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04.13.06
Sony, Google Break The Da Vinci Code
 By
David A. Utter
Part of the publicity for the Tom Hanks film based on Dan Brown's bestseller includes a puzzle-solving contest and lots of trips and Sony goodies as prizes.
The Da Vinci Code Quest on Google offers puzzle solvers the chance to win trips to New York, London, Paris, and Rome, and Sony gadgets like HDTVs and VAIO laptops. It also represents an interesting integration with Google's Personalized Homepage.
Starting on April 17th, users who have added the contest's content module to the Personalized Homepage will have an opportunity to solve that day's puzzle. There will be 24 daily puzzles presented over the course of the contest, and the first 10,000 people who have solved all the puzzles and submitted an entry form will be finalists and eligible to continue in the contest.
Those finalists selected to compete in the final puzzle challenge will be sent a Cryptex and a screenshot of four codes. One of the codes opens the Cryptex and reveals a scroll with instructions on accessing the final puzzle challenge, a time-sensitive series of five puzzles.
Whoever correctly solves all five puzzles the fastest wins the grand prize, the impressive collection of trips and electronics Sony and other sponsors like Orbitz have provided.
After accepting the rules, the entrant will be prompted to add the contest module to the Personalized Homepage. At 1 pm EDT on April 17th, the first puzzle should appear, with new puzzles appearing every 24 hours.
Fortunately, no elderly museum curators were harmed by albino fanatics in the creation of this contest.
About the Author:
David is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and
business.
Gay Community Embraces Online Travel
 By
Jason Lee Miller
Gays and lesbians are more likely than heterosexuals to make travel arrangements online, according to a new poll by Harris Interactive. What's more, the gay community is several times more likely to cite fair treatment in their top three most important considerations for choosing hotels.
The survey revealed that 79 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GBLT) respondents say they most often book hotel accommodations for personal travel, compared to 54 percent of heterosexual respondents.
By nearly a three to one margin, 22 percent of gays and lesbians chose "fair treatment of guests like me" as a top consideration for choosing a hotel for pleasure travel. When traveling for business, 16 percent chose this consideration compared to just four percent of heterosexual respondents.
The survey, done in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, a firm with "special expertise" in the GLBT market, was conducted via a national online survey of 2,581 adults aged 18 and over.
"These results may further provide evidence of the love affair between gay travelers and the Internet," says John Butler, Senior Communications and Marketing Strategist for Witeck-Combs. "The survey results also show us that many factors, not just price and location, go into hotel choices, and that's no surprise for any consumer."
One of the more important of these factors seems to be a hotel or travel company's reputation for fairness to marginalized communities.
"What also stands out again is the reputation that a hotel property signals by treating all customers, including gays and lesbians, with fairness, said Butler.
"For most, that simply may mean welcoming with equal respect, which experience shows us actually differentiates one hotel brand from another in terms of true hospitality."
About the Author:
Jason is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and
business.
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