According to a recent analyst study, we are on pace to lose 180,000 tech jobs this year—the most since 2003. Even without the figure, we could have assumed that things are epically bad. You can’t get through a day’s worth of news without hearing about some big tech company layoffs. In this month alone, Circuit City, AMD and Sun Microsystems are among those trying to shed costs on the payrolls. So, I’m curious—how bad are things really? For those of you who work in a tech-related company, have there been job cuts in the last year?
Hey Brian, Are you excited? I’m excited. Why am I so excited? Because we’re getting ready for our Gizmodo vs. Wired match in Gears of War 2, which you’re going to be participating in. Maybe. If we can’t find someone better at video games that is (just kidding). I’m also excited about finally getting Wii Fit, which you’ve just given your six month review of. Running on my treadmill will definitely help me more than this toy, but it’s an additional motivator. Good times!
You may be wondering why every netbook we write about seems to have the same Intel Atom processor. Some of it has to do with Intel’s prominence in the entire processor market at the moment (which makes competition from Via little contest), and some of it has to do with AMD not stepping up to duke it out in the tiny laptop arena. AMD simply has no interest in the mini-laptop market, and CEO Dirk Meyer makes it abundantly clear:
According to a recent survey conducted by Nokia, 53 percent of Americans have taken a work-related call or email in the bathroom. Although the data has been lost, we conducted a survey in the past that found the percentage could be even higher. So what does this all mean? I think the answer is clear…we want to work in the bathroom. Yeah, it sounds gross but consider this: many of us do our best thinking in the bathroom. Our productivity could skyrocket (in more ways than one). So, I say why fight it. Here are some gadgets to help you get started on your own bathroom-based home office.
Holy. Crap. Just when you thought Ginsu was done, that they couldn’t top slicing not only shoes and pennies but their own Ginsu knives, the company reveals the secret project that they’ve put millions billions trillions of R&D dollars into: The Outdoor Electric Fillet Knife. Holy crap holy crap holy crap holy crap.
newVideoPlayer("/mieles7_gizmodo.flv", 465, 286,""); I usually don’t get excited about home appliances unless you can cook with them or they vibrate, but this Miele S7′s video has actually amazed me. Not only because it looks like it came from outer space thanks to the front LEDs, sensors, and LCD screen, but because of its smart design, which allows it to twist in every direction–to the point of laying flat–and transform with all kinds of built-in contraptions.
The finicky, rubbery controls of the Atari 2600 were as much part of its charm as the classic arcade ports it’s known for. And now, for a mere $US15, those bittersweet memories can come to your Windows, Linux or OSX system through this faithful-looking USB recreation of the original Atari 2600 joystick. The peripheral promises compatibility for most emulators and support for up to four simultaneous controllers. We’re just glad to see the phallus making a comeback. [Legacy]
It’s been four months almost to the day since iPhone 2.0 came, and we’ve been hitting the App Store hard every week ever since to sift through what’s new in iPhone App land. This week, we’ve decided to hold back for a second, take a breath, and compile a different kind of list: the apps that many of us on staff actually use on a regular basis. If you have a new iPhone or iTouch just waiting to be filled up, or you feel like you may be missing some essentials in your collection, this is the list for you.
I’ve used Wii Fit exactly 6 months. Since the review, I didn’t use it every day, or even every week, but since the very first time the game told me I was fat, it never really left my mind. Every meal, every time I passed on exercise to eat a little more ice cream, every time I exercised but stopped a little early, I heard those words resonating through the bit of side blubber on my sleight frame: “You’re Overweight!”
I hate Wii fit so much. Sure, it indirectly helped me lose 10 pounds, but I f’ing hate it.
Bear with me on this long post with minimal mention of the game or hardware — the game is not what will make you fit.
Nerds cheered and wept with happiness as NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit responded to ground control commands today via the Mars Odyssey orbiter. Earlier this week, NASA feared that the rover would fall victim to the same problem that killed our beloved Phoenix Mars Lander. The dust storm is still a problem, but Spirit has managed to gather enough solar energy to communicate normally. Once again, Spirit has lived up to the name and proven that its a fighter. [Spacefellowship via Slashdot]
