I don't know if anyone else who reads this blog has been following this, but apparently Sony has well and truly lost all reason wherever the Playstation 3 is involved.
To recap the situation: it's been five years since the last group of video game consoles were released, which means that it's time for the next generation of consoles. The Playstation 3's competitors are Microsoft's XBox 360 which sells for $299 for a core system and $399 for a premium system (although anybody who looks at what's included would instantly realize that they would be crazy to buy the cheaper version) and Nintendo's Wii, which is going to sell for "Less than $250" although the exact amount is still unknown.
So how much is the Playstation 3 selling for? $499 for a core bundle and $599 for the premium bundle. That's before taxes, and before buying a game or the necessary cables to attach to a HDTV. You could easily be looking at about $800 once you get going (although of course the 360's and the Wii's prices aren't taking those things into account either.
Someone has to occupy the upper end of the price spectrum and market their game system as the "premium" system, but I feel like the sheer arrogance on the part of Sony is getting a bit overwhelming when they say things like: "If you consider the PlayStation 3 a toy, then yes, it is an expensive toy. However, it is more than a toy. It is a PlayStation 3. And it is the only PlayStation 3. I hope that those who understand this will gladly purchase it."
"Buy us because we're great" has never been that convincing to me. They could at least mention the Blu Ray drive the system has, which is the main reason it is so expensive. Messages like the ones they've been releasing seem to indicate a serious failure to understand their market.
Michael Fishwick has an interesting and funny article in last week's FT Times about the sometimes agonizing process of publishing a book; having been through the grueling experience four times myself, I can attest to Fishwick's accuracy and wit. Excerpt: "The emergence of books into the world is like some great lava flow, unstoppable and with its own momentum. And within that flow all sorts of things are going on."
From the "really bad ideas" file comes a New York Times story about what's being called the world's first live commercial performed in a theater, which was sprung on an unsuspecting audience last night in the East Village at a performance of Stomp. The commercial was promoting London tourism. While we've (unfortunately) become used to seeing ads on television, and even in the movie theaters (what American Express has to do with Brokeback Mountain I'll never know), but--until now--live theater had been pleasantly immune to commercials before, after or during their performances. If this catches on, that will no longer be true. 
Digital Chocolate
The Christian Science Monitor today has an interesting editorial named "Blogs now have a world of influence" which talks about the world-wide reach of blogs. The piece trots out the usual big numbers ("A new blog is created every second") but also tempers that enthusiasm by taking a sober look at the actual reach and popularity of blogs. Excerpt: "The Jupiter study, which focused on blog use in Europe, found that while 'active users' of the Internet make up a small portion of overall Internet users, they were starting to dominate public discussions and even have an impact on people's buying habits."
From Matt: The scriptwriters made quite a few changes from the book, but they were all for the best - and booklover though I am I have to admit that its better to see magic than to read about it.
From Mina: I adore this film. Monsieur Hulot’s very modern sister and brother-in-law don’t know what to do with Tati’s charmingly untidy and bungling protagonist, who inhabits a world where meaning is still more important than appearances.
From Carey: A must see Hayao Miyazaki’s anime is Laputa: Castle in the Sky, originally released in 1986. A fantasy film that explores the altruistic and compassionate nature of humans, aspects lost through repeated exposure to power, technology, and the complexities brought by the combination of the two. 
