WoW's subscribers are down, Kindle tests a new subscription model, and our economy is a slow-motion disaster. So let's get to the news!
Economics/Geekonomics:
A bit of a Europe-Asia roundup that's not overly promising.
Bank of America looks to be in trouble, and interesting their settlements with state AG's seem limited. If they go, big trouble – that could ensure a double dip, and if they get bailed out it'll be nasty politically.
The US Economy? The downturn was worse than thought.
Me? I now put a double-dip at better than average odds without action by the governments of the world – and the US in particular.
Publishing:
Kindle tests a subscription model on a digital version of 'Fantasy & Science Fiction' magazine including, interestingly enough, a free version. This seems to be an obvious targeting of a tech-savvy group.
Technology:
Web.com snatches up Network solutions. Looks like they're evolving into a full-service company that provides just about anything you need for web and related services. Might be worth considering for jobs – and if they may be getting big enough to shift the power structure in registration and services.
Video:
Is Apple Set to roll out a video streaming service says an analyst? Say it isn't so! That's so . . . predictable. After Apple TV, with their various deals, with the cloud, with the success of iTunes . . . this makes perfect sense.
Video Games:
World of Warcraft subscribers fall for the second straight month. This could be for all sorts of reasons, but the reason to pay attention is everyone ELSE is and is going to try to figure out what's up. It may be meaningless, but I bring it up as other people will try and interpret it – so pay attention.
Get the lowdown on virtual goods – There's a few surprises here – I didn't think Console Games would be so far in the lead for purchases – so read the whole article.
Borderlands 2 has been officially announced. I share this as it's AWESOME.
Atlus' 'Catherine gave the company it's largest launch ever. Very good for this purveyor of the oddball, and I'd like to see what this does for other titles.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: So why do you think WoW's subscriptions are declining?