Yuumoushin.com (勇猛心)

When the economy sputters, people buy video games; better put, they buy Nintendo:

Nintendo sold 721,000 Wiis and 698,000 DSs during March. It looks like the shortages may not be so dire anymore; those are pretty amazing numbers for March. “Nintendo systems represented 58 percent of all video game hardware sold in March in the United States,” Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing said in reaction to the numbers. “We expect our momentum to continue with big upcoming game launches like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit.”

And how does Nintendo compare to Sony and Microsoft? The below image is from Ars Technica:

For a more granular breakdown (top selling video game, etc.), check out the SuperSite Blog’s US Video Game Sales

Too bad I still can’t seem to find a Wii in stores (then again, I’m not really trying). I have both a DS and a PSP, and while I think the PSP is an amazing machine, I prefer the DS’ simplicity. I don’t need “Playstation quality” games in a portable form factor. I just want something fun, and the DS does a great job at being fun (not to mention the variety of games…who would have known the stylus would be so innovative from a gaming perspective).

As for the non-portable bunch, I have the Gamecube, which suits me just fine, but I would like to try a few of the non-standard games offered by the Wii. The strength of the Wii has been driven by Nintendo-generated games. How that pans out over time with third party developers, well, we’ll just have to wait and see (are there really any good third party titles out there at the moment?).

Nothing really, other than they’re both in Japan and the topic of my post today.

The 3-year old alligator stands on its hind legs when splashed with water, and it even has a name…

Named “Daigoro,” the 80-centimeter-long male alligator was first spotted standing up about two years ago, when water that a keeper poured on plants in his cage splashed on him at Marine Plaza Miyajima in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture.

And perhaps this tax specialist for an Osaka City office used the “I have to attend a relative’s funeral” as an excuse just to skip out of work to see Daigoro.

A tax inspector has resigned after being punished for telling bosses that relatives had died in order to claim compassionate leave on 11 occasions, officials said.

The world we live in.

You tell me if “Daigoro” is cute or not:

Nope. hehe

My post today is about Craigslist. I’m a fan – I have used it to buy and sell items with respectable success. The article I read this morning considered a hypothetical valuation of the company if it wasn’t run like a non-profit.

Check out the full article for an in depth analysis. Their conclusion is that assuming certain criteria, Craigslist would be valued at around 5 billion dollars.

The assumptions they make with regard to metrics are broken down to be the following:

2007 Est. Revenue: $55 million
2008 Est Revenue: $81 million
Monthly Pageviews: 9 billion
Monthly Job Listings: 2 million
Monthly Ad Listings: 30 million
Employees: 25

The site’s assumptions consider “estimated costs” and “real value.” The conclusion from their analysis is that Craigslist would generate roughly 750 million dollars a year. I will agree with the idea that Craiglist will make considerably more revenue-wise, but I’m skeptical. About such a large number relative to their current revenue stream. I just don’t believe that the analysis is really capturing all the inherent costs (although, they do throw in a nice clump to account for “other costs”). I think such a “cost alpha,” like a haircut reduction in overall revenue, might occur from a jump from a non-profit style org to a for profit style org. They might need to add an accounting group, finance group, some more lawyers, etc. And these would all come with significantly higher costs…not to mention the unquantifiable “adjustment costs.” And what about lost revenue from people who don’t like the idea of another ebay style (without the bidding, mind you) listing site? I do think Craigslist could do some neat things under a different model, but I also think that its core competencies might be damaged.

One has to consider the following: a) the current model has kept Craigslist popular over these past few years; b) the current model has given Craigslist a certain amount of clout within the industry; and c) the current model has few competitors, which has carved a nice little niche market for Craigslist. The site is nothing spectacular, but it works. That’s a valuable point unto itself.

The concept 20, 15, even 10 years ago was laughable. The idea that we’d even be able to create something like a “robot bug” was more of a fantasy seen in movies. It appears that is no longer the case:

Right now, researchers are already growing insects with electronics inside them. They’re creating cyborg moths and flying beetles that can be remotely controlled. One day, the US military may field squadrons of winged insect/machine hybrids with on-board audio, video or chemical sensors. These cyborg insects could conduct surveillance and reconnaissance missions on distant battlefields, in far-off caves, or maybe even in cities closer to home, and transmit detailed data back to their handlers at US military bases.

Sure, the initial research in itself may be harmless, but what are the potential long-term implications?

Surveillance applications, however, may only be the beginning. Last year, Jonathan Richards, reporting for The Times, raised the specter of the weaponization of cyborg insects in the not-too-distant future. As he pointed out, Rodney Brooks, the director of the computer science and artificial intelligence lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, indicated that the Pentagon is striving toward a major expansion in the use of non-traditional air power – such as unmanned aerial vehicles and cyborg insects – in the years ahead. “There’s no doubt their things will become weaponized,” he explained, “so the question [is]: should they [be] given targeting authority?” Brooks went on to assert, according to The Times, that it might be time to consider rewriting international law to take the future weaponization of such “devices” into account.

Okay, the idea is neat. And yes, researchers will emphasize the scientific advancements over the potential illegitimate uses (or, in some cases, war applications), but isn’t this just a tad bit early to cause concern? The article implies a quicker development time, making it appear “scarier” than it really is. Don’t board your house up yet folks, I think we’re still good to go.

The article goes into more detail, but for those of you wondering what a robot bug looks like, watch the clip below: