Nerd Alert North

The Digital Midas Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 16:59:00 +0000

Do the names Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström mean anything to you? Probably not. But I'm sure the names Kazaa and Skype do.

Friis and Zennstrom are the brains behind both successful digital companies, revolutionary businesses that changed the way we share media and make phone calls. Now the two are set to launch Joost (formerly known as The Venice Project), which very well could change the way we watch television. Joost streams television to portables, desktops and televisions via broadband. Much like what Skype could (with widespread adoption) do to the landline, Joost has the potential (with widespread adoption) to put an end to the cable box (as we know it.)

Check out Wired's very interesting article today looking at the two visionaries and their newest baby. Chances are the public is already ready for it, even more so than when Kazaa and Skype made their debuts.

Use It or Lose It

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 05:06:00 +0000

Just days after making Apple look like trademark amateurs, reports are stating that Cisco may have indeed lost the trademark rights to the term "iPhone" due to lack of distinguishable usage.

What next? Less than a week after launch the whole situation already has more twists and turns than a Chubby Checker marathon. What else can happen between now and the time the phone is actually available to the public?

Who Will Decide the Outcome of the Format War? The Porn Industry, That's Who

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:35:00 +0000

Tisk tisk Sony. Letting your morals get in the way of your success... again. Word has it that Sony has shut out the pornography industry from releasing their plot-driven, riveting titles on the Blu-Ray format discs. Does this sound familiar?

During the last major format war, Sony took the same stance when they decided that pornography did not uphold the integrity that the Betamax stood for. However, those backing the VHS saw the business opportunity and went for it, allowing smut mavens worldwide to spread the love via VHS.

We saw the results, as up until the DVD came along and put the format to bed, most of you were perfectly happy watching classics like Home Alone, Beauty and the Beast and Mary Poppins on your VHS. Many of you still have your VHS collections stored away, in the event of a rainy day. And yet most of you never realized that a big part of the reason your VHS beat the Betamax was thanks to the porn industry's penetration of mainstream culture via the VHS.

Odds are, just like with the Betamax, this decision is going to weight heavily on which format ultimately comes out on top. For me, this example raises a few interesting question.

First, does this decision really make Sony any more ethical than the HD DVD's backers?

Second, is business ethics just a misnomer?

Third, does allowing or not allowing a format to carry a certain type of material make it more ethical than others? Is glossy paper unethical because most nudey mags are printed on it? Are computers unethical because the provide a forum for pornography to be viewed? Are MPEGs and P2P networks the devil because the provide quick and easy access to free smut?

One thing is for certain: Sony's position on pornography is not going to bring the industry to its knees, and it definitely won't be the cause of it's demise. However, their stance may just be that to the Blu-Ray.

So in closing, congratulations to Sony for taking a moral and ethical stance on the content that will be available via the Blu-Ray.

My question is, will it really be worth it?

Who Benefits Most from the iPhone?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 20:24:00 +0000

Early indication is that it'll Rogers, not bell/Aliant or Telus, who'll be the carrier pulling in that sweet data plan coin when the iPhone rolls into town. Apple stated today that they have no plans to release the iPhone on the CDMA network, instead opting to keep with the GSM format.. .at least for now. As such, default win goes to Rogers.

All you Bell or Telus fans dissapointed by this, think of it this way - if the iPhone is massively popular in Canada, with Rogers being the only carrier, the excess cash that will be spewing from Ted Roger's fat pockets may mean more love (and money) going to our Blue Jays! Is there anything better than that?

Trouble in Paradise

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 03:05:00 +0000

Seemingly lost to most amidst the drooling and ogling over yesterday's monumental Apple iPhone release (I'd link to it but frankly, you couldn't trip over a newspaper, blog, website or newscast without hearing about it) was that pesky minor controversy of the trademark rights to the name "iPhone".

