A new Avatar: The Last Airbender changes the world of Four Nations, Google Editions changes print and bookstores, and the housing market . . . changes for the worse. Change is good, so let's see what's shaking in must-know geek job news!
Economics/Geekonomics:
Guess what? Expect home prices to keep getting lower.
Media:
Avatar the Last Airbender TV Series gets a sequel/spinoff. My guess is this was qued up before the movie fiasco hit, but they're probably accelerating it due to the dismal performance. Either way, this sounds like the Avatar property is full steam ahead, with a sequel set 70 years in the future, which promises steampunk, social conflict, and more. I'm quite pumped and feel the Four Nations World has a lot more tales to tell – and I wonder if this will spawn a larger media empire (that may need you . . .)
Movies:
Disney to make less films and focus to make sure large-budget films are globally merchandisable. Some of this sounds actually reasonable, some of it sounds like Disney got burned a bit as of late. Something to remember in your media career plans.
Publishing:
Here comes Google Editions – It's an eBookstore – but one that has social networking aspects and lets small bookstores craft their own eBookstores. It sounds more universal and focused on the idea that the book is cloud-stored. More competition is good, of course . . . but now we writers have something ELSE to keep track of technically.
Social Media:
Here comes Flipboard for iPad – A social media integrator that uses the magazine metaphor to make your use of Social Media (currently Facebook and Twitter) easier. It looks pretty impressive – and I like the idea of a different social media metaphor. Watch this one – it seems Google wants to support smaller bookstores, which could rally people to them.
Technology:
The hell? Some Dell motherboards have malware? That's just bizarre, and scary.
Apple Profits are awesome. No one surprised. However despite their current performance – and I suspect good future performance, Apple's position in the market has changed rapidly. They'll need to adapt – and adapt to what appears to be changing media narratives. Still they're doing awesome, and if I dare say so, deserve the praise.
Video:
Netflix wants to stream more TV shows. Sure, not surprising – but they sound very aggressive and have a STRONG user base. Could shift the balance of power out there in video land. Needless to say, Netflix is a crush object here.
Video Games:
HeyZap to make it easier to put games on any sites. Simple and slick bits of coding, let's see how this plays out.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: What do you think of Google Editions – is it one of many strategies, or a deliberate long-term change in business models for Google?
– Steven Savage