As you might have noticed, TechCrunch went down entirely (thanks to WordPress VIP), sporting a fun “502″ error. If you’re not sure what that means, here’s the skinny on why you might see a 502 error: The server, while acting as a gateway or proxy, received an invalid response from the upstream server it accessed in the attempt to fulfill the request. If you know exactly… → Read More
Joel and I were so angry at each other in this picture that Cat Schwartz literally had to keep us apart. I don’t usually want to bring people’s personal lives into focus here on CG. After all, we’re dedicated to, as Joel himself always pointed out, self-deprecation and dick jokes. However, since Joel is my mentor and friend I wanted to point you guys to a great interview with him… → Read More
Sorry to put a damper on your night, but it looks like the artist who provided the amazing cover art for Doom has died. Don Ivan Punchatz provided illustrations for a number of publications, but perhaps no single piece of his is as widely recognized as the Space Marine gunning down that demonic horde, combined with the mechanized lettering we all know so well. The best we can do is say… → Read More
It seems the Palm Pre is too little, too late for Sprint. According to Sprint’s Q2 financials for 2009, they’ve lost nearly $400 million dollars, and “total wireless customers declined by approximately 257,000.” It’s not all doom-and-gloom, though! Sprint can smile about “18 consecutive months of improvement in Customer Care Satisfaction and First Call Resolution”! → Read More
One of the most trusted names in news for decades during an era when America needed honesty and good reporting has died today at the age of 92. Walter Cronkite reported on the Moon landing, the assassination of JFK, and the Vietnam war, among countless other subjects. It’s a stretch calling ourselves “journalists” when compared to guys like Walter, but if we may be allowed to… → Read More
After all the lip service paid by the Associated Press against wholesale IP theft, I wonder if this is their ultimate solution: to produce content so lifeless and undesirable that no one will want to steal it. I’d chalk this up to dude having a bad day but, thanks to AP’s byline policies, we don’t even know who this poor guy is. → Read More
Dell, a company that makes computers, is down 63 percent from $784 million last year, leaving them at $290 million in net income. Total revenue fell $12.34 billion.
Mr. Dell himself isn’t very worried – he expects a replacement cycle to hit with the launch of Windows 7. Market share fell 34 percent in desktop sales and 20 percent in notebook sales, leaving plenty of room for growth, I guess. → Read More
Sadly, all three have short lifespans Video giant Blockbuster can’t get any money to save itself from bankruptcy. Thanks to years of heavy fighting with Netflix, the company has essentially spent itself into the ground and, thanks to the credit crunch, is looking at closing its doors. → Read More
I kind of hope this is some sort of sick, twisted joke but apparently a 14-year-old boy in China was recently killed when the pneumatic gas cylinder – the thing that controls the vertical height adjustment — in his chair exploded, sending fragments of the chair into his rectum. → Read More
The poor bastard who got a tattoo of the motivational “Blue Monster” has been laid off. Blue Monster Man, Dan Woodman, writes:
Working at Microsoft has been the greatest experience of my life and I have no desire to forget about it. And even if I don’t get back into Microsoft right away (which is, by the way, my plan!), then I have a reminder that even outside of Microsoft, I need to do my best… → Read More
RIM’s BlackBerry Storm, the biggest lump of crap to come out of Canada since Celine Dion, sold 500,000 units in its first month. Everyone who was everyone basically told RIM that this was a heap but did they listen? Nope.
