Earth Hour 2012

Will you be participating in Earth Hour this year?

Who & What:
Earth Hour is a growing movement to bring awareness to how humanity's behaviour impacts climate change. For 1 hour each year World Wildlife Fund (WWF) encourages cities, businesses, communities and everyday people around the world to turn off their.

When & Where:
It's happening today in your city from 8:30PM-9:30PM. Last year more than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries and territories worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour. Will you help to make it bigger this year?

Why:
WWF hopes is that we all will make an ongoing commitment to protect and preserve the environment.

How:
Today - all you have to do it turn off all of your electricity for 1 hour. Switch off the lights, turn off the television and unplug your electronics and appliances. Yes, this means your computer! It's a small commitment to the planet.

Instead you can enjoy a candlelight or flash light moment with your friends and family. Play board games, tell stories, go on a moonlight walk or bike ride. Use your imagination!

Tomorrow - you can think about how your habits affect the planet. There are little things you can do everyday to help conserve earth's resources:

• turn off the lights when you leave a room
• use your computer and video games a little less
• unplug your electronics, appliances or chargers when you're not using them

In the longrun maybe you'll be interested in learning more about how to save the planet from our own overconsumption.

Let's try to be responsible world citizens today so that we can enjoy tomorrow.

Update: I went to the official Earth Hour celebration downtown in my city. I had a great time! It was so fun! There was a live concert and a sing-a-long with a local glee club. We sang the Earth Hour anthem composed by a local artist.

More info:

• earthhour.org
• about
• what is climate change?
• get involved
• fun stuff
• events in your area

Slots, slots and more slots!

Every other week, Ameba Pico greets us with a new slot challenge. Although this might be fun for some -- I find it really frustrating. Why? Well, I know this can help you with earning different clothes and decors. But the downfall is ... well, what about the newbies?

Some (newbies) aren't aware of how the slot campaign works and how you win Casino Dollars (C$) to advance to another challenge and gain prizes. For them, slot challenges look impossible to complete it because of the big amount of C$ you have to win. Apparently they're not familliar with the Auto-clicker Tool that helps you bank C$ very quickly while you're away from the keyboard. Sadly, they just keep ignoring the slot campaigns since they know they can't complete it anyway.

What I'm trying to say is, someday players will get tired of completing every challenge. Also, Pico admins will run out of ideas in making new slot challenge themes. So why don't we get back to the old - but awesome - Pico quests? I think the last time we had one was the ninja quest in Edo.

I wonder why Ameba Pico stopped making quests. Those were fun - and not to mention newbies can play it, too. If Ameba Pico is capable of creating 3 quests, then why not make it 4? 5? 6? Or unlimited? I'm actually willing to bet that 90% of Pico players like quests better than slot challenges (that promise there's 7x winning but it's actually just 5x.)

That's a good idea right there, people.  And I don't know why Ameba Pico likes throwing out their very few good ideas. Instead, they keep their boring and bad ideas that are aimed to make money out of us.

Arabic Park

Ameba Pico community managers - in one of their few ingenious moves - have given us 9 parks where people are encouraged to speak their native language.

Having the language-based parks makes things easy doesn't it? Especially if you're new. You know you can count on being about to relate to people who speak your language. You can count on at least some people who speak English in English Park, Spanish speakers in Spanish Park, Tagalog speakers in Tagalog Park, etc.

But where do players like فاطمة الجميلة (Fatima beautiful) go when they want to connect with other Arabic speakers? Let's face it. Pico can be an isolating place for those looking for friends.



There is no Arabic Park. Why? There are tons of Arabic-speaking players. I see them all the time. Doesn't that warrant this language group having a park of their own?

There's space for a 10th World Community Park. Let's make Arabic Park happen, Ameba Pico.

In fact, why not just expand and add a couple more languages. I see many Italian and Russian speakers as well.

Is there a language that is "spoken" (typed) often enough in Pico that it should have its own Park?


If you feel strongly enough out this, please write to support@ameba.net and tell them how you feel.

Repost: Ameba scams it’s paying customers?

Reposted from RO80: Type Mag

Written by: "AF"

Did your Pico account get suspended recently?
When you contacted Pico World Support (support@ameba.net) to find out why did they claim you owed them money?

Last month this happened to me and I posted about it.

