Some gamers couldn’t wait, though. Deploying like the special forces, several criminals deployed gas and the use of deadly force to perform a truck heist carrying over 6,000 copies of the game, a loot valued over $3 million in goods (read the whole report). There were also others who managed to get early release copies of the game and had the chance to begin playing online to get a leg up on most other gamers – at the risk of being found out and having their online multiplayer accounts banned. These guys really don’t seem to mind the risks involved in being able to play a video game early.

For those who could wait until midnight were lined up outside of game retailers, the most prominent one likely being Gamestop. They handed out MW3-branded wristbands to be sure they were letting in people who had already paid for the game and to get people out of the store, and back home in the most efficient way possible. It was the first such tactic that I had encountered at any midnight release, and I can say it worked well.

Midnight releases are no new phenomena, though. Where exactly did it begin? For one, any product that has a high risk of selling out on the first day will have people thinking ahead and taking action to lock-in their much wanted product. This can involve staying in line at a store, or if that isn’t an option, to pay absurd prices for (likely) illicitly-obtained products. This doesn’t just go for games, either. Huge name-brand products, many of which made by Apple and Nike, have lines awaiting to pay top dollar to be among the first to hold their new products. Popular, limited release of Nike shoes form some of the biggest lines, along with Apple fans who need to be the first to obtain their latest gadget. Most of which, can wind up being sold for exceptionally high prices on sites like eBay – especially if the product sells out everywhere.

The earliest event in the gaming industry that had this happen may have been the release of the Xbox 360, with the PS3 following shortly after. Both products suffered from short supply. Anyone that was able to get one early, either used it, or sold it online for close to twice what they paid for it. From here on, this early release culture has evolved to buying individual games, though the risk of them selling out is practically non-existent. I don’t believe anyone had any trouble getting the new MW3 if they did not attend the midnight release. Many of those who can wait, probably bought the game online anyway, which seems to be fairly immune to selling out. (Has anyone ever seen a game sold out online?)

News of these limited products are spread quickly through the internet. Friends get together and form a sort of tailgate, drink energy drinks, meet new people, and have a good time. For as long as any risk of selling-out, high anticipation, and friendly competition exists, there will be a ton of midnight releases for any particular reason. It is a lot of fun for a group of friends, and can quickly become a tradition for regularly released games like MW3.

Which brings me to the reason why we have been so quiet for the past month and a half. Nothing has been worthy of a mention here. The innovation, and new ideas have hardly been flowing from the people who make this stuff. I am not impressed, and neither should you consumers be.

Even I dislike constant mentions of Apple, however I must say that company has been very consistent at keeping its audience very in-tuned and on their knees, though showing minimal innovation. They have earned their right to run with their fantastic “retina display”, but thats it.

As far as movies are concerned, stay out of the theater. I’m not even close to thinking about spending any money, anytime soon to promote Hollywood. Oh well.

Stay tuned, and rest assured that I will keep you updated as soon as something worthy comes across. In the meantime, take a look at the new Apple iPod Touch, which is the iPhone without the phone. It is very pricey.

It sounds confusing, however think about the reality: A user browses to Pandora.com, an Internet radio service, and instantly knows that you like hip-hop artist Jay-Z. The person then wonders how it knew, and then, at the top of the page, a banner appears telling you that Pandora has automatically accessed personal information that was found on their Facebook page. Then, they visit Yelp.com, a location-based search engine that allows users to review businesses. They find that the search feature knows the nearest city – cool – so they search for Starbucks. They find the one they go to regularly, and “Like” it on the page.

Suddenly, Facebook reigns down and shows the banner saying that the web site has accessed your information. What it did was make public what the person “Liked” and where they “Liked” it from onto their profile. There is no way to control where users like things from or who can see it once its public. This is available on any web site and can be used as long as a user is currently logged in to Facebook.

This can means that someone can unknowingly like something onto someone else’s Facebook page if they forget to log out. This can make profile’s susceptible to ”Like” sprees and spam the hell out of their profile — that is their own fault, though.

Is it Good, or Bad?

