Pico Fattening Us All?

Look at all that candy, cake and food (no, you cannibals! I'm not one of the foods. Unless you want to eat contact me at [insert contact information here]).

LOOK at it. Yes, with your eyes, silly!

Is it possible that our Picos look so chubby wubby, because the Pico Staff is feeding us all this UNHEALTHY FOOD!?!?!?!?!? Possibly. But I know you guys (PEGGY) are already gurgling with hunger at those covered-with-frosting floors. At that house made of cake and candy (is a cannibalistic old lady living in there ... or is it just me?). A pool filled with candy. A floor over filled with goods.  WHAT IS GOING ON?

My limbs are flying in the air -- and my throat ... it is producing a  loud scream (my scream): "AYOOOOO WHY SO MUCH CANDY-OOOOO!"

Ah. I guess it's ok ... now at least we won't starve.

And I'm in a good mood ... so ... yeah. :)

I think this was supposed to be a rant, tho. FAIL. 

-Ora

Meeting Mr.Pidut ◦˘ε˘◦

I got a letter yesterday from the effervescent Mr.Pidut ◦˘ε˘◦ - one of the winners of the first ever Pico room contest (he has changed his name since then). Mr.Pidut reads Picostyle and really wanted to have his photo on the blog, so, I decided to meet him and have a little chat.

Pidut asked me the most unusual question. I had to break my "never answer a question with a question" rule to reply (he laughed at my response):

(11:09) Mr.Pidut ◦˘ε˘◦: why are you black?
(11:10) Catero: why are you white?

Mr.Pidut, who wants to be a "fashion Pico" enjoys building and is in the process of redecorating his award-winning room.

We met up amidst the hustle and bustle of Japanese Park, then went to have a quiet chat in a private room. What immediately struck me about MrPidut was his jovial nature and his Bono meets Prince fashion flair ... with ducky lips.

Where in the World do you live?
Mr.Pidut: Indonesia.

Why do you like Pico?
Mr.Pidut: Pico is my life.

Why is Pico "your life"?
Mr.Pidut: Hmm ... because I feel the happiness in Pico.

What do you do here that makes you happy? Do you hang out with friends, build with your blocks or something else?
Mr.Pidut: I have many friends in Pico. What makes me happy is being able to make friends. Also, my room award has made me very happy here.

Which room contest did you win? Halloween? Winter?
Mr.Pidut: The first ever Pico room contest last year. I won this Red Room Stick Trophy. I've redecorated since then. My house is now "the kingdom above the clouds".

(Mr.Pidut's name was different there, but he wouldn't share what his name was, though he mentioned his first name was -RB-LOKI loki. He is truly an international man of mystery.)

What do you want Picostyle's readers to know about you?
Mr.Pidut: Hmm ... Well, I want them to know me well. They can even add me as a buddy in Pico.



There you have it, folks. If you see the dashing Mr.Pidut ◦˘ε˘◦ around Pico please prop him and encourage him to start a Pico fashion blog where he can show off his rock star style.

Much ado about hacking by Benry

Written by:


Okay, so everyone is paranoid lately, talking about hackers "stealing" favorites and clothes.

So, let's make this clear:
There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY a person can "steal" anything from you on Ameba Pico.

The only way to do that would be accessing Ameba Pico's server and stealing the information from the database, and then decrypting it and then ... well ... that's what a real hacker would do and real hackers don't waste their time with games like Ameba Pico.

Besides, a game like Ameba Pico is already protected against these kind of attacks.
The problem with the loss of favorites and the items is a bug. What's a bug? I'll quote Wikipedia:

"... the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways."

So, it's an error in the game, that hopefully they're working on fixing.

Did you lose any items? Just report the problem and I'm sure that you'll get them back.

Some people have been locking their rooms trying to prevent attacks from the imaginary hackers. Let's be realistic, a real hacker would find a way to get in your room anyway. And it doesn't even make sense that the hacker needs to be in your room to steal your stuff in the first place.

The Truth About Hacking
So, can someone steal your account? Of course they can! But in Ameba Pico, "hacked" is just a fancy word for "I'm an idiot; I gave my account information away."

What are the most common ways to steal your account?

• Confidence tricks. The trickster will deceive you into willingly giving out your account information. To get into your account they may tell you that they'll put AmbebaGold into your account, for example, or by giving you some other too-good-to-be-true story.
• Phishing scams. You will get a fake message, an email, or an URL for a fake website that will require you to to respond by providing your Pico account information. The message might say that your account will be banned, or that you'll get free AmebaGold and a magic panda. Most phishing websites make you fill a form with your account information, and then your account information will be sent to the perpetrator's email address and they will have all the information needed to log in as you and take over your account.
• Keylogger "spyware" software. It's a stealthy method of capturing and recording computer users' keystrokes, including sensitive passwords (and sometimes it even takes snapshots of your screen) and emails that information to the spyware owner. A keylogger must be installed by anyone who has an access to your computer or it can be attached to a virus from a file you download.

