There is no law that I'm aware of that states that objects closer to us have to be somehow newer. The Big Bang happened all around us - yes, right there where you are standing. And everywhere else in the universe. So the oldest thing in the universe may very well be very close to us. In fact, all the sub-atomic particles that you and I are made of are as old as the universe, so that statement is trivially true.

This intuition that old things are very far away probably originates from the fact that when we look at objects very far away, we are looking into the past at "old" objects, because of the limitations imposed by the speed of light. That does not mean that objects closer to us have to be somehow "newer".

Although I think you make a few good points, I find it ironic that you use Apple as a counter-example to Nintendo's zealous lawsuit culture.

By the letter of that law it is illegal for me to drive with my mobile phone laying on the passenger seat, or in the storage area below the radio.

When there are plenty of contrary sources available, from non-anonymous developers.

The actual article (which I read two days ago) is bad enough for not providing an updated context, but I suppose it can be considered some kind of personal experience. The slashdot summary, however, make this seem as if it is the normal state of affairs.

A link is not an excuse for a misleading summary, and neither is the fact that you only spent five seconds on it.

I have read that time and time again, and every time it seems to indicate that this is the current state of affairs.

I don't mind negative things about something I like. I mind negative news about something I like, when the consensus is that the thing is hardly representative, without mentioning that fact.

An argument stands by its premises, not by who makes it. Ad hominem much?

From an anonymous source? But OK, go on believing everything you read on the interwebs.

Apparently some other devs have come to a different conclusion: http://nintendoenthusiast.com/news/harder-develop-games-wii-u-case-says-renegade-kid/.

But hey, a bit of FUD keeps the day going.

Ah, just another insight into the wonderful word of management theory. I wonder if the esteemed people who concern themselves with the knowledge of what it takes to run a successful company will ever just admit to themselves that perhaps this about as useful as trying to understand a winning strategy of casino slots?

I don't know - I listened to Jane's TED talk and in spite of totally liking the idea, I just don't think her argument is very sound. Take her calculation of 21 billions hours a week - she came upon that number by simply extrapolating it from some historical account, where people in a society (I think it was some ancient Greek region) were asked to play games in order to keep their minds of the fact that they don't have food. Multiply the amount of hours spent by ancient starving Greek with today's population size - bam! 21 billion hours per week!

Is this like an American August 2nd, or a rest-of-the-world 8 February?

And no, I did not RTFA. Worried that the FBI would be tracking everybody who is even interested in this news.

Well, if an idiot ignores his oil light and ends up stranded on the highway, that is generally his problem. If an idiot allows a bot to run on his server, that becomes everybody's problem.