Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

The Power of a Project

Anyone that's talked to me, or read the blog here, obviously knows I'm big on the idea of leveraging one's fannish activities, one's hobbies, toward one's career.  In fact it's safe to say my ultimate goal is to make sure my hobbies and job are indistinguishable.  I want to earn my daily bread in ways I care about.

When we talk about career-fandom intersections, it's easy to discuss things like gaining skills, making contacts, or learning about industries.  There's another advantage to being of the fannish/geeky persuasian however, and that's the "meta-skills" you build in your fannish activities.  I'm going to discuss one of those: the advantage of having a fannish project.

Links of the Day, 2/28/2009

Video Games

Nintendo's DSi will feature a camera and music playback, but that doesn't mean the company considers itself competitors to the iPhone or iPod, according to president Satoru Iwata. The next-generation handheld is scheduled to hit U.S. stores later this year, and has the potential to make as deep an impact as the original DS, if not deeper.

Undaunted, Sony's plans for its own handheld are becoming more apparent: Rumors are flying of a new God of War and the platform will also feature the Little Big Planet-derived rhythm game Patapon 2.

Apparently, relying on old, reliable franchises can pull you out of a rut: Tomb Raider: Underworld is being attributed for the 26% increase in Eidos' sales. Good news for Square Enix, which is continuing to pursue the European publisher. (Squeenix is apparently making the most of its own biggest franchise, with a Final Fantasy IV sequel reportedly on the way to WiiWare.)

Technology

The Kindle 2 has just come out, but rumors are already flying that the Kindle 3 may be released by Christmas. Amazon has backed off of the Kindle's text-to-speech format somewhat, saying it will let publsihers decide whether the Kindle will be able to read their books aloud. Kindle is worth keeping an eye on because it's bound to spawn a ton of imitators if it catches on – Heart has anlready announced its own E-reader – which ought to spawn a nice amount of tech jobs. (Some people, however, are afraid that the Kindle will have an iTunes-like monopoly on digital books if competitors don't arrive soon)

Publishing

If Paid Web Content is Dead, Are Newspapers?: A look at whether the rush to turn newspapers into subscription services will subsidize entire newsrooms. Defintiely something worth considering – perhaps newspapers are evolving too fast? The New York Times, meanwhile, seems to be turning to blogging to pull itself out of a rut, launching  experimental local content sites in some New Jersey and New York communities.

Economics/Geekonomics

The news is extremely bad, as usual: Goldman Sachs slashed its E&P forecast, Berkshire Hathaway admitted to having its worst year ever, General Electric has cut its dividend and Californial unemployment hit double digits. No wonder thrift stores are thriving. In light of all this, it's pretty shocking to hear that Yahoo paid $79 million to bankers last year when they were trying to avoid being taken over by Microsoft.

Social Networking

Defying the bad economy, however, Facebook is growing by five million users a week, with a million of those from America. A success like that in an environment like this is an impressive accomplishment indeed.

– Bonnie

Links of the Day, 2/27/2009

Anime/Manga

Digital Manga has launched a new Web site promoting its new DokiDoki imprint, which is a collaboration with the Japanese publisher Shinshokan. Close synergy between Japanese and American companies is happening more and more in the industry, and I'm wondering how long it's going to be before the overseas companies start flat-out absorbing their American counterparts.

Video Games

In a company restructuring, Sony CEO Howard Stringer has also been named president, replacing Ryoji Chubachi. Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hurai has been given the additional title of head of the Networked Product and Services Group, meaning he will now be in charge of the Walkman (huh, didn't know it still existed) and Sony Media Software and Services, as well as Playstation. Sony seems to be creating a closer synergy among its various divisions, meaning we may see some multimedia developments down the line - maybe including the long-speculated-on PSP Phone? (The company also addressed rumors of a UMD drive-free PSP, saying that UMD is 'critical to us this year and beyond.') 

