Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
Steven Savage You ever get overwhelmed by career ideas and tamp down on them because they're distracting?
You ever decide that you're being too much of a geek or a fan in your career plans and try to be reasonable?
You ever think that you've got to be "rational and adult" and be like everyone else in your job?
Know what? Stop it. Do not choke your raving fan.
You are a geek. Nerd. Fanboy. Fangirl. Gamer. Technophile. Sports nut. That's you. Why are you trying not to be . . . yourself.
Surprises are a key to your career.
That of course sounds like a shocking statement, doesn't it? Aren't we supposed to plan our careers and navigate them carefully? How is it that surprise can help you with your career? How can sheer randomness help you?
For that matter surprises are, well, surprising. How do you work those into your career?
Tokyopop and Hulu. Sports fanatics coming together. Blizzard responding to upset users. It's a day of unity today in your must know geeky and fannish job news!
Economics/Geekonomics:
Wealthy people are more likely to walk away from underwater house loans. Some reasons are discussed in the article – I'd also note that financially it may just be easier for them to walk away. I also wonder what that means for finance as the wealthy may not WANT to take out loans . . .
Anime and Manga:
– appears to be a mix of video programming. Not sure this is a particularly intense relationship, but let's see what happens. Not so sure I'm big on an Otaku reality show though – reality shows seem kind of played out.
Social Media:
New company Sofanatics aims for sports fanatics with video web chat for sports fans. Knowing how people love to share sports events I think they might be onto something. They're in Helsinki, which may limit employment options there, but I want to see what they do because it sounds like they have a simple and effective idea – and sports geeks love their socializing – that's half the fun of sports!
Technology:
Emeter raises $12.5 million. They're a company that does smart meters and other energy-regulation devices, which is a growing area of interest.
More in the cool tech area: Theranos raises $45 million. They make devices for measuring drug interactions in real time. Sounds promising – and on a technical level, just incredibly cool.
MUST READ: An analysis of Apple's strategy which seems very spot on (and I say this as a recent Apple convert). It's informative, gives you ideas of what they may do next – and may give you a few ideas yourself.
Barclay's predicts that tablets will cut into netbook sales. I can buy that. Note that this is mostly assuming the iPad is the "tablet" in question.
Video Games:
Blizzard kills its real-name ID idea for forums. I haven't posted much on the controversy as I wanted to see the end, and the end is Blizzard dropping the idea sort of. Smart, as that would have given competitors an edge, but still a bit of a blow to their image. A good reminder to monitor your fans reactions and analyze what happens.
Is the next center of game development The Philippines?
QUESTION OF THE DAY: When non-iPad tablets come out, will it accelerate the loss of Netbook market share?
– Steven Savage