Economics/Geekonomics:
If we are in a recovery in America, it's pretty jobless and may still see losses.
People surprisingly unhappy with supposed 'free market' capitalism. The term is really vague, but the poll results suggest a public in many companies very open to regulation.
Forclosure sales are trickling into high-income areas in California. Still relatively small, but noteworthy since forclosures can have all sorts of collateral effects. My guess is this is probably happening or going to happen in other areas of the country as the economy grinds on slowly. As I've said about relocating (or staying still) know your local economy.
Anime and Manga:
Ai-Kon wants a new mascot – So here's a chance to get a bit of artistic exposure.
Movies:
A look at holiday movies – and there's less sequels and more originals than usual. A shift in Hollywood toward originality or just chance? Worth a thought for people in media.
In the unoriginality department the movie based on the game Battleship (no, honestly), will involve aliens. Yes. I got nothing here.
A formula to predict movie successes? I remain skeptical (especially as the data would change over time), but am also curious. Might be worth grabbing the journal it appears in from your local university or other source if you're interested in the industry – or just to see if it's BS.
Social Media:
Zynga to remove all CPA offers from games until further notice – To sort out display/appropriateness/reliability issues.
Technology:
Google buys mobile ad company AdMob for $750 million in stock – Even if you think Google's stock is overvalued (which I do), that's still a big buy. Google's clearly aiming to extend ads to mobile.
Video Games:
Electronic arts acquires social game company Playfish. Not unexpected, EA has been making a move to social media. This appears to come at the same time as broad job cuts at EA, of about 1500 workers. More info on what's up with Playfish here from their COO. If EA's cuts are BIG that's going to indicate a major shift in direction, and put a lot of talented people on the street. If EA is in your sites as a job-search potential I'd be careful for a few months (say until April 2010) until we know how this shakes out.
Star Trek Online goes live in February 2010 – Well worth watching because it's a big deal in so many ways. A success will doubtlessly embolden others – a failure (no matter the reason) will probably mean more caution in the game industry.
In the realm of Cool news, Activision announces a non-profit to help veterans transition to civilian jobs. Known for things like Call of Duty, it's nice to see Activision doing something like this – appreciating veterans beyond the game.
– Steven Savage