The Xbox 360 is now outselling the Wii and PS3 in Japan. Will the trend be reflected on these shores as well? The 360 is definitely one of your safest bets for software development nowadays - downloadable Grand Theft Auto expansion Lost and Damned recently set a revenue record  for the console.

And now, your daily Electronic Arts update (seems that way lately, doesn't it?). The distributors of Rock Band may be developing their own entry in the music games sweepstakes. The field for these games is getting a bit overcrowded, so don't think that developing one is an automatic road to riches.

Ubisoft vice president of North American publishing Jay Cohen has left the company, reportedly to join a Los Angeles gaming company. Sorry, job-hunters, but Ubisoft isn't going to replace him, his responsibilities will be divided among existing executives.

Eidos Interactive, which has been the subject of takeover talks as of late, actually had some good news, since they saw revenues increase by 26 percent in  the last six months of 2008. 

Economics/Geekonomics

The U.S. GDP shrank by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, which was worse than expected. But at least there was good news in one sector of commerce: Restaurant performance improved slightly in January.

Technology

Microsoft's "release candidate" version of Windows 7 reportedly has 36 new features that weren't in the beta. The first post-Vista Microsoft OS sounds like a major restructuring, something for software developers to take note of. 

The Netbook Effect: A look at how small and cheap laptops became a big success. Worth a read as a study of how to build a success in an economy like this one. 

Media/Publishing

In one unfortunate sign of the times, Variety is shuttering its social network site, The Biz, in order to focus more on job listings - visitors to the old site will be redirected to varietymediacareeers.com.

The Rocky Mountain News of Denver published its final edition  today, with a front page reading "STOP THE PRESSES!"    Meanwhile, Computer Shopper has been added to the list of magazines going all-digital  - its last print edition will be the April issue. New York Newsday is going to start charging for use of its online Web site - perhaps a step toward making this long-running newspaper digital-only as well? 

Tough times at the Canadian Broadcasting Company - the state-owned network may have to sell some assets, possibly including a radio station and a Web site. CBC is sufffering from a combination of a lack of advertising and an unsympathetic conservative government.

  - Bonnie

Links of the Day 2/26/2009

Comics

• Samuel L Jackson signs a NINE picture deal with Marvel - Marvel obviously has very big plans for their films, especially after the spectacular success of Iron Man ( a film that I've seen even get cynics to praise it).    I of course am in favor of anything involving Samuel L. Jackson, but I can't help but speculate this represents a big shift for Marvel in handling their IP - towards exploiting the heck out of it as fast as possible.  I am concerned that the rumors that Iron Man 2 is in trouble indicate Marvel is moving TOO fast.

Social Media

• Variety shutters its social network - They wanted to focus more on job listings.  I didn't even know they HAD a social network, for what that's worth.  No real feeling either way on this issue, and I don't think it'll make much win the way of waves.

Technology

• Dell appears to be doing OK - with its cuts and adaptions to the market - I'm not sure what GOOD is in this environment, but "Still there and functional" is pretty decent.

Video Games

• EA is still in the confessional, in this case we hear how the company had no hits of 2008 -Actually I'm finding the honesty as of late refreshing, and I think EA may have twigged on to the fact gamers are very company-aware now.  Also note in this the desire to possibly raise marketing expenses - which may sound excessive, but recall previously Nintendo's spending on marketing was credited with some of their success.
• Speaking of Nintendo, prepare for a LOT of Nintendo system releases.  Of course I'm busy with Galactrix, but I'm looking forward to a lot of things.  Nintendo just keeps at it, and keeps succeeding.  Expect the analyses to keep being made - and of course me to keep talking about them.
• A demo of Final Fantasy XIII in Japan - With of course some limits.  Smart move on SquareEnix's part, and they really need to make this into a success considering recent performance and low releases (I actually thought the DQ releases would do more, but I suspect they've got Long tail).
• If you hated "Sonic Unleashed" it could have been worse.

