Kyoto
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How much is Nintendo really worth? (Clue: very much)
Recent financial figures released by Kyoto's most successful hanafuda manufacturer explain just how sickeningly rich the company is. NCL's total net assets as of September 30th, 2006 stand at US$10.86 billion. Do you know how many Rares you could buy for that? Too many!Nintendo's net sales (nothing to do with this here internet) for this fiscal year, which ends on March 31st, 2007, are forecast to be US$6.378 billion, while net profits (after the taxmen have taken their pieces of the sumptuous pie) for this financial year are expected to total US$862 million. That's quite a lot of money. According to a statement released by Nintendo of Japan's accountants, which we've partially emboldened for scary effect: "In order to expand gaming population in the console business as well, Nintendo will aim to popularize "Wii" (the latest video gaming console to be launched at the end of the calendar year) as an "everyday-use gaming device for all the family" allowing the new emergence of gaming console inseparable from daily lives, under the concept of "brand new days with Wii". As for handheld gaming market, Nintendo will continue to strive to gain more popularity with an expansion in software lineup by launching new types of games that expand user base such as "Touch! Generations" as well as easy accesible games to challenging games in due proportion." Key phrase there, if we've read it correctly, is "inseparable from daily lives." The message is clear and just a bit frightening, dear readers: Nintendo wants your life!Read (.pdf) -- Nintendo.co.jp financial statement
DIY Kyoto's Wattson
If you haven't been conserving energy like any good citizen of the world -- carpooling, turning lights off when you leave the room, keeping your defibrillator unplugged -- perhaps it's about time you took your energy output into your own hands. We've seen juice-monitoring solutions before, but the Wattson definitely takes the cake for style and simplicity, showing a running total of wattage output represented in a digital readout or ambient light -- it can also connect to your PC and record usage patterns. Unfortunately you're going to have to spend £350 ($600 US) to get one, and that's if you're lucky enough to snag one of the limited run of 250 they manufactured. Elementary, my dear... ahem.[Via Inhabitat]
8bit musicians announce world tour
Former cellmates Nullsleep and Bitshifter have announced plans to embark on a world tour, blasting their blend of bleeps, bloops, and blizzasts from Boston to Brussels and back again. If you're not an 8-bit believer yet, nothing will win you over except trying it out for yourself. To that end, here are links (1, 2, 3, 4) to some MP3s these torturers of Gameboys, Famicoms and other old-school video game consoles have kindly provided for downloading. If you like what you hear, check the tour page and maybe even drop a few dollars in the donation bucket to help make it happen.
