If you could open up the fictional Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and ask it to explain the current credit crisis, the answer would look something like this video. About the only thing missing is the snarky attitude and snotty English accent. Come to think of it, those things would probably make this snoozefest of a subject actually enjoyable. Gets really good around the 7:20 mark.
The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.
According to an unofficial announcement in the News & Record, the date for the opening of the Greensboro Apple Store has been set as Sat., February 21st. The new Apple store at the Shops at Friendly Center is reported to be North Carolina’s largest and promises to be a Mecca for Apple fans across the triad. All this is conjecture of course since there has been no official word from the Apple retail website.
Center hours are from 10am – 6pm on Saturdays, so I think it’s safe to assume the new store will open at 10am that day. I and a bunch of the guys from work will definitely be attending the opening so perhaps we’ll see you there. Just watch for the gaggle of geeks wearing the Iconfactory t-shirts. Just one more week folks!
The withdrawal of Republican Senator Judd Gregg from consideration for President Obama’s cabinet is the most telling indication of where the GOP’s motive’s lie these days. As promised, Obama has reached out in the spirit of co-operation to conservatives and sadly, his open hand has been met by the proverbial clenched fist.
Gregg’s sudden inability to deal with the realities of serving in an Obama Administration have nothing to do with the census issue or even the stimulus package itself. No, the withdrawal that “blind-sided” Obama yesterday came from the arrogance and stupidity of the Republican party and their willingness to put their own political identity crisis ahead of what’s good for the country. Blogger Andrew Sullivan hits this issue square on the head:
“This much is now clear. Their clear and open intent is to do all they can, however they can, to sabotage the new administration (and the economy to boot). They want failure. Even now. Even after the last eight years. Even in a recession as steeply dangerous as this one. There are legitimate debates to be had; and then there is the cynicism and surrealism of total political war. We now should have even less doubt about what kind of people they are. And the mountain of partisan vitriol Obama will have to climb every day of the next four or eight years.”
All politics has changed. Gone are the days when those elected to government are willing to set aside their party differences for the good of the rest of us. Some individuals, like President Obama, have noble ideals and hope that co-operation can be a reality. The problem is that when you have a conservative party that has just had their asses handed to them for the second straight election cycle, they tend to dig in and bare for a brawl instead of doing what’s right.
The majority of the country thinks the stimulus package is the right move for the economy. The majority of the country voted in Barack Obama as President because they were sick and tired of the fiscal irresponsibility, the foreign wars of choice, the lies and the rose colored glasses. When President Obama treats us like adults and tells us like it is, the GOP screams “fearmonger!”. They pray for Obama and everything he stands for (which includes you and your economic well-being) to fail so that they can once again return to power. They call names and claim that not wearing a jacket in the Oval Office is “disrespectful” of the Presidency. Funny how a dress code can disrespect the Constitution more than 8 years of Bush’s lies, cronyism, ethics scandals and disregard for the rule of law.
If the current economy wasn’t so dire, the GOP’s behavior would almost be laughable. They have chosen to find their collective spines now, just 8 years too late for the rest of us. Spend a trillion dollars in Iraq? No problem! Spend 700 billion here at home on you and yours? Out of the question. If Republicans want to commit political suicide, that’s their business but stay the hell away from the rest of us. We voted you out for a reason, and the message on the ballot was pretty fraking clear. I don’t expect you to drop your role as the opposition party but the GOP’s antics aren’t opposition, they are obstruction, pure and simple. So when it comes to the safety, and financial security of every single American, you can either get on board or get the hell out of the way. It’s up to you.
UPDATE: Republicans could have gone a long way toward healing the political vitriol that exists in Washington by at least attempting to compromise on some of President Obama’s proposals. But as Think Progress reports they are having none of it. The GOP’s quest to put their petty political faces front and center has only served to steel the new administration against them. I dare suspect the same can be said for the American people as well.
One of the behaviors that the social networking site, Twitter, has employed since launch has been the ability of users to “protect” their updates. That is to say, a user can keep their tweets hidden from the rest of the world until they choose to let a particular follower “into the club” and allow them to be read. The theory goes that some users don’t want every Tom, Dick and Harry knowing what they are up to at any given moment, or perhaps they want to restrict information only to a select group of people like real friends and family. While I certainly understand the logic behind protecting one’s updates, the way Twitter has implemented the feature needs work.