Writing and Publishing

• Harlequin does solid in 2008 - Some good news on publishing.  Maybe if you're writing romance might be a way to expand your horizon or make ends meet (and you'd be SURPRISED how many romance writers might people you know or who are nom de plumes).
• Barnes and Noble sells its stake in Calendar Club - Rather obviously not needed and they'll still maintain a relationship.  B&N is doing what they can.

- Steve

Links of the Day 2/25/2009

Rest in Peace Philip Jose Farmer - A really creative mind. I fondly remember World of Tiers for some bizarre and creative ideas, as well as references.

When a great like Farmer leaves us, I always remember that it's up to people like you and me to step up to the bat. The great ones should be guides for us too to become great and do great things. May one of you out there today create works as wild and imaginative as he.

Anime

• Crunchyroll to stream 3 Shinaki works to celebrate Global Shinaki Day - Limited 24-hour distribution, done with some distributor deals. Another case of Crunchyroll being ahead of the game - they even get mentioned in editor and publisher. The origin in tha tlink is interesting, its' clearly a community building effort - and the company already has a Japan branch.

Movies

• Gore Verbinsiki will direct the 'Clue' Movie - Yes, much as there's a Monopoly Movie, there will be a Clue movie - or ANOTHER Clue movie. At this point I'm not sure what Hasbro is up to - the real hope frankly is to just hand some actual talented writers the properties, go away, and wait for a real script to hopefully emerge. Even then it still stinks of flaling about trying to monetize existing properties so even GOOD films might not pull in enough to make it worth doing.

Technology

• Roy Blount of the Author's Guild is concerned Kindle's text-to-speech is unfair to authors - They're not being compensated for the fact their books basically become audiobooks when used with Kindle. No I admit I see some issues here that are important - book DATA itself may be best treated as different than just text. But I smell a potential lawsuit here. Keep a weather eye out - data OF text is not the same as text.
• Netbook-friendly version of Windows 7 coming - I have to agree with the (short) article there may be Google-fear here. Microsoft has to get this VERY right after Vista, and I'm reasonably hopeful they will - clearly their goals are to compete further with Apple as well. My big concern is Windows 7 for development as the versions I've seen don't make it clear what developers will run. If you're in tech, brush up on Windows 7 since you'll be installing it like it or not.
• Ocarina network gets $20 milliion in funding - They do compression and interestingly, seem to be playing a mix of how good storage plays money and selling in the sciene biz. Nice bit of money, good model, good product, resume-worthy. Also for your tech careers, keep in mind things like data compression may not sound sexy, but it's one of those many behind-the-scene/middleware functions that keep everything running, and employ a lot of people.
• Appirio raises $10 million - Why do you care? You care because they've developed some of the bestselling apps on Salesforce.com, provide professional services, and do integration. Plus they're expanding. Integration of existing tech or building on it is very big (after all what would Facebook be if it was unexpandable?) and these people seem to be on top of that fact. Plus the salesforce sales are very good. Resume time . . .
• China Central Television sets up its own Youtube Competitor - Big market of course, but also a big challenge. Note that they also want to team with China Mobile, which could be interesting, but also would produce a power shift in state technologies. Just who will be calling the shots will be an important question - because as technology state businesses in China gain more power, how will the government deal with external competitors?

