Pokemon Dragon Quest

It’s been a pretty dull day so far, so I got thinking about a mash-up of video game worlds that could be pretty sweet.

First, you’ve got the world of Dragon Quest, which is as close to an anime video game as that other great anime video game, Pokémon.  Both are brightly colored, fully animated, and have cute, spritely monsters populating their vast realms.  Both also have final battles that test your heroes’ mettle.

So, what could a game look like that combines the two worlds?  Something like this:

The Elite Four have decided that residing in the big mansion that is the Pokémon League is not enough for them.  Once they learn that a big, gigantic land to the east is ripe for the taking, they set out on their Pidgeots for the land across the ocean.

Ash, who recently earned his eighth badge, sets foot in the Pokémon League to find it completely devoid of the Elite Four and the Champion.  Looking around, he discovers a map, which blows his mind, as the existence of Estera was unknown to him. Knowing something is amiss, he hops aboard his Ho-oh and makes his way to Estera.

In Estera, the Prince is visiting the castle town of Fretia for his friend, the prince of Fresia’s, wedding.  While everyone celebrates, the Elite Four and the Champion touch down.  Deciding the eschew the longstanding rules of Pokémon etiquette, they unleash their monsters upon the people, driving them from the castle, and causing devastation in their wake.  The two princes, as well as the princess of Orobon, join forces and try to fight their way to the Elite Four, but are blown away, literally, when the Champion unleashes the long dormant power of Baramos (of DQIII fame).

When the spirit is unleashed, the wave blasts apart the castle, and the princes and princess are thrown along with it, each magically whisked to different parts of the world.  Meanwhile, Baramos unleashes other spirits of Dragon Quest lore to take over the Elite Four, and by extension, their Pokémon.

Ash lands in Orobon and begins his quest along the continent, where he soon runs into the prince of Fresia.  They join forces; the prince helps Ash learn how to fight with a weapon, and Ash shows the prince the way of the Pokémon.  For the first time ever, players will get to play as the Pokémon Trainer, not just as Pokémon.

They set out together on a quest to find the prince and princess, and ultimately, save the world from the wrath of the possessed Elite Four and Champion.

The game would only be released on Wii U (or The NX), with an app tie-in on the 3DS.

Fred.

I recently purchased a cool new plant.  It is a panda plant, see https://www.flickr.com/photos/anikascreations/534753432/ as an example.  It’s fitting I purchased a plant named after the panda, as I love pandas.  This is an added benefit, as the original purchasing decision was based solely on the plant’s fuzzy leaves.

Anyway, I picked him up and immediately named him Fred.  I’ve been watching a lot of I Love Lucy lately, and for some reason the plant looked like a Fred.  Just as my car is named after Phoebe on Friends.

Fred normally sits on a bookshelf on the wall opposite the patio, so he gets a lot of indirect sunlight during the day.  The sun was coming in nicely one night when I got home, so I decided to bring him to the patio so he could soak in some rays.  I brought Spidey over first (Spider plant – not nearly as inspired, but fitting), and then Fred.  Lo and behold, one of his leaves literally flopped off as I walked him over.  I was originally disappointed, but then remembered it could be planted in soil, so I grabbed an empty pot, filled it with potting soil, and plopped the leaf in.  According to the Internet, after 3-4 weeks, the leaf should sprout roots and begin forming a new plant.

And so it was that Fred has hopefully given birth to baby Ethel.

The joys and pitfalls of gaming in today’s world

I identify as a gamer.  Mostly because I like to play video games.  Obviously.

I have been playing games since the days of yore, a.k.a., the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).  I played the hell out of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Dragon Warrior.  At the local Sunmart, I probably helped ensure that Dragon Warrior II was well worth their investment.

Today, there are a So. Many. Games.  And I just keep buying them, reducing the likelihood I will be able to play every one of them in my lifetime.  Between my own purchases, PlayStation Flash Sales, Nintendo eShop sales, Best Buy sales, Amazon sales, and the games I MUST HAVE DAY ONE, much to the chagrin of my mother and partner, I have a lot of them.

What’s great about this is generally there is a game to fit my mood.  Whether it be a nostalgic title, such as Mario, or the latest Final Fantasy title (Type-0, in case you’re curious), I’m set.

