Business, Videogames, Technology, Pop Culture, Japan and some random thoughts of my life
Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that we just did an interview with the CEO of Creative Commons and angel investor, Joi Ito. The podcast is in spanish (the first 25 minutes of it) but after that you can listen to the original interview in english without interruptions.
The interview is targeted for people who don’t know too much about Creative Commons. Enjoy!
Daniel Estrada, our Chief Editor at Sputnik magazine, is probably one of the few in Mexico who had access to the iPhone 3G since a week ago.
He has been using the device since then and now he published his review in our technology website. This is the first review of the iPhone 3G in any Mexican media outlet and probably in spanish as well. You can check the review here, although it’s only in Spanish.
A few weeks ago, my friend Eduardo Arcos from Hipertextual had a great idea. The premise was “sunday mornings are kind of boring”, so why not make it a little bit more interesting for all?.
Sunday Morning! is an informal meeting of entrepreneurs on the Internet on Sunday mornings. There is nothing better than breakfast while we talked about our projects, ideas and thoughts about what is happening on the Internet. Sunday Morning! was born in Mexico city last weekend, gathering around 10 people interested in the idea. Not bad at all.
Sunday Mornings! is a low-profile meeting, is not intended to gather dozens of people, not institutionalize it in some way.
It’s my pleasure to announce that Sunday Morning! Tokyo is happening this weekend, so if you live nearby or in Tokyo, come over and let’s talk! Bring your laptops, cameras and curiosity!
There’s a Facebook Event page to register, it also contains all the details about the location (in Roppongi Hills).
Hope to see you there!
It’s already announced by my friend and partner Jorge Alor in his twitter.
Sputnik’s 100th issue is already on news stands, and that makes me extremely happy. The cover #100 of Sputnik has been released only a few weeks after our 100th issue in Atomix, which is a strange coincidence.
I met Jorge many years ago (around 1998) on the radio show Arroba, on Radioactivo 98.5FM in Mexico City. That day, Jorge presented Sputnik #1 along with Jaime Limon, who was then the editor in chief of the magazine and who’s also been working on Microsoft since many years ago, especially on Xbox in Mexico. I was in that show doing scripts for the video game section, taking occasional appearances to discuss the issue.
Since then, I became a fan of the magazine and that was the beginning of everything, including the birth of Atomix a few months later.
Sputnik has been a landmark product in Mexico since its introduction, being the first magazine of technology and digital culture in the region. Sputnik was -and remains- as a reference in the technology market in Mexico and that’s a lot to say after 100 issues published.
The 100th issue looks amazing and is full of details. The cover was designed by Eboy, a very famous group of artists doing pixelART. When you have the magazine in your hands, you will know what I mean.
I am filled with joy since as company we’ve reached the 100th issue in Atomix and the 100th issue in Atomix almost at the same time. Today (more than ever) gives me great pride to be a part of Sputnik, a magazine to which I have a very special affection.
Thanks to our editorial team, and all those who have been part of this project, and although it sounds like a cliché, thank you very much to all our readers to endure all these years.
Photo by: Vincent Diamante
This is hot news in the videogame and I’m sure this is just the beginning of something awful and sad.
According to James Mielke from 1up.com and EGM, Tomonobu Itagaki is leaving Tecmo for good and suing them on top of everything. This is by far one of the most shocking news from 2008, and it’s bad news for Tecmo and fans around the world.
According to Itagaki san, he is leaving the company right away because his ex-company failed to pay him a great sum of money as a bonus payment from games he previously produced. In short, Tecmo’s president Yoshimi Yasuda, agreed to pay Itagaki san some bonuses before he started to work on Dead or Alive 4. Itagaki claims that the damages are 148 million yen, and that’s why he’s suing Tecmo’s ass.
I think this is very bad news for everyone. I had the opportunity to meet him many times and I think he’s a great videogame producer. I totally understand why he is leaving the company, and I hope he finds his way to make more games, either with his own company or somewhere else.
The worst thing for Tecmo, I think, is that Itagaki just announced this today, just days before the release of Ninja Gaiden 2.
The full original statement (issued today for all the press in Japan) from Itagaki san is here:
I, Tomonobu Itagaki, hereby announce that on the 14th of May 2008 I filed a complaint in the Tokyo District Court against Tecmo Co., Ltd. for unpaid completion bonuses, and against the President of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda, for such unlawful acts as unreasonable and disingenuous statements made towards me, claiming damages in total of 148 million yen. I also announce that this complaint was delivered to the defendants on May 22nd of the same year.
In addition, I hereby announce that I have today submitted a letter of resignation to Tecmo Co., Ltd. stating that I will resign as of the 1st of July, 2008.