On any given day, I receive from 5-10 notices that new people have begun to follow me on Twitter, which is awesome. Twitter is a social network after all and the more people that want to listen to what you have to tweet, the better. Whenever I receive a new follower notice, I visit their twitter page to see if they are the kind of user I would like to follow back. Typically this could be someone in the design field, or a big Mac geek like myself, or someone who is just plain funny. It helps if they have a custom page style or an interesting avatar, but what seals the deal are the last 20 or so tweets that I read on their landing page. I can tell from these tweets if they are posting updates I’m interested in, or if they are just tweeting junk.
But there’s a problem when a user starts following me who’s updates are protected. I can’t see their tweets. I have to “send a request” to gain access to the clubhouse before I know if I want to follow. This wastes everyone’s time and quite frankly is a little insulting. They can follow me on a whim but I have to ASK to follow them? I don’t think so.
This is a serious design flaw and Twitter needs to adjust the behavior of how protected users interact with those they follow. The good news is there is a relatively simple fix that would solve the annoyances of protected users and it is this: Accounts with protected updates should automatically allow their tweets to be viewed by those they chose to follow. In other words, if you’re gonna follow my updates, I automatically get to see yours without having to first ask permission. In my opinion, it’s only fair.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind if Twitter did away with protected updates all together. Although I’m sure my closest friends who protect their updates wouldn’t agree. They have chosen to limit the number of people who follow them by manually filtering all requests that come in. Are they friend or foe? Spammer or special someone? As far as I’m concerned it’s a lot less work to allow everyone to follow you than not. If I get followed by an account name that I consider “spammy” then I go and check them out. If they are a Facebook life coach or are hocking their blog non-stop then I block them. To everyone else I say, welcome to the Ged-fest! If you want to protect your updates, that’s fine, just don’t make me jump through hoops before I’ve even paid to see the show.
Another week of Battlestar Galactica and so I’m please to present another episode of The Sci-Fi Cast for your enjoyment. This time around Jen, Dave and I discuss the week’s sci-fi news and of course episode 15 of BSG, The Oath. Along the way we learn Jen’s theory of how the new Star Trek movie relates to Muppet Babies, hear a pretty decent Adama impersonation from yours truly and vie for the love and affection of irony loving Germans everywhere. Head on over to The Sci-Fi Cast and check out episode 19 today. As always, the podcast contains major spoilers for the series, so just remember, you’ve been warned. Enjoy!
Just sent this off to The Sci-Fi Channel. I encourage you to do the same at feedback@scifi.com:
•••
As I’m sure you are aware, my favorite show on TV, Battlestar Galactica will be ending in just seven short episodes. After making me wait almost a year between the first half and the second half of season 4, you are once again demonstrating your utter disrespect for fans of this incredible series.
I have no idea why you insist on destroying the drama the series works tirelessly to build each week, but you do. For some reason, you insist on adding spoiler-filled previews directly at the end of each week’s episode before I even get a chance to change the channel or turn off my TV.
This week’s episode, “The Oath” was possibly one of the best in the entire run of BSG and yet you and your network slug-heads seem to need to pander to non-fans of the series by packing as much plot spoiling information into the 15 second previews as possible. Why?
I beg you, for Galactica fans everywhere, stop it. We don’t need to be teased to tune in next week. There are only 7 episodes left. We’ll be there anyway. Here, at the end, just once give us the respect we deserve and smarten up about next week’s previews. So say we all.
Ged Maheux
Galactica Junkie and Sci-Fi Geek
Yep, it’s still there and it’s still being worked on. The only visible difference on the facade of the future home of the Greensboro Apple Store is the corporate logo and URL that’s been added in the past week. My friends Anthony, Louie and David managed to sneak a peek inside when nobody was looking and reported that the Genius Bar logo is on the wall, and the interior is coming along. They said it seemed “big”, but I’m dubious since there’s no displays, shelves, etc yet.
At any rate, if the word on the street is true, hopefully sometime in February we’ll have a new place to go and buy shiny new Apple hardware in Greensboro. All of us at the Iconfactory can hardly wait. You can be sure we’ll be right there in the front of the line when the store opens. If you want to see the latest pictures of the store, head over to my Flickr page for some pictures that no one but Apple junkies would find thrilling.
