Happy 15th Birthday, PlayStation!

It all began 15 years ago. On December 3, 1994, Sony released the PlayStation in Japan. The rest, as they say, is history.

Yes, it's hard to remember now, but there once was a time, before WipeOut, before Tomb Raider, before PaRappa, that Sony entering the gaming business didn't sound like such a sure bet.

There was a failed attempt at a CD-based system in partnership with Nintendo. There was the fact Sony were an unproven force in a market dominated by Nintendo and Sega. And the PlayStation's approach was all so adult.

Time, of course, has proven any doubts unfounded. The original PlayStation blew people's minds from the moment it launched, and its successor - the PS2 - is still the #1 selling video game console of all time. So it too did OK.

True, things haven't quite been the same for the company since, with both the PSP and PS3 failing to achieve the same level of market dominance. Oh well. There's still plenty of time left for both platforms (well, at least the PS3, which has been coming along in great strides all year), and besides, today isn't a day for nit-picking.

It's a day for clinking glasses. Happy birthday, PlayStation. Think it's safe to say the video game business wouldn't have been the same without you.

50 Tahun Mini: Edisi George Harisson

MINI bisa dibilang salah satu mobil paling iconic. Runner-up pemilihan Mobil Abad Ini jadi simbol kemerdekaan generasi baby boomers tahun 1960an. Statusnya makin kuat ketika pada 1966 Brian Epstein, manajer The Beatles, menghadiahi tiap personel band legendaris asal Inggris itu sebuah Mini Cooper S.

Yang paling terkenal adalah milik George Harrison. Dihiasi lukisan abstrak dan mantra-mantra bahasa Sansekerta dan tampil di film The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour. Mei tahun ini, MINI memasuki usia ke 50. Untuk memperingati, BMW (induk perusahaan MINI) memproduksi edisi khusus mobil gitaris The Beatles itu.

MINI George Harrison ini cuma ada satu. Dibuat sesuai arahan Olivia Harrison, istri mendiang George. Mobil diserahkan dalam MINI United event, gathering pencinta MINI terbesar di dunia di Silverstone, Inggris (22-24/5). Olivia menerimanya mewakili Material World Charitable Foundation (MWCF), badan amal yang didirikan George pada 1973. Akhir tahun, mobil akan dilelang untung penggalangan dana bagi MWCF.

“George merupakan penggemar berat MINI dan ia pasti menyukai versi baru ini. Apalagi perayaan ulang tahun MINI juga memberi manfaat bagi yayasan kami, merupakan kolaborasi yang sangat menggembirakan dan penuh makna,” kata Olivia.