This years E3 presentation by Nintendo didn't sway my interest in finally getting a Wii. Yes, Wii Music looks like a colossal mistake, taking the casual gaming concept *way* too far (incidentally, the Onion Video Network recently had a scroll by in one of their videos that stated something like "Nintendo's Wii Cigar Smoking to be a big hit" - did anyone else see that? It was pre-E3, incidentally), but coming in late to the party there will be a bunch of good games for us to pick up, and some new games coming out that definitely interest me/us (Animal Crossing, Warioland ShakeIt, Mario Sluggers, Hottest Party 2, and others.)

We also want to motivate our oldest son (7) to read, and so my wife (not me!) came up with the idea that he could earn a Wii by reading 100 age-level books. Actually, what he earns is for us to "talk to Santa" about getting a Wii for xmas, and for us to "pitch in" to the cause so Santa can afford it. I whipped up a simple chart with 100 numbered squares (counting down) and each time he reads a book he stamps the next square with a bingo stamp. This is proving to be a huge success. He is incredibly motivated to read now. If he reads one book a day he'll have earned it in October, so he can miss some days here and there and still be in good shape to finish up before xmas. The only problem is, what will we have to do to motivate him to read next time? This could be painful.

That I will enjoy the Wii too, well, that's just a bonus.