Anime/Manga

Streaming here, streaming there, streaming everywhere: Funimation is offering eps of Requiem for the Phantom, a video game-based anime, within days of their airing in Japan and Crunchyroll is offering live-action Kadokawa series including an adaptation of the manga MPD Psycho. Plus, on the manga side, Viz has begun its instant online releases of Rumiko Takahashi's Rin-ne. What this all means is there is a LOT of work out there right now for people who are fast and accurate at translating Japanese, and there's only going to be more in the future (it's very, very strange that other commercial anime companies have not yet jumped in the streaming pool to the extent Funimation has, but their entry is inevitable if they want to compete).

Video Games

The Wii is getting a video service channel in Japan on  May 1 – which means a U.S. announcement is inevitable. Unlike Xbox Live's Netflix service, Wii Room will offer family-oriented programming created exclusively for Nintendo. This could mean very, very good news for American animation houses and TV production companies if Nintendo USA decides to go the same route. And if they decide to use the animation being created for the Japanese service, it could breathe new life into the anime TV dub, which has been rendered an endangered species by the boom in streaming anime video. (There's apparently a corporate marketing angle involved as well, as Nintendo may be collecting and selling data on users - no formal confirmation on this, though). Meanwhile, Sony is trash-talking about its rival again, claiming that "Sony owns the living room and the Wii owns the closet," meaning PS3 owners tend to actually use the product ad Wii owners don't. And once again, folks, we see how surviving flame wars can actually be career prep.

Square Enix's takeover of Eidos has become official, putting the multimedia Tomb Raider franchise in the House That Sephiroth Built. This gives Squeenix a couple of extra North American studios and, hopefully, saves the jobs of the workers there. It's a good matchup of companies and opens up cross-brand marketing opportunities (Lara Croft in the next Kingdom Hearts, anyone?)

EA Sports is saying more than 500 million matches have been played on its online servers since June 2008, representing a 175% increase in online play over last year. Label president Peter Moore says this means a radical shift toward online gaming (which he claimes EA pioneered). You can't argue with numbers like that – while MMOs may get all the attention when it comes to online gaming, online sports is an area that definitely can't be ignored and is a good one to develop for.

Technology

Apple Inc. had its best second quarter results in its history for the three months ending March 28. And during the earnings call, COO Tim Cook didn't rule out the company entering the netbook fray one of these days, saying they might do so if they can deliver an "innovative product that really makes a contribution." (Cook dismissed most current netbooks as "junky.") Apple definitely seems to be doing just fine without Steve Jobs, so if you were holding off on thinking of a career there until you saw how they'd fare under these circumstances . . . well, you have your answer.

If you're developing cell phone apps, make sure they play to a worldwide audience – smartphone sales are booming in areas you might not expect. India reported 15.6 million new cell phone users in the month of March alone. Of those, 1.6 million were iPhones alone. Thinking on a truly global basis is a rule of thumb for all kinds of media nowadays.

Social Networking

The speculation yesterday that MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe is out of the company has been confirmed as fact. He will continue to advise the company and hinted that he may have a couple of startups in mind, so hey – if that goes through, more job opportunities for technology-inclined people, right? 

Economics/Geekonomics

This Recession and its Lasting Socioeconomic Impacts: A look at what's shifting in the marketplace during the first real recession that a lot of people have had to deal with, including an increasing emphasis on frugality and alternative careers and a deemphasis on businesses that meet the needs of the baby boomers.

Publishing

Use of online newspaper sites was up 10 percent in the first quarter according to the Newspaper Association of America. This means Americans are getting increasingly comfortable with getting their news off pixels than paper – but it doesn't necessarily mean we're collectively ready to cut ties to traditional publications, either. The now online-only Seattle Post Intelligencer has fallen from Nielsen's top 30 online newspaper ranking. Ultimately, the move to cyber-only papers is going to be a very slow process, but these numbers are at least showing baby steps in that direction – and even that's a positive thing for the future of journalism. (Also looking in that direction: Gannett has formed a digital advertising network that will service more than 100 virtual communities). 

- Bonnie