UPDATE: A little bird, no not that one, told me that the Greensboro Apple store should be done and open by Valentine’s Day. Keeping my finger’s crossed!
We’re back in the space saddle again this week with another installment of The Sci-Fi Cast. This time around we discuss the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica – “Sometimes A Great Notion” with Dave, Jen and a very special guest, my friend from the Iconfactory, Corey Marion. We discuss BSG, the latest sci-fi celebrities to join Twitter and find out just how good Dave’s George Takei impression really is. If you’re all caught up on season 4 of Battlestar Galactica and have about 20 minutes to kill, then head on over and catch episode 17 of The Sci-Fi Cast today. The podcast contains major spoilers for the series, so just remember, you’ve been warned. Enjoy!
So after yesterday’s celebration, today Barack Obama got down to business. Not wanting to waste any time, Obama took off his coat, sat down in the Oval Office and started doing good things immediately. In case you missed it, here’s some of the awesome stuff President Obama got accomplished on day one:
• In order to set a good example for the country during this time of economic crisis, Obama froze the pay for many members of his administration making over $100,000 a year. Unlike the previous administration, evidently the buck stops here.
• Obama introduced sweeping new ethics reform for how lobbyists can function in his administration. The new rules Obama laid out seem pretty obvious now, but for some reason were never put into practice by previous administrations.
• Put the wheels in motion to get Gitmo closed within a year. Given how poorly the military tribunals there have been received by world governments, human rights groups and Americans at large, restoring captive’s rights toward a fair trial is critical to regaining the moral high ground.
• He pissed off Rush Limbaugh by issuing a Presidential memo restoring transparency to any and all White House records. Obama made it a point of distinction that his administration would function under the notion of more openness, not less. Secrecy, while important, should only be invoked in matters of national security or high sensitivity. Rush said on his radio show today that he’s worried the new openness will make it easier for people to dig up Bush misdeeds. You don’t say Rush, really?
• Obama re-took the oath of office late today after the botched job by Justice Roberts during the inauguration. Although he most likely didn’t have to, he none-the-less did and thereby corked any possible dispute that might have arisen from the incorrect oath he took yesterday. Obama’s willingness to correct a small error like this speaks volumes about how different he is from George W. Bush.
Five positive steps in one day. Not bad Mr. President, not bad. If you keep this up, you just may live up to all the hype. Color me impressed.
He entered office in a storm of controversy, taking the White House thanks to the Supreme Court’s willingness to stop counting votes. He inherited one of the largest budget surpluses of any President in history and somehow managed to squander it away. He and his administration ignored the danger signs Bin Laden and Al qaeda were sending for almost a year, until it was far too late.
From that fateful day in Sepetember of 2001, the Bush Administration took only a single seed, terror, and used it to twist and pervert much of what has made this country great. It suddenly became “dangerous” to criticize the government, be it on public streets, in blogs or in the media. As false intelligence was laid at the feet of the UN and the American people by people like Dick Cheney and Colin Powell, Bush and his administration seized the moment. They launched a war based solely on what they, in their own minds, willed into existence. Five years later over 4,500 brave men and women have paid the ultimate price as the result.
Back at home, the man from Texas used fear of the war, in combination with cowardly and like-minded individuals to plant more seeds of doubt. Those seeds grew and choked an American patriot named John Kerry to help Bush win re-election in 2004. But Bush’s new found “political capitol” quickly turned rancid in scandal after scandal – Hurricane Katrina, Valarie Plame, Harriet Miers, Abu Ghraib, the Dubai Ports deal, no-bid contracts, the War on Science, Pat Tillman & Jessica Lynch, rendition, waterboarding, wiretapping, Walter Reed, the US Attorney scandal, the suspension of Habeas Corpus, unprecedented secrecy, “free speech” zones, $12 billion lost in Iraq, Bin Laden never captured or killed and many, many more.
