Selling millions of copies is easy today. It took real talent to do it in 1982. — The entertainment world is growing at a breakneck speed. It seems like every year, we have a new raft of world records for movies, music, and especially video games. Getting ten million sales or a billion dollars in revenue is nothing anymore, or at least that how it looks. It’s…

These are the games that swallowed consoles whole. — Video games are big business, and we‘re always interested to know exactly how big. Major releases now sell well into the eight-figure range, and the baseline for what constitutes a best-seller just keeps getting higher. That growth is mainly because the industry itself is much larger than it once was…

Music is best when everyone is involved. — One of the delights of travel is finding something unexpected, and one of the most serendipitous discoveries is music. I realize that many people disagree with me on this point. There are those who find buskers to be an annoyance. For the kind of person who is forever encased in…

The sunflower is a commonly recognized symbol of the state of Kansas, but it’s a rare pleasure to see a field of them. This particular…

This is the end of an era, at least for me. — I really thought we had a reasonably good relationship here. For six years, I lived and worked in your country. That’s a lot longer than any romantic relationship I’ve ever had, longer than any friendship for that matter. …

I’m not a pizza snob, though I‘ve been known to play one for the internet. Mainly, I find pizza interesting as a phenomenon: An incredibly simple food with countless variations that’s a classic American comfort food despite originating (in very different form) in the Old World. Also it’s tasty, but…

Korea can be a bit of a hiker’s paradise. As a nation built up between mountains, one is never more than a brief bus ride away from a footpath, a mountain park, or some other geographically superior position. …

It really is the little differences that you notice the most. — The first time I ordered takeout in one of China’s ubiquitous KFCs, I received something a little unusual. I received a fountain drink as one usually does, but rather than carrying it out myself, the person at the counter gave me the cup in a small, thin plastic bag. It…

Hey, did you know that they have ice here? — I’ve been in the Republic of Korea for about two months. That’s clearly not enough time to really understand the culture. On the other hand, I was in the People’s Republic of China for six years, and that’s enough time to get painfully familiar. China and Korea tend to get…