Short notes

1) Apparently, Nintendo chose "Wii" as its new name because "Revolution" is unpronounceable in Japan. Begs the questions: Why did a Japanese-based company go with "Revolution" for so long then. How did they talk about it during board meanings? How did the techs in the Japanese labs confer with each other on the project? How did marketing discuss it? The code-name "Revolution" has been circulating for more than a year. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has called it by name in speeches. Being Japanese, I reckon he found a proper word for it. And in the year or so since Revolution has been floating around, I can't recall seeing gaming news from Japan being stridently against the name.

So, what gives? Well, for starters, the name "Wii" won't. The name is final, according to IGN.

Favorite snippet

IGN Wii: Why announce the final name now and not at E3 2006?

Perrin Kaplan (Nintendo of America's VP of corporate affairs): Why are we doing it now? Well, let me just say that if you look at how much time people have spent online talking about it today and paying attention to it today, it really, I think, required that kind of attention and seeping in for people to let it settle a little bit. It would be really, really easy to lose that at the show. Also, I think it's important for us to go into the show with people knowing what we're talking about.

In shorter words: Nintendo knew that if they dropped "Wii" as the name at E3, the gamers and journalists would have rushed the stage and tore apart Iwata, Kaplan and anyone else in the way. Now, they have a couple weeks to have it dissipate in the public sphere before E3, and I'm guessing based on the reaction, Nintendo's hoping something bigger comes along to distract the public from this botching of nomenclature: Namely, the US nuking Iran.

2) I got myself a copy of Massive Attack's "False Flags" last night, which is available as an extra song on the "Live with Me" CD single and on Disc 2 of the band's new "Collected" greatest hits package. I have to admit that I was less than legal in getting my copy of "False Flags." Still, I got it and listened to it, if iTunes can be believed, about a dozen times. It's a chilling, brilliant, angry little song and I highly recommend it.

Lyrics here