Video Games and Violence

There has been a lot of talk in the media lately about how video games are related to violence. Now I don't have a problem with putting ratings on games, forcing retailers to ask for ID when selling games, or other reasonable measures, so long as the game content itself is not censored.

Hypothetically, it is possible that video games could have a direct link to violent behavior, though I haven't seen any reliable data that proves one does exist. The problem is, I can think of plenty of things in life that lead to violent behavior that are 100% legal but maybe not attractive enough for politicians to attack.

At the top of my list is sports. Now I'm sure police records would show many violent felonies being committed as a result of the outcomes of sporting events. The Red Sox/Yankees rivalry alone could account for hundreds of violent acts in recent years. So, let's start ending the violence by not allowing these two teams to play each other any more.

Now late next year, Take Two Interactive will release the next version of Grand Theft Auto for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. I have a good feeling Wal-Mart will NOT be carrying the game as politicians and angry parents raise havoc for the retailing behemoth everyone loves to hate.

Abercrombie & Fitch

Ok, so a couple of weeks ago I went to the Abercrombie & Fitch at the South Street Seaport to look for a new pair of jeans. Okay, is it just me or is there something weird about that store?

There is something horribly elitist and snobby about A&F that I can't quite put my finger on, but at the same time I felt the urge to buy something.

So I saw a pair of jeans I liked, then went looking for size 36 waist (thankfully on the way down, a few months agao I was size 38 and even that was tight!) but the biggest I could find was 34. At that point I felt like I just didn't belong and left the store.

I wrote about Abercrombie here.

Will VoodooPC keep its street cred?

Last night, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) announced that it signed an agreement to acquire VoodooPC, a maker of absurdly-expensive PC's for the gaming crowd. VoodooPC honcho Rahul Sood will become chief technologist of a newly-formed business unit within HP's Personal Systems Group.

This scenario is oddly reminiscent of Dell's (DELL) purchase of Alienware which I babbled about here.

Rahul Sood wrote extensively about the deal on his blog, which is a must-read for PC-industry followers. Will he keep his street cred? Time will tell but at the very least HP is likely to be a better partner than Dell, which is completely mismanaged. Yes, I think even with the pretexting scandal, HP is better run than Dell.

Movie Recommendation - Infernal Affairs

I highly recommend that you movie lovers check out Infernal Affairs which is the Hong Kong cop flick which has been remade by Martin Scorcese as The Departed, starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon.

Infernal Affairs is basically the story of two opposing moles: a cop working undercover for a gangster in order to bust him, and a corrupt cop working for that gangster trying to find the mole in the organization.

IMDB Link
Rotten Tomatoes Link

BlackBerry Pearl/Verizon Rant

Why the heck can't Verizon Wireless get any cool phones? I am dying to get my cold, dead hands on a BlackBerry Pearl so I can get easily use email on the go with a light device that fits in my pocket. My Motorola RAZR just stinks (software is atrocious and slower than a turtle) and the Palm Treo 700p and 700w are so big and heavy I might as well carry a lunchbox.

Hello!

Yes folks, I've actually started a blog so I have an outlet to babble about things that get left out of my work on TheStreet.com and RealMoney.com. So check back for my babblings about my never-ending diet, B movies, funk music, and business. Maybe I'll even stick up some videos!