If you want to take me up on ATVI

ERTS will be having their earnings report this coming Feb 3rd. Word on the street is that they didn't do too well this past holiday season. If the above is true and ATVI gets dragged down on bad video game stock news, it would be a great time to load up on ATVI.

ATVI is having their earnings report on February 11th. Possibly an opportunity for those who want to make a quick buck as well.

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

If you need a refresher course on the art of the hookup, here it is. The Glaswegians tease, flirt and seduce with funky disco-electro-punk that echoes a debauched night on the town. Propelled by an unrelenting 4/4 beat, Tonight bounces along with suggestive sentiments all the way to the end-of-the-night-kiss lullaby. All the saucy talk is augmented by hints of dub, spacey synths, Hot Chip-ish electro beeps and reeling guitar solos -- most notably on "Lucid Dreams." It's Franz Ferdinand's most vivacious album yet, and it's got enough sexy swagger to help get your mojo running.

- Stephanie Benson

Unlike 13wins, I have yet to create a logo for my shiny new domain name: www.SacrificeHeroes.com

Actually the name stands for 'Sacrifice Your Heroes'. I love it.

Didn't we see this already?

Top Jobs I don't have time for

Virtual Consultant - Being able to work virtually is the best thing. I once met a group of normadic programmers who move from city to city working 3 weeks at a time and taking a week off to explore. I'm not sure how a schedule can become more flexible than that.

Game Designer - Most game designers design for fun anyway. It doesn't get much better than getting paid to come in and do what you enjoy.

Music Account Executive - I once met the music-licensing guy for Midway Games. His job year round job basically comes down to touring music festivals and licensing music from up-and-coming bands.

Rockstar - Only if you get paid.

+++ TV on the Radio - Dear Science +++
+++ White Lies - To Lose My Life +++

Prosciutto and Fresh Mozzarella Ciabatta

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste


1 loaf ciabatta bread, sliced in half lengthwise
2 balls fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 tomatoes, sliced
6 to 8 slices of prosciutto
1 cup baby spinach leaves
4 to 6 leaves of radicchio

Methods/steps:
Combine vinaigrette in a bowl. Brush bread with vinaigrette. Layer all other ingredients in the sandwich then drizzle with more vinaigrette. Put other half of bread on top and brush outside with olive oil. Sear on medium high grill until cheese melts. (Note: Treviso can be substituted for the radicchio.)


I want to make this when I return home.

Recently, my dad advised that going deep is also necessary when investing.

ATVI aside, I think my other big bet is GOOG. I feel as if I had already missed the short term boat (their earnings report this week was superb), but when the time comes, I will start staggering throughout the rest of 2009.

In London

Either I think wayyy too much or life is just overly complicated. Or then again maybe its the chases of life that truly matter.

I tend to think I'm risk loving. I would rather live to not know what happens next than settle for the clear path. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I have yet to hear about any one story where a person who continually strives towards their aspirations to fail.

