Take a look at this article, featuring an interview with Sony’s Jack Tretton. The date stamp on it says “January 23,” and I assume that’s from 2007. But Tretton’s description of the marketplace sounds like it’s from January 2006. In the course of ruling out a PS3 price drop until 2008, Tretton says:

Tretton also stated that demand for the PS3 means that consumers will be willing to pay over the odds at launch.

“I think the consumers that get their hands on a PlayStation 3 clearly see the value and not only want to buy one for $599, in some instances they’re willing to pay ridiculous prices on eBay,” he said.

Here’s the PS3 eBay page. First, note that there’s a ton of inventory. Next, observe that there are indeed a lot of sellers asking ridiculous prices, but not a lot of buyers at those levels. The action seems to be on the many, many units which are selling below MSRP.

Andy Roddick can’t roll with RFed, but he gives good interview:

He was asked what it was like to be on center court at the end of a Grand Slam semi in which he was sent packing in straight sets in just 1 hour, 23 minutes.

“It was frustrating. It was miserable. It sucked. It was terrible,” Roddick said. “Besides that, it was fine.”

Roddick was asked to explain the match starting from the point where the score was 4-4 in the first set.

“I got broken. Then I got broken three more times. Then I got broken two more times in the third set. Then it was over 26 minutes later. Is that what you saw, too?” he said.

Questions turned to Jimmy Connors, the former great who is now coaching Roddick and who the player had earlier said helped to boost his game and his confidence to the point where he believed he was ready to challenge nine-time Grand Slam winner Federer.

Reporter: “What did Jimmy say to you straight after the game?”

Roddick: “He gave me a beer.”

What was Connors advice coming into the match?

“There was a lot of strategy talk,” Roddick said. But, “It’s not so much like, `If you’re down 6-4, 6-0, 2-0 …’ We didn’t really talk about that. Oops.”

Specifically, I will work for foie gras eggrolls, Bay scallop ceviche, and freshly shucked oysters. As Washington Post staff writer Sara Kehaulani Goo reports from Google HQ in Mountain View, California, that is exactly the sort of fare offered by the company’s various cafés (and not cafeterias) to its hard-working employees.

Just a taste:

One week, according to menus Google provided, chefs featured the “tuna tower”: a collection of “mixed organic greens, carrot matchsticks, and Asian dressing topped with sliced, seared Ahi tuna, diced ginger root and lime, toasted coconut, basil, mint, cilantro, pickled cucumber and peanut praline.” Earlier this month, a menu at Cafe 150 touted egg rolls “stuffed with Szechuan duck confit, Sonoma foie gras and julienne celery root . . . served with huckleberry-ponzu jelly”; Bloody Mary consomme with “house made crab, saffron, and celery gelee”; and, for dessert, potato chips covered in chocolate and sprinkled with fleur de sel.

Two other things: Google offers not only lunch but breakfast and dinner, encouraging its 10,000 workers to spend more time in the office, thereby bolstering productivity. Second, did I mention it is all free?

I know what you’re thinking. Go ahead, soak it up, enjoy it while you can. But nothing lasts forever and one day this too shall pass. Maybe so, but that might not be for at least another six or seven years. And right now, I am thinking of going to Potbelly’s, wait in a line that wraps around the block, and purchase a “Wreck” sandwich and a bag of Utz sour cream and onion potato chips.

It’s just not right.

Sad news: Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow is dead at the age of 45. ImpactWrestling.com has details about services to be held at the Jersey shore this Friday and Saturday.

I don’t know that I ever saw a great build-up to the introduction of a new WWF wrestler like the one Vince McMahon gave Bam Bam. Remember all of the managers–Bobby the Brain, Mr. Fuji, etc.–fighting to sign Bigelow, only to have the weird Mr. Humperdink emerge with him after weeks of promos?

Quiescat in Pace.

At last night’s State of the Union address, President Bush recognized Dikembe Mutombo for his humanitarian efforts, saying:

Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa, amid great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship to study medicine–but Coach John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth–or the duty to share his blessings with others. He has built a brand new hospital in his hometown. A friend has said of this good-hearted man: “Mutombo believes that God has given him this opportunity to do great things.” And we are proud to call this son of the Congo our fellow American.

Afterwards, Mutombo told the Houston Chronicle in a phone interview that “My heart was full of joy. I didn’t know the president was going to say such great remarks. He raised me so high. I’m so happy. I’m so proud to be a citizen of the United States of America and to be recognized for my work. God is good to have put this work in my heart.”

The Rockets center then proceeded to Statuary Hall and greeted the press gaggle with a hearty “Who wants to sex Mutombo tonight?”

The Daily Mail reports that this frill shark was recently discovered off the coast of Japan. Widely regarded as prehistoric because it has barely evolved over millions of years, this frill shark lurks more than two thousand feet below the surface, has a “mouthful of needle-sharp teeth,” and feeds on other sharks.

Shoot it! Shoot it!

Blog Crush II got their hands on the script for a Super-Bowl themed episode, guest starring Peyton Manning. So brilliant you’ll cry.

Much–too much–is being made over Dungy and Smith being the first black coaches in the SuperBowl. Does anyone care about this stuff anymore?

But on the off-chance someone out there does care, I propose that we simply declare that the NFL will only have completely solved its diversity problem when a black kicker wins a SuperBowl.

(Or, failing that, when another white running-back wins. Whichever comes first.)