From the Protect IP Act to Groupon's problems, it's not the best day for the geekonomy . . .
Economics/Geekonomics:
Things aren't settled with Greece yet. Frankly I think some of the voting is a dodge to avoid responsibility, and this still isn't going to change the fact people in the Eurozone are going to hate Greece for a decade.
Geek Law:
The PROTECT IP act is bad. No way around it.
Media:
AOL has a revenue drop. No surprise, but as the shine has gone off them I want to see what this might lead to.
Social Media:
A look at Groupon's legal exposure. I'm thinking this means trouble because let's face it, the company is in trouble already. Again, I'd avoid working for Groupon – and any massive fall on their part is going to produce a ripple effect of Less Interest In IPO.
Technology:
Yahoo buys Interclick – for the ad tech. Admittedly ads seem to mean money, so it's not a bad move, and probably gives us an idea of Yahoo's goals – monetization and probably tightening up the ads. They're still not gone and are still strategizing, at least – not sure if this means any new opportunities.
RIM's stock drops below book value. This is the first time this has happened in nine years. The article flirts with the idea RIM could get bought/sold as well – which would be intriguing because it might be valuable to the right company who can exploit its market.
Internet explorer usage drops below 50% of web usage. More delicious charts for the stats-loving give us an interesting overview.
Sony loses money in Q2, expects full-year loss. OUCH. I think they're obviously not gone, but they may be trying to ride things out (and innovating less), or rethinking some strategies.
Video Games:
Japanese social game company DeNA's stock and ratings take a fall after lower than expected profits. They have their fingers in a lot of pies, so I'm wondering how they'll respond to this.
Angry birds sells a ton. Also, Mitt Romney changes mind, George Clooney handsome, kimchi made of cabbage.
Very smart: Ubisoft acquires RedLynx. RedLynx made a lovely fun stunt game called 'Trials HD' that showed a lot of smarts – but it's only one of 100 titles released the last eleven years. Product and bright people? Good purchase. It appears Ubisoft wants to sell 'Trials' on everything, and I wonder if this high-productivity model is one they want to duplicate.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: So are you tired of hearing about Angry Birds yet?