For those that forgot (or missed it altogether), in mid-December Linksys, a Cisco brand, unveiled their "iPhone" - a VoIP phone - and made some minor waves because of the name. Turns out Cisco has had the trademark since a 2000 acquisition, and while Apple and Cisco had been in negotiations over the name for the past few years (heavily over the past few weeks), Mr. Jobs went ahead and captured the attention of the world with a product that's infringing on a trademark. Today, Cisco formally filed suit and now things appear to be up in the air.

Is iMobile still available? How about iCell? or iBuy?

I Stand Corrected

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:22:00 +0000

That is to say, I was standing, was knocked flat on my ass, and then pulled my embarrassed ass back up for a second look.

Talk about a sexy looking phone. I must admit, with all the hype that’s been surrounding the iPhone for months, I was a little sceptical as to whether or not they could pull it off. And sure enough, they did. They went above and beyond.

It’ll be pricey to start ($599 for the 8GB model at launch) but who doubts the potential this phone will have once it hits the market? One thing’s for sure - when this baby makes it to Canada, odds are I’ll be doing what I can to get to the front of the line.

From a market standpoint, early indication is the competition should be just a bit worried... gratned it's early, so who knows what RIM could do to the Pearl before the iPhone makes it to the market....

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 18:30:00 +0000

First off, Merry hoho and Happy New Year to all of you who celebrated this holiday season. Thanks to a combination of family, friends, exhaustion, champagne and Bailey's Caramel on the rocks, I've been quiet on the blogging front (I felt I'd spare you the alcohol- and chocolate- fueled mutterings this season.) But now it's back to it, so without further adieu... here's a quick look back on 2006 and a quick look forward to 2007...

Looking Back - 2006 - Everything 2.0

1) What do you get when you cross mainstream popularity with an undefined business model? a $1.65 Billion payday
In October, amidst many online rumours, Google offered up a mind-boggling paycheck ($1.65 Billion) to acquire YouTube, the net's ultimate online video sharing database. The site that makes everyone a star had yet to sign any substantial copyright deals and couldn't really display where their revenue opportunities are, but displayed enough to become one of the biggest acquisition stories of the year. Users question whether the purchase will make the site better or worse, as competition sprouts up in every direction.

2) Google Officially Begins it's Conquest of the World
Soaring stock, big ticket acquisitions, entering new markets. 2006 marked the year when almost nothing could go wrong for the company. A decade ago a senior exec from Sun Micro handed these guys a fat check after only ten minutes of a presentation. That check could turn out to be one of the smartest investments of all time.

3) Console War Begins... with a Shortage of Ammunition
PS3 spends most of the year being held up and getting slammed by the public. Wii catches everyone's eye with it's innovation and reinstills faith in a badly-beaten Nintendo. The consoles launch a week apart with mass shortages on both sides. Gamers who got their hands on either turn them around for small ransoms or claim neighbourhood bragging rights to close off 2006. Predictions run wild on whether the Wii, 360 or PS3 will ultimately win this generation of the console wars, even though all three are firmly in premature stages of adoption. Casual gamers worldwide sit back, play Madden 07 on their PS2s and wait until prices become reasonable and the HD-DVD/BluRay battle clears up before flocking to the stores to determine the big winner. On a side note, while Sony made it to market first this time, Nintendo promptly took a page out of their book and prempted Sony by issuing the first recall. Take that, Sony!

4) Citizen Media Beats Up on Traditional Media
The increase in attention to and use of online vehicles like blogs, videosharing, podcasting, etc starts to take it's toll on traditional media, as more and more mainstays see ad revenue drop almost as fast as readership. News outlets do what they can to keep up with the trend, with some (The Guardian, BBC, Reuters) leading the way and others (insert mainstay here) lagging behind.

5) When One Life Just Isn't Enough....
With a huge spike in media attention in the second half of 2006, Second Life has now become a part of the mainstream... sort of. Doubling in size (over two million residents today) in less than a year, Second Life has seen the big boys of first life's corporate world - Coke, adidas, Toyota, IBM, etc - make a big push into the virtual world. Even Rueters set up a virtual world, reporting on "in-world" happenings with their very own SL correspondent, Adam Reuters.

