Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
We all know the old trope about work – you get a job or series of jobs, save money, perhaps get a pension, and retire to lea a nice life in your 60's.
Of course by now we've seen this is an illusion for too many people, and many solid retirements have become mirages in the Great Recession. However, more than this illusion, I think that the idea of work-then-retire has been toxic to people's careers for another reason: it led them to take jobs they hate.
Do you feel out of control in your career – if you even have one anymore? Do you feel you can't make anything happen? Do you feel helpless in the job market?
I'm guessing if you're even reading this the answer, at some points in your life, has been "yes." It's OK, it's normal, most people feel that way at some point in their life. You may be feeling it now, in the Great Recession.
You've got a solution though, right at your fingers, my fellow progeek.
Lots and lots of video game news, Qualcom in India, and Flash gets a well-needed upgrade. It's Must-Know geek news time!
Anime and Manga:
News in Manga format? Japan has it. Interesting business model as well – might give you creative types a few ideas.
Social Media:
Twitter has 125 million users and climbing. Of course they're still working on monetizing (maybe with trending topic ad space) – and Twitter is reporting visitors (which are not the same as users) more prominently. Still good news for Twitter.
Technology:
Qualcomm gets Broadband rights in India for a sweet chunk of physical and band real estate. They'll be partnering with Indian companies of course, but this is a great deal for them, so I suggest tech-oriented progeeks see if they may be hiring . . .
Adobe issues a new version of Flash, which addresses a variety of issues (including some security issues) and improvements. Sounds like this one was pushed out because of the recent press issues. So let's see if this helps their image and solves some problems . . . or makes new ones.
Television:
A fascinating letter from Gene Roddenberry on Star Trek, and its fans and what it's about. Some insights on fans (he respects them), futurism, and Spock being intriguing to women.
Video Games:
Microsoft hopes to sell 5 million Project Natals. I'll believe it when I see it – I'm just not sure the motion capture craze is anything more than just Wii-envy. It appears when it comes to Natal and Sony's Move gamers aren't that aware of them.
Video game Talent Agency Digital Development Management starts a Social Media division. Might be worth checking these guys out if you're in gaming.
Looks like Ubisoft wants to move beyond packaged goods: it started a new digital publishing business. Now how many others will follow because of this?
There's money in . . . game peripherals? Ask Mad Katz about their success.
Question of the Day: So is there really any market for these new motion game peripherals – in fact, is it just a fad?
– Steven Savage