+++ Paramore - Riot! +++

Game and virtual world fundings top $885 million in 2008

1. 9You – $100 million for virtual entertainment community
2. BigFish Games — $83 million for casual downloadable games
3. Trion World Network — $70 million for online multiplayer server games. (The company is working with the Sci-Fi channel on an episodic online game that ties into a TV show and has other titles in the works too.)
4. Real Time Worlds — $50 million for online games such as All Points Bulletin
5. Turbine, maker of the Lord of the Rings Online — $40 million for massively multiplayer online games
6. G10 online game company — $38 million from China’s The9
7. Zynga — $29 million for social games
8. GoFish — $22.9 million youth-oriented ad network with focus on virtual worlds
9. PrimeSense – $20.4 million for gesture-control 3D cameras
10. Playfish — $17 million for social games
11. GameDuell — $17 million for skill-based games
12. Playspan — $16.8 million for virtual goods platform
13. NGI Group — $15.7 million for Japanese virtual world
14. Nurien Software — $15 million for fashion-oriented social online game
15. Social Gaming Network — $15 million for Facebook and other social games
16. Ukash – $14.4 million for virtual world payment systems
17. Expresso Fitness — $14 million for its virtual cycling exercise bikes
18. Play Hard Sports — $13 million for casual online sports games
19. SouthPeak Interactive — $12.9 million for indie games
20. Raptr – $12 million for gamer social network
21. Gaia Online — $11 million for casual massively multiplayer online game
22. ICG – $10 million for casual massively multiplayer online game
23. Unisfair – $10 million for virtual events
24. Challenge Games — $10 million for web-based online role-playing and sports games
25. FooMojo — $9.9 million for virtual pets
26. World Golf Tour — double-digit millions for golf simulation
27. Bigfoot Networks — $8.75 million for game networking hardware
28. Crispy Gamer — $8.25 million for irreverent game news and reviews site
29. Grockit — $8 million for online learning game
30. ON24 — $8 million for virtual events
31. Heatwave Interactive — $7.5 million to improve online game production
32. Riot Games — $7 million for quick-hit online games
33. Playlogic — $7 million for indie games
34. Monte Cristo Games – $7 million for mirror world online game
35. Six Degrees Games gets $7 million for kids sports games
36. EveryScape — $7 million for mirror world
37. Kadoink — $7 million middleware for virtual worlds
38. Metaplace — $6.7 million for web-based virtual world
39. Gizmoz – $6.5 million for avatar-based social network
40. iOpener — $6 million for mixed reality racing
41. Conduit Labs — $5.5 million; reveals LoudCrowd
42. Novint — $5.2 million for user-interface peripherals
43. Robotgalaxy — $5 million for virtual world
44. Ngmoco — $5 million for iPhone games; makes a splash with its game launches
45. Hollywood Interactive — $5 million for site with celebrity-oriented games for women
46. RocketOn — $5 million for parallel web games and social network
47. IGA Worldwide – $5 million for in-game advertising
48. Popjax — $4.7 million for web quiz show games
49. Sparkplay Media — $4.5 million for 3-D browser-based games
50. Twofish — $4.5 million for virtual goods business
51. IGG – $4.5 million for massively multiplayer online game
52. Playdo — $4.3 million for kids virtual world
53. Sparkplay Media — $4.25 million massively multiplayer online game with social network
54. Webcarzz — $4 million for online car racing game world for boys
55. Machinima — $3.85 million for game fan videos
56. FlowPlay — $3.7 million for teen games
57. Wix — $3.5 million for Flash-based virtual world
58. Three Rings — $3.5 million for online virtual-goods based games
59. Fluid Entertainment — $3.2 million for kids’ online games
60. C3L3B — $3 million for casual games
61. Kongregate — $3 million for user-generated games site.
62. GamerDNA — $3 million for social networking game site
...

Everything happenned today

Pictures wouldn't describe it.

Amsterdam is amazing.

Flowers

Wow. I'm sold.

Forbes is bullish too

Franchises are at the heart of Activision's success:

"Guitar Hero"
Activision (nasdaq: ATVI - news - people ) bought this game from its creators for $100 million and turned it from a modest hit into a gaming phenomenon. Even people who had never played typical videogames enjoy strumming a plastic guitar in time to music. The brand's most recent release: "Guitar Hero World Tour."

Released: 2005
Copies sold: 25 million
Gross annual revenue: $2 billion

---
"World of Warcraft"
What is probably the most profitable videogame in history now has 11 million subscribers who can interact with each other online in the biggest of all "massively multiplayer" videogames.

Released: 2004
Subscribers: 11 million
Gross annual revenue: $1 billion

---
"Call of Duty"
Players fight their way across World War II battlegrounds, often in league with small groups of friends linked by the Internet. Hit sequels feature modern warfare in the Middle East.