This got me thinking about one of the best gaming periods of my life – from high school all the way through college.  I had seemingly endless hours to devote to my games, whether it be my 20th play-through of Final Fantasy VII, the endless hours put into Dragon Warrior VII (SQUARE! WHERE IS THE U.S. 3DS VERSION?! UGH!), or mindless time put into Grand Theft Auto III or Vice City.  I won’t mention World of Warcraft.  I spent far too much time playing that game, though I still relish the time spent with good people (Faizal!) as my druid, Arnin, or mage, Kariana.

What got me thinking about all of this is that I didn’t own the sheer number of games I do now.  We didn’t have digital titles. What we got to play is what we could purchase (or convince our parents to purchase for us) from the store, rent at the grocery store, or from a local video chain (Take 2 Video in Fargo, or Currie’s in Wadena), as well as what friends were willing to borrow to you.

Generally, you also played a game through to completion, with rare exception.  Or, you played it until you could play certain favorite levels in your sleep.  Now, there are so many games to choose from you almost feel compelled to jump from one to the other so you can experience them all, even if it’s just to get a taste of the world developers have created.  Unfortunately, many get lost in the ether that is the PlayStation or Xbox hard drive, and it isn’t until you’re trying to find something you think you might be interested in that you discover a long lost title.

This isn’t a bad thing, by any means.  On the contrary, it opens you up to many different realms of gameplay and variety.  However, once a gamer is forced to join the world of adults and takes on a steady career, a relationship, and even kids (EEK!), the time you can spend sitting in front of the TV absorbed in a game becomes much more limited.  Of course, I would never trade real life or the relationships I have developed with friends and my partner for a video game, but I do appreciate the hours I can spend doing absolutely nothing but blasting away mechon in Xenoblade Chronicles (I was lucky enough to snag a Wii copy prior to the game’s sudden status as a collector’s item) on a weekend.

Ultimately, the time I have available to game determines the type of game I’m going to play.  Xenoblade, for instance, is one I like to have hours available to devote to the many side quests, character development, and the story.  With 65 hours already thrown in (my God, that’s nearly 3 days!… as someone would say), this is more of a weekend title, when my life isn’t dictated by earning an hourly wage and I have no worries about spending 5 or 6 hours in front of the television.

Other games, though, are perfect for the “Oh, crap, I have an hour until I have to get to bed so I’m not a zombie at work tomorrow” lifestyle.  Telltale’s titles are perfect for that – you can easily wrap a section within half an hour to an hour.  DS games, when you can just close the lid to put it into hibernation, is perfect as well.  I tend to play these more during the week, or spend the time watching a couple episodes of a series in between work hours.

None of this, however, combats the ever-decreasing amount of time I have for games.  A sad reality for the aging gamer.  The perks that come with that – a family, loved ones, friends, animals, travel… it creates a good balance, and one that I’m growing ever more appreciative of as I get older.  Yet, reminiscing about my younger years I can’t help but revel in HOW MUCH TIME I seemed to have in a day.  I never thought I’d jump on the bandwagon of “Each year goes faster than the one before,” but sadly it is true.  Damn, you, perception!  Damn you to hell!!

In conclusion, I love being able to identify as a gamer.  The only thing that could make me cooler is learning how to play Dungeons & Dragons or something.

The ebb and flow of change

One thought that was ingrained in my mind from an early age was the old saying “The only constant in life is change.”

While this is constantly proven true on a daily basis by looking at the ever-changing landscape that is Fargo, ND, it always hits home harder (as it should) when it happens personally.

In November, I was let go from a job I enjoyedish, and found myself going back to work for a company that I didn’t anticipate would ever happen again.  I’m glad it did.  For the most part, I’ve enjoyed my new position more than I imagined was possible, and I discovered a career path I wouldn’t be too disappointed in following for years to come.

The job I have is outsourced, essentially, and the company that has contracted my work has a process involved with their new fiscal years where they determine what teams to keep, which to expand, and which to shrink.  Mine, unfortunately, was shrunk to zero.  LOL.  Not sure why that made me laugh, but it did.

In a meeting yesterday, I was given the option of moving to two teams, or not have a job come July 1st.  Obviously, the desirable option was to pick one, but since it was rather on the spot, I went with my gut and chose the one that sounded more in-depth.

In my current job, we don’t provide 24×7 support, but in the one, it will, and I am facing, for the first time in my life, the potential of overnight shifts.  Now, in all likelihood this is MONTHS down the road, but since I handle change so easily and effortlessly, I was freaking about it as if it’s happening TOMORROW, OMG!