Protect Yourself With Common Sense
So, how can you prevent people "stealing" your account? Well, change your password every now and then.

If someone asks you for your password, don't be that stupid.

Did Chloe send you an email asking for your account information to give you a free pony? Ameba Pico will NEVER ask for your account information.

As for keyloggers. Just get a good anti-virus software for protection, turn your firewall on, and you'll be safe!

Sick of the Virus Talk
I have also heard some people saying that they got a virus playing Ameba Pico. Viruses are most often passed through files that a person downloads, which are corrupted. Flash games, like Ameba Pico do not download anything to your computer. Unless you're downloading files, and running/opening them on your computer you are not going to get a virus from playing the game.

You can, however, get a virus by clicking into someone's URL and downloading something (and you can also end up seeing some ... pretty nasty stuff). But again, if you have an antivirus software program, you're safe (just not from the nasty stuff people put in their URLs so if you don't recognize and URL don't open it).

The Final Word
So again, there are no hackers. You can't prevent the loss of favorites or items; let's just hope that Ameba Pico fixes that soon. If you don't want to lose your account, just follow my advice: keep your login information safe and private.

Want more of Benry's brutal honesty?
Follow Benry on Facebook.

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Many thanks to Benry for bringing some clarity to this situation, and to "hyoori" for alerting us to Benry's Facebook thread in which he discusses the truths and untruths about hacking in Pico.

Donation Park brings hope to Japan earthquake victims

Would you like to help earthquake victims in Japan?

If you have AmebaGold or are willing to purchase it, you can make a big difference in the lives of those whose lives have been devastated by Friday's earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Here's how: today, Ameba launches Donation Park, a venue where you can use your AmebaGold to purchase ruby red hand-held balloons that float away or stand-up balloons to place in rooms in sets of 10 or 50.

The park will remain open for 1 month - from March 11, 2011 to April 11.

All of the money earned from the sale of the balloons will go towards assisting victims of the earthquake and tsunami disaster.

You can buy AmebaGold by clicking the 'BUY AmebaGold' link in the top right corner of your Pico game screen. You will need a credit card or a PayPal account with credit to complete your AmebaGold purchase.



Virtual balloons not your thing? There are more ways to give!

• From the USA†:
• Donate online
• Call 1-800 RED CROSS (English) or 1-800 257 7575 (Spanish)
• Text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific.
• Mail in a printable donor card to American Red Cross, PO Box 4002018, Des Moines, Idaho, 50340-2018
• From Canada‡:
• Donate online
• Call 1-800-418-1111
• Text the word ASIA to 30333 to make a one-time donation of $5*
• Contact your local Red Cross office. Cheques should be made payable to the Canadian Red Cross, earmarked “Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami” and mailed to the Canadian Red Cross National Office, 170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2P2.

† Information source: redcross.org
‡ Information source: redcross.ca
* A one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill. Standard messaging rates and additional fees may apply to donation texts. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. This service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of the Canadian Red Cross by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.mobilegiving.ca. You can unsubscribe at any time by texting STOP to 30333.

The Face of Picostyle contest

With the blog stopping production on new posts in 2 weeks we would be remiss to acknowledge our loyal readers.

Are you the ultimate Picostyle fan?

If you are an avid reader this is your chance to step into the spotlight as the "The Face of Picostyle".

Here's how to enter:

1. Dress up in an outfit inspired by a Picostyle writer:
1. Hime gyaru Ayuhime
2. Old Navyish Catero
3. Colorful Gothic fashion contradiction Gem Rock
4. Preppy / hipster Ora
5. Psychadelic pattern machine Peggy
6. Hobo chic Pinkerton
2. Tell us why you're the ultimate fan. Remember, spelling and grammar count!
• Log into your email and compose a new email message ...
• To: picostylers@gmail.com
• Subject: My Face of Picostyle Entry
• Type these questions with your answers into the body of the email:
• What is your Pico ID?*
• How did you discover Picostyle?
• What Picostyler's style have you chosen to dress in? Hime gyaru, Old Navyish, Colorful Goth, Preppy / Hipster, Psychadelic, or Hobo chic?
• What is your favorite Picostyle article and why (include the article URL)?
• Has reading Picostyle inspired any part of you Pico life (example: what you wear, what you place in your room, etc.)?
• What makes you the ultimate Picostyle fan?
3. Take a 320 x 240 photo of yourself all dressed up in the Closet or Change Look menu.

