2004¦~12¤ë2¤é

It¡¦s the protocol, stupid. Open data formats + Open Protocols = Open Standards = Interoperability = No Vendor Lock In [fubar - digital heartburn] 5:27:21 PM

http://fultonchain.net/postcards/ Free post card. 2:50:13 PM

Gartner: Half of US IT operations jobs to vanish. In an eyebrow-raising forecast, Gartner Inc. researchers said they believe that as many as 50 percent of the IT operational jobs in the U.S. could disappear over the next two decades because of improvements in data center technologies. Donna Scott, a Gartner analyst, said IT workers face a situation similar to that in the manufacturing field, which has lost jobs over the past several decades as automation has improved. Similarly, standardization of IT infrastructure, applications and processes will lead to productivity improvements and a major shift in skill needs, she said. [MacCentral News] 8:36:59 AM

Saishin Diode One thing I have in common with the Japanese is their love and respect for the red LED. While every other product these days has a shining blue blinder shining somewhere within, the subtle warmth of the red LED still finds its way into products like this Diode watch from Saishin, which counts down the hours and minutes one at a time. Even better? It's only $140 bucks at TokyoFlash. I've recently come to realize my taste in watches is outmoded, but I'm confident to say that this one is timeless. Catalog Page [TokyoFlash via WristDreams] - lev (joeljohnson@gmail.com) [Gizmodo] 8:31:32 AM

Thanko Frog and Fish USB Hubs Thanko has a couple of a new USB hubs/pen/telephone holders with the increasingly and mysteriously popular fake floating fish inside. And get this¡Xthe pen version even has fake frogs. Why not put real frog eggs inside, using the USB to power a water cleaner, teaching our children the valuable lesson that all of God's creatures are born between invisible walls, living out our lives for the amusement of an incomprehensible outer-dimensional entity, destined to drown in our own waste before being cast away and forgotten for the rest of time. And then we could all get ice cream! USB Pawoaaaaaaaaaaaa la suite [AkibaLive] - lev (joeljohnson@gmail.com) [Gizmodo] 8:28:02 AM

Plant a Phone, Grow a Sunflower I saw a bit about flowering phones yesterday, but couldn't find a picture. I must have been looking in the wrong place, though, because good ol' Tree Hugger found one with a minimum of fuss. The idea is simple: when you're done with your phone, shove it into the dirt. The casing is made from a biodegradable polymer which will decompose after a few weeks, releasing an embedded dwarf sunflower seed. It's just the case for now, not the whole phone. Too bad, too¡Xit would be lovely if all our electronics could be disposed of so carelessly (it would even be worth the occasional rotting cell phone). Motorola mobile phone becomes sunflower [TreeHugger] - lev (joeljohnson@gmail.com) [Gizmodo] 8:23:38 AM

TraxData TravelStudio There's so much to the TraxData TravelStudio that it's hard to know where to begin. Here you have a portable device which can read almost any media (CF-I and II, SD, MD, MS, MS Pro, MMC, CD, DVD) connect to any TV or PC and play many media formats (DVD, VCD, MP3, JPG, MPEG, WAV) and burn CDs as well. There are obviously many uses for such a device, but it would really be swank if it included a hard drive and played DiVX¡Xtake your DVDs with you, without actually carting around a library of DVDs (or a laptop). Not bad at $400, but no word on whether TraxData's US distributor will be bringing them stateside. TraxData TravelStudio All-in-One Device [MobileMag] - Ryan [Gizmodo] 8:16:53 AM