A few hours later, I’m calmer, but it’s amusing to me how change, even though it’s ever-present, still affects me as if it is has never happened before.  I love stability.  Love, love, love it.  It, unfortunately, is not always a guarantee, which is forever frustrating.

I don’t think I would be this bothered if I didn’t like the job, my team, and the others I interact with on a daily basis.  That, and the team I’m moving to is 4x bigger, which means more people to know, and I haven’t had that experience in a while.  It’ll be fine, but it is definitely a process.

The point of this post, besides being able to ramble about what’s going on in my brain right now, is that change is a constant, and while I know this, I still don’t like it most of the time.  Some changes are welcome, especially if they are long overdue (November).  When they aren’t (now), it’s harder.  I’ll be fine.  As Dory says, just keep swimming.  Ooh, Finding Dory is coming next year!!!  <-ADD

The plight of music in the 2010s

I am an avid music listener.  I still buy albums in both CD and digital form, and am always looking forward to new releases from my favorites.

One of the growing trends is the move toward emphasizing digital releases – albums, singles, EPs, videos, all instantly available!  And most of the time, you can find them without paying a dime.  Officially, you can listen to and/or watch videos on YouTube, Vevo, Spotify, Pandora, and other digital services.  Unofficially, torrents, downloads, and other less legal forms are still available and rampantly used.

The problem the music industry is facing is how to maximize the amount of money they can make from their artists’ music.  Album sales, and for the first time in years, digital sales, are down, and the main culprit being listed is Spotify.

Artists, famously, have pulled their music (such as Taylor Swift) stating they aren’t receiving enough compensation.  In an article (http://www.cnet.com/news/taylor-swifts-record-label-disputes-spotify-pay-claims/), it is cited that Taylor Swift was paid $500,000 for her catalog on Spotify, which included all of her albums up to and including Red.  1989 was not yet available on the service at the time.  Reading the article, it’s stated she could earn up to $6 million a year globally with Spotify based on user base and growth.  To me, that’s a hefty sum.

Since I am not privy to the payment models Spotify provides for artists, I cannot speak to the level of compensation that is appropriate.  What I will say is that if it means retaining artists, I would gladly pay up to $15 a month for my Premium subscription if it means more money making it into the artists’ pockets.

Where I think the issue lies is not just with Spotify or the payment models, but how much money the labels are taking, how much is being sent to producers and writers, as well as the artists.  Sony BMG is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with 19 Records (the label behind American Idol album and single releases) regarding being underpaid.  Where that lawsuit goes might help determine the future of paid digital music, whether purchase or streamed.

I understand I am in the minority of people who are streaming and also purchasing music.  However, we are living in a world where EVERYTHING IS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW!  And in a culture of instant gratification, I feel artists like Taylor Swift are shortchanging themselves, and overestimating their value.  Taylor is one of the few artists selling millions of albums in the US, a category populated by Adele, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem, and a select few others.  Even though that’s the case, I am not going to blind buy 1989 just because I don’t have legal access to the album through a streaming service.

Currently, Taylor Swift and others have become co-owners of a new streaming venture called Tidal.  Tidal is the brainchild of Jay-Z, and the concept is that it’s owned by the artists, which means they have more control over the service and, most importantly, better monetization of their work.  It’s all great in theory.  They have quite the uphill battle ahead of them, though, when it comes to claiming market share.

On paper, Tidal is a great idea.  A service for the artists created by the artists, allowing the user an experience they can stand behind.  While there is no free tier, you can access Tidal at 320kbps for $9.99 unlimited streaming, or you can opt for the $19.99 service that provides unlimited lossless streaming.

Spotify currently has roughly 60 million active users, and now boasts more than 15 million paid members.  This is a huge install base to try and crack.  Add in that Spotify is available on nearly every smartphone, can be found on TVs, on the PS3 and PS4, among many other devices, I feel that this new service has quite the uphill battle.  It’s unclear if artists such as Beyoncé and Madonna plan on pulling their catalogs so they are exclusive to Tidal, but exclusives are already being added – Rihanna added a song called “American Oxygen,” while Madonna is giving Tidal the exclusive debut of the “Ghosttown” video.

