The online game World of Warcraft made the front page of The New York Times.
The game is making $1 billion dollars in revenue and has 7 million paying subscribers. That makes it one of the most lucrative entertainment media properties of any kind.
Millions of players log-in online from anywhere and simultaneously occupy and interact with each other in one vast 3D virtual world.
Brands like Coca-Cola have also done co-promotions & advertising with the game.
World of Warcraft was started only two years ago and has broken down cultural and physical barriers to connect people all around the world. Online gaming like this has appealed to a diverse lot of people in different countries, ages, genders and professions. (Not just tech heads).
You may not have heard of OK Go, but the Chicago rock pop outfit just made history. The band's ultra-low-budget clip for the song "A Million Ways" recently became the most-downloaded music video of all time with more than 9 million downloads.
OK Go's treadmill video for 'Here It Goes Again' was another viral hit with 1 million views in its first month and earned them an appearance on MTV's Video Music Awards and on Letterman.
Filmed in lead singer Damien Kulash's backyard, the video features the band performing an elaborate choreographed dance over one continuous take.
The video proved so popular that fans across the globe began to submit unsolicited copies of their versions of the dance video to the band.
The outpouring of video tributes prompted OK Go to conduct a contest with YouTube to select their favorite fan film and invite the lucky winner to perform the dance with them onstage at an upcoming concert.
From backyard broke to MTV mania...thanks to "push button publishing".
The latest technology trend in Tokyo are private rooms called Media Immersion Pods. For a rental fee, customers can check in to a technology room for as along as they like. Once inside, every aspect of technology is available to them from the Internet and DVDs to satellite TV to Sony Playstation.
If the pod renter becomes overwhelmed by technology, there is also a nearby library with books and magazines to take back to their pod.
These media immersion pods are quickly becoming a desirable place to escape to. Young people are meeting their friends there to surf the net and play video games; business men are checking their stock and email; many couples go to flirt; and many are even staying overnight. It is accepted that what goes on in these pods is private, making them a popular place for personal matters.
MAKE, the magazine dedicated to DIY technology projects, and music magazine FADER, have begun distributing their content in iTunes in PDF format. (Once a user subscribes to the magazines through the iTunes Store, new issues are delivered as PDFs right inside iTunes.)
Now, however, MAKE plans to begin running ads inside the PDF issues that will use 3D technology to bring the ad to life, as well as other interactivity that can't be replicated in print. The ads should begin appearing in this month's PDF issue.
Social networking sites like MySpace & Friendster have made it common place to have our lives, interests, likes & dislikes broadcast out to anyone willing to listen. One group has extended this idea offline in the form a T-List.
A T-List is a T-Shirt with your "Top 5 list" printed on it. It could be your "Top 5 Artists", "Top 5 Films", or "Top 5 Overrated Bands". You can easily create your own personal list and choose a design on their site.
The group's goal is to "become part of the vernacular" and create conversation about your interests with people offline as you might online.