Bush continually traded his folksy southern charm for intelligence. He had difficulty stringing together coherent sentences, relied on a “turd blossom” to continually confirm his world view and once proudly insisted that he didn’t bother to “read newspapers”. He surrounded himself with lackeys and yes-men who never questioned his judgment or response to any crisis. The media, which had rolled-over for him during the Iraq war, suddenly seized every opportunity to make up for their previous failures and began to grow a pair. As his approval ratings plummeted to depths not seen since Nixon, Bush went about his business, people lost their privacy, their jobs, their homes and their rights.
Defiant to the end, Bush set out to enact laws in his final days in office designed to make Obama’s job difficult and perpetuate his policy long after he leaves. In his final press conference Bush even stubbornly insisted that the federal response to the Katrina disaster wasn’t as bad as everyone thought. This despite the fact that even to this day, New Orleans struggles to survive and will never return to the thriving city it once was.
As he leaves office this Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 and the nation’s attitude towards him begins to be blurred by the soft focus of the past, never forget what he has done. Someone once said that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. I can say unequivocally, I have no interest what-so-ever in repeating the last eight years. Thankfully, the seeds Bush planted so many years ago have finally begun to wither and die and we as a nation are far better for it. To George W. Bush I respectfully say goodbye, farewell and amen.
UPDATE: Leave it to Keith Olbermann to sum up the timeline of the worst President of the United States like no one else can. Bush’s 8 years in 8 minutes is positively damning in so many ways it’s hard to describe. If you voted for Bush, or are among the 23% of American’s who still support what he did in office, swallow your prideful arrogance and go watch it. You need to get a clue.
Friday marks the long-awaited return of the Sci-Fi Channel’s hit series Battlestar Galactica. Fans of the show have been waiting almost a full year for the final 10 episodes that will ultimately conclude the tale of the ill fated 13th tribe of man. Get caught up and in the mood with episode 16 of The Sci-Fi Cast, featuring Jen, Dave and recapping season 4 of BSG as well as the webisodes.
We’re also proud to announce that you can now follow our science fiction related rants, releases and ravings on our new scificast Twitter account! It seems only fitting that a podcast born of a conversation on Twitter, the show should come full circle. When we left Twitter, we were but the learner, now we… are… the master. Jump on over to @scificast and follow us today!
To say that Andy Richter Controls the Universe is one of my favorite shows is an understatement. The short-lived series ran for only 19 episodes and, like so many others before it, was doomed by an early FOX cancellation. Although hailed by critics as one of the funniest shows of the 2002-2003 season, the quirky sitcom starring Andy Richter, Paget Brewster and James Patrick Stuart never made it out of the starting gate. Now, after almost seven years in distribution limbo, my favorite sitcom is finally coming to DVD.
I fell in love with ARCTU some time after it’s initial broadcast and scrounged up every single episode I could find on “the tubes”. Now TVShowsOnDVD.com reports that Andy Richter and his office pals will be coming to a DVD player near you on March 24th. No word yet on pricing or DVD extras, but that doesn’t matter, this show’s proof is in the pudding. Corey and I are genuine ARCTU fanatics and can quote more lines of dialog than we care to admit. There are so many awesome episodes it’s difficult to pick a favorite, but if you twisted my arm hard enough Richter’s reunion with Conan O’Brien in Crazy in Rio would be at the top of the list.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to check out Andy Richter Controls the Universe, pick up a copy on sale this March. With an unforgettable blend of snarky writing and impeccable casting, ARCTU is one purchase you won’t regret.
Unlike most of the people I follow on Twitter, Macworld 2009 was my first expo in many years, and the only one where I’ve been one of the exhibitors. The week was fun, exciting and a lot of work. Now that I’m back home in Greensboro, I thought I’d impart some of the knowledge I gained during my experience. In no particular order, here are a few of the many things I took away from my trip to Macworld 2009:
• Expo food is over-priced – Ya know how they charge like $4.00 for a bag of popcorn at the movies? Macworld is like that but a x1000 worse. A pathetic bologna sandwich and a bottle of water came to $12.50.
• Floris Natural Benefits Soap – The Intercontinental San Francisco had some of this product line in our room and I couldn’t get enough of it. I must try and track down the Jabon hand soap for use at home!
• Craig has groupies – I mean I knew people loved Craig, but I didn’t realize they would actually wait in line to talk to him. Every day on the show floor was filled with people waiting to chat with Mr. Hockenberry, they just couldn’t get enough of him. All of that attention made me realize just how proud I am to be able to work with him.
• Mel’s Diner has the best lemonade – I’ve drank a lot of lemonade in my time, but the lemonade I enjoyed at Mel’s during the expo was, without a doubt, the best I’ve ever had. In my life. The perfect blend of sweet and tart that should not be missed.
• Chairs are precious – Our kiosk at the show only had one chair. I was told that to rent another for the week it would have cost $200. After spending almost 7 hours on your feet $200 didn’t seem that bad. When some bastard stole our one chair on Friday morning, we almost had a freak out. Luckily Travis was able to procure another in short order.
• Rickshaw computer bags – New product. CEO and owner gave me a demo of the bag and had me sold at like the 5th feature. If you are in the market for what could be the best computer bag you’ll ever own, check them out.
• Basil Thai on Folsom – Of all the wonderful places we ate while at Macworld, this little restaurant on Folsom Street was the best. From the appetizers to the wonderful desert and everything in between, it was to die for. Ged gives Basil Thai 5 stars!
• Meeting people – By far the best part about Macworld was simply meeting everyone. Tweeting with people is great, but Macworld reminded me that face to face contact can’t be beat. I met so many awesome people at the expo I can hardly keep track of them all. I especially enjoyed meeting the TUAW crew including Mike Rose, Christina Warren and Nik Fletcher. Other notable Mac heads I met during my week in San Fran included: Arlo Rose, Dan Moren, Rick Yaeger, Chris Pirillo, Rich Seigel, Michael Simmons, Scott McNulty and Arne Fismen.
As the Washington D.C. inauguration of our 44th President approaches, news comes from Politico that many sore loser Republicans are planning on getting the hell out of dodge. Seems like they’d rather fly off to places like Las Vegas, New York or even Switzerland and revel in George Bush’s last minutes in power than play their dutiful part in creating a bi-partisan government. Charlie Spies, a Republican lawyer and former CFO to Mitt Romney’s campaign is planning a “Misery loves company” bash for fellow GOPers in Nevada:
“What better way to mark the Obama Inauguration (and his millions of adoring fans that will be in D.C.) than to get out of town to fabulous Las Vegas! We hope you can join us for dinner and a fun evening on Monday, Jan. 19, to celebrate the last few hours of our Republican president in the White House.”
I knew Republicans despised losing the reins of power, but their reported childishness pushes the limit, even for them. I can understand wanting to get away from D.C. and the huge crowds of tourists that are about to descend on the city, but to essentially whine like sore losers while the rest of the country celebrates is hardly becoming those in government. Between defending racist behavior and crying foul when the other side wins, the GOP is in for a LOOOOONG four years. If they had a collective brain among them, they’d wise up, take responsibility and earn some respect. Then again, maybe elephants will eventually learn how to fly.
SPOILER WARNING: This post contains basic spoilers for all six Star Wars films. If you are the only person left in the universe who has not seen these movies, then you might not want to read on. Just sayin’.
If there was a bright spot regarding the Star Wars prequels, it was the opportunity for fans to get answers to many of the questions Lucas introduced in episodes IV, V and VI. Fans were hungry for any information relating to the Jedi Order, the evil Sith, where Anakin came from, the story of his children and more. With very few exceptions, Lucas dutifully managed to tie up many of the various plot lines in neat little bundles and send even the most rabid fans home satisfied.
Although I freely admit I’m far more of a Trekkie than a Star Wars geek, there are still questions that none of the six movies answered to my satisfaction. Since I’m not familiar with every bit of the Star Wars universe, I thought I would throw some of these questions out to the masses and see if anyone had plausible explanations for how they fit into the grand scheme of all things Star Wars.
In Return of the Jedi, right before Luke goes off to turn himself over to the Vader and the Emperor, he has a farewell talk with Leia where he explains why he has to leave. Luke begins the scene with a simple question to Leia “Do you remember your mother? Your real mother?” Leia responds that “She died when I was very young. She was beautiful, but sad.” When I saw this scene in the theatre (before the prequels) I assumed Leia was speaking of her real mother, not her adopted one, which is the point of Luke asking about her “real mother”. But since we know from Revenge of the Sith that Padmé died in child birth, Leia couldn’t have been talking about Padmé.