Will making their catalogs exclusive to Tidal be financially beneficial to the artists?  Since Spotify has a big install base, that’s a big audience to not have legal access to your music.  Sure, Tidal could easily explode and leave Spotify in the dust, but that’s long term.  If Tidal takes a while to take off, these artists could look at a lot of short term losses until market share catches up. For Madonna, whose latest album, Rebel Heart, didn’t perform too great thanks to it being available illegally 3 months prior to release, you’d think she would like to retain maximum exposure.  Since they haven’t stated their intentions, I’m not sure what the future holds quite yet.

Streaming has definitely changed the tide of the music industry.  It has added further immediacy to new single and album releases, and people enjoy having an easy to use service that provides them with access to their favorite songs and artists.  While this may mean less revenue because they aren’t seeing the immediate revenue from an album or single sale, it’s creating exposure for the songs, which can creep up popularity charts and become more visible to the casual listener.  Lord knows I have listened to albums I otherwise never would have considered because I didn’t care to pay for them, nor take the time to try and find it some other way.  The future of music is changing – it will be interesting to see where everything lands once Tidal is off the ground.

Why North Dakota’s decision means something to me, and should mean something to everyone.

North Dakota’s state congress, more specifically, the House of Representatives, recently voted down a resolution that would have added sexual orientation to the constitution’s list of protected classes.

As someone who identifies as being gay, it pained me to see this voted down again.  When I am reading news about states passing laws allowing businesses to discriminate against someone who goes against their religious beliefs, I felt it was the perfect time for North Dakota to reinforce their growing reputation in the country and join the charge of acknowledging that they care about all people in the state, not just the more conservative brand.

Unfortunately, they did not follow suit.  As I reflect on this, I can’t help but think about the reasoning behind this decision.  One of the more recent was a post I saw on Facebook from someone I typically respect, which stated that they felt the class wasn’t necessary because we’re just people “doing our thing.”

While I appreciate that they acknowledge we are who we are, they are missing the general point.  There ARE people out there who would like the ability to discriminate without punishment, that they feel it goes against their “Christian” beliefs.  It literally just happened a week ago in Indiana.

What people who don’t fit into this ‘class’ doesn’t understand, is this is exactly what a law such as North Dakota’s would have protected against.  As someone who understands what it feels like to have people say to me “Hate the sin, love the sinner,” ask me why I chose this path, or just show plain ignorance and bigotry, it hurt that the state I currently call home and contribute to its economy, basically told me they don’t care about my well being, that there really isn’t an issue.  I can attest that I have not been discriminated in my workplace (yet), nor have I been facing eviction because of it, but the threat of it still exists because it is not listed as protected under state law.  Someone who doesn’t fit into this ‘class’ wouldn’t understand how that feels, because they don’t have to put up with the stigma every day.

Joshua Boschee, an openly gay rep, was keeping his constituents apprised of the situation in Bismarck after the bill went through the congressional committee, who voted 2-11 not to pass.  He remarked that he was told that this legislation doesn’t fit the ‘audience.’  People?  When one rep was stating that they were receiving feedback to pass the bill 4-1, you have The Forum releasing an article calling out every rep who feels this law wasn’t necessary, businesses in town showing their own form of dislike (Thanks, The Red Raven!), and the governor himself stating that at least a portion of the law should have been passed, I think that says something about the ‘audience’ they were referring to in those remarks.

Until laws such as the ones seen in Indiana and Arkansas are no longer being considered, and people become more accepting, a protection MUST be added to the books.  It’s the 21st century, and if North Dakota would like to continue to be relevant, they should consider catching up a bit when it comes to equality.

What I am watching right now… (thank goodness for Netflix!)

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a Netflix junkie.  I abandoned cable in 2009 and have never looked back.  Originally I was a Netflix DVD subscriber who happened to enjoy the streaming service once in a while, but now am solely into the streaming.

I enjoy a wide variety of series and movies, but for the most part, the more violent it is, the less likely I am to care to watch.

There are a few series I am intending to try at some point, such as The Walking Dead, but I tend to be dissuaded when they are insanely popular.

Currently, I am engrossed in Supernatural.  The series, which is still airing on The CW and has already been renewed for an 11th season (!), stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as the Winchester brothers.  I originally watched through season 5, which was the original story arc of the series, but when I tried starting it up again where I left off, I had a hard time getting back into the show.  With that in mind, I started from scratch and am intending to keep going through the seasons currently available, which is season 9.  I must say, this show is well crafted.  In season 2 and beyond, they did a great job finding balance between the darker main storyline, the monster of the week episodes, and some humorous tales that break up what could be viewed as an extremely dramatic series.