Looking Ahead - 2007 - Evolution 2.0

1) Bubble Bath
Talk of Web 2.0 turning into bubble 2.0 will be a hot topic this year as more and more similarities to the late 90's seem evident. However, lessons learned from last time will help curb worries and adoption of Web 2.0 applications will continue to rise.

2) The Blogosphere Keeps Growing... by Retracting?
Growth in overall numbers of blogs begins to plateau, as every Tom, Dick and Jane stop creating short lived blogs and dedicated bloggers continue to improve and contribute. Overall summary - tangible growth (like overall numbers) will decline, while intangible growth (like quality, accuracy and interest) will increase, helping to cement blogging as more than a fad in the eyes of most non-believers.

3) Shape Up and Sell Off
Another year, another step closer to effective business models. As more and more start ups start to accurately display their value propositions and clearly describe their business paths and revenue opportunities, many more acquisitions (including several high-profile) will take place. Most likely companies to be acquired? Facebook, digg, Technorati. Deep pockets could also nab a TechMeme or Wordpress. Nerd Alert North continues to fight off suitors, waiting for an estimated $2 billion offering before sitting down at the discussion table. Likelihood of acquisition? Minimal.

4) Console Me
Like the masses, I give in and finally buy a new console to replace my dying PS2. Brand loyalty and faith in the BluRay format lead me to overpay for a PS3, which I believe will reduce costs slightly by Q3 and introduce a motion-sensor controller by the holiday season (which i won't likely be able to get my hands on until Q2 2008). Wii-staria dies down while PS3 adoption picks up and 360 adoption stays steady. Ps3 outsells Wii and 360, but not by much. Overall sales to date will still rank 360 (thanks to being first-to-market) ahead of PS3 and Wii at year's end, but all remain incredibly tight until late 2008.

5) Not Your Son or Daughter's 2.0
Much like Web 2.0 saw this year, 2007 displays big progress for Enterprise 2.0, as more companies investigate, determine and act on the opportunities the applications bring to the corporation. Wikis for knowledge management, intranet blogs and corporate networking for employee communications, even podcasts and vidcasts for instructional training at your desktop. 2007 marks the year The Man sees what the people saw in 2006 - a fundamental shift in the way we operate - and start to apply it to the way they operate.

Enterprise 2.0: From Talk to Tactic in 2007?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 15:16:00 +0000

I've been a big advocate of Web 2.0 and it's potential in the enterprise for some time now, but I find that more often than not when broaching the subject my POV ends up being shot down as unrealistic. True, up to this point Enterprise 2.0 hasn't seen much traction on a large scale, but the foundation looks to be in place for 2007 to be the year it breaks out from a good idea without fundamentals to a strong adoption possibility for many companies.

Whether it be small start-up developers with big ideas or large vendors with a focus on small business, Enterprise 2.0 applications are poised for a big year, and those who have drank the kool-aid can expect to be a part of the upswing in the near future.

For those of you without much knowledge of the concept and movement behind Enterprise 2.0, Dion Hinchcliffe from ZDNet has a great post today looking back at the year in Enterprise 2.0. As well, Jevon MacDonald of Firestoker (and Enterprise 2.0 developer) makes a few interesting and well-thought out predictions for what to expect in 2007.

Why I Hate My Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 14:28:00 +0000

My friend, who shall remain nameless, is in a band and looking for album cover ideas. I made what I thought was a generous, thoughtful, and insightful suggestion to him first thing this morning. Within ten minutes, this is what my generosity and thoughtfulness received in return:

As you can see, there are more than one reason as to why I do not have a flickr account. First, and foremost reason I don't, though, is because I have friends who are far too good at photoshop and far too bad to their buddies.

Canucks Lead The Way....

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 14:21:00 +0000

comScore Media Metrix have released their latest stats on blog penetration, and surprise surprise it's us crazy Canucks leading the way. In October, more than 58% of all Canadian internet users visited blogs - 20% more of total users than our friends south of the border.