Released: 2003
Copies sold: 33 million
Gross annual revenue: $1.8 billion

---
"Tony Hawk"
Rather than forcing gamers to follow a scripted story line, the games allow skaters to roam free in cities and skate parks. That daring creative choice helped make the game Activision's first hit franchise. Its most recent release: "Tony Hawk's Proving Ground."

Released: 1999
Copies sold: 40 million
Gross annual revenue: $1.6 billion
---

Now we still have the new Starcraft and Diablo on the way...

Amsterdam on iPhone

Chinese Web Overview

Q3 WP Topic one-The Chinese IWOM Landscape_EN

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: china iwom)

Quick call out to Sam Calagione, founder of Doghead Brewery and also ex-NMHer. I recently read 'Brewing Up a Business: Adventures in Entrepreneurship from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery', and I have much respect for his dreams and aspirations. I didn't see NMH through the same lense as he did, but I would similarly describe the experience as life changing.

I was fourteen when I went to boarding school halfway around the world. It made me super independent, possibly more so than my parents had ever wished for.

I want to make a call out for Sam calagione, founder of doghead brewery and also ex-nmh-er. I just recently read,, and much respect to his dreams and aspirations. Although I didn't see nmh through the same lense as his, I would similarly describe the experience life changing.

I want to make a call out for Sam calagione, founder of doghead
brewery and also ex-nmh-er. I just recently read,, and much respect to
his dreams and aspirations. Although I didn't see nmh through the same
lense as his, I would similarly describe the experience life changing.

I was fourteen when I was sent halfway around the world, I don't think
there is any doubt it made me super independant. Possibly more so than
my parents had ever wished for.

Sent from my iPhone

Desktop Screenshot Jan 11th 2009

I haven't forgotten about my post about starting a desktop screenshot art revolution (Is this Art?). If anybody else is interested in doing this contact me; I will remind you to save and send me a copy of your screenshot. One day we will hold an art exhibition with these pieces.

The 44 Places to Go in 2009

the Business person as Artist

Business art is the step that comes after Art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist. After I did the thing called "art" or whatever it is called, I went into business art. I wanted to be an Art business man or a business artist. Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.

- Andy Warhol

Studying

+++ Fujiya Miyagi - Transparent Things +++


+++ The Ting Tings - We Stated Nothing +++

Macau on my iphone

I dig singer/producers

This is what it will cost you

Over the Xmas, Mr. Poulsen and I had this discussion about making it big.

The conversation came down to how much one is willing to give up to reach their goals. We didn't think it was as much a matter of personal skills and abilities but rather what you were willing to sacrifice. For each extra net-worth zero, it will cost you additional time. Time equals priorities such as family, friends, hobbies, preferences, and every minute/second spent doing something unrelated.

Now think again, how much do you really want it? Don't fool yourself.

Shanghai made of chips and dice.

Like I said I would ATVI

ATVI closed at $8.18 today and I went long on it. Granted Guiter Hero didn't do as well as expected this Xmas (in fact I expect its sales to continue to slump), I see resistance going below $7.50. I'm getting in because I think it is worth it for the long run.

Update 1/8/08: Piper Jaffary upgrade! Instant 11% increase on a downturn today. Woot!

What to live for

When I'm 30+ I want to be able to say I lived life to its fullest. I know money speaks loud and clear, but I would rather be able to say I've had my run with every possible idea and project during these adventure years than being on my way up the corporate ladder.
Life is too short to be waiting. I would of course prefer to have a bank account made up of many zeros, but being able to look back and say I accomplished such and such whether with success or failure is much more important to me. Only then I know I'm taking enough risks to live life to its fullest.

I tacked up 141 posts in 2008, making it 0.39 posts/day. I'm impressed.

New Year

Without my bandmate's permissions, below is a recording from our annual Xmas jam session.

Adi Farooqi - Guitar
Erik Chan - Guitar
Everett Yeh - Drums

Download New-Year.mp3