I am also currently watching the series run of Friends.  Having watched this series multiple times, I know the majority of the episodes backwards and forwards.  There is something timeless about the series that makes it always watchable.  Right now, I am in the midst of season 7, easily one of the weakest in the series.  It does, however, have its moments.   Two of my favorite episodes from the series come from this season – the holiday armadillo and the bagpipes.  I am not sure what I will watch in its stead when I finally make it through season 10.

One show I watched bits and pieces of while growing up, but never investing a ton of time, was M.A.S.H.  Starring Alan Alda and produced from 1972-1983, the humor was something I enjoyed but wasn’t something that caught my attention much when I was a kid.   With seasons 1-5 added to Netflix in February, I began watching the show, and am now in season 2.  What I love about its humor is that it is what I consider ‘high brow,” where the jokes aren’t as obvious as they are in traditional sitcoms.  I also get a kick out of the actors.  I also greatly appreciate the humanity of the series.  It is set during the Korean War, and I like that every person is treated as a human being.  I think it’s a nice counter to the mindset of today’s American.

Lastly, I have been watching Charmed.  I have watched the run before when it originally aired, but it has been fun to go back through.  Having just started season 2, it’s interesting to see the growth the show had in such a short period when it came to the stories and character development.

On my list:

Grey’s Anatomy – Season 10
Bones – Season 9
Orphan Black – Season 2
The Americans – Season 2

Friends and communication (or lack thereof)

I took some time away from writing because, to be honest, I was having an insanely tough time figuring out what to write.  I think it was because I was trying to write things I felt other people would find interesting, but not necessarily myself.

That said, I think I have figured out the direction I would like to take this blog and am planning on writing more frequently.

My life took some interesting turns late last year, which is part of the reason I was inactive.  I have a new job, a new apartment, and have made some changes in my personal life.  I feel all of these have enriched my life and I don’t have any regrets.  Let’s be honest, ain’t nobody got time for that.  As one of my friends always as says.

One thing that has boggled my mind lately is the inability for people to actually open up to someone if there is a problem, or if they would like to vent a frustration.  As I’ve gotten older (in my ripe old age of 29, almost 30), I have learned to either let my frustrations out to the person who caused them, vent these to a close confidant to get the feelings out so they don’t fester, or I just let it go.

What surprises me are the number of people who can’t seem to let things go, or won’t be honest with me about what is troubling them.  There are a couple of friends in particular who I have attempted to reach out and try and rectify things, but either they don’t respond, or I hear from third parties that they are talking about it with them instead, yet they will not reach out to me directly.

I can understand feeling the need to talk about it with someone first.  If I have a problem with an individual, I find it easier to formulate my words once I get the initial emotions out of the way.  It leads to less heated discussions, better listening, and, typically, a faster resolution.  I would also like to hear the feelings straight from the individual.  It provides me with a higher level of respect for the person, and provides us an opportunity to have a dialogue about things.

The point is, with where I am right now, I try not to dwell on things that happened and would rather figure things out and move on.  It seems crazy to me that there are people who are my age or older who haven’t made this discovery.

This is relevant to another aspect of people I have found quite interesting as of late.  The inability to let something go that happened to somebody else.  For instance, I broke up with someone nearly a year and a half ago.  I have moved on and am still friends with the individual.

When I talk to some people, they still get bent out of shape out of their perception about how I SHOULD feel, or how THEY feel about what happened.  What’s most interesting about this perspective is that I’m the one it happened to, so my feelings should be taken into consideration.  If I am fine with it, and telling them I am fine with the individual, then they should respect what I am saying and respect my opinion, you know, since it was an event that occurred to me.

I can admit I have done the same, but for the most part I am rather accepting.  I have friends where something happened in their marriage, and it could have easily ended.  While I rightfully was mad at the person who caused the issues, when they decided to remain together, I had two choices.  I could accept their choice and accept the person, or I could continue to be angry, alienate my friend, and possibly lose someone with whom I enjoyed spending time.

In the end, I think everyone could benefit from more open communication.  This involves not only speaking to a person about your feelings and ideas, but also listening and acknowledging how the other person feels.  This breaks down when a person won’t be open with another, or they aren’t receptive to what the other person is saying.  In both situations it can cause resentment and can put a strain on the relationship.