It's about TIME: You named Person of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:55:00 +0000

TIME Magazine has announced it's 2006 Person of the Year, and low-and-behold, it's YOU! Congratulations. That's some pretty heavy class you've just joined, putting you in the same company as Bill Clinton, Pope John Paul II, Martin Luther King Jr., JFK, Mohandas Ghandi, and even G.I. Joe.

Okay, so by "You", they're referring to the collective masses that have created Web 2.0, be it by creating or consuming content through outlets such as blogs, RSS, YouTube, MySpace, etc. etc. etc.

But just because the "You" referred to isn't inclusive to just "you", you should give yourself a pat on the back for the role "you" played in it. Without all the "yous" that make up the collective "You", "You" wouldn't really matter at all, now would you?

I think it's best summed up in this one line, direct from the article: "For seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, TIME's Person of the Year for 2006 is you."

Maybe it's not a big deal to "you" or "you" or "you", but for "You" this is quite a feat. We can only imagine what 2007 might bring.

Apple Gets iPunked

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:32:00 +0000

After months of speculation, rumours and hearsay, the iPhone was FINALLY formally announced today.

Since early '06, people have been speculating on when it'll be available, what it'll look like, what features and functionality will be included and at what cost. Seemingly everything about the iPhone was a hot topic and the masses all had their own opinion about every aspect.

The long-standing global dialogue basically meant that there was no stone unturned and that odds are when the announcement came, there wouldn't be any surprises. Well, well. Looks like one stone was left unturned.

The iPhone was launched today, but NOT by Apple. Linksys, one of the Cisco brands, has launched the wireless iPhone, a VoiP based phone that will utilize Skype for free or low-cost long distance calls.

So, is this a branding coup of great proportions? Well, reports from October (which helped to fuel the iPhone fire) revealed that Apple had actually trademarked the term iPhone in numerous countries.

So, does this mean those reports were bogus, or was GB one of the countries where they couldn't get the trademark? We'll probably find out over the coming days...

Last Night...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 20:27:00 +0000

I sat at home and did something I NEVER do - I watched two full, uninterrupted hours of the CBC.

CBC you ask? WTF? Why?

I'll tell you why - in less than 15 words no less: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Is there something wrong with the fact that a grown man, in his mid-twenties, opted out of plans in order to sit on his couch, drink a beer and watch children's Christmas programming? I think not.

With so much "entertainment" in production today, these three Christmas favorites may be three of the only shows ever produced that are watched religiously by the masses. I got no less than six email reminders yesterday that CBC had this lineup tonight, coming from people who have words like Senior Vice President, Director, etc. in their business titles.

No one is fooled into thinking the animation is spectacular. I mean, all three were made in the fifties and sixties. But they all resonate with so many people, who regardless of their station in life can remember sitting in their PJ's, eating milk and cookies and watching the Grinch's heart grow three sizes, Frosty sacrificing himself for the safety of his young friend, or good old Yukon Cornelius tumbling over a ledge to defeat the Abominable Monster of the North. Talk about sustainable entertainment.

Now, if only as many people would have been introduced to Arrested Development as were to these three, there'd be some REALLY good programming on television these days.

Lets Face It....

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:26:00 +0000

The military has some crazy $#!^ that we'll probably never hear about. However, every now and then you do get to hear about some device that's been designed to "keep us safe from the enemy", or whatever their PR warchest has created as the key message for the month.

What's more worrisome - the fact that these weapons, which sound right out of a cartoon, are ready for military deployment, or the fact that I don't need an ADS to create the "Goodbye Effect" on most women? That is, unless you consider personality (or lack thereof) to be a weapon...

Matt Good on World AIDS Day

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 20:13:00 +0000

Another brilliant post by Matt Good today that I couldn't help but share with you, my dedicated, causeful readers. From Matt's blog:

"There is no denying that AIDS is a global epidemic and that its eradication should be a serious and highly urgent global effort. So isn’t it heartbreaking to think that globally over a trillion dollars a year is spent on armaments to kill perfectly healthy people?

