It's no secret that many in the newspaper business have struggled with figuring out how to adapt their business models into the digital age. That's unfortunate, but not too surprising. Dow Jones has had its own struggles in this area, at times making its own publication less relevant by locking up the content... and then complaining that its competitors weren't doing the same. However, lately, it appears that the company is really making a big effort to be more relevant. It's been opening up more and more content as well as experimenting with new and different offerings. Thus, it's not a huge surprise to hear Dow Jones' CEO say that the company's goal is to have less than half of its revenue coming from traditional print operations by 2009. Of course, there are two ways to look at this. If you want to view it positively, it's a publisher recognizing that the times are changing and it needs to adapt to those times and stop trying to protect a cash cow who's getting squeezed. However, on the flip side, this seems to be focusing on the wrong thing. The goal shouldn't be to focus on what percentage of revenue comes from what channel -- but on how to deliver the best overall product that helps maximize revenue.

Think of it this way (and I'll simply make up numbers for simplification in the illustration): In scenario A, the publication makes $60 million off its print operations and $40 million off the rest of the business. In scenario B, the publication makes $40 million off the print operations and another $40 million off of the rest of the business. Scenario A is clearly superior, but if the goal the company is focusing on is making sure that print operations are less than half the revenue for the company, then scenario B is what you target -- even if it makes the company worse off. That's not to say that diversification is bad, especially in a rapidly changing market. But if you're going to diversify, the strategy should be on maximizing revenue and mitigating some levels of risk through diversification, rather than just diversification for the sake of diversification.

Smithsonian's National Zoo has announced a first in its 118-year history -- the hatching of a rare wattled crane chick.

Filed under: Robots

We always knew that the eventual robotic rebellion would come in stages (and would start with Roombas), so while many may take a childish satisfaction in seeing an innocent Roomba hacked up to shoot Airsoft BB pellets, we're constantly aware that this is another step towards the ultimate annihilation of all meat-based life forms. "Cool Bots!" MAKE cries, oblivious to the destructive potential pent up inside the little hoover's circuitry -- it's thinking: "I don't even need to try, they're giving me weapons!" Fortunately, this is very much an early stage killer robot, as the photos over on isobot's flickr stream attest. The modified Roomba may look menacing with its red laser sight, but it appears as if the little thing can't aim its plastic payload any higher than a few inches off the ground, limiting its targets to feet and unsuspecting house cats. Of course, that red laser also gives it more than a passing similarity to a certain infamous robot / human hybrid. Today, Airsoft; tomorrow, assimilation?

[Via MAKE]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

It looks like Microsoft has more than just games on Zune in store for the future, with a recent patent filing revealing the company's plans for a "multi-component gaming system" that would incorporate of an array of devices, including game consoles and handhelds. Apparently, the various devices would be connected either wired or wirelessly, with the processing capabilities and functionality of the devices "augmented" when used in combination. Some of the potential uses given include devices sharing storage space with another, devices running games stored on other devices, and handhelds "taking advantage of the console gaming device's greater processing speed." Of course, this being a patent application, there's no indication as to when any of this may actually see the light of day, nor is there any details on the "dedicated handheld gaming device" that Microsoft refers to throughout the application, though we're pretty sure what it's not.

[Via Unwired View]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!