Facebook to be so personal we won't need much else

Besides creating the possibility of being “Like”-bombed with these two features, Facebook is dipping its tentacles into other web sites trying to tie everything back to itself, and is also creating marketing opportunities for companies who, as someone had said (I take no credit for this saying), would be given “laser-point accurate” information on individual people, their tastes, and, pretty much whatever the person has ever submitted to Facebook.

The good side to this is that marketers will have more accuracy at showing consumers products that would interest them. In this sense, Facebook successfully creates a more personal Internet and advertising experience. We don’t have to try as hard to be noticed, and everything is based off the same information creating consistency of information. So are the advertisements, and will be very accurate in showing users what they already said they liked, and will be shown similar products and things in consistent ways on different web sites.

The bad side is, do we really want that? Do we want to be bombarded with things that we would actually love to buy or hear about, and is this ethical? I, personally, do not like when marketers know me because it limits the exposure to new things. The information would make marketers myopic and think that if its on a person’s Facebook page, they must want it! But it really does not reflect what a person is willing to buy or consider.

Another downside is accepting this feature and allowing Facebook to continue to push the line of privacy on the Internet. They are big enough to the point where it is normal for its users to put as much information about themselves online, where will it stop? Will it stop when our individual profiles are sold to companies to advertise to us? I don’t want to be told what I’d like. I’ll make the decision for myself.

Foursquare is a mobile web service, which is already racking up over 500,000 users, that lets people find their friends depending on where they are. Users can broadcast their current location via mobile phone and check-in at known places, such as the local Starbucks. Once the user does that, their friends can see it and choose to meet you there, or “Shout” you a message (maybe asking why you are there), etc. — you basically tell your friends where you are. If you are thinking it is Twitter-esque, it is… sort of.

The idea behind Foursquare is not so much to manage our friends in a social space or use small messages to get a point across, but the service allows us to manage where we go and what we are doing, so that we can meet others easily and others can know where we are. It is a self-positioning GPS locator, in a nutshell. Of course what fun is that if there weren’t perks for participating in all of this?

Lets say we walk into our favorite cafe, Leet Coffee, frequently to meet friends and socialize. The more we “check-in” to Leet Coffee the more points we accumulate and may even be awarded special trophies. For example, the “Local” trophy is awarded to you if you visit a single location three times in the same week. But, even better than the trophy is becoming the mayor of our location, the ultimate reward. Yes, there are points and trophies however the real trick to the service is this “mayor” status.

Out of everyone that uses Foursquare, if a person “checks-in” the most at a single location, they can be crowned the “mayor” of that place. This seems silly, however Foursquare has gotten such well-received notice from venues that mayors are being given special perks. These places, mostly businesses, likely know the “mayor” personally because they check-in the most and are offered discounts and special “frequency” deals. And, to top it off, because the service is social, the mayor is also expected to bring in more business by inviting his friends, so the mayor’s friends might get a discount as well. See the value in the service already, for both power users and businesses?

Discount, Discount Discount!

Some real discount examples for mayors and frequent visitors:

• Foursquare mayor drinks for free
• Free side of fries for the mayor
• Mayor gets a free beer
• Your 10th check-in earns a free 16oz hot or iced coffee/tea
• Free slice of pizza & drink on your 10th check-in

Small business, in particular, is turning to social networking services to manage their frequent and loyal customers. Foursquare, just happens to be the best tool to keep track of exactly who is loyal in an objective, and easily measurable way. There has not been a service so easy to use and as accessible on-the-go until Foursquare, which explains why the service has gotten such an influx of new users and a newfound respect from many small businesses.

Foursquare is likely to be a big hit if it continues growing at the pace it is. However, some downfalls is that it is yet another social application in an already crowded space. It is one more service for people to log into and keep updated, among the hundreds of others that people use already on a daily basis. The only people who cannot use Foursquare are the people without mobile Internet capabilities on their cellphone. The service has specific iPhone, Blackberry, and Android applications which are much easier to use than the simple mobile text version, even then it is still extremely easy to use.

Twitter updates, Facebook updates, and now Foursquare is here to keep track of where we are for both our friends and the venues we visit. I will be the mayor of my local Starbucks any day now…