Perhaps the earth is simply tired of us. Of all the animals in creation, we serve the least purpose, and our lack of humanity tends to demonstrate that on a daily basis when it comes to the fight against AIDS, especially in those parts of the world where help is needed most. If there was ever a greater need for a world super power to unilaterally and preemptively invade a region of the world, surely this cause is of far greater import than most. The ground troops of such a force could be populated by medical personnel, the stated goal of the mission to help the dispossessed who have thus far suffered under the ignorance of those who refuse to deal with the realities of this epidemic. That is an invasion that I would support, illegal or not.

Perhaps the earth is simply tired of us. Perhaps that is why the Ross Ice Shelf, which is the size of France, could, at any time, simply break off of the Antarctic continent causing global water levels to rise dramatically. Not that that should deter us from making any radical changes in our lives. Not that it should stop us from spending a trillion dollars a year on fascinating new ways of killing one another."

Honest, brutal truth. It's good to know that it's coming from somewhere these days.

You Learn Something New Every Day

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 19:58:00 +0000

I've never been big on photography. Neither taking photos or viewing them have ever been much of a passion, except to see how ridiculous I looked in my fat stage at 13 or how innocent I looked back before I turned into a complete and utter self-serving jackass (mostly photos taken by my mother pre-1987).

In my entire life, I have taken three series of photos. One from a particularly fun and intoxicated May 2-4 weekend when I was 18. One from a particularly dressy and intoxicated High School Prom. One from a particularly cold and intoxicated New Year's trip to Montreal. When I woke up on New Year's Day, 2002, I subconsciously made the decision to never care about taking another photograph ever again. Until now.

I've started getting into photoblogs lately, and a few are making me itch to get my hands on a high-power camera and go out and start taking some shots. Granted, knowing very little about cameras and having very little creative or artistic ability, I'm sure I won't be producing enough to make the purchase all that worthwhile for a good amount of time. But hey, who knows, maybe I'll discover a hidden talent. I mean, everybody has a talent, right? I'd like to think that my current talents of well-timed smart ass remarks and the ability to drink in excess without second thought to the ever-worsening condition of my liver are just the tip of the iceberg.

A few of my favorites so far:

Daily Dose of Imagery

Apparently Nothing

eP - emptyPictures

If you know of any other really good ones, send me a link. I'm turning into a junky.

Sex Cells...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 18:57:00 +0000

Those crazy Europeans. Looks like their insatiable lust for barely-legal hardcore pornography is spurring quite the lucrative digital industry - a mobile pornography industry, to be exact.

Today, the industry is worth about $1.4 billion. By 2011 it should be up to the $3.3 billion mark, as estimated by Juniper Research, who obviously realized that the age old adage "sex sells" also applies to research papers.

You know, there have been a lot of times where I've been out and about and thought to myself "you know what would make this walk even better? Some hard core pornography". Now it looks like that won't just be a pipe dream after all. Just open up the web browser on my cell and let the good times begin!

Only problem is, I hate the fact that it costs me 15 cents to send a text message on my current plan. Just think about the cost of a 2 and a half minute porno pick-me-up! It could easily be a slippery slope to the equally exciting world of bankruptcy!

However, this does sounds like good news for smut peddlers worldwide, who I'm sure had to have been a little disappointed only a few weeks ago, when they found out that their once dominant market share online has dwindled to a measly one per cent of all web content. See what happens when "user-generated content" gets out of hand? The pioneers of this online world find themselves having a difficult time keeping up with expansion. No pun intended.

A Heartfelt Letter to a New Acquaintance

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 20:26:00 +0000

Dear Nicorette,

My name is Matt. We met a few days ago, and have been spending an awful lot of time together since. In this time, I feel we've gotten to know each other quite intimately. That's moving rather fast for a humble man such as myself, yet I feel compelled to overcome my urges and avoid taking a step back in our relationship.

