A friend of mine introduced me to the Powerpuff Girls last week. They rock! I still haven't seen the movie, but I will probably watch it this week. Click on the image of Bubbles to get a full-sized wallpaper. For more Powerpuff wallpapers, go here.

Now, this isn't meant to be an advertisement, but I just love Netflix. I have been a subscriber for over a year now. I was able to get all of the Powerpuff Girls episodes on DVD from Netflix to catch up on the several years that I have missed. If you haven't tried Netflix, try it.
11:03:24 PM    

According to the Washington State Employment Security department, the Washington unemployment rate was at 6.9 percent in June. That compares to the nation's unemployment rate of 5.9 percent [here]. Employment Security Commissioner Sylvia P. Mundy stated:

"Washington’s labor market revealed signs of an emerging recovery in June...Given its tepid performance overall in the first half of this year, we are cautiously optimistic that this marks a turning point for the state’s labor market."

In March the unemployment rate in Washington was at 6.8 percent [here]. I hope Mundy is right in saying that the market is improving, because I really don't want to work at Starbucks. However, the report also stated that 5,800 jobs were lost in computer and data processing. That doesn't bode well for me getting a programming job any time soon.
9:55:00 AM    

IDC, an IT market research firm, is predicting that IT spending in 2002 will exceed 2001 levels by 3.7 percent. CNET has the article.

According to Stephen Minton, IDC's program director of worldwide IT markets research, "The bottom has already been reached. The green shoots of recovery will begin to emerge gradually during (the third quarter), and (the fourth quarter) will show strong year-on-year comparisons with 2001."

Let's just hope that the increase in IT spending will also translate into new jobs. Seattle is in desperate need of new IT jobs.
9:39:12 AM