Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Hiatus and food for thought

Graduate school is about to begin, limiting the time I will have to spend on updating old ironsides here. I'll get to it when I may. In the interim, consider this:

Finite infinity:
A theoretical supernova will emit an infinite number of light rays upon its detonation, yet those light rays will reach a finite portion of the universe.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Japan, the West, and Videogames

For roughly 5 years now, the Japanese gaming industry has been experiencing a decline in its overall share of the video games industry worldwide. Numerous developers, creators, and directors have weighed in on this trend, including Tomonobu Itagaki who laid the blame on Japan's 'humorlessness.'

Bear in mind that the most iconic stars of the video game universe are still predominantly Japanese: Mario, Link, Sonic to name a few. But the last decade has seen a seismic shift in the buying patterns of consumers all over the globe. At the turn of the century, the pattern of demand was inverted, with Japanese games being highly demanded in the west, while western efforts, or gaika, went largely ignored in Japan. But much is being made today of Japan's shrinking presence in western consumption habits, even as the video game industry as a whole grows exponentially. And, while Mr. Itagaki is entitled to his opinion, it seems to me Japan has always been a niche market in the west.

The Tyler Cowen

  1. This is truly shocking. Despite fully supporting a rehabilitation-focused reset of the American prison system, my monocle almost fell out when I read this article. And yet, all statistics indicate that the system works, at least better than in America.
  2. Radiation 'weather' in Germany. Via Infosthetics.
  3. A surprisingly poignant obituary for Amy Winehouse by Russell Brand.
  4. It's looking increasingly grim for the American economy.

Monday, July 18, 2011

The Tyler Cowen

  1. Pink and Blue as gendered colors is more recent than you think.
  2. We all know it's bad. Still, the graph manages to shock. Via The Browser.
  3. Bill Maher not pulling any punches
  4. Beautiful animation of one soccer player's recounting of New York's 1977 black out and attendant riots. Via Gizmodo.