The dialog is confusing on several levels and because of that, I don’t think we have an accurate understanding of whom Leia is describing. Luke is obviously trying to get some info, any info on his mother, and so he asks his sister about their collective mom. But since the story from Episode III doesn’t jibe with what Leia describes, this entire scene seems to be apocryphal. If Leia was simply describing Queen Breha Organa, then there was little dramatic motivation for Luke’s question in the first place.
Although Lucas does a satisfying job of explaining the birth of Luke and Leia, and how they were hid from the Empire, we are still left with a pivotal unanswered question. Namely how and when did Darth Vader discover he had a son? The answer to this question isn’t just one of curiosity, it also holds one of the key developments in the entire story arc. Since Emperor Palpatine lies to Vader and explains that Anakin’s own anger killed Padmé, the eventual discovery of Luke must come as a revelation on multiple levels. This revelation would logically be the tipping point where Vader decides to plot to overthrow the Emperor.
The most logical explanation is that after the Battle of Yavin, Imperial spies learn that the young rebel who destroyed the Death Star was named Luke Skywalker. Vader instantly realizes he has a son and that the Emperor has lied to him. If this is the case, then this dramatic development is one of the greatest missed opportunities in the entire series. I would love to see how Vader’s rage played out against the Emperor, but alas this was not to be.
From the audience’s point of view, the first time Darth is informed about the “Son of Skywalker” is in The Empire Strikes Back when the Emperor himself tells Vader that “The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi”. Thanks to Vader’s non-reaction in this scene, between Episodes III and V, Darth must somehow learn of Luke, the Emperor’s deception about Padmé’s death, and a long lost son. Through all of this, ironically Vader doesn’t even blink. I don’t buy it for one second.
In The Phantom Menace we learn the origin of Anakin Skywalker. Shmi tells Obi Wan and Qui-Jon that amazingly, Anakin had no father. This in itself wouldn’t be too difficult to accept, except for the strange scene in Revenge of the Sith where Palpatine tells Anakin the tragedy of Darth Plagueis. The future Emperor relays the story of a Sith master so powerful he was able to control life itself. The subtext of this scene is that Plagueis was Palpatine’s master and that it was Palpatine himself who slew Plagueis after he had taught his young apprentice everything he knew.
Given the implied nature of the scene, we are left with many questions. Chief among them – is Palpatine Anakin’s “father”? Did Plagueis himself will Anakin into existence by using Shmi Skywalker to bring him to term? Did Palpatine kill Plagueis when he learned he was grooming a replacement apprentice? All of these questions (and more) are never answered in the films. Some Star Wars comics have put forth theories about these plot points, but since they cannot be considered “cannon” they remain only fan speculation.
Although it’s no secret that I consider the prequels to be inferior follow-ups to the original Star Wars trilogy, it is none-the-less a testament to Lucas’ storytelling that I find myself asking these questions, even today. The archetypes he used in weaving the Star Wars universe are powerful and speak to the allure of great drama. Given Lucas’ propensity to keep churning out all things Star Wars, we may very well get many of our answers. I think I speak for fans everywhere when I say, go for it George, just leave Jar Jar in a galaxy far, far away… from us.
Video games are supposed to be fun. Any game’s primary purpose is to engage and entertain in ways that are new, exciting and challenging. Which is why early calls from critics and fan boys alike that the Nintendo Wii console was just a passing “fad” were out of their depth. The argument went that since the Wii didn’t have the horsepower, graphics or true HD support that the XBOX 360 or Playstation 3 had, it was doomed to failure.
In September of 2007, the Nintendo Wii surpassed sales of both its rivals and has never looked back. This year the Wii weathered its second holiday season with flying colors. According to VG Chartz the Wii sold an incredible 1.7 million units the week before Christmas. By comparison, Microsoft’s XBOX 360 sold 535,806 units and SONY’s struggling PlayStation 3 sold a mere 239,576. VG states that when December is done, Nintendo will have sold more than 3 million Wii’s for the month, an astounding number especially considering the current economy.
It is certainly true that most fads enter the market in a blaze of glory and then promptly burn themselves out. However, they also rarely have direct competition from similar products. Fans never had to consider “My Pet Log” when running out to the store to own their first “Pet Rock“. Fads are unique and unpredictable and by their very nature, a flash in the pan. From the very beginning, the Nintendo Wii was designed to be the very opposite of a fad.