You see, I had heard all about you before. I knew all the rumours. I listened to the good, and I paid close attention to the bad. To be fair, I expected the ugly. I didn't think it would be this ugly.

You see, over the past decade I had developed a very strong relationship with your counterpart, cigarette. We got along quite well. Cig (as I affectionately call her) was always there for me, in good times and in bad, helping to elate my joys and ease my troubles. Whether it was drinks with the friends or a quiet night in, I always knew that I was sharing my time with somebody who really understood me. Who really knew me. Who really loved me.

Today I am saddened. It's tough to say goodbye to anyone who's been a part of your life for ten years, regardless of the amount of time you spent with them. But Cig was a big part of my life, so it'll be especially tough times over the coming weeks. She knows she's being replaced and isn't happy about it. It puts me in quite a bind to see her pained so.

Are you proud of yourself, Nicorette? Do you feel you offer everything that Cig does, with a cool minty flavour to boot? Well I'm here to tell you - you don't. You don't offer me any social benefits. You don't soothe my cravings or ease my worries. You don't even make my breath any fresher with your nicotine and tar aftertaste. What you do is bother me, and to no end.

In short, Nicorette, you suck. Cigarette was way cooler than you. But, we're stuck together for now, so let's try and make the most of it, okay? Just keep in mind one thing, though - you really, really do suck. I'll be glad when you're gone for good, unlike my dearly departed friend Cig.

Sincerely,
Matt

p.s. you REALLY suck. Just thought I'd say it again.
p.p.s. I was so angry while writing this that I had the urge to have a cigarette. Instead, I popped a Nicorette. The only thing worse than bitter gum is bitter irony.

Shameless Plug

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 22:21:00 +0000

If you happen to find yourself if Niagara Falls this weekend, swing by the House of Comedy @ the Americana on Lundy's Lane for the hottest new comic in Canada, Marc Sinodinos.

He may be ugly, and he may smell pretty bad, but damn can this red-headed Greek Adonis make you laugh.

Falling off the Wagon...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 18:17:00 +0000

I've been getting harassed by some of my faithful readers (all dozen of you) for not posting much lately. Okay, at all lately. It's not because I haven't wanted to post - it's far from it. It's just because, for some reason, I haven't had much to say on things lately. Call it bloggers block, or something to that end.

The creative juices have been zapped, and I'm not altogether sure why.

So, in an effort to get out of this self-imposed funk, let me chime in on all the cool stuff I've seen but have been too tuned out to write on over the past nine days. This may not be pretty, and is sure to be pretty random, but bear with me. I gotta try something to get out of this funk.

The Peanut Butter Manifesto. Good stuff. My take? It didn't work so well for Jerry Maguire. Lets hope it works better for you, Brad.

The week of PS3 and Wii. Both, as expected, officially launched to rave reviews from gamers worldwide. Those who were lucky enough to ge their hands on one get to brag to all their friends for months, until more shipments are made, or regift them for a tidy little profit.

digg and Deceit. A fake Reuters story, reporting that 650,000 PS3 units would neeed to be recalled, made it's way to the top of the food chain on digg earlier this week. When it came out that the story was a hoax, digg promptly removed it from their website. Not to fear though, because only days later Sony did issue another recall, only for a camera. Good to know that the company, while seemingly walking into #@$#storms left and right, is at least being consistant.

Russian spy dies in London. Isn't this a really extreme way to promote the launch of Casino Royale? Hey, give it up to the marketers that were willing to take it to the next level.

Speaking of marketers, a recent survey by Zoomerang says that 79% of marketers are unfamiliar with the term Web 2.0. At first I wasn't going to say anything negative about this. Then I realized - Hell, it's not like they're going to see this anyway. Do your #$#%$#% jobs, people.

I started reading "The Long Tail" by Chris Anderson this week. Fascinating book. A must read for anyone who considers themselves a part of the business world. A must read right away for that 79% mentioned above.

