Book Review: Japanamerica

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Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded The U.S
By Roland Kelts

ISBN-10: 140398476X
ISBN-13: 978-1403984760

PROS: A breezy, readable, yet informative look at how Japanese pop culture has become part of US culture, mixing theories, the big picture, and personal stories.

CONS: The book's approach makes it more useful for getting the big picture than direct research.  Some theories may seem odd or vague.

SUMMARY: An interesting and thought-provoking book that can help you get a good picture of how Japanese culture has become prominent in the US, why it may have happened, and the future.

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Frustration Friday – Trending to Stupid

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I'm a news junkie.  I'm also a geek, which means that I'm used to getting my news from some blogs, aggregators, and sources that are pretty informed.  You know what I mean of course – you're a fanboy, fangirl, geek, nerd, otaku, what have you.  We THRIVE on information.

Which is why I'm getting a bit tired of the news cycles of the geekosphere.  You know, where you can predict to the quarter – if not the MONTH – what the big story will be, who will be up, who will be down.  Those times where every few months this company is big – and the next few months they're in trouble.  Those times when the news "discovers" something they discovered a few months ago.

It's getting old, people.

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Advice: Keep people informed

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Last week I noted that I was surprised to find out that there was development of a Warhammer 40K MMO . I recalled vaguely the past that there had been some development, but I'd completely forgotten about it.  Of course as I looked back on it, I realized there had been so little news on it I'd pretty much forgotten about it or figured it was gone to Duke Nukem territory.

This is a big reminder to people working in or with the geekosphere: awareness.  This applies to your business, your fannish products, and even yourself.

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