Steven Savage

A lot of news all over the map geek-news wise, so let's go!

Career:
Into Med Tech? Here's a list of companies in the San Diego Area.

Culture:
Seth Godin is on a role with a discussion about arrogance. He notes arrogance is now used as a substitute for competence . . .

Economics/Geekonomics:
Yeah, don't expect an extenuation of jobless benefits. Yeah, I know jobless benefits are actually pretty stimulative. And yeah, the unemployed aren't just going to vanish or find jobs without these benefits.

Geek Law:
TechCrunch in the center of a post-acquisition legal battle. This has been building for awhile, but it complicates life after the acquisition.

Mobile:
Panasonic will start selling Android smartphones, making them . . . really not that unique. Sounds like a good move for them, considering they kind of sat out the whole smarthone thing.

Music:
An Indie Band Survival Guide? Sounds interesting. *I* might check this out to see if it's useful for other media . . .

Publishing:
Part twoof the Paid Content article on why the future of the digital book is big. Interesting, and frankly the point about economics being a driver is important. I'd also add that, with POD and Printers, the print book is going to be easier to get if wanted.

A review of the Color Nook. It sounds good overall, if a bit heavy and the app store isn't open.

Technology:
Official Google Voice iPhone App available. So after all the issues with acceptance, the HTML 5 version, here's an App for Google Phone. I'm not exactly sure what this means, except the controversy may be over.

Adobe doesn't seem primed to sell to Microsoft. Their CEO seems pumped and notes Adobe is certainly doing better. Doesn't mean much except it somewhat clamps down on the possibility of a sale.

Video:
TechCruch reviews the Boxee Box. Sounds pretty decent.

Video Games:
Zynga releases two games on Yahoo. This continues their efforts to get beyond dependancy on Facebook. Smart move on their part. I also figure this will encourage others to make similar efforts.

Bizarre Creations is closed. Looks like their latest game didn't do good enough (and had some bad timing). That's 200 people out of work, and a pretty good reminder that gaming isn't that stable right now, and how important hits are.

A look at how motion control plays into our emotions. There's going to be a whole book on the subject, so that might be worth it for you game pros to pick up.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Is Panasonic too late to the game?

– Steven Savage

Here comes Taibbi's article on the Rocket Dockets, here comes mail/messaging fusion for Facebook, and here comes a new Microsoft Casual Gaming Portal! Hang on tight, because the news is coming your way . . .

Career:
Gimmicks are bad in a job search – Commentary on overdoing it in a job search, with some stunning examples . . . that sadly don't seem as weird because I live in Silicon Valley. However the point it pretty good – I'd say that a gimmick is a bad idea when the gimmick overshadows you.

Culture:
So why do we prefer live events? Seth Godin has a few thoughts that may help you generate your own. A lot of this applies to social media . . .

Economics/Geekonomics:
Matt Taibbi's long-awaited article on high-speed foreclosures in Florida which seems to actually be bad enough to shock him, and he's not exactly shockable. This also helps give some perspective to how bad the whole home loan shennanegans have been and how they seem to lead from one kind of fraud to another. Tabbi has a way of getting attention, and if this story catches on expect a lot of anger, lawsuits, and political scrambling.

Comics:
It appears there's more Batman-mania beyond the live show. Say a new live TV show after the next Batman Film? Once that could even star professional Chameleon Karl Urban? Sounds like DC is going to focus on what I consider it's strength in televisions . . . and it might explain some of the eding of Batman: Brave And The Bold.

Media:
The Race to Replace Ticketmaster. A fascinating article on the oft-despised ticketing company, those going after it, and the people and technology behind it all.

Social Media:
Yep, you can view Microsoft docs in Facebook, which surprises no one following the recent news.

Facebook's email killer? More of a messaging integration system with email as an option. It's also rolling out over a series of months, which may be good since they can navigate any difficulties and check market reaction. A helpful walkthrough is here.

Zynga did not get the deceptive advertising suit it and Adknowledge are stuck in.

Technology:
Self-service is everyhere, from the Redbox Kiosks to automated websites. Well now a Massachucetts-based company in Taunton (insert Empire Strikes Back Joke here), got $9 million in investment for . . . make-your own ice cream machines. Their investment totals over $27 million. This is ten years in the making. Presented as an example of . . . well everything from innovative ideas to self-service to long-planned ideas. Plus hey, they're in one of the geek centrals and may need help spending that cash.

TokBox lands $12 million in investment and releases a new service to integrate their group video call software into websites. They've been around a bit (compared to other startups) and might be worth your time.

Video Games:
Microsoft launches new casual games hub which includes some social features and single-game, mutli-platform score displays. Simple, sure, but this could be the foundation of a lot more – pay-once-play-anywhere games, more integration with larger titles, etc. Feels like a good move towards Microsoft-as-a-service and moving them more into the gaming space where, frankly, they're doing some good stuff.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: So how aggressively do you think Facebook will pursue email?

– Steven Savage