I found out that other Pico players had experienced the same thing! One person I talked to was suspended for 20 days. Another said she paid the money just so she could get her account back- even though she never requested a chargeback/refund at any time.

I can only imagine that many people just paid the amount without going back to their PayPal or credit card records to proove otherwise.

From the beginning Ameba's approach was to get the money. They didn't send any request to provide proof if you did not insist you had already paid.

This is a scam. This is extortion.

Ameba has not publicly acknowledged their mistake on the official blog. People who have received this same message should know that there's a possibility that they have already paid.

• When a bug prevented people from using a recent casino challenge Ameba apologized and offered players Tokens and more slot play time at 10x. [»]
• When a bug prevented people from sending Facebook gifts Ameba apologized and offered players the ability to send more gifts and extended the campaign. [»]

When Ameba misleads many of its paying customers ... there is only silence. No offer to make amends.

I want to hold Ameba accountable for it's actions. To publicly post on its blog and Facebook page about the situation and to make proper restitution to those it has accused and suspended the accounts of.

Read the full post »

AG Elitists?

Many Pico players are what I call "AG Elitists". Because they purchase Ameba Gold they think that they own Pico and that they're better than everyone. But how come? To enjoy a good life Picos simply need to be happy for the things you have in Pico that money can't buy: great friends with good hearts, fun times, a little space (room) of your own, etc.

Is AG really needed to enjoy Pico? ...
Players who live with this elitist attitude believe that wearing clothing and furnishing their rooms with decor bought with Ameba Gold is what makes time in Pico worthwhile. It's really not.

• There's nothing wrong with owning things that you like. But remember!: those things don't make you a better person. Owning virtual items in a game isn't more useful to your life. When a Pico looks down on another because they don't own AG items, it all becomes a big waste of money. It would be better for them to buy real food with that money instead.
• The way AG Elitists look at Pico life can be hurtful to others. Some AG Elitists call others who don't have AG "poor b*tches" and things that are much worse. What a horrible way to act towards others! Not to mention that is it against Ameba's Terms of Service to harass others.
• There are a lot of great things you can buy with Gummies or Tokens. AG isn't absolutely needed to buy and own some nice items. And ... with Gummies and Tokens you actually have to earn them; save up and buy them. For people who - for whatever reason - can't buy AG, this is really practical. Some people choose not to waste money on this game. 

Why do some Picos always wear AG clothes? For Picos who have a bad attitude this means ...

• They want to prove that they're rich. This really means that they are arrogant and insecure. Maybe they feel that there is no good part of their personality that people will like ... so they think having AG things will make them likeable.
• They want a boy or girl to tell them that they are "pretty or handsome".  Style is what you have. Not what you buy.
• They want others to be jealous of them and what they have.
• They are looking for a reason to make themselves feel - somehow - better than others ("elitists").

Players like me a quite happy to have clothing and decor items - even actions! - that we cost Gummies or Tokens. These things are nice and simple. "Nice and simple" is my preference and I like saving up and buying these items. Of course, if you have Gummies and Tokens you can't buy everything that Pico has to offer, but it doesn't affect how much you can enjoy the game. In the same way not all items in Pico can by bought with AG. Have you noticed that?

Why spend your time daydreaming about AG and all the things you can buy with it? This type of thinking could lead to becoming arrogant, mean, and putting yourself at a distance from other people. These ideas of "richness" and "wealth" are just silly.

Let's focus on being good people and having fun - however you choose to spend your money or time.

Thank you for reading.

I couldn't help myself.

After being gone for almost a year (I peeked in here and there to see what was new), I got a lot to b*tch about.



So I dragged this one back... she was unwilling at first but after a lot of whining... well, you see who won, right?




As far as I can tell not much has changed.  But seriously ... where have all the cute boys gone?  Hang on tight, you're in for a wicked ride.

Athєna Líα™'s profile message

I saw a really cool little Pico girl today: Athєna Líα™ . I borrowed that photo (above) from her blog, Sparkling Pico. I hope she doesn't mind.

She has a really great profile that I thought I would share with you. It says:

Love everyone in Pico world. Stop hate. Start love.

It put me in a good mood. When I looked at her blog that good feeling grew when I read her March 25 post: "... I would like you to please read one message which is very important, on my profile. Please spread this by just one favor: write it on your profile! Please! Thats what everyone had been trying to do to stop bullying. ....We need you!"

