News of the Day 2/3/2010

by

We’ve got plenty of i-enthusiasm for e-books, today, but just how enthusiastic are comic companies?  Here’s the geek news you need to know!

Career:
Is Gen Y failing at University Life? A Gen Y member is concerned about the possibility that universities aren’t being taken as seriously as they should be.

Monster.com buys HotJobs.com from Yahoo – Which doesn’t impress me as both are lousy. Maybe this is a good sign and something will come of this, but I’m not hopeful.

Economics/Geekonomics:
You’ve heard about people who, when their home’s value is less than the owe, they just walk away and let the bank take it? Well in some states they can be on the hook for the difference between the mortgage price and the sale price. This varies by a lot of factors, from the state one lives in to various legal agreements – and a bank may not come after the former homeowner for years. The impact of this can’t be understated, as people often walk away from a home when they can’t make payments anyway. This will ruin more people, continue to depress home prices (less buyers), depress home-related businesses (construction), and of course keep ramping up people’s hatred of the banks.

Have I mentioned that right now I would not work at a large bank or the credit card industry? Well I just did – if finance or finance tech is your geekery take a look at local banks, smaller banks, reliable investment companies, e-commerce, and credit unions. At some point the big banks and other institutions will get hit hard with worse reps, lawsuits, and new regulation – and that’s those that still survive.

Alan Particof on Venture Capital – Namely, it’s tougher to raise right now. He knows what he’s talking about, so keep his words in mind.

Comics:
Comics publishers react to the iPad – Forward-thinking, somewhat positive, is my take. We know e-comics will be bigger, we just don’t know how much or how it’ll be pulled off.

Publishing:
Major textbook publishers strike deal with ScrollMotion to make e-versions of textbooks – Details are a bit sketchy, so my guess is this was going on before the iPad, but knowledge OF the iPad was a driver. This fits the predictions that e-reader devices and e-reader capable devices may find a place in the classroom. If things go that way – and I imagine they will (have you BOUGHT a college textbook lately?) – it’s good news for Apple, e-reader companies, and ScrollMotion. Come to think of it it might be worth tossing them a resume at their website.

Border’s future? Probably consolidation with Barnes & Noble over bankrupcy says William Ackerman. That idea surprises no one – but then we know it’ll be one big brick and mortar store versus Amazon. What of the smaller bookstores then?

Social Media:
Mashable’s Social Media Job Roundup.

Technology:
Hackers steal carbon credits? I include this for the sheer geekery of all of it – environmental science, geekonomics, AND technology? Of course I had to!

Video Games:
Video game sales fall 8% worldwide in 2009 – A variety of factors seem to be involved, not just the global recession – including PS2 decline, portables, and more.

Star Trek Online has some virtual goods – I’m hearing a bit of annoyance on this – it’s unlockable species basically

Question of the Day: So, do you think e-comics will be successful in the near term? The far term?

– Steven Savage

Pro-Fan/Pro-Geek Pride: We Learn, Indeed We Do

by

I love technology, video games, and social media.

I love animation, anime, the kinetic visual creativity that it allows us.

I learn a lot from my obsessions.  I learn of new technologies as I follow gaming news – even if they don't relate to my job.  I learn about the complexities of international businesses as I follow anime news.  I learn what actors are doing in what games and what anime, I see trends and future possibilities.

You, the pro-fan, the pro-geek, the hopeful working otaku, ought to be incredibly, insanely proud of that fact that your obsessions are teaching you so much.

Read more

Con Report: Animation On Display 2010

by

I did several events at Animation On Display in San Francisco this weekend.  Despite being a bit ill, I had a blast and wanted to relate what I saw – and how my panels went.

Animation on Display is a small con in San Francisco – well small by some standards, it's a good 1000+ attendees.  It recently relocated to the Hotel Kabuki at Japantown in San Francisco, which you can imagine is a pretty ideal fusion; Japantown provides dining, space, and acts almost as an extra dealer's room.

I ran several events there, all fan to pro panels:

  • When Your Child Sees a Hobby As a Job – This panel was for parents, but I adjusted it to be more about families when everyone brought their kids.  This was really interesting as I spoke to parents and children about the possible conflicts of hobbies becoming jobs.  The parents who attended were all very cool and aware and supportive – as one man said he liked that the panel confirmed he was doing the right thing.
  • Otaku at Work: Why You Don't Have Your Dream Job – A humorous panel coming from a chapter in my upcoming book, a look at how and what sabotages people's dream careers.  This one was packed, and people seemed to really enjoy the humor and the insights it provided.  Another keeper, definitely.
  • Gaming as a Career: What To Expect – A panel I do on video game careers, focused not so much on getting in, but what the industry's unique nature means for your career.  Well-attended, and we had some attendees that shared wisdom too.  Lots of good questions were asked.  Also a gentleman who worked at crunchyroll found, after mentioning casually, that all eyes were on him with envy.
  • From Fan To Pro – Using your Hobbies in your career – My ever-updated panel did good.  We had some great conversations while I discussed ways to look at fandom differently to find out how to find career ideas.  A big high point was the group helping a person brainstorm a way to mix fandom, martial arts, and his own business.

I wasn't the only one doing these panels ether – this was a con with a heavy level of career oriented elements:

  • Panels on creation of iconic characters.
  • Panels on voice acting.
  • A panel on the nuts-and-bolts of creating your own fannish business by Venus De Coy (is there something about us folks with superhero names and fandom?).  She didn't waste time and went right for the serious things one has to do to make a fannish business, based on her own real-life experience.
  • Multiple panels on animation issues and careers.

This was a pretty intense convention event-wise; a lot of them were serious panels, even if sometimes done with humor.  It was an impressive lineup.  Indeed, I wished I'd been less ill since I wanted to go to more events (as opposed to sitting around waiting for the Red Bull to kick in).

The convention, as usual for AOD, ran extremely smoothly – they run with almost a military precision that keeps things running on time, AV equipment in place, and people moving properly.

The hotel was a bit oddly constructed, so for the first year there were some traffic jams, but they did get managed.  A new hotel is always a learning experience.

Everyone seemed to have a blast, as did I.  Next year, I need to get a hotel room and stay late.  I'll definitely be bringing a round of events to it for 2011.

– Steven Savage