BullshitBingo

Bullshit Bingo for the Newton (Game)

Wish inspired by http://www.bullshitbingo.net .

Status: Done --- see Chris Christensen's shareware Buzzword Bingo for Newton.

Additional Features and Nice-to-Haves

• Select in Config. whether to leave center field blank (cute lizard icon as a joker field? Or Newton bulb-logo?) or also fill with a word.
• Customizeable user wordlist, maybe even store multiple theme sets (IT speak, Newton speak, PC speak, Mac speak, UNIX/Linux speak, hacker speak, family favorites, regularly overheard train ride phrases, most obnoxious commonplaces ever, the most meaning-depleted rhetorical figures of certain politicians, regular CEO-speak,...).
• Sound effect when a field is marked (turn off in i/Config dialogue screen) and for Bingo.
• Stop-watch function (as "game score") - records time from start to tapping on "Bullshit!" button (which might then play sound effect, see below).
• Maybe have ticking sound when the game is started (can be turned on in Config) to add some flavor of urgency and pressure?
• Tapping on Bullshit!-button when five in a row (or with Auto-Bullshit enabled) also activates visual reward: Backlight flashing on and off repeatedly (any MPs where BL is available), window with large letters "Bullshit!" appears on top (something nice to hold up and wave - think shareholder meetings, keynotes, etc., would make strong visual impression in any public/mass media setting -, then set backlight behaviour in prefs to either "On Bingo Backlight On/On Bingo Flash Backlight"...).
• Other visual reward settings: Change reward phrase in Config. to something else ("Set Bingo-Phrase to: Bullshit!/Bingo Words/Custom", where Bingo Words would show the five "winning" phrases ;=} and custom allows user modification), rotate reward display either portrait or landscape, toggle message mode between standard/flash message/scroll message across screen.
• Save completed cards, player names, date + time, name of meeting (maybe pull from appointments in Dates app?), time scores, access via score table.
• Round off with sound effects (must be toggleable in Config) - "Bullshit!" , either when "Bullshit!" Button is tapped and five fields are in a row, or automagically when the fifth in a row is tapped (alternatively set sound effect to cowbell or gong, or any sound the user installed on the Newt, e.g. Mac-sound package or others) - the latter bulllshit autopilot function must be a Config option ("_ Auto-Bullshit! on/off"), or it'd spoil any serious fun.
• Provide online help for game, option to print randomized cards for colleagues (on letter and A4 sized paper, or print even 2 different cards on one sheet), plus info on how to add new sounds. ;=}

For Release 2.0

• Add ASK/IrDA functionality in later version - generate cards for both Newts from one Newt's (i.e. Bullshit Server) phrase list, synch game start and stop, create + save score table for both players - maybe also do this via WLAN, Mail or serial off a server.
• Maybe provide option to export (upload/mail) phrase lists to a Newton Bullshit Bingo Server ("nBBS"), for sharing with other users. ;=}
• Also upload scores for certain events/meetings, like having a championship (imagine a group of people watching a box fight and playing boxing bullshit bingo, or Super Bowl-Commentator-BB, or State of the Nation-BB, or a share holders meeting, or a Steve Jobs keynote, and uploading individual time scores to a web-score board to identify the Bullshit Bingo Champion! ;=} ).

(DJVollkasko 2004)

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