Big payday for the Big Hurt: Franky T is coming to Toronto. Not since Roger Clemens have we had a player that has very own video game named after him. Only problem is Frank Thomas' video game (Big Hurt Baseball for anyone who wasn't part of the Sega Genesis generation) was released a decade ago, back when he truly was a force. Two injury ruined years + one comeback year (39 dingers is nothing to sneeze at) = 2 years, $18 million for a 38-year old DH. Ballsy move, Riccardi.

There's about thirty additional little snippets I'd discuss, but hey, just cause I need to break out of a funk doesn't mean I need to put you to sleep. Thanks for the harassment... I needed it.

An Almost-Perfect Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 20:04:00 +0000

Did anybody else see this coming? With programs that can crash major networks coming through emails and hackers that can infiltrate the safest networks, did nobody think that sooner rather than later somebody was going to come up with something that would fuck with our favorite virtual world, Second Life?

CopyBot, a program designed to let users (surprise, surprise) copy inventory from the virtual world without having to pay for it has the million-plus users of SL in an uproar. Businessess are closing shop. Users are going nuts. Who knows? There could even be riots in the virtual streets. It isn't out of the question - there's already protests going on.

Could this be the beginning of the end of another great idea? Doubtful. Linden Labs, the creators of Second Life, look to be on it.

Turning the Tables....

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 18:21:00 +0000

Talk about irony. YouTube, one of the darling's of Web 2.0 applications and the newest property of Google, is trying to play the other side of the field. Consistantly lambasted with copyright infringement questions, YT has sent a "Cease & Desist" to TechCrunch's Michael Arrington, one of the darling's of Web 2.0 business, stating that an application TC created infringes on THEIR copyrights. You can read the actual letter in full here.

Not long ago, TechCrunch developed a small tool that lets people download YouTube videos to their hard drives. They did so after reviewing YouTube's Terms of Use and determining that the application would not be in conflict with any legalities.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. It should be interesting to see how this plays out.

In other YouTubeNews: It's being reported that Google has set aside $200 million in escrow from the $1.65 billion deal for one year, in an obvious legal fund to fight the pending copyright infringement claims they are sure to (or already have) rolling in.

Which has me wondering: Have they issued the cease and desist to TechCrunch in an attempt to a) take action on an action they feel wrongs the company, b) recoup some of the money they're certain to have to pay out or c) get a taste of being on the other side of the claim, as research for when they're pulled in themselves?

Second Life - The Time to Buy is NOW

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 16:22:00 +0000

Second Life has been receiving a lot of mainstream press over the past few months, and it's helped to push the number of users of the virtual environment past the million mark already. While a number of companies are already taking part in Life part Two, IBM is one of the companies leading the way with their announcement of an additional $10 mil in funding to Second Life-related initiatives over the twelve months.

With all this additional exposure, coupled with corporations starting to invest heavily in Second Life, is it going to be much longer before the price of land and items in the virtual world skyrockets? It would appear that if companies want to buy in to Second Life, now's the time to do it. Get in while the water's warm. Soon enough, it'll be boiling.

Side point: Working in the tech space, I hear the word "innovation" thrown around like a paper bag in a wind tunnel. However, the majority of the tech companies out there aren't utilizing Second Life to their benefit. If these are the innovators, shouldn't they be all over this innovative way of doing business?

Is Social Disclosure the Future of Filing?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 21:39:00 +0000

Although nothing official yet (and probably not for some time), there is a chance that in the future the SEC may be open to allowing corporations to officially file fair disclosure information via corporate blogs. In a response to a letter from Sun Micro's Jonathan Schwartz, posted as a comment to his blog, SEC Chairman Christopher Cox took the first step in proving that it isn't such a crazy idea after all.

Would it really be such a bad move? After all, major blogs receive upwards of seven-figure hits daily, and the fact that the information is obtainable within minutes is definitely a plus. I think those alone are pretty good examples of why the forum might not be a bad idea for fair disclosure.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Roth) — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:51:00 +0000

Looks like NTP's about to see what it's like to be on the other end of the blade...