Archive for May 20th, 2008

The Wii is still sold out

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

On Monday, we reported on the Wii Fit shortage. But believe it or not, the actual Wii console is still in short supply, a year and a half after its release. If you’re like us, you figured that after the holiday season the overwhelming demand for the Nintendo Wii would finally let up and you’d finally be able to buy the console easily online and in stores. However, the Wii is still essentially sold out online; we couldn’t find the console available to buy from major retailers like Amazon.com, Best Buy, and Circuit City. We did find a few places where you could buy a Wii, but they required you to buy an expensive bundle, like GameStop’s $400 bundle or Wal-Mart’s $500 bundle. According to Wii Tracker.com, you can’t buy a Wii online for less than $390.

We contacted Nintendo for a comment on the persistant Wii shortages. Here’s what the company said:…

Hedge fund, corporate raider sign onto Yahoo-Icahn battle

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Hedge fund Third Point and corporate raider T. Boone Pickens are the latest investors to snap up millions of Yahoo shares and throw their support behind billionaire investor Carl Icahn’s proxy fight against the Internet pioneer, according to reports.

Third Point has recently amassed more than 5 million shares …

MIT’s YouTomb catalogs videos yanked from YouTube

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

YouTomb shows videos removed from YouTube because of copyright complaints.

YouTomb shows videos removed from YouTube because of copyright complaints.

(Credit: YouTomb)

Ever wonder how many YouTube videos vanish from alleged copyright violations? A Massachusetts Institute of Technology research project called YouTomb can show you some.

The site, an effort by the MIT Free Culture group, scans the most popular …

Dell-only ad agency names first CEO

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Ad giant WPP Group has hired the first CEO for its Dell-only agency, which is taking over the work of about 800 firms that have been coordinating ads and marketing for the PC maker.

Torrence Boone, who is leaving his job as president of the Boston office for digital marketer Digitas, …

The Wii is still sold out

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

On Monday, we reported on the Wii Fit shortage. But believe it or not, the actual Wii console is still in short supply, a year and a half after its release. If you’re like us, you figured that after the holiday season the overwhelming demand for the Nintendo Wii would finally let up and you’d finally be able to buy the console easily online and in stores. However, the Wii is still essentially sold out online; we couldn’t find the console available to buy from major retailers like Amazon.com, Best Buy, and Circuit City. We did find a few places where you could buy a Wii, but they required you to buy an expensive bundle, like GameStop’s $400 bundle or Wal-Mart’s $500 bundle. According to Wii Tracker.com, you can’t buy a Wii online for less than $390.

We contacted Nintendo for a comment on the persistant Wii shortages. Here’s what the company said:…

Hedge fund, corporate raider sign onto Yahoo-Icahn battle

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Hedge fund Third Point and corporate raider T. Boone Pickens are the latest investors to snap up millions of Yahoo shares and throw their support behind billionaire investor Carl Icahn’s proxy fight against the Internet pioneer, according to reports.

Third Point has recently amassed more than 5 million shares …

MIT’s YouTomb catalogs videos yanked from YouTube

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

YouTomb shows videos removed from YouTube because of copyright complaints.

YouTomb shows videos removed from YouTube because of copyright complaints.

(Credit: YouTomb)

Ever wonder how many YouTube videos vanish from alleged copyright violations? A Massachusetts Institute of Technology research project called YouTomb can show you some.

The site, an effort by the MIT Free Culture group, scans the most popular …

Dell-only ad agency names first CEO

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Ad giant WPP Group has hired the first CEO for its Dell-only agency, which is taking over the work of about 800 firms that have been coordinating ads and marketing for the PC maker.

Torrence Boone, who is leaving his job as president of the Boston office for digital marketer Digitas, …

Dysfunctional executive watch

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
(Credit: Steve Tobak)

Here’s the first installment of Train Wreck’s first recurring post: Dysfunctional Executive Watch. It’ll show up whenever there’s enough material. Enjoy the lunacy, and let us know if you’ve got something to report.

You’ve got fraud

On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil charges against eight former executives of AOL Time Warner for fraudulently inflating online advertising revenue by more than $1 billion. Four of the executives agreed to pay millions in fines and return ill-gotten gains. Charges against the other four, including former CFO John Michael Kelly, are still pending.

The company had previously agreed to fork over $500 million to settle civil and criminal charges brought by the SEC and the Justice Department.

The Wii is still sold out

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

On Monday, we reported on the Wii Fit shortage. But believe it or not, the actual Wii console is still in short supply, a year and a half after its release. If you’re like us, you figured that after the holiday season the overwhelming demand for the Nintendo Wii would finally let up and you’d finally be able to buy the console easily online and in stores. However, the Wii is still essentially sold out online; we couldn’t find the console available to buy from major retailers like Amazon.com, Best Buy, and Circuit City. We did find a few places where you could buy a Wii, but they required you to buy an expensive bundle, like GameStop’s $400 bundle or Wal-Mart’s $500 bundle. According to Wii Tracker.com, you can’t buy a Wii online for less than $390.

We contacted Nintendo for a comment on the persistant Wii shortages. Here’s what the company said:…