Video Games

• Maker of gift cards InCom reports strong growth in game gift cards - That's a nice hefty sum - and again not surprising on two fronts. First, gaming is growing, secondly gift cards seem to be a more and more preferred gift of choice. Keep an eye on InComm, Blackhawk Network, and Playspan and keep those resumes handy . . . (ironic note, I used to live near Blackhawk and didn't know who they were).
• Casual Gaming market to exceed $1 billion in 2013? - So says one report, which I'm not shelling out money for. Most noteworthy to me is what's quoted in the article - PERSISTENT IDENTITY and SOCIAL INTEGRATION. These are two very powerful factors to judge by things lime IMVU and Gaia Online, as well as plain old MMORPGs. Socializing is big, bigger with a kind of identity "anchor" for people.
• An exploration of the bizarre feelings brought on by turning 'Dante's Inferno' into an actioner - A mix of analysis of the game (which sounds actually fun) and the turning of a psycho-spiritual classic into an actioner. I have to admit the author's point that people aren't that attached to the original Divine Comedy in our culture makes a point, and there may be some room for interesting psychology. At the same time I feel this is just an attempt to make Devil May Cry again and monetize it via the name. I'm mixed as well - this sounds like a fun game with some lame associations, yet I am curiously attracted to the idea of making Dante a badass. If they keep the motivations the same it could be intriguing.
• Sony has PSP plans - Operation Power Through continues. Not sure they can catch up with the DS - or anyone else.
• Average player in Perfect World's free games spends $10 a month anyway - A good followup to yesterday's article on how 'free' MMO's support themselves. As a side note if you're in gaming, keep up on these issues since monetization, as metnioned elsewhere in this blog, may be big. Those boring economics courses you had to take might pay off.
• Maybe EA's sports synergy idea isn't so odd: Ubisoft partnering with God's Gym for a Cardio Workout Wii Game. A confluence of gaming, health, and the Wii seems . . . pretty normal by now. I'd wonder if an adaption like this will be good (leveraging expertese) or the equivalent of a movie game (likely poor). Done RIGHT this could be big - if Gold's ensures the quality of it, it's win-win.
• EA is rethinking it's release strategy - Notes ow titles pile into similar times of releases. To THIS I say "HALLELUJAH." I'm convinced that the last 2 or 3 years sales in gaming was actually hurt by everything coming out at once. This is a smart move on EA's part and frankly it shows good honesty (I bet Mirror's edge, being experimental, would have done better at a different time). Most promising news I've heard from EA in awhile, and the most honest.

Important side note Google maps did not find Atlantis.

-Steve

Links of the Day 2/24/2009

Economics/Geekonomics/Freakonomics

• Japan's Exports Drop 45.7 in January - Recall this is the second largest economy in the world, and will exacerbate the impact of the "lost decade".  The world will feel this - and this may spur more creative action on the part of governments who are in danger of replicating Japan's lost decade.

Employment

• Where the tech layoffs are - Keep this list in mind when doing your job searches.  I didn't know about a few of these . . .
• Laid off (especially in Gaming?) here's some survival advice -

Anime and Manga

• Viz restructures, layoffs occur - Not disastrous, but a sign of the times.  I still figure Viz is going to do well once the world economy recovers (I doubt their exports are down over 40%).
• Crunchyroll to participate in Global Shinkai Day - Noteworthy mostly because it IS noteworthy - what the site does is now news-worthy to people.  Also this is good relations.

Comics

• Marvel does well thanks to Iron Man -I have some doubts they can recapture the magic for the second film to judge by assorted rumors.  Marvel is clearly going the synergy route and is worth watching, though I'd guess they're still trying to figure out what to do for the future.

Technology

• Hulu versus YouTube - A little look at this battle.
• Marvell makes a server the size of a wall plug - Usefulness aside, this is cool and is a great way to show off - and it's also got some practacal applications for space, time, and home.  I'd also watch Marvell to see if they have consumer electronics ambitions.

Video Games

• Funcom CEO Resigns - The failure of Age of Conan seems to be a part of it.  Not surprised, but this suggests Funcom will have some radical restructuring and changes coming up.
• Ruffian keeps hiring people who worked on Crackdown - Not sure exactly what this means - but they are getting a coherent team that'll function better than one with less associations.  That gives them a useful edge.
• Pop Cap buys Gastronaut - They just keep going don't they?  So why isn't your resume there?  Also I think it's pretty clear they've got ambitions for the future.  
• Just how do MMO's that are free make money - A quick bit of analysis and speculation.

And in unusual news, 50 Cent wants to make a movie of game Saints Row.  Since he already made two video games I suppose there's a strange logic to this.  Of course he should remember it's hard to make a video game movie.

