% in the about-to-be-reported first quarter, analysts were concerned. That's because the growth was coming primarily from the Qunar acquisition, not from organic growth of Ctrip's core businesses. It didn't help when management refused to break out what the expected organic growth was -- citing the fact that Ctrip and Qunar share much of the same inventory.
With that as the backdrop, here are three things that I -- as a shareholder -- will be watching when the company reports. Note that although an exact date has yet to be given for the release, last year's first quarter report came out mid-May.
Did the company meet revenue expectations?
Normally, as a long-term investor, I wouldn't worry too much about companies meeting such short-term figures. But because of the acquisition of Qunar, I think it'll be important for investors to gauge how the pieces of this now-larger company are fitting together.
Officially, the company expects to bring in between $610 million to $630 million in revenue. Usually, I focus on the growth in total bookings volume for both accommodations (mostly hotels) and transportation (airline, train, and bus), but those numbers are likely to be skewed higher in this larger enterprise.
One of the key benefits of consolidation among Chinese OTAs is that price wars are coming to an end. Ctrip had to endure a difficult three years prior to 2015 that saw gross margins plunge as competitors attempted to steal business away -- at a loss -- by offering up cheaper hotel and airline tickets.
Here's a look at how gross margins have fared since they topped out in 2010.
After falling for four consecutive years, gross margins showed signs of expansion in 2015. With CEO and founder James Liang indicating that some "rationality" was once again being practiced in terms of pricing in the Chinese OTA market, I hope to see continued improvement in gross margins during the quarter.
One of the not-so-great things about acquisitions is that you acquire all of a company's baggage along with its business. Qunar's biggest piece of baggage is a terrible relationship with some of the biggest airlines in Asia, including Air China, Hawaiian Airlines'Hong Kong Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines. Because of various disputes, all three of these companies refuse to list on Qunar's portal.
At the time of the acquisition, all three had good relationships with Ctrip and continued to list on Ctrip's site. But there's always concern that with Ctrip and Qunar being so closely tied together, the airlines could revolt.
In late April, China Eastern and Ctrip went publicwith a "strategic collaboration" that should ease some fears. However, it will be important for investors to monitor relations with Air China and Hong Kong Airlines to make sure they remain healthy.
Surely, this should make for an interesting report and conference call as investors try to understand what this newer, larger, and more dominant Chinese OTA is really capable of.
The article 3 Things This Shareholder Will Look for in Ctrip.com International's First Quarter Earnings originally appeared on Fool.com.
Brian Stoffel owns shares of Ctrip.com International. The Motley Fool recommends Ctrip.com International. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Syracuse Chiefs (Class AAA; International League) shareholders decided by a wide margin to sell the franchise to the New York Mets for $18 million, keeping the team at NBT Bank Stadium through 2025.
The vote was not close, with 88 percent of the votes going in favor of the sale. The Chiefs have been plagued by financial challenges for several years, even after the Chiefs First group loaned the team money in 2013.
Shares in the Chiefs were originally sold for $10 in the 1960s. The sale price is expected to be $1,300 per share, but a final number has not been established, as it will depend on how many “abandoned” shares are reclaimed. The public nature of the transaction is expected to take the rest of the year, with the Mets assuming control of the franchise in early 2018.
As noted, the Mets have committed to keep the team at NBT Bank Stadium through 2025.
The purchase by the Mets also clears up some issues in the team’s farm system. Currently the Mets’ AAA affiliate is the Las Vegas 51s, a situation that creates some logistical efforts for the Mets. The Chiefs are affiliated with the Washington Nationals through the 2018 season, an arrangement that is expected to continue. Under baseball rules, both sides need to opt out of a player-development contract (PDC) for any changes, and there’s simply no incentive right now for the Nats to opt out of a PDC for what could be potentially only a one-year tenancy in Vegas. Now, it could very well happen that the Nats end up in Vegas in 2019 by default. There are plenty of affiliate deals at the Triple-A level opening up in 2018, but most of these contracts will end up being renewed: it’s hard to see the Toledo Mud Hens and Detroit Tigers calling it quits, for instance.
CLEARFIELD – The 2010 Auction Committee is still collecting donations for the upcoming 15th Annual Anne S. Thacik Charity Auction. This year’s auction will be held on Wednesday evening, Oct. 13, at the Knights of Columbus in Clearfield. Sponsored in part by Home Instead Senior Care, this is a wonderful event you will not want to miss.
The evening begins at 6 PM with a silent auction and several prize drawings. A 50/50 cash raffle will be conducted. Last year’s winner took home over $1,000! Raffle tickets are available now and through auction night at a cost of one ticket for $5, or 3 tickets for $10.
The live auction begins at 7:30, with Bob E. Day as emcee, and local favorite, Pat Errigo, as auctioneer. Wine and a variety of desserts will be available throughout the evening for your enjoyment. More than 100 items are on the docket to be auctioned, including get-away trips, fine restaurant packages, autographed items, event tickets, theme baskets, handwork, and much more.
For more information and to view auction items, please visit www.ccaaa.net or call 814-765-2696. Programs and services of the Agency are funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging Inc, Mature Resources Foundation, and local and consumer contributions.
When it comes to frozen yogurt, a well-known chain that could open a dozen or more Central Texas locations hopes you’ll think pink.
The area’s first Pinkberry will debut in the Westbank Market shopping center, located at 3300 Bee Cave Road in the Westlake area, late this spring.
Over the next six years, franchisee Lone Star Swirls says it intends to open a combined total of between three and 13 upscale yogurt shops in the Austin and San Antonio areas.
Pinkberry, which offers almost 20 different frozen yogurt flavors that rotate on a seasonal basis, got its start in the Los Angeles area and has, over the years, become popular with a number of well-known celebrities, helping to fuel the company’s growth.
"We fell in love with Pinkberry when we were on a family vacation to New York City and knew that this type of yogurt would be a big hit in Central Texas," said Lone Star Swirls co-owner Elisa Pederson.
Nationwide, there are more than 200 Pinkberry locations, including some in the Houston and Dallas areas.

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