I know this post was a lot of rambling, but I think this makes sense.  If you have any comments or feedback, please let me know in the comments or by message.  Thanks!

The passing of a legend…

Typically when an actor/actress/singer/celebrity I respected passes away I don’t react too strongly. I read the obituaries, the various celebrity reactions, reminisce on their works and move on with my day.

That didn’t happen last night when I read about Robin Williams passing away. Today we learn that he hung himself and that he was suffering from severe depression. Depression always saddens me because it’s a rather terrible disease. That it can make a person feel so hopeless and lost that the only way out is to end their life hits me in my core. I’m such a hopeless optimist (ask my friends, I can sometimes be annoyingly positive) that I can’t begin to imagine such terrible feelings.

Robin means a lot to me. I grew up with him. Between Aladdin, Jumanji, Jack, Mrs. Doubtfire, Hook, Mork & Mindy, his appearances on Happy Days, What Dreams May Come, his various comedy specials, his appearance on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, he was a huge part of my entertainment and my outlook on life. He was funny. He made everyone laugh. That’s how I wanted to live my life whenever possible. It wasn’t until later I learned of his addiction problems, his depression, and his internal struggles.

While I may not struggle with depression myself, I know several people who struggle with it on a daily basis. I can only hope they come to me if they’re feeling as he did. I know it’s easy to tell people suffering from depression to ask for help, but unless we understand how they feel, it’s all just words.

Robin, I can only hope you found the happiness you were looking for on the other side of life. You will be missed by us, the people you made laugh every time we watched you on TV or in the movies. The kids who grew up with your manic energy. The kids who felt your pain when you realized you were losing your family while dressed up as a nanny. The kids who were overjoyed when Aladdin freed you from servitude. When you tried to rediscover your world after being stuck in a board game for years. When you struggled with being in an adult body while feeling like a child. Dealing with death. I’ll cherish your work for the rest of my life. You meant something. You weren’t alone. Rest in peace.

Ordered some Cher tickets…

Cher, who I’ve enjoyed immensely since I was a kid, is finally coming to Fargo.  I purchased tickets during the presale on Friday, pretty happy with my purchase (near the back of the arena, just $50 a person).

My mom and I were talking about how expensive the tickets are in general.  Floor seats are $125, and then there are all of these premium packages, all the way up to $500!  I found it more amazing that people are actually paying this kind of money to go to her concert.  What we talked about, though, was that the concert is going to be half the arena, probably around 10,000 seats or so.  We thought, why not cut the price of the tickets, open up the venue more, and make up the difference by accommodating more people?

I believe the same theory could be applied a number of different aspects of entertainment.  I love reading digital books because they’re generally cheaper than their paperbound counterparts.  Listening to music on Spotify for $10 a month is much cheaper than paying for all the songs individually.  Purchasing games through digital sales are much more attractive than paying full price for the disc at a store.

Realizing that companies have bottom lines, I get why things are priced the way they are.  Take, for instance, Disney’s Frozen.  That was selling, I believe, for $19.99 on Blu-ray at release.  It sold a bazillion copies (a rough estimate).  But, what if they had knocked the price down to $16.99 or $17.99 (like Lego Movie this week)?  What if they’d offered a coupon to get $3 off the movie?  I bet they could have sold more.

It brings me back to a simulation I ran during one of my business courses at MSUM.  My group was a computer company, and we had to brand, name, design, and market PCs.  These PCs ranged from the most basic to premium.  The question became, how do we entice people to try our brand over the competition?  We could have went with conventional means – advertise the hell out of them and hope people saw the value in the top dollar versions.

That isn’t what we went with, though.  We enticed people by offering steep discounts on our top model PCs through the form of rebates.  While some of the rebates were instant, others were mail-in.  Regardless, they did what needed to be done – we were #1 throughout the entire simulation.  We lost money initially, but by slightly adjusting the rebates (including more enticing for the upper tier and slowly backing them off the lower models), we made up the loss by the volume of PCs we sold over time.  Not only were we the top seller, but we were profitable, all the while getting a bigger install base in the marketplace.

I don’t see why this couldn’t be implemented in other industries.  Digital music and films could use a monetization revolution.  What that revolution needs to be could be debated, but offering people incentives to move to digital format without compromising quality  could be a good first step.