Leading off with the latest in the RIMpocalypse…
RIM Shake Up
The CEOs of Research in Motion have stepped down. Effective Sunday, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have passed on the position of CEO to former chief operating officer Thorsten Heins. Balsillie will remain on the board of directors. Shares of RIM dropped when the news was released. New CEO Heins wants to focus on the consumer market, where RIM has shown a weakness. No idea what this means for RIM. This could be a move that turns out to help them turnaroud, or just delay the end.
Rogers Violating Net Neutrality
The CRTC has let Rogers know that there is evidence of the cable company throttling Internet traffic. Rogers has until February 3 to respond and either submit a rebuttal or submit a plan plan to return to being in compliance with the CRTC. the investigation started after the Canadian Gamers Organization accused Rogers of hindering online games, specifically Call of Duty: Black Ops. For those outside Canada, Rogers started as a cable company before getting into first the ISP business then wireless telecommunications. even as a cable company, its actions weren't always in the best interest of the paying customer.
Indie Film About Indie Games Optioned
Indie Games: The Movie, by Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky of Winnepeg, has been optioned by HBO to be remade into a TV series. Indie Games: The Movie shows the progress of several game designers working on their own to produce their own games outside the major studios. The optioning of the movie shows that it is possible for independant studios to still get noticed.
Science Fiction Movie Shot On Location
Sure, many movies are, but Richard Garriott's was shot on the Internation Space Station. Apogee of Fear is the first science fiction movie to be shot in space. NASA so far has blocked the release of the five minute film but is working with Garriott to resolve the roadblocks.
SOPA Vote Delayed
Old news, but another look at the backpedaling. The delay is being directly attributed to the massive protests on January 23, including the black out of Wikipedia. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid reported seeing six senators that once supported the bill announce their opposition.
The iTextbook
Apple has started selling interactive textbooks for the iPad. Ebook versions of textbooks exist, but lag behind due to cost and technical concerns. Most ebook readers are monochrome (the Fire and the Vox being the exceptions), and for the cost of the needed ebook licenses, school boards could just get the physical book. However, the introduction of tablets to schools is something to keep an eye on.
–Scott D
