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Yaoundé-based sociologist Baba Wamé gives a stunning overview of how the Web has been appropriated by cameroonian women. More specifically, he shows how email and IM have been turned into on-line dating tools. He then raise raise awareness on the dangers of such practices for the women of his country.

Frank Beau, an independent researcher specialized in new media, talks about the "Metromantics" project. He basially describes the findings of a study of internet messages about romantic encounters in Paris' metro and show the sociological implications of such behaviors.

here's the latest Lift bit over on GenevaLunch, but since we all need more love, we're sharing it here:
[Ed. note: GenevaLunch is carrying a series of articles on the Lift08 conference: articles on Lift08]

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - "Games are about 'me'," believes Robin Hunicke, electronic game designer and artificial intelligence expert. As part of a panel about the future of the online gaming industry at the Lift08 Conference in Geneva, Hunicke calls games "beautiful," "amazing" and "magical."

Hunicke_lift08 Photo: Robin Hunicke on the stage's large screen at Lift08.

Future games should be designed to make the user feel special and connected to a community, loved, Hunicke said. Games should make users feel "like they're living".

According to Hunicke, the social networking site Facebook should be an inspiration for the future of online games. "Facebook is about me, and not about all of us," Hunicke said. "Facebook makes me feel like I matter." Gamers, Hunicke believes, want to feel at the centre of the world created by the game.

On the non-human side of gaming, Bruno Bonnell, founder and former CEO of the gaming company Infogrames says that entertainment will involve robotics in the future. "When you see a robot, it's almost like a fantasy," Bonnell says. People want to interact with machines. He predicts that In the future our homes, cars, and workplaces will house numerous robotic devices with which we will carry on conversations, and which will follow our commands.