* The Engine Room's expanding like something very expandy indeed- The Chef's kicked off his weight loss challenge in order to squeeze another staff member or three, into what's rapidly becoming an even more busy and dynamic Studio.

So, a round of welcomes is in order!

Our new recruits include marketing guru and actual honest to God Y-chromosome-only sporter, Emily-Jane Shurey. We’ve been lucky enough to lure away from a slew of other outfits, keen to exploit her boundless energy and inexhaustible industry savvy. Winning Emily is a major coup for us, and we're eagerly anticipating her enthusiastic approach to drive some hot new projects in the months to come – she’ll keep you updated!

Finally, for now at least, is Shyam Ganju our go to boy for all things development oriented. Shyam's hanging for the day Tom manages to pronounce his name correctly, but for now is content with driving Fady insane with some very loud hip hop.

All will be hazed in the appropriate manner, but for now, welcome everyone!

It seems like we're moving in a new desk every week or two, and Kraig may get his ultimate wish granted soon enough- the removal of the ping pong table may be mere WEEKS away. Probably just in time, too- homicide never fixed anything, did it?

*Update!

We're actually expanding at such a rapid rate, that we're going to need some new office space, stat!

If you have, or indeed know of anyone, ad agency preferable (but we're open to suggestions!) who has space in the South Melbourne/ Bayside region available for up to twelve well mannered, industrious young individuals with a fine line in web, motion and graphic design, then drop us an email at your earliest possible convenience.

* Next up: new site! 

Yep, we've chucked the award winning Flash gymnastics exercise that was Engine Room Online Mark I in favour of a more restrained, bloggy format for the time being.

It's the web 2.0 thing to do, apparently.

ANYWAY, the new format should give us a chance to interact more directly with you, gentle punter, and allow us to keep you 100% up to date with the glut of new work that's on the launch pad. Not to mention, inundate you with all manner of self-indulgent waffle and detritus as we see fit.

You can check out out our microsite here, too, for a more concentrated taste of all things ER!

* The ER By Numbers- April 2008

Click the image to enlarge our handy, ultra scientific graph!

(All statistics are averages per day!)

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Just in case you didn't know, we went to Fiji a month or two back, partially sponsored by our good friends at Taunovo Bay.

Team ER lived it up in decadent style for ten or so days, occasionally feigning an attempt or two at work between sun drenched loafing interspersed with some fine, fine dining and some truly impressive bar tabs.

Kraig somehow managed to get his Warcraft fix on, Fady kept the ever elusive Taunovo 6 wi-fi connection in his sights, Jones considered going native and the Chef consumed most of the island's supply of Fiji Gold. 

Meanwhile, Archer Jo Hoban, spawn of the Chef's loins (can we say that?), continued her campaign for the title of 'Best Baby in the World, Ever', and The Frith maintained her position as 'Why Can't All Accountants Be This Cool?' spokesmodel.

Check out the photo gallery for the full deal- a picture says a thousand words, apparently, and who are we to argue?

 

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heard of MobVlogging? well with the dawn of our new MMS server technology it will be closer to buzzword status, we hope.

For the rest of us, the idea, 18 months in the realising, has just hit testing phase and The Engine Room is hoping to open this puppy up to the world over the next couple of months.

Basically you can record mobile video from your phone MMS it to our testing number and have it appear AS IF BY MAGIC on a web page a minute later!

Plans are progressing to wrap this service in the full YouTube style front end that will allow users to rate the videos, comment and vote making it the perfect addition to any digital campaign !

Can anyone say Web 3.0.. .

In the name of research and suffering for our art, the ER crew recently handed in their permission slips and struck out on an excursion to everyone's favourite surrealist Rubik's cube, Fed Square, to check out ACMI's Game On exhibition. A top-notch day, not to mention a well deserved dose of sunshine and interaction with honest to God, human beings in a non virtual setting,

On arrival, the boys cracked their knuckles in gleeful anticipation, assumed the 'elbows out' console gaming posture and ran rampant through gaming history nirvana.

Like a trip down the rabbit hole into gaming nirvana, our boys were like slightly less swishy variations on Alice In Wonderland, chuffed and running amok amidst three or four decades of interactive entertainment history. 

Indeed, it was a couple of hours well spent: the faintly BOYish scent of nostalgia, sticky controllers, and a gauntlet of 'comic book guys' hogging the Halo display. All in the interest of bringing you, gentle client, the best, most up to date gaming promotion oriented service possible.

See what we do for you guys?

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There's a whole pile of work currently on the boil here at the ER. These include but aren't limited to:

Check out some of our recently launched and highly acclaimed efforts, too:

And don't forget to keep your eye on the site for constant updates on all sorts of exciting ER developments!

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Are YOU a go getting, bright eyed bushy tailed programming savant, with a snappy line in Flash and a tragic interest in all things geek (preferably computer gamy, pop culture-y and science fiction television-y)? Is Joomla your bitch? Do you maintain an enthusiastic knowledge and mastery of all facets of interwebbery? Does the thought of working for clients like Football Victoria fill you with unrestrained, nigh on euphoric joy and excitement? Do you tremble in anticipation when someone throws a database oriented acronym in your general direction?

If so, drop us an email or call us to arrange a chat- we're always keen to check out new blood and rising stars!

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