“I found myself wanting to throw it in the ocean due to my frustration with its overall usability,” said Steven Golub, a longtime Verizon customer from Morristown, N.J., who… → Read More
Wow, this is sad news. A little girl in England was killed over the holidays when her father accidentally dropped a large TV set on top of her. → Read More
I was a bad nerd. I wanted to do all the nerd things – program, play D&D, read fantasy – but I was no good at BASIC, didn’t have any friends, and for some reason I could never get into hardcore fantasy sci-fi novels. Every Christmas we’d go to my grandmother’s house in Martins Ferry, Ohio, a little town outside of Wheeling, West Virginia and every Christmas I’d get a huge selection of toys. → Read More
The motherboard humming away in my nice Tempest case right now is an Abit IP35 Pro, and unfortunately it will be the last Abit motherboard I ever bought. Because respected enthusiast hardware maker Abit is riding off into the sunset. → Read More
[image credit: Farriella for the NY Daily News] I was hoping we’d make it through this Black Friday without one of these incidents, but unfortunately it’s happened again: If you haven’t heard already, a worker at a Long Island Wal-Mart was crushed underneath the feet of hundreds of shoppers while trying to hold back the crowd. Shopping events are notoriously dangerous in this… → Read More
And now, the end is near; And so I face the final rewind. My friend, I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case, so please do be kind. I’ve lived a life that’s full. I’ve played copies of Lynch’s Lost Highway; And more, much more than this, I did it my way. → Read More
Think back on the last party you attended. Perhaps you enjoy sitting around an impeccably decorated living room and sipping glasses of cold, frosty beer poured by a nattily attired waitress named Nicole hired for the night so the hostess could mingle with the glitterati in attendance. Or perhaps it was at your friend Terry’s house where you ended up puking all over his couch after trying… → Read More
Tyler Loch, maker of VisualHub, one of the best applications for converting video on the Mac ever in the whole wide world, is citing health and relationship reasons for closing up shop and potentially releasing the product as open source. Loch’s company, Techspansion, will cease support and Apple had nothing to do with the decision. Loch wrote: → Read More
Can you hear me now? When I was in high school I used to go to Bell Labs in Columbus, Ohio with a buddy of mine, ostensibly to take part in a Scouting activity. There we met with one of their best UNIX guys and, well, learned UNIX. To be honest, it was like getting high school physics lessons from Stephen Hawking. This guy knew the shell inside and out and he challenged us in a way I’d never… → Read More
I’ve always wanted to be a bike messenger. It seems so cool – riding around fast in the city, dropping stuff off, getting fit, making a little money, going to special bars where you sit with other messengers and talk about gears and stuff. Well, it looks like my dream will never be realized simply because the Internet is forcing many companies to shut down simply because it’s… → Read More
Reader Steve has been chatting with Apple.com CSRs today – he’s already talked to two – and they’ve both confirmed my worst fears: you will not be able to order the IP3G online and it will only be available in stores and it will be activated in store, regardless. The transcript follows, CSR’s replies in bold. What does this mean? It means getting an unlocked iPhone… → Read More
All credit unto Gizmodo for spotting this tragic ad. In anticipation of the new Batman movie, which does, in fact, look pretty good (and I hate stupid action/adventure movies), there’s a cute “fake” Web site for Gotham Cable News, presumably the fictional city’s source of fair and balanced news. And wouldn’t you know it, Comcast is Gotham’s cable provider! Quick… → Read More
Watch Blogger and horology genius died on May 12. His insight and research into everything from Omegas to mainsprings made him one of the most important names in this business. I’ve had limited interaction with him over the years but the exchanges I’ve had were quite cordial and he was always helpful. → Read More
This is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen. Since getting a Pleo a few months ago, we’ve basically given the bugger a name and gotten to know its personality. To watch this Combot tear Pleo up at Maker Faire is like watching a wolf eat a mouse — it’s no contest Basically Ugobe donated Pleo for this contest and they put it in with Vicious Verdict, a combat robot used for… → Read More
Sorry, SPOT fans. MSN Direct is no longer adding SPOT technology to watches and is essentially scrapping the Smart Watch program. The project has been dying a slow death for years now and with the addition of MSN Direct to GPS and Mobile devices it seems they’re focusing on using the network for more powerful products. SPOT service will still be transmitted to the watches, but no new watches… → Read More
[photopress:2008_03_19T105500Z_01_NOOTR_RTRIDSP_2_SCIENCE_CLARKE_DEATH_DC_1.jpg,full,center] You read the headline right. How they’re related, with the exception of geek culture, I’m not sure. But apparently this is happening. 1917 – 2008 Yesterday, the worlds of science and science fiction lost one of their true visionaries, the inestimable Arthur C. Clarke, author of seminal works… → Read More
[photopress:gygax.jpg,full,center] One of the worst parts about this job is writing about great figures in geekdom who pass on. Today is especially hard, as I have to bring news that Gary Gygax died earlier this morning. Gygax was the co-creator and driving force behind Dungeons & Dragons, arguably the most important tabletop game ever made. The Dungeon Master’s Dungeon Master had many… → Read More
Just wait until someone zaps a Pleo. Then who will be laughing? Furby Abuse → Read More
Another sad showing in the pR()N hall. AOL Mobile’s booth was big, empty, and white. → Read More
Sad news this evening. Literary icon Kurt Vonnegut has died due to head trauma resulting from a fall a few weeks ago. He was the author of 14 novels including Slaughter House 5, Breakfast of Champions and Cat’s Cradle. He was 84. Kurt Vonnegut, Novelist Who Caught the Imagination of His Age, Is Dead [NY Times] → Read More
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