Coffee Talk #129: Should Digital Downloads Be Taxed?

RPadholic tokz_21 sent me this interesting article on digital downloads being taxed. The article focused primarily on movies and music, but it could easily apply to games as well. I don’t know what the deals are in the states you live in, but in California downloadable goods aren’t taxed. On one hand, I save some money. On the other hand, I do feel like I’m cheating (just a little bit).

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Madden’s new cover boy, Tim Urban finally getting the boot from American Idol, or flip phones in 2010, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

RPadholic tokz_21 sent me this interesting article on digital downloads being taxed. The article focused primarily on movies and music, but it could easily apply to games as well. I don’t know what the deals are in the states you live in, but in California downloadable goods aren’t taxed. On one hand, I save some money. On the other hand, I do feel like I’m cheating (just a little bit).

Obviously nobody wants to pay more money, but I wanted to see if you think digital downloads should be taxed. Be honest! Should downloads be treated like other goods you buy? Or should the state be hands-off? Do you feel like you’re depriving your state of funds by purchasing digitally or through online retailers that don’t charge tax? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Amazon Kindle Coming to Target on Sunday

Target has announced that it will be selling Amazon Kindle e-readers starting Sunday, April 25. The device was previously available as an Amazon.com online exclusive. According to the company’s press release:

As the first brick-and-mortar retailer to carry Amazon’s Kindle, Target will make Kindle available at its flagship downtown Minneapolis store and 102 south Florida stores beginning April 25, rolling out to more Target stores later this year.

This could be potentially huge for Amazon. There are some people that just don’t like buying consumer electronics without trying them first. There are also some people that don’t understand the benefits of e-ink displays. Getting in a major chain like Target should provide a great sales boost for the Kindle.

Do you think the Kindle will do well at Target? Or do you think Amazon is getting desperate in reaction to the iPad’s initial (and impressive) sales? Also, I love my Kindle!

Chief Justice John Roberts Doesn’t Know What Email Is

United States Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. doesn’t know the difference between email and a pager. I find this troubling. A man in an extremely powerful position being unfamiliar with basic technology that millions of Americans use every day?!? Come on!!! According to Lawyers USA:

The first sign was about midway through the argument, when Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. — who is known to write out his opinions in long hand with pen and paper instead of a computer — asked what the difference was “between email and a pager?”

Wow. Initially I was going to dismiss it as some old guy being out of touch, but I vaguely recalled that Roberts isn’t all that old. I looked up his age and discovered that he’s only 55. Surely a 55-year old man should know what email is, right? Does anyone else find this tidbit as disturbing as I do? Or am I just overreacting?

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Hulu Starting a $9.95 Premium Subscription Service in May?

Hulu has been one of the darlings of the Internet thanks to its high-quality content that’s available for free. Millions of users love streaming television shows over Hulu, but will they love it enough to pay $9.95 a month for it? According to The LA Times, the company is preparing a premium service that could launch as early as May 24:

Under the proposal, Hulu would continue to provide for free the five most recent episodes of shows like Fox’s Glee, ABC’s Lost or NBC’s Saturday Night Live. But viewers who want to see additional episodes would pay $9.95 a month to access a more comprehensive selection, called Hulu Plus, these people said.

I go through phases with my Hulu consumption. There are some weeks when I absolutely love it and can’t get enough of its streaming awesomeness. There are also months when I don’t use the service at all. I would be willing to pay $9.95 a month for Hulu…but it would have to work across multiple devices like my consoles, iPhone, etc.

How about you? Do you dig Hulu? Would you be willing to drop money on a premium Hulu subscription?

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Live Long and Prosper: Leonard Nimoy Announces His Retirement

Leonard Nimoy, best known as Mr. Spock from the Star Trek television series and movies, has announced that he’s retiring at age 79. He told The Toronto Sun:

I’ve been doing this professionally for 60 years. I love the idea of going out on a positive note. I’ve had a great, great time.