- Steve

Links of the Day, 2/23/2009

First of all, we'd like to point out that geekdom invaded the Academy Awards last night in a way it hasn't since the heyday of Lord of the Rings - La Maison des Petit Cubes became the first anime to win an Oscar since Spirited Away when it took the animated short prize, Steve Jobs' company Pixar took the animated feature Oscar with WALL-E, and the late Heath Ledger was named Best Supporting Actor  for playing The Joker in The Dark Knight. Couple that with the media blitz over Watchmen, and it seems that the geek audience is being taken very, very seriously by the mainstream film industry.

Video Games

Atlus Online will make its American debut with steampunk free-to-play MMO Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent, from a Korean developer. If more international online games come over here, that will definitely open up new job markets for localization teams, so this is a Good Thing.

Sony is closing its European PSP instant messaging service. More bad news for a platform that has struggled outside its native Japan.

More problems for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures developer Funcom, which lost a ton of money due  to the games's underperformance - but the company says it still plans to invest heavily in the game, launching Age of Conan in Russia and Poland. This looks like a case of "what not to do when your game is failing" in the making, and as such, is worth keeping an eye on.

Technology

In the Steve Jobs health watch, the Apple CEO is skipping the company's annual meeting for the first time during his tenure. We still think the company will continue to thrive with or without Jobs - based on the momentum of the iPhone and iTunes alone - so don't cross them off your resume list.    

In the insult to injury department, Microsoft announced it gave some of its laid off workers too-generous severance packages and is asking for its money back. And this is a lesson in "how not to gracefully let people go."

Netflix will offer streaming-only service plans, most definitely a smart move in the age of broadband video and a way to keep the company from becoming a dinosaur.

Women's publishing and advertising company is looking to make money off Twitter through micro-blogging widgets, such as one launched last night for the Oscars. This allows users to provide a steady stream of commentary on a sponsored site. We have a feeling this is just the first micro-blogging cash-in of its type we're going to see: Yammer, a Twitter-like service for businesses, is looking to broaden itself with a suite of new features. 

Publishing

Simon and Shuster reports sales decline: Definitely not a surprise given the catastrophic effect of the economy on book sales in general.

More newspaper bad news, this time from Pennsylvania: The parent company of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Phildelphia Daily News has filed for bankruptcy protection, as has Yardley, PA-based publisher The Journal-Register Co.  

Job Market

When the Search for a Job Becomes a Full-Time Quest: The Kansas City Star shadows one unemployed job-seeker. A portrait of what far too many people are going through right now.   

Two By Two: The Ark of Gaming?

After reading news about Acclaim's expansion goals and Denki's "ark" you will in no doubt be incredibly surprised that I sat down and analyzed their basic strategy. Of course I am lying - I analyzed the hell out of it.

So, as I crank up my usual obsessiveness, here's my question: is "arking" (expanding in this recession while consolidating other costs to be ready for when the recession ends) a good strategy for game companies?

Week in Review, 2/22/2009

This week proved that no matter how big you get, you can have your ups and downs, and they don't come any bigger than Microsoft.

Chief executive Steve Balmer said that the company was going to take a hit from the bad economy, and to add insult to injury, they were slapped with a lawsuit by a user who said she was charged a downgrade fee to convert a laptop to XP. However, the company's future in the burgeoning field of cell phones definitely looks bright – Windows Mobile 6.5 will feature an app store, as well as a new interface, according to preliminary reports.

It was a rocky week elsewhere in technology land, too. Facebook found itself dealing with user fallout from its end user license agreement changes – a brouhaha that was even featured on major network newscasts. Bankrupt game publisher Midway pulled out of the Entertainment Software Association, and news emerged that one of the company's investors could benefit unfairly from the bankruptcy. Konomi found themselves facing a lawsuit from Viacom/Harmonix, claiming their game Rock Revolution was an infringement on the patent for Rock Band.

With all this going on, you might imagine that some companies would be breaking out the survival plans, and that's exactly what Sega has been doing. The former-hardware giant-turned-software-company has a strategy that includes emphasizing its Sonic brand and creating more Mature-rated titles for the Wii. This may seem a strange contradiction until you realize that Sonic is now known to two or three generations of gamers, and Sega recently scored a success with the violent House of the Dead: Overkill.