There are many bullies in Pico. But don't let them steal your enjoyment of spending time in the game. Report them to support@ameba.net. Even report bullies when you see them hurting others!

Wouldn't life be easier if we all followed The Golden Rule (treat others in the way that you would like to be treated)?

Multumesc (thank you), Athena, for bring us this very important message.

Back in the atmosphere.

Hello, Picolings. Do you recognize me? I'd be very surprised if you did.

The last time you saw me I looked much different. Well ... a year does bring changes, doesn't it?

On to the big question: why is Picostyle back?

Truthfully ... I don't know! The Loose Cannon - whom most of you know as "Peggy" - has been bugging me for a while, talking about reviving the blog; says she has big plans. Top on her list: Ameba's shortcomings, Gacha hatred and the lack of cute boys.

Peggy finally wore me down. And here we are.

I'm just as curious as you all are to see what's going to be going on here.

There are tons of cute and friendly players in Pico. I think I might focus on bringing their stories to you in short interviews.

A few changes to take note of:

• We're not posting our Pico names. This time, we'll simply be known as The Loose Cannon and The Instigator ... with occasional posts from The Young Gun (we're hoping). It's a little more Tarantino, don't you think? This is our way of setting a boundary. Of course, you may see us strolling around in Pico. Say hello. But please don't expect an add to our Buddy lists. Thanks.
• We're keeping the family of writers very small. Managing people is a tough job ... and this blog is supposed to be fun for us. We'll mix it up with guest writers so don't despair.
• We want to make things more interactive. How exactly that will play out only The Loose Cannon knows --- it's her vision. As always, please send us your drama-free stories and photos: picostylers@gmail.com.

Hopefully, we can win you back with the wacky content that started this all off. Follow us on Facebook!

Thanks for reading.

Ameba Pico language.

To kick things off here's a commentary from a tweenage writer. She's been a great encouragement to Picostyle and we're hoping this is the first of many posts she'll contribute to the blog. We simply call her "The Young Gun". - The Picostyle Team



Every day we travel around the game, searching for props, doing our daily ring backs and greeting our buddies. But seriously, how hard is it to complete your sentences with a period? I mean, the game's amazing and stuff. But are the players aware of how they speak inside the game?

It's necessary for you to write and speak in correct grammar. Not only will it make you look smart, but it keeps the place's chat box neat.

No one would appreciate people typing LYK DIS or lIke ThIS. Yes, we can say it saves time to type in shortcuts. Besides, this is the internet. It should already be natural to use shortcuts like, brb, gtg, btw, etc. But it only costs 3 seconds to complete your sentences with proper capitalization, correct grammar and of course-- spelling.

Here are a few funny things I;ve noticed about the language we use in Ameba Pico:

• lol is used even when the person isn't really laughing. It's overused to the point where it is now just an expression of being speechless. And what's worse is that people are putting along unnecessary letters like lolz, lolsxz, etc.
• afk is a reasonable shortcut to use ... but there are some people that can't understand what it means. I've tried telling this to my close friends in real life, and they don't know its meaning. So chances are, a lot of players aren't aware of this word.
• curse words your mother would not approve of. Unfortunately, this game has been open to several curses like The F Word -- as well as swearing in non-English languages. The F Word can be used in any type of sentence. Though it gets filtered, players still find a way to use it.

Sure, using these words are much more convenient. But if you want to look smart and neat, I suggest you better start cleaning your vocabulary and fixing your punctuation. After all, it isn't so hard to do it.

What things may come.

Newbs, douchebags, AG elitists: lend us your ears ... err ... eyes.

If you're reading this you probably still pay attention to the Facebook page or you keep up to date with the blogs you follow through Blogger/Google. We thank you for not deleting us.

In the coming weeks you'll see more posts from Picostyle. The faces may have changed but - as always - you can expect fun, informative and ranty posts from us.

Please be patient. We're still trying to get things in order around here. Writers will be announced shortly.

If you have suggestions of topics, issues or just plain insanity you'd like to see the Picostyle writers tackle, please send us your ideas through this blog post's comments.

Regards,

The Picostyle Team

Guess who's back? ...

More info to come in the next few days. We hope you're excited.