From the Wii’s conception, Nintendo’s game designer Shigeru Miyamoto said the console was not about graphics or frame rates, but user interaction. He wanted to make a new way for players of all ages to interface with video games, and he succeeded. Unlike the XBOX or PS3, the Wii was the first video game platform that appealed to adults in large numbers. The Wii has become hugely successful in retirement homes where seniors play endless hours of Wii Bowling and even tone their aging muscles with Wii Fit. Hard core gamers can’t stand this aspect of the Wii. PS3 and XBOX fan boys argue that any console granny plays isn’t a “real” system, and is only geared for kids and old people. Somehow they say this with a straight face while SONY & Microsoft blatantly copy the parts of the Wii that people love like motion sensors and customizable player avatars.
Will the Nintendo Wii manage to stay off the competition for yet another Christmas? If I was a betting guy, my money would definitely be on Miyamoto and not Ballmer. That being said, eventually the Wii’s unique game play will lose its novelty and the console’s sales will slow. But rest assured, Nintendo has plans for the Wii’s successor that takes all the best parts and improves the rest. Nintendo didn’t become the giant of the video game world it is today by following others, Miyamoto and company had the vision to lead. They skillfully knew what the rest of the industry is only now figuring out – frame rates and flop cycles will only get you so far, but fun lasts forever.
John Gruber over at Daring Fireball links to an intriguing piece by Paul Kafasis on the state of the App Store. The post compares Walmart’s strategy to sell disposable, cheap goods to those of App Store “ringtone” developers which are forcing down prices. My friend and business partner, Craig Hockenberry wrote about this very topic a few weeks ago in a piece that put him in the crosshairs of quite a few people.
After Craig’s piece was published, and indeed after reading the post by Kafasis, some are under the impression that more expensive “AAA” apps are doing just fine thank you very much. The theory goes that one only has to look at the App Store top 10 list to understand it’s not price that gets you into the top 10, but quality. This, plus marketing on the part of the developer are all that’s needed to boost your software into the top 10 of the App Store. Reading through the comment thread at Inside iPhone it all seems so simple. All a developer has to do is market their app and the rest will take care of itself! Why didn’t I think of that?
The part I love the most is that the people making the “just market your app!” comment have no real idea how much effective marketing costs. Oh sure, you can go far on viral and word-of-mouth marketing, but it all pales in comparison to even a small banner graphic in the App Store. The Iconfactory could spend tens of thousands of dollars buying up targeted advertising space to promote Frenzic, but it still wouldn’t be 1/10 as effective as the front page graphics that Dropship, Marley and Texas Hold’em are enjoying (for free) as I write this. Not only that, but I have no way to track metrics for advertising pointing at Frenzic in the App Store. I can’t gauge how effective a $75 blog ad versus a $2,600 DF sponsorship is because Apple doesn’t currently give me stats of people clicking through to my software. Anyone who says “Just market it!” doesn’t have a solid grasp on how the App Store works.
Another example is Rolando. People are holding this app up as the ultimate example of a quality, non ringtone app that is enjoying success in the store. It is true that Rolando is a fantastic game worthy of the top spot it once held. It is also true that Apple promoted Rolando from DAY ONE in the App Store with major graphics both in iTunes and on Apple.com. All that exposure helped to get Rolando into the top of the store when it launched. But its $9.99 price point is like an anchor. As I write this, Rolando sits at #30 in the top 100, and #10 in games. Let me repeat that. #10. In games.
So what is in the App Store top 10 right now? iFart Mobile is number one which is still riding high on a wave of PR thanks to being originally barred. Crash Bandicoot, which is featured in national Apple television spots is #2. Tetris, perhaps the most well-known video game in history, is #3. Three more ringtone apps come in as 4, 5 & 6 including the months old iBeer. Touchgrind, which also enjoyed prominent Apple billing, is #7. Bejeweled 2 is number 8, PocketGuitar ($.99) is #9 and SimCity rounds out the top 10. All of these apps either enjoyed uncommon press exposure, have a nationally known brand or are priced at $.99. Quality definitely plays a role in getting to the top, but price and “Apple love” play a larger part.
