News and Analysis

Dismal economic news which is bad, Disney gets a dismal property that is good, Supernatural the Anime makes dismal monster-fighting cool, and the chance to send money from iPhone to iPhone is anything but dismal! Let's go and see what's dismal and what's coolin geek career news!

Career:
A quick crib sheet on what to ask an employer.

Thoughts on how we can get rid of Business Cards. I'm gonna give it decades for it to go away if ever.

Economics/Geekonomics:
Consumer credit declines in June – Not surprised in any way shape or form. I actually think this might be a good thing.

Unemployment picture? Still like a horror film. Nonfarm payroll is ugly still – complete with unpleasant charts. Also things aren't good for people just not being in the workforce, despite a bit of a dip in the last few weeks. Lots of people just plain not looking . . .

Anime and Manga:
The teaser trailer for the anime adaption of 'Supernatural' is online. Doesn't give me much on the show itself, but it looks kind of neat – and seems to take some different directorial take than the show.

Comics:
DC Comics Senior VP of Creative Affairs is leaving in the next three months. Wonder what that's going to mean for DC and their continuing changes.

More Disney News – They acquired the rights to the gritty comic Oblivion. A minor thing apparently, but Disney is on the move, so let's see what else happens.

Locations:
The Globalization of Major League Baseball Talent – Because sports geeks are geeks too, and let's face it, this is just awesome chartiliciousness.

Mobile:
By 2012 Android is projected to outstrip iPhone worldwide. Of course 18 months is a long time, but I still say (and I know Bonnie will agree) that you can't go wrong knowing about Android as a programmer, marketer, and more.

Exchange money via bumping iPhones? Bump technology is going to allow it. The tech has been there for awhile, but this is going to be something that will appeal to many people. More on Bump here

Social Media:
Gaia Interactive gets a new CEO – It's Mike Sego, who's been there as CPO, and has quite a background. Good for Gaia? I'd say so – so what's next for them?

Facebook on 'Lockdown' to deal with Google– No, they're really calling it that. This is not just a plan, it's an attitude. So let's see what Facebook does as it gears up to produce something Google can't dilute.

Education Online's future is getting social according to this author. If you work in education or thought of it, something you may want to consider.

Technology:
Apple's new try-before-you-buy not what you may think – Well, it's a start.

Google is aiming for small business with a new blog.

Video Games:
Zynga's probable rival in Japan made a ton of money in Q1 – $279 million. This makes me want to get the popcorn . . .

Writing:
Is the Novella making a comeback – Something for you writers out there to think about.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:So do you think the Novella is making a comeback?

-Steven Savage

Google/Verizon weirdness, live-action CGI single celled adventure, and plenty of Social Media news! Grab some Natto and let's check what's up?

Breaking Nerdity:
There's been a story going around that Google and Verizon were planning some "special delivery" for Verizon services, which spawned assorted denials. The story is still going and growing, so tune into Techmeme here. It looks like it is more of a separate agreement on some content but is doubtlessly going to tie into the larger net neutrality debate. By now, it's just confusing so I'm going to wait to see what happens – or some of this could be a kind of force-the-FCC's hand trick. Yeah, I know . . .

Career:
Useful advice to fail at your job search.

Interested in the Hidden Job Market? Some tips for leveraging it.

Economics/Geekonomics:
One of the Calculated Risk folks on why he thinks we'll see a slowdown in the second half of 2010. I think he has a point.

Hotel occupancy appears to be up, which may be a sign of some recovery in tourism and travel. There's also some good signs in job postings.

Even more from Richard Florida on the geography of high-paying jobs. I'm hoping he's going to do a whole book – or paper – on THIS, because I'm seeing some megaregion shifts that intrigue me – and I wonder what the cultural impacts are.

Anime and Manga:
OK, Moyashimon was a manga that got an anime and now has a live action with CGI version on DramaFever.com. I guess talking to single-celled creatures is popular, but I'm also more curious to see what's up with DramaFever.com – which looks to be a Crunchyroll.com rival . . .

Social Media:
Google to buy Social Application Maker Slide. Slide is big on Facebook and MySpace. Sounds like it's Google's expand-and-dilute strategy as usual – and probably a good strategy to have a local company. More Everything Wars . . .

Zynga buys Japanese social game firm Unoh. Zynga's expansion into Asia continues . . . and their rival may be DeNA in Japan.

Meanwhile on the Facebook front, Facebook has been buying social networking patents. These seem awful broad, but they're obviously trying to shore up against competitors and potential competitors.

Technology:
Is the answer to your business future in sites where people ask questions. Never thought of this one, but question sites also allow for targeted advertising.

Video:
Chinese Video site Tudou raises $50 million. Don't know too much about them, but that's a lot of money and it sounds like they have ambitions for original work.

QUESION OF THE DAY: So are Question Sites the Answer for a new business?

– Steven Savage