The U.S. recession appears to be picking-up steam

The latest reading on the economy showed that the gross domestic product shrank at a rate of 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter, the worst result since 1982. The slide wasn’t as bad as the nearly 6 percent drop many forecasters had been expecting. But the better-than-expected performance was the result of a build-up of unsold inventories — which means businesses will have to cut production that much further to cope with the rising backlog of unsold goods. The report was just one more indication that as the recession has spilled over into the new year, it may be picking up speed. Read More

Filed under: Uncategorized, Business and Economy

SGD125 Week 3 update

SGD125 students, week 3 options and content are now available through the Blackboard course. This week we start getting into A.I. agents — fun stuff. AB

Filed under: Uncategorized, SGD125

Forget Retirement – Work Unity You Drop (unless your a high-level bank executive)

There is a major social and cultural message in the current economic collapse for the future retirees of America: Forget retirement.  That’s right. The recession is making clear what we’ve suspected for a long time. The concept of not working and embracing leisure for the last third of one’s life isn’t practical for most people. Put it this way: Survey after survey has shown that a majority of aging baby boomers plan on working in retirement. Well, that plan is coming true. Read More

Filed under: Uncategorized, Business and Economy

Timeline of U.S. Unemployment Rates

Really, this is a pretty interesting US map of unemployment rates.  Keep an eye on it. View it!

Filed under: Uncategorized, Business and Economy

Is this the Great Depression v2.0?

By every measure — lost jobs, plunging stock prices, scarce credit and a profound loss of confidence in the banking system — the economy is in awful shape. The nation’s 11th recession of the postwar era began in December 2007 and easily could become the longest since the Great Depression, although most forecasters expect a weak recovery to begin in the second half of this year. But what are the odds that we’re the early stages of what will eventually become a depression rather than just a recession? Read More

Filed under: Uncategorized, Business and Economy

Invisibility cloaks coming soon to a store near you!

An invisibility cloak for visible light could be made within six months, say scientists from Duke University, who, in a new paper published today in Science, explain how to hide objects from a dramatically extended range of wave lengths. "I think that within six months it’s certainly viable [a cloak for visible light]," said David Smith, a professor at Duke University and author of the Science paper. Read More

Filed under: Uncategorized, Technology

Video Game Regulation: How does the U.S. government regulate video games?

Video game regulation. The words leave a sour taste for most of the people who work with and play video games. The sour faces shouldn’t be too surprising when politicians say things like, "I want to restore values so children are protected from a societal cesspool of filth, pornography, violence, sex and perversion," (Mitt Romney-R). Most non-gamers, be they our friends, family members or elected officials, may not be jumping to dismiss games like Romney, but it’s common enough that they don’t quite get it. Read More

Filed under: Uncategorized, Gaming and Simulation

iPhone Game Complexity And Genres Are Diversifying

While the iPhone game development market is still in its relative infancy, evidence suggests projects are becoming more ambitious and studios are becoming more sophisticated in their approach. Select report metrics have revealed a trend towards longer development cycles for iPhone games currently in production. The survey also hinted at upcoming changes in popular iPhone game genres. Read More

Google Blog Search Tags: ipod games, ipod game development, ipod gaming, ipod gamers, ipod video games, ipod game design, ipod game trends

Filed under: Uncategorized, Gaming and Simulation

SGD125 Week 2 update

SGD125 week 2 content, assignments, activities, etc are available. Login to Blackboard, click on "Assignments" and enter the week 2 area. Also, please note that class will not meet on-campus Monday evening 1/18, tomorrow evening, as it is a holiday and the college is closed. Students, please let me knof if you have any questions! AB

Filed under: Uncategorized, SGD125

A Christmas Story Triple-Dog Dare: boy’s tongue stuck to frozen pole

In a scene straight out of the movie "A Christmas Story," a 10-year-old boy got his tongue stuck to a metal light pole. Police said the unidentified fourth-grader was able to tell them that a friend dared him to lick the pole Wednesday night. Temperatures in Hammond were around 10 degrees at the time. [Read More]

Filed under: Uncategorized, Weird