I want to get off the stage. Also, I don’t think it would be fair to Zachary Quinto. He’s a terrific actor, he looks the part, and it’s time to give him some space. And I’m very flattered the character will continue.

Nimoy’s Spock is one of the most iconic characters in the history of geek culture. It’s great to see him leave on a high note. His performance in the Star Trek reboot was excellent, but prior to that he touched the lives of millions of nerds around the world for decades. He will be missed.

Out of curiosity, do you have a favorite Mr. Spock moment?

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BlackBerry 9670 Spotted: OS 6 CDMA Flip Phone (?!?)

Boy Genius Report has posted pictures of the BlackBerry 9670 — a CDMA clamshell phone running BlackBerry OS 6.0. Using CDMA tech means it will be headed to Sprint or Verizon in America. Here are more details from the site:

The BlackBerry 9670 is a CDMA device packed to the brim with a full QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera (a first!), Wi-Fi, a 360×480 internal display, huge external display, trackpad, OS 6.0, microUSB port, microSD internal storage slot, Bluetooth, and a metallic finish casing.

I really have to roll my eyes at RIM on this one. A flip phone? Really?!? I’d quote the Black Eyed Peas and say that the company is “so 2000-and-late”…but it would be more accurate to say that it’s stuck in 2002. The smartphone market is currently dominated by candy-bar and slider phones. I don’t hear anyone clamoring for the return of clamshell phones. Perhaps RIM thinks the Motorola RAZR is still cutting edge. *sigh*

Perhaps I’m wrong about this one. What do you think of the design? Do flip phones have a place in 2010?

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Iron Man 2 Dev Diary: Behind the Music with Lamb of God

The latest Iron Man 2 developer diary tells the story of how Sega and Lamb of God teamed up on the game. Members of the band and the dev team talk about the collaboration between developer/publisher and band. Lamb of God’s single “Hit the Wall” is the game’s official theme song. It’s a cool clip and I hope you check it out!

Coffee Talk #128: Predicting the Rest of This Gen’s Console Wars

In preparation for my interview with EEDAR Jesse Divnich, I wanted you ladies and gents to play analyst for a second. This console generation is roughly halfway over, depending on how long you believe this gen will last. The Nintendo Wii has slaughtered the competition. The Xbox 360 has done very well. The PlayStation 3 had been picking up steam since August 2009. How do you think the rest of this generation will play out?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Big Ben’s suspension, Crystal Bowersox almost quitting American Idol, or RIM being stuck in 2002, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Reminder: please submit your questions for EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich here. He’s cool, smart, and awesome. You should ask him some questions.

In preparation for my interview with EEDAR Jesse Divnich, I wanted you ladies and gents to play analyst for a second. This console generation is roughly halfway over, depending on how long you believe this gen will last. The Nintendo Wii has slaughtered the competition. The Xbox 360 has done very well. The PlayStation 3 had been picking up steam since August 2009. How do you think the rest of this generation will play out?

Will Nintendo be able to sustain its ridiculous momentum? If not, will it still be able to edge out the others? Will Natal give Xbox 360 a boost in the casual market? Will the PlayStation 3 be able to do the same with PS Move? Do you think Sony can catch Microsoft?

Let your opinions fly (please) and predict the rest of this generation’s console wars!

Blizzard Bans Over 320,000 Battle.net Accounts

Blizzard has swung its mighty banhammer to the tune of 320,000 banned accounts. The offenders were apparently up to no good in Diablo II and Warcraft III. It’s also interesting to note that a lot of the bans are a result of the community policing itself. Here’s a quote from Blizzard’s forum post:

Many account closures come as the direct result of tips emailed to our hacks team by legitimate Battle.net users. If you come across a hack, find a site responsible for distributing hacks, or have a replay of a newly available hack, please report this to our hacks team at hacks@blizzard.com or through our Hacks Report Form at http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&tag=hacksform

It’s great that the community helps sort itself out…but I have to wonder if some players are viewed are narcs.

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