Electronic Arts, meanwhile, is taking a much more curious path – as in, going outside the game industry completely. The company announced a line of children's sports equipment – no, not wireless devices designed to interact with titles like Madden, the real deal. It definitely seems like an odd choice for the recently-troubled game manufacturer, and it remains to be seen if they can make an impact in a totally untested arena. (Taking the "sequels are a sure bet" route, they also announced a followup to the popular game American McGee's Alice.)

As for Nintento, they had mixed news from the Nielsen company: They're getting a broader audience and less play, meaning a lot of people consider them their secondary console, not their primary one.

On the media end of things, satellite radio company Sirius/XM got a reprieve from bankruptcy, while tech-oriented cable channel G4 said it would be laying off people and cutting back. The G4 news raises the question of whether super-specialized programming may someday leave television altogether and go online, becoming, in effect, video podcasts. Definitely something to think about – the rise of streaming video certainly seems to point in that direction.

So with all that "down" going on, what was "up?" Cell phones, once again. In addition to the Windows announcement, Android made appearances in the form of a price cap on Android apps and British manufacturer Vodaphone saying it would offer a Google phone. And it's been rumored that Dell is about to throw its hat in the smartphone arena. (We might add that phones aren't a guaranteed road to riches for everyone, though, as Sprint lost more than a million customers.)

Good news in gaming: Acclaim announced plans to expand, the Square Enix/Eidos deal seemed to be moving forward, and, in a sign that even a shutdown could lead to something good, Bonfire emerged from the wreckage of Ensemble Studios.

And one very big-money segment of the entertainment industry that quietly flexed its muscles was the tween audience – Wizard 101, a free-to-play MMORPG aimed at this audience, passed the one million user mark. In the rush to create the next blood-soaked Grand Theft Auto, many people forget that this demographic group can mean heavy brand loyalty and big success – just look at Disney's entire teenybopper empire. It most definitely doesn't hurt to play to the High School Musical crowd.

Links of the Day, 2/21/2009

Anime/Manga

News from this sector isn't exactly rosy today: Best Buy is cutting anime inventory to top titles in 461 stores where anime doesn't sell well, and Diamond Comic Distrbutors is cancelling some orders of anime/manga product that was expected to ship in March, including the latest DVDs of Darker Than Black and The Wallflower. This industry is another victim of the poor economy, unfortunately – which is probably a good thing that it's starting to adapt to online streaming. And speaking of that, Viz has disabled embedded videos of their properties from Hulu and Joost on other sites, showing that they most definitely want full control of their content.

Video Games

Casual gaming seems to be one sector that's at least partially recession proof – Heyzap, a site specialiizing in these diversions, has logged five million play minutes in its first month of launch.

The Recession and Videogames: A look at why so many people are losing their jobs in an industry thought to be recession-proof. A sobering reality check for anyone looking to enter this field.

Nintendo senior director of project development Tom Prata says that "small is the new big" and that digital distribution of games, like Nintendo's one WiiWare, is the wave of the future. Since WiiWare has been a big success, his thoughts are well worth reading.

Microsoft is buying 3DV Systems, which uses Webcam-like cameras to capture motion and turn it into 3D video. Could this bring Wii-like ineractivity to the Xbox 360? Stay tuned!

Technology

Hulu content has shown up on Miro, an open source video platform that can play nearly any video file. Miro itself sounds like a pretty nifty invention, and in the age of streaming video, the company may be one to keep an eye on.

Publishing

Two trends in the industry – content-sharing and going online-only – showed up in a big way in the last 24 hours. New Jersey's Star-Ledger and The Record of Hackensack are combining their statehouse bureaus, and the Indiana weekly Bloomfield Free Press is ditching print and taking to the Web. Adapt or die seems to be the motto of the publishing industry as of late, so its at least good to see some people doing the former.

– Bonnie