Before the start of development on DEAD OR ALIVE 4, Tecmo Co., Ltd. had agreed to pay a completion bonus to me for this Xbox 360 title, which I produced. However, when the time came for the actual payment, Tecmo Co., Ltd. went against its previous agreement and refused payment. President Yoshimi Yasuda chose not only to violate this agreement, but also turned defiant, telling me “if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.” In addition, he made demeaning remarks about me to my subordinates and colleagues, causing me significant emotional distress and worsening my personal relationships and work environment. Thus, I have no choice but to resign from Tecmo Co., Ltd.
The conduct of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its president Yoshimi Yasuda towards me has been unbefitting of a publicly-listed company.
I have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibility of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its President Yoshimi Yasuda, as well as condemning them for their unjust acts. Today, in addition to announcing the reasons for this lawsuit, I make clear my reasons for resigning.
To All Game Fans
I truly feel sorry to all the fans of the games I have made. NINJA GAIDEN 2, which will launch on the 3rd of June will be the last NINJA GAIDEN I will create. I will also never be able to make DEAD OR ALIVE 5. I regret the circumstances that have forced me to leave Tecmo, where I had worked for so many years, and I regret the disappointment this will cause my fans.
However, I can no longer continue to work with President Yoshimi Yasuda, a man who chooses not to honor promises even when he is able to do so.
I truly hope that nothing like this happens again in the future.
Tecmo Co., Ltd. Creative Officer
Leader, Team NINJA
Tomonobu Itagaki
Some days ago I had a meeting with Joi Ito at his Shibuya office.
Before going to the meeting, I stopped by at my house to drop some stuff and pick some of my magazines. I headed down to the train station and used my Mobile Suica Software on my cellphone to pay for my train ticket as usual. After entering the gate, I went to the train line and while I was waiting there I realized that I didn’t had my wallet with me. I kinda freaked out and I went back to the ticket gate, then, I asked the guy if someone returned my wallet to him (lost and found). At that point, I knew that I had my wallet with me after I left my house, and I was 100% sure that I lost it while entering to the train station. They guy there said something like, “I don’t have any items from today, perhaps you forgot it in your house?”. I was running late for my meeting and I didn’t had time to go back to my house, so basically I just said “screw it, I will survive with my cellphone”. “Your cellphone?” -you may ask surprised-, Yes, you can survive with a phone in Japan without any problem.
Nowadays, most of the Japanese cellphones have a built-in RFID chip that you can use for many applications. Recently, most of the phones in Japan adopted NTT Docomo’s Osaifu-Keitai standard, which is also compatible with a bunch of apps you can download for free to convert your phone into a swiss army knife. The apps available -to name a few-, ranges from electronic tickets for airplanes, trains or buses. You can also have “electronic money” linked to a credit card or point cards from department stores -which is very convenient because you stop carrying around dozens of plastic cards-.
Photo by: Hector Garcia (Kirai)
So the meeting went great, and throughout the day I was able to buy food, drinks, train tickets and even some cables I needed for my house in Yodobashi Camera. All with my phone.
Many countries in the world talk about the future and their plans to create “e-money” standards soon, while in Japan you can actually live in the future. Is this technology available in your country?.
Well, you might say “Too bad you are basically screwed if you loose your phone”, well, not at all. Some phones even have the option to disable all RFID applications by just sending an email to it when you loose it. That’s smart.
By the way, thanks to UnGatoNipon for helping me configure my cellphone to use the Mobile Suica on it. You saved my ass buddie!
Some days ago I was in Akiba (Akihabara), also known as the Otaku’s Mecca. Nothing special here, I was just wondering around and testing my new camera. I’m a big fan of Akira and Katsuhiro Otomo, so this spot totally got my attention when I saw the Freedom banner under the bridge.
If you want to see a bigger version of the pic, click on it and you can see it on my Flickr.
The song is produced by Tanaka Yasutaka (中田ヤスタカ), Capsule’s mastermind, founder of the record label Contemode and basically the “coolest” producer in Japan right now.
This project is called Coltemonikha, and the song is named Communication.
Enough. Enjoy the song and enjoy the lyrics. 
Cool huh? I’m a big fan.
ps. If you like it, you can buy in mini album at Cd Japan.
Hi I’m Lucy
Recently
Her Face is always changing
Comical
Chemical
Cynical
Classical
Communication
Upside DownGood morning Joe
Recently
His hair is always jumping
Shampoo
Kangaroo
Peekaboo
Pakapoo
Communication
Cut down onGood night I’m Kate
Recently
She can’t sleep any more
Glacial
Social
Official
Special
Communication
Oh I seeHi I’m Jimmy
Recently
He can’t eat pineapple, yet
Lovely
Lonely
Heavenly
Sorry
Communication
Oh my god!
This is my personal blog. My name is Oscar Yasser Noriega and some people know me as "Akira". I'm currently based in Tokyo, Japan and I consider myself a full time entrepreneur. You can read a small Bio about what I do and what've done.
You can contact me or add me at my Flickr, MySpace, Hi5, Facebook and Twitter.
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