Steven Savage

Economic meltdowns,casting rumors, and more!

Economics/Geekonomics:
Crush Object Barry Ritholtz notes we may already be in a recession, or at least on the cusp of one. Maybe we got our double dip already . . . damn it. Follow closely, it may be time to play it safe again – or keep playing it safe.

The Street looks at myths politicians want you to believe about economics, and there's a few surprises in there for even an econogeek like me (in my case, millionaire distribution, and I'm rethinking corporate organizational ideas). A good read to keep you thinking.

Meanwhile Barry invites Dylan Ratigan goes on a rant about the economy that's surprisingly heartfelt. Remember the last time an economist went on a rant we got the tea party.

Anime and Manga:
A roundup of the JManga panel at SDDC and a transcript here. Sounds like an integrated site with lots more than manga, aiming for broad appeal – but starting with the hardcore fans. Needless to say you need to pay attention to this if you want to work with manga and related industries – because a success could make this a serious powerhouse (and oh, imagine if they had an indie line . . .).

Comics:
Benedict Cumberbatch is talking to Marvel? For those not familiar with him, he applied to be The Doctor, was a smash hit in BBC's updated "Sherlock", did a two-man stage play of Frankenstein, and will be Smaug in "The Hobbit" (Across from his Sherlock co-star). My take is that if true he's being considered for Doctor Strange, a role he'd do excellent in – and this could produce good cross-ocean marketing. He's an actor To Watch anyway, but I'd like to see what's next if his star keeps rising – since it means properties he's attached to have a good chance of success or at least money.

Publishing:
Kindle cracks down on eBook spammers which I'm all for. Sounds like they didn't panic and are handling this rationally.

Tablets:
HP cuts Touchpad prices to compete with Apple – of course new ones are coming anyway.

Yes, Tablets are the future, but the presence is still kind of miserable. I'm starting to think Tablets may be used as a kind of perverse loss leader for awhile, at least for the current generation – to loose or not make money but lock people into a brand. Of course they're worth working and developing for, but the marketing variability – and potential strategy changes – could change your job if you're a tablet dev. I'm especially concerned that, if companies use tablets as loss leaders they won't give them much support and attention until they're more profitable.

Video:
Netflix testing an interface for kids. Sounds like they're practicing a demographic-specific system – which may not seem any big shakes, but consider their presence on many devices and focus on streaming – having a kids-only, lockable, etc. menu is going to be a good sell to parents.

Side note, how much do you think a cheap Netflix-only device for TV would need to go for to make it viable? Just wondering.

Video Gaming:
Nintendo being pressured to move to iPhone. No I don't think they'll do it – yet. But I've been saying this for about a year – Nintendo could do well as a software-only company. However they have chosen a strategy that, though erratic, seems to work for them so far.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What would Nintendo moving to iOS and/or Android devices mean for developers?

– Steven Savage