Odds and Ends: College Kids, Wii, CEOs, $132 Billion and a Mashup. Whew.

It’s been a busy time at The Lab and we are scrambling to wrap up our first ever Video Awards that we will be announcing on Monday (as the world recovers from the Oscar’s on Sunday night). Our Lab Members submitted some great entries from all over the world and we are excited about sharing those with you over the course of the coming two weeks.

So today’s blog is a little different. There has been a lot of news, research, and discoveries I have come across this spring and just haven’t had a chance to share it yet so today’s a bit of a hodgepodge of information: choose what you like and pass it along!

Great New US Blog Featuring College Perspective

A handful of media-savvy Ball State students are voicing their opinions and describing their media habits on a blog hosted by Mediapost Publications called “Notes from the Digital Frontier.” It says a lot about American life and our sometimes weird values. (Thank you Mike Alva for the lead.)

Random Question for the people at Nintendo

I love my Wii – it’s very fun. But as we come back from Mobile World Congress and get ready for CTIA (you can hear June Bower in Las Vegas if you missed her in Barcelona), I wonder, why haven’t the folks at Nintendo figured out a way to let me send a text when I get a high score in a game (think über taunting)? I want to tell my friend Ryan, via text so it’s immediate, that I beat his high score in tennis. Seems like figuring out ways to include my mobile in my Wii experience would be so, um, youthful!

Any Mobile CEOs Out There?

Mobile Youth (in the UK) is running a series of articles for CEOs who want to reach the youth market. One of their points is the same point June made in her blog from Tuesday – try free. I know it’s counterintuitive, but there’s some merit in the idea. Check out their series and let them know what you think.

So That’s Where My Money’s Going

Harris has come out with their February 2008 issue of theirTrends and Tudes Newsletter and the amount of money young people in the U.S. will spend this year has gone way up. According to the report, “this year’s YouthPulse reveals that young people ages 8-21 will spend over $132 billion (annually) which represents an increase of over $20 billion since last year.” Hmmm, could that be Wii games and mobile downloads? “Teens and young adults (13-21),” the report continues, “will spend over $120 billion.” Yikes. They have a report that compares the US to China (and probably others – see the last page of the PDF).

Mark Your Calendars: the Ypulse Teen Mashup is Slated

If you missed out on the fun last year, don’t make the same mistake this year. The Ypulse Teen Mashup now has dates: July 14 & 15 in San Francisco. I have blogged about different aspects of the Mashup and Ypulse – check it out and see if it looks right to you. It’s not all technology; Anastasia works to get a balance of presenters who will really help you understand what’s going on inside the minds of today’s youth.

Have something good to pass along? A new study; something from outside the U.S.? Send it along – we’d love to hear from you.