Does this all mean that developers like myself will abandon making quality iPhone applications like Twitterrific and Frenzic? Of course not. I just wish that people who think they know how the App Store works would admit that they really don’t. The App Store is still in flux and much is unknown. What I do know however is that there are key factors to getting to the top of the store, chief among them being price and exposure from Apple. No amount of 3rd party marketing, done on a small developer’s budget is going to change that simple fact. What’s worse (or better, depending on your point of view) is once you are in the top 10, even if you’re app is a “limited utility” ringtone app, because you’re in front of millions of eyeballs both on the device and in iTunes, you’re bound to stay there.
I don’t know exactly how to fix the App Store, but everyone I’ve spoken with agrees that it needs fixing. If not fixing, at least a change in how it favors certain apps while hindering others. The more we talk about this stuff, the better it will be for both developers and customers alike.
You’d think that after the pasting they received in November, the GOP would be busy figuring out why they are so out of touch with the American people. Of course, you’d be wrong. Apparently Republicans are interested in alienating even more of the country as they insist on playing to the hard base.
Witness the arrogant and bigoted tone of one RNC Chair candidate, Chip Saltsman. Saltsman sent out copies of a song entitled “Barack the Magic Negro” as part of his Christmas greeting. The song, originally publicized by Rush Limbaugh earlier this year, came under fire from the media and anyone with a brain for its racist overtones. Somehow Saltsman saw fit to make the tune part of his holiday message. All this with less than 30 day to go until the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. To top it off, in the 20+ hours since this story first broke, only one high-ranking Republican has condemned Saltsman’s actions. Just one.
If the GOP has any hope of regaining the respect it lost over the past eight years, they must begin by pulling their heads out of their collective asses. It’s bad enough making a joke by calling someone a “magic negro”, but when that person is the next President of the United States and you actually defend said remarks, you deserve huge helpings of ridicule and scorn.
Sadly, this is yet more evidence that the right has no interest in doing what’s best for the country. Until this dipstick stunt, the prime example of the GOP’s pandering attitude was McCain pulling Palin out of obscurity as his running mate. Saltsman’s actions flow from the natural progression of this costly strategy and I for one hope they keep it up. Their foolish bravado is laying the foundation for a long-term Democratic majority the right hasn’t seen in decades. Saltsman says his song was “just a joke”, but the really funny part is the joke’s on him.
UPDATE: Peter Yarrow, one of the artists behind “Puff the Magic Dragon”, speaks out on the whole affair and hits the nail right on the head. He writes “Obama is not a candidate. He is the President-Elect, and this song insults the office of the Presidency, the people who voted for him, as well as those who did not — and taking a children’s song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism.”
UPDATE II: Simon Rosenberg, head of the Democratic organization NDN, is quoted in a recent Huffington Post piece as saying the GOP just don’t get it. “The core play in the GOP playbook for 44 years has been the magic negro playbook, whether it is Willie Horton, or welfare queens and tax and spend, or the way they have dealt with immigration… they don’t have a play in their playbook that doesn’t start with the exploitation of racial divisions. They are going to have to reject 44 years of GOP politics in order to have any chance in the 21st century America.”
What happens when Christmas and capitalism get together? You get an idea from 2 weeks worth of Christmas Catalogs that were sent to my house from late November to early December. I didn’t request any of these things, they just showed up in our mailbox. Before you ask, yes, they were recycled. Merry Christmas everyone!
While I was surfing around looking for some last minute Christmas presents, I came across a little piece of Star Trek heaven. This new Seven of Nine 7″ figure, sculpted by Rudy Garcia is just one in a set but it’s a pretty good likeness and who wouldn’t want a little Seven on their desk? The clincher however is the incredible marketing text that accompanies the item:
“Seven of Nine’s grimly pallid countenance is moderately contradicted by the voluptuousness with which she occupies her form-fitting sculptured chassis.”
Sold and sold! I think “form-fitting sculptured chassis” is the most elaborate way I’ve ever heard someone say “nice rack!”. If you have a Trek fan on your Christmas list, this might be just the thing the holographic doctor ordered. Then again at this late stage in the game you’ll probably need a temporal anomaly to get it to your doorstep on time. Oh well, there’s always next year!
