jobs

A shortage of tech workers? Not so fast

Until now, the assumption has been that the infusion of a talented cohort of IT workers from overseas is good for the U.S. economy. But is it possible to have too much of a good thing?

For years, Silicon Valley has bemoaned a shortage of skilled domestic labor, the complaint being that the pool of quality technical talent in the U.S. has atrophied to the point where a failing educational system has left companies with no other choice except to import more skilled IT help from abroad. Recently, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman came … Read more

Accuracy, schmaccuracy: 'iSteve' props go hilariously wrong

Comedy site Funny or Die beat out the competition in getting "iSteve," the first Steve Jobs biopic, out for viewing. Take that, Ashton Kutcher. In all that haste, Funny of Die may have cut a few corners as far as accuracy goes. That's left the film open for evisceration by Apple fans on high alert for anachronistic images.

The film is full of tripping Steve Jobs scenes, Bill Gates beating computer components with a hammer, and Steve Wozniak looking like he just wandered off the set of "Lost." It's also full of computer parts that just don't fit the time period. It's the sort of thing that will either make Apple fanboys giggle, or send them up in arms to the Internet to complain.… Read more

Satirical Steve Jobs movie now available for viewing on Web

If you have eagerly awaited the release of a Steve Jobs movie -- any movie -- your patience has paid off.

"iSteve," a 79-minute satirical movie based on the life of the iconic Apple co-founder, was released today by comedy site Funny or Die. The comedy site was previously known for "The Landlord," a two-minute clip featuring actor Will Ferrell and co-creator Adam McKay's 2-year-old daughter that's since tallied more than 80 million views.

The movie stars Justin Long, the same actor Apple tapped for its famous switch ads featuring Long and John Hodgman as personifications of Apple's Mac and Microsoft's Windows PCs. Jorge Garcia of "Lost" fame will play Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and James Urbaniak and Michaela Watkins will play Bill and Melinda Gates. … Read more

Report: Apple's 30-year ban at California resort lifted

Thirty years is a long time to suffer for the bad behavior of a few young and boisterous tech workers. But after being permanently banned from the posh La Playa Carmel resort in 1983 for an evening of skinny-dipping and other misdeeds, Apple executives appear to be back in the fold.

According to SFGate, the new ownership of the La Playa Carmel has decided to extend an olive branch, and Apple seemingly has booked an event there.

Welcome back, Apple: All is forgiven.

That was the message from the new owner of the recently restored La Playa Carmel, where Cupertino'… Read more

Leap Motion strikes bundling, embedding deal with HP

Leap Motion has struck a deal with Hewlett-Packard to bundle and embed its 3D motion control technology in some of the computer giant's devices.

The San Francisco startup's gesture-control system measures users' movements to an accuracy of a hundredth of a millimeter. It plans to release the technology in mid-May, charging $80 for a small thumb drive-size device that plugs into a computer's USB port.

Already, Leap Motion had cemented deals to bundle its controller with Asus PCs, and to sell it in Best Buy stores and at Bestbuy.com, as well as on its own Web … Read more

My Job Chart 1.63 Review

It's the 21st century -- so why are you still relying on your fridge to store your family's chore wheel? This digital version not only keeps your family on track but rewards them for getting the job done. My Job Chart connects seamlessly with the Web version, making it a great download if you have a connected family.

Since My Job Chart is a companion to the Web site you'll need an account to log on. You can set one up right from the app with just your e-mail address and name. Your whole family is managed … Read more

Crowdfunding raises $2.7 billion worldwide in 2012

In the tech world, crowdfunding is most associated with Kickstarter and raising money for technology-centered projects like the Ouya gaming console, the Elevation Dock, and the Pebble smartwatch. But, the concept has a far wider reach than just consumer devices.

Global crowdfunding raised nearly $2.7 billion for more than 1 million campaigns in 2012, according to a new report by Massolution. This means that the crowdfunding market grew by 81 percent over the year prior.

"While lending-, donation-, and reward-based crowdfunding have thus far been leading this global financial revolution," CEO of Massolution Carl Esposti said in … Read more

Apple's iPad, 3 years in: Magical? Some beg to differ

Apple released "the magical and revolutionary iPad" three years ago today.

So, what's trending on its anniversary? Well, there's the iPad Death Watch, which highlights what non-believers have said through the years.

Here are some of the comments:

Unnecessary: "It seems like a high priced, unnecessary trinket to me." Paul Thurrott, SuperSite for Windows, January 2010. (Note: this kind of comment wasn't that unusual in 2010. Though I quickly became a heavy user, I dismissed it initially as inadequate in some respects. And, even today, while some might consider excessive dumping on the … Read more

The untold story behind Apple's $13,000 operating system

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS, Calif. -- In the common retelling of Apple's history, it was Steve Jobs' and Steve Wozniak's second computer, the Apple II, that launched their fledgling company toward stratospheric growth and financial success. The machine's triumph as a single platform for business software, games, artistic tools -- and more -- set the stage for the later debut of the first Mac, and later OS X and iDevices.

What many forget -- or may not even know -- is that when the Apple II was introduced at the inaugural West Coast Computer Faire in April, 1977, it suffered from what, in retrospect, was a glaring shortcoming: It had no disk drive. … Read more