• Enter your Closet or Change Look menu (click on yourself, click Settings then Change Look)
• Click Camera, make sure the image of your Pico character is fully in the shot (not cut off)
• Click the Take A Shot button and download the image to your computer
• Attach your image to your written Face of Picostyle entry
• In your photo and written submissions we are looking for creativity and uniqueness.

Your contest entry will be judged by 3 Picostyle writers and the 3 winning candidates (1 grand prize winner, 2 runner ups) will be announced on the Picostyle blog on March 21, 2011.

Entries that do not conform to the submission requirements above will not be considered. Please see this example.

Here's what you could win:

One (1) Grand Prize:

• Your photo in your submitted outfit taken in large format by a Picostyle writer and your written submission to appear on Picostyle on March 21, 2011.
• A private meet-and-greet with at least 2 of the Picostyle writing team on an agreeable future date/time.

Two (2) Runner Up Prizes:

• Your submitted photo and written entry to appear on Picostyle on March 21, 2011.

Deadline: March 19, 2011 @ 11:59PM EST

By sending your photo and written entry to picostylers@gmail.com you are giving us permission to post your submission publicly on the Picostyle blog.

We thank all those who send in entries.

Good luck!

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* Please do not change your Pico ID for the time of the Face of Picostyle contest. If you do, we will not be able to contact you to advise you if you are the winners. In the case that we are unable to locate you by your Pico ID we will select another winner.

We Want To See Japan's Cherry Blossoms Bloom Soon!

Hey everyone! This is Ora.

I have made up an idea to show solidarity to Japan, and that we are standing by you in such tough times. And so, the idea is that you change your Gmail theme to 'Cherry Blossom'. If you don't have a Gmail, or if you just want to send in pictures or drawings,or messages showing your support and we will post them (include your Pico ID).

We support Japan!
Wareware wa Nippon o sapōto!
我々は日本をサポート！>サポート!



Gmail Theme; image courtesy pablosilvioesquivel.com

Send your 'Support Japan' entries to: picostylers@gmail.com.




We want to see Japan's Cherry Blossoms bloom!

Questions and answers about the blog closing

Since last month's announcement that Picostyle will stop churning out posts as of March 23, 2011, Ayuhime, Peggy and I have gotten quite a few questions from readers about why the blog is closing. Even sweet_mom has gotten questions about it ... even though she no longer writes for this blog!

To clear it up, I'll answer the most frequently asked ones ...

Why is Picostyle closing?
Everyone who plays Pico logs on during their leisure time to do something fun. I started Picostyle as a fun distraction in March of last year. Since that time it's become a lot of work and it's stopped being as fun for me as when I first started.

I'd rather spend my time doing something fun in my spare time. Wouldn't you?

So, for that reason, the blog will stop producing posts to leave time for fun pursuits.

Why don't you hand over Picostyle to Ayuhime, Gem Rock, Peggy Hill or Pinkerton?
I considered giving over the blog to someone else when I decided to close the blog. Obviously, it's not the option I chose.

This blog is something I started and it will be something that I chose to end.

Ayuhime, Gem Rock, Peggy Hill and Pinkerton are definitely talented enough to branch off to start their own Pico blogs on their own steam, if they so choose. It is something that we discussed as a team and we will keep you informed of whether Picostyle team members will be starting their own blogs in the near future.

Will the blog be deleted?
No. The blog will not disappear. Picostyle will remain public and you will be able to go back and read the old posts.

After March 23, 2011 no more new Picostyle posts will be published and comments will be closed ... though, I may use the blog to update you about any Pico blogs the other writers may start so that you can follow those.

What will happen to the Facebook group?
The Facebook group will remain open. If Picostyle writers choose to start up new blogs, we will use the Facebook groups to link you to new posts on those blogs.

Aren't you concerned that you're disappointing your fans?
Of course I am concerned about disappointing fans, but a life lived to please other people is no life at all.

What will happen to the Picostyle writers after March 23, 2011?
The simple answer is that we will enjoy the time we spend in Pico.

• Ayuhime and Ora18 have something in the works that we will notify you of at a later date.
• Catero will continue to write on the Pico Perfect blog.
• Gem Rock is taking some much-needed time off.
• Peggy will take time off and travel around the world and break hearts in every port.
• Pinkerton's next move is shrouded in mystery.

Please ask any other questions you have in comments, as long as they are appropriate they will be answered; otherwise, they will be ignored or deleted.