SXSW

In case you don't keep up with my Opera blog, I'm in Austin, Texas for a few days for South by Southwest (SXSW). We (Opera) have a nice booth presence at the event this year. So far, we've had a great time, talking with a ton of people who want to know more about the things we're cooking up in Oslo and sharing with the world. Come by to the Opera booth and say hi if you're around.

Copycat movie posters?

Has anyone else noticed the similarity between the movie posters of the current top 5 movies in the US?

You can view the posters on IMDB's "Now Playing" page, or if you're reading this after the fact, here are the 5 movies I'm talking about:

1. Stomp the Yard
2. Night at the Museum
3. Dreamgirls
4. The Hitcher
5. The Pursuit of Happyness

(I'm referring, of course, to the use of lighting and silhouetted main characters.)

Technical Difficulties

Ever since I switched to the new, non-beta version of Blogger, I've been having some problems with this blog. Those of you who access this content via RSS have probably noticed a lot of weird stuff going on. Anyhow, I apologize for that and am working to get things fixed as soon as possible. In the meantime, I've been more active recently on Opera Otaku, my Opera browser-related blog. Feel free to head over there and leave comments if you like.

Returning to the world of anime otaku

Two months have gone by since I posted here last. It's not that I don't have stuff I want to write about. It's mostly that I have been so absorbed in my new job at Opera. I haven't had time to pursue some of my old interests. That's set to change, however, at least briefly. There are a couple of otaku-related events coming up that I'll be attending.

Japanamerica launch party

First of all, my friend Roland Kelts just released a book called Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S.. I met Roland after a seminar I gave last summer on otaku culture in Japan and the US. In the months that followed, he interviewed me for his book. I haven't read it yet, but supposedly, I have some quotes in it. I'll review it as soon as I get a copy.

Anyhow, Roland invited me to the book's launch party tomorrow in Manhattan (at The Cutting Room). I'm really looking forward to it (believe it or not, I kind of miss the east coast's cold weather).

More information on the book can be found here: Japanamerica by Roland Kelts.

Anime Punch! 2007

Last year, I was invited to be a guest at Anime Punch!, an up-and-coming anime convention in Columbus, Ohio. I had a great time, and I'm happy to announce that they've graciously invited me back for the 2007 event in late March. If you can attend, please stop by one of my panels. I'll most definitely talk about otaku culture again, but I'll try to come up with some new panels as well. Suggestions are always welcome, and I'll try to be more active this year on the con's official forums. When the con date gets closer, I'll post more details.