It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that MTV execs are as frustrated by the lack of music programming on the network as we are. If music shows and videos were what made them money, then that's what they'd broadcast. I'd be willing to bet that being part of the liaison between MTV and Harmonix is a plum assignment.

Disney has always been a diversified company. For years the highest grossing movie made under the Disney umbrella was "Pretty Woman." "Good Morning, Vietnam," "The Golden Girls," and "Home Improvement" are all Disney properties. So are Pixar, ESPN and a line of cruise ships. ABC was one of the first television networks to embrace internet broadcasting; practically all their shows are available online at no cost. They're not anti-innovation.

Disney has long been in the comic book business, with a history going back to the fifties. Now, to be certain, their content has never been superhero oriented, but they're no strangers to the world of periodical publishing. The kneejerk reaction is that Marvel's going to be ruined because DIsney is synonymous with sanitized, milquetoast family entertainment.

At its core, however, Disney is a media company. The lions share of their business is in movies, television and music: three segments that are in a tremendous upheaval right now. The past five years have seen amazing changes in the way we get our entertainment. iPods and iPhones, torrents and DVRs were marginal technologies just earlier this decade. Imagine what's going to change in the next five. This is much less a creative acquisition than it is a business decision.

The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj was world event that took place in World of Warcraft in late 2005 and early 2006. Access to new content was locked away from players until a number of goals were achieved, including a long chain of quests that culminated in the piecing together of a staff that could open the gate.

Everything I know about Ahn'Qiraj comes from what I've read, since I didn't start playing the game until 2008. Based on descriptions and forum postings the event appears to have been widely enjoyed. Starting earlier this year, new servers that are added to the game come with the gate already open, so there won't be any more opportunities for players to take part in the war effort.

In retrospect, what is Blizzard's impression of the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj and are there any plans to create similar realm-wide events in the future?

The problem there, however, is that you're paying one company for access but expecting a different company to supply you content. The only way your argument makes sense is if your ISP is providing your content, too. Sounds like AOL, which admittedly works for a lot of people. I think most Slashdot users would get bored with it pretty quickly, though.

Exactly! Unless and until the urban cores of places that the train stops can support not having a car to get around, this seems like a perfect solution.

Amtrak actually has one route that works this way: the Auto Train. It only works between the DC area and Orlando, non-stop, but for about a hundred bucks one-way you save yourself the cost of a plane fare plus a rental car, not to mention the drive down I-95. And, as the Wikipedia article states, "The train grossed $49,351,664 in ticket revenue in Fiscal Year 2006, making it Amtrak's highest grossing single train. With total expenses of $62.1 million, it is Amtrak's best-paying long distance train in terms of income in comparison with operating expenses."

We already have a working, proven solution in the United States to make this happen. All we need to do now is expand it.

...a bunch of elderly and poor viewers...

Okay, the one person in my family who knows more about the changeover than anyone else is my wife's grandmother. They must be advertising the swap all the time on things she watches. Since Christmas she's been asking everyone she comes across whether or not they've got their coupon and are ready for the swap. Can't speak for the latter, but in my sample size of one, the elderly are extremely well informed.

Here's an article describing exactly what you're talking about. From TFA:

A computer sends an image to the field, where it is distributed among 1,750 interconnected square trays, 7.5 feet on a side, that host their own light processing circuitry. Thousands of blades of polyethylene grass, blended with optical fibers, reflect light upward from the trays. It's like a computer monitor that you can walk on. A football field would have 128 million pixels, which works out to 1,280 per square foot. In pixels per square foot it can't hold a candle to your television set; in total pixels it's well ahead.

...

Nicholls says the lit-up fields are still two years away from commercialization

The date of the article is 11/27/2006.