A braver new world!

I've been busy last month planning an important third birthday! In the month that I did not write a blog post, the world changed!

Don't believe that change is irrelevant, since we'll all be gone by 2012 ... I'm talking about significant advances, some of which will change the way we do things before 2012!

First, as a firm believer in gadget convergence, it's good to see it happening! The iPhone already made it unnecessary to carry a camera - my Rio trip last year was without camera, and I iSnapped a healthy Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado! Now, with the release of the Droid, Google has effectively tech-crunched 2 devices into 1 - the GPS and the cell phone! This places standalone dash navigators (Garmin, Tomtom) on notice. In announcing the acquisition of AdMob, Google implies stronger mobile advertising for this converged mobile marketplace, (better ads to look at as you drive) and the Gizmo acquisition promises new forms of phone communications down the road - maybe no land lines any more (better phone calls from your car)!

More convergence came from Netflix and Sony. With Netflix streaming available on PS3 (and net-connected Bravia TVs), I no longer have to get DVDs mailed - no streaming player required - another box bites the dust! Oh! Google jostled its way in here as well - with the launch of HD video on YouTube! Now, browsing on the PS3 goes beyond the PlayStation store to your movie list and high quality user-generated content! Today, I still need the TV set top box for live TV and other channels, but that's not a technology issue - just a matter of who creates, owns and distributes quality content.

Speaking of media creation, citizen journalism is now the in-thing! While the Huffington post is offering to take a citizen journalist to Copenhagen, Rupert Murdoch, with his claim to create a paid walled garden for content - blocking out specific search engines - sounds like the last bastion of defense for paid-journalism as we know it. Who knows? If N key publishers decide to take sides in barricading content to specific robots, could it make a difference?

Speaking of newspapers and media - newspapers have the lowest circulation (12.9%) since pre-World War II. it looks like the most lucrative form of entertainment is not reading (Harry Potter with the Kindle, Nook "endless shelf space", or an iPhone book application), or even movies (Batman the Dark Knight), but ... good ol' war games! War still rules the world, with the largest ever media release in history - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2! More than $300 million in sales in 1 day in just North America and the UK (vs. Batman $160M, 2012 $70M in a 3 days)!! I think Murdoch should buy Activision! Now, even the pacifist in me is curious enough to play this game! It's a Call of Duty!

Might as well experience the buzz before 2012!