WireTap Anywhere, Soundboard, and Second Life, Oh My!

Posted Aug 14 2009, 03:17 PM

ROCHESTER, New York -- August 14, 2009 -- This has got to be a first: A broad, comprehensive review of two of our star products being delivered by an avatar of the virtual world.

Click here to visit RadarReel’s site, or watch the review here by clicking below.

Read more...

The Scratching Post: Malaise - Malevolence or Meh

Posted Aug 10 2009, 05:58 PM

The past few weeks at the Ambrosia office have been, most concisely articulated, quite "meh." While production has remained relatively steady, and everyone has been trucking through their day to day tasks, its like someone pulled the plug on our collective pool of energy and we're all just idly swirling the drain.

I, personally, have been hard at work trying to pinpoint the catalyst and, after much research, have developed several theories on the recent change in overall office dynamic.

Of course, we could all just be caught like in the doldrums of summer -- the heat, humidity, and copious quantities of rain we've had the past few months dulling our normally razor sharp ninja-like wits. This is the sort of practical, uninspired, and entirely non-conspiratorial (boring) explanation for our wilted spirits that I would come up with in a creatively depraved state (cue yawns). Fortunately for all of us, I was not ready to give up there.

Another hypothesis is that el' Presidente has had Jake slowly replacing our grey matter with tiny electronic bits; effectively turning us, synapse by synapse, into robots. While this explanation is possible, and would explain the high-pitched ringing noise I've been getting near magnetic objects, I find it rather improbable based on the fact that I still manage several acts of sheer idiocy a day. No sensical human being would program a robot to spill coffee/ketchup/water all over itself/ the expensive equipment around it on a daily basis; thats just bad for business.

My grand postulate involves none other than that noisy little African Grey we all love to fear. While the rest of us have been plugging away like an army of water-logged zombies, Hector has been accomplishing some pretty amazing things -- even for her.

Two weeks ago, while squawking the afternoon away on her perch in Jake and John's office, Hector decided that it was time for a little characteristic mischief. It's no secret that John and Hector have a unique relationship, meaning she doesn't glare at his eyeballs or appendages hungrily as frequently as she does with the rest of us (even after he attempts to feed her his keys). On this particular afternoon, in a moment of birdie glory, Hector flew-- yes, flew -- up and over John's desk and showed him exactly how she was feeling. She pooped right into his keyboard. After this grand escapade, things quieted right down, but as John was trying to gauge her motivation, his eyes fell to one item in particular that lay precariously near the apparent target of Hector's bombardment:

The Doomsday Button. Of course!

In a further demonstration of Hector's newfound energy, she seems to have found a new zest for vocabulary. Usually Hector is finicky about learning new words -- for months we've been trying to teach her some really good turns of phrase to no avail. Not long ago, however (and surely to spite me as the office Ornithophobic), she took to creepily saying my name at random intervals. This past week, to everyone's amazement, the bird belted out "Soundboard" entirely unprovoked. Almost the whole staff heard it -- it was a total shocker, considering nobody has put any concerted effort into teaching her the word. Guess she really must be a big fan of the Hector soundboard we included!

And, as a last piece of evidence that Miss Hector D. Byrd is the energy thief, she has been hard at work in the foyer destroying the ceiling of her unspeakably expensive birdie sanctuary. We suspect, based on the rate of deconstruction and the appearance of the mounting pile of remnants below, that she has been inspired to create a bust of Andrew to sit at the entrance of our workplace.

Whether it was some sort of exorcism-like parrot ritual, a collective staff hypnosis, or she simply used her death ray on the lowest setting, it would appear that Hector has managed to corral the staff's creativity for her own. So much so that, from the past 3 weeks of news, her pooping on John's keyboard is my most blog-worthy item!

Until our office chi as realigned itself ... in coffee we trust!

Ambrosia gives back - Captain Hector flies home

Posted Jul 24 2009, 05:38 PM

Fans of our Escape Velocity series can only begin to fathom the horror el' Presidente experienced when, while taxiing along an airport tarmac in the Dominican Republic, the overhead announcement was made that Captain Hector would be piloting his return flight to the States. Our first in command felt a wave of panic; a cold sweat begin to form on his brow -- would he, in some ironic Hollywood-worthy twist of plot, really meet his fate at the hands of Captain Hector?!

Read more...

It Happened: The Hector Soundboard

Posted Jul 22 2009, 01:35 PM

ROCHESTER, New York -- July 22, 2009 -- Ambrosia's new audio-triggering utility Soundboard is getting great reviews and comments from podcasters, live performers and radio show hosts. Soundboard is quickly and easily falling into their routines and allowing for smooth triggers for their audio needs during performances. But you know the saying: "All work and no play..."

Now that the professionals are using Soundboard for what it was designed for, we'd like to offer some suggestions for its potential for entertainment. For instance a few of the crew have been using Soundboard to create their own daily soundtracks around the office: The "Imperial March" when the boss walks in, the occasional applause or rimshot when a joke is told, and even better: Virtual Hector!

So with Soundboard, a good microphone, and the help of a creative bird, we are pleased to offer Soundboard users your very own Hector D. Byrd Soundboard. An odd little collection of whistles, belches and annoyances from Ambrosia Software's very own African Grey mascot, Hector D. Byrd.

Please download this free from the Soundboard Add-on page.

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/soundboard/addons/

The Scratching Post: Soundboard, Stolen Cars, and Summer Sojourning

Posted Jul 15 2009, 12:43 PM

If you were anywhere near Rochester, NY last week, you probably heard a collective cheer from the general direction of Ambrosia HQ. With the much anticipated release of Soundboard (Steve's pet project), a wave of excitement swept over the office.

Of course, the relief of a product release doesn't ever last very long. Our PR and Marketing team furiously began making their rounds, webmaster Jake made sure our website and Ambrosia Store were all good to go, and Evan buckled down in preparation of any post-release tech support issues. All has gone incredibly well so far, and Soundboard has gotten some really positive feedback! (Any issues or concerns related with the functionality of Soundboard should be directed to help@ambrosiasw.com )

Following the string of bad luck the Ambrosia staff seemed to be having with our vehicles last month, John, being the ambitious guy that he is, had to one-up us all by having his recently-purchased car entirely stolen. John exited his house one morning on his way to work to discover only a little oil spot and a Big Wheel where his Mazda once sat! Okay, the thieves weren't awesome enough to trade John's ride for a Big Wheel (which, if grand theft auto were my thing, I would totally have), but his car definitely was stolen.

Read more...