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Fortune’s “Inside Apple” article is a must-read

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News

Steve Jobs Inside AppleFortune magazine recently published an in-depth piece on the highly secretive culture and inner workings of Apple. It's in the latest Fortune 500 issue, and isn't yet available freely online, however, you can download it from the Kindle Store for 99 cents to read it on a Kindle, PC, Mac, or any of the smartphone platforms they support (iOS, Android, etc.) For a buck, we'd consider this one a must-read. You get a lot of juicy tidbits about the company, including just how disappointed Steve Jobs was about the horribly botched launch of MobileMe:

According to a participant in the meeting, Jobs walked in, clad in his trademark black mock turtleneck and blue jeans, clasped his hands together and asked a simple question: "Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do?" Having received a satisfactory answer, he continued, "So why the **** doesn't it do that?"

For the next half-hour Jobs berated the group. "You've tarnished Apple's reputation," he told them. "You should hate each other for having let each other down."

Harsh, but those are the actions of a man who seemingly doesn't tolerate failure, and aims to exceed expectations. In fact, he doesn't want to ever hear excuses from any of the Apple VP-level employees:

The janitor gets to explain why something went wrong. Senior people do not. "When you're the janitor," Jobs has repeatedly told incoming VPs, "reasons matter." He continues: "Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering." That "Rubicon," he has said, "is crossed when you become a VP."

This is some good stuff, and Fortune has a lot more in the full-length article. If you're at all interested in Apple, either from a consumer standpoint, or just interest in the management style that makes them so unique, give this one a look.

Read More | Inside Apple

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Is a Farmville for Dummies book really necessary?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Video Games

Farmville for Dummies

How do you justify the existence of a book that lays out the concept and strategy to succeed in Farmville? Especially when there are sites that can help you free of charge. Co-author Kyle Orland of Farmville for Dummies sat down with Ars Technica to make an argument for putting the casual Internet game into layman's terms.

"Sure, Farmville isn't a particularly difficult game—it practically holds your hand in telling you how to play, and there's a limited amount of strategy to playing," Orland told Ars. "Some of the sections of the game—especially the farmer's market and some aspects of animal tending—require multiple, time-lapsed steps to complete successfully, and the game only gives one screen of text-heavy explanation for how to go about them."

Click to continue reading Is a Farmville for Dummies book really necessary?


Google and Twitter add tweet by phone for Egypt

Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Internet

egypt tweet by phone

In light of the severe Internet disruptions that are happening in Egypt, where the government cut off all Internet access and SMS messages in and out of the country in an attempt to silence the 80 million people living there, we've seen a number of technologies come up to break the blockade. People have been using ham radios, satellite phones, and fax machines to make their voices heard. Now, Google and Twitter have partnered up over the weekend to create a phone-to-tweet service, where people from Egypt can make calls to an international number, and their messages will be tweeted automatically. Yet another example that proves you can't silence an entire people, and the communication always finds a way. Very cool.

Read More | Google Blog

Real-life Fallout 3 Helmet

Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Adventure, Culture, Role Playing Games

real fallout 3 helmetI am known to dabble in the arts - I paint, draw, and like to make a mess with glue. However, don't ever confuse this with being in the least crafty. I cannot make anything myself, which is a great loss when Halloween comes around. Unlike me, Josh Jay probably got all the candy on the block.

Josh is the creator of this amazing Fallout 3 helmet. Why he crafted this stunningly detailed piece is unknown, but those reasons don't matter. It is awesome.

To see pictures of the step-by-step process, you can view his Facebook galleries:


Halo: Cryptum excerpt

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Video Games

halo cryptum

Buy Halo: Cryptum on Amazon now.

THE FORERUNNER STORY-the history of my people-has been told many times, with greater and greater idealization, until I scarcely recognize it.

Some of the ideals are factually true. The Forerunners were sophisticated above all other empires and powerful almost beyond measure. Our ecumene spanned three million fertile worlds. We had achieved the greatest heights of technology and physical knowledge, at least since the time of the Precursors, who, some say, shaped us in their image, and rewarded that image with their breath.

The tugging threads of this part of the tale-the first of three-are journey, daring, betrayal, and fate.

My fate, the fate of a foolish Forerunner, was joined one night with the fates of two humans and the long world-line of a great military leader . . . that night on which I put in motion the circumstances that triggered the final wave of the hideous Flood.

So be this tale told, so be the telling true. 

Click to continue reading Halo: Cryptum excerpt

Read More | Kotaku

War Machine decal for MacBook add another level of geekery

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Design, PC / Laptop

War Machine Macbook Decal

Not to be outdone by the Iron Man Macbook decal, War Machine now has one of his very own. You can get one for any or , 13-, 15-, or 17-inch models. Available now on Etsy.

Read More | Etsy

Nintendo Entertainment System bedding set

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Culture, Nintendo, Retro

Nintendo Bed Sheets

For all you retro NES fans out there that just can’t get enough, you’ve gotta admire the time and effort put into this bedding project that ended up being a surprise birthday gift to one superfan. Extra points for the controller pillows.

Read More | Instructables

The shared anniversary of Playstation and Dreamcast

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Culture, SEGA, Sony

September 9th marks the anniversaries of two systems that found their place nestled in the bosoms of video game culture in their own different ways. The PlayStation solidified itself as the first console to reach 100 million units sold (the PS2 has since surpassed this), while the Dreamcast remains a cult favorite among gamers. Both consoles helped to revolutionize the way that video games are played today, and we owe them a bit of gratitude on their American birthdays.

Read More | Sega Forums

Playstation gamers would sooner give up cell phone than video games

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Culture, PlayStation 3, Sony

Playstation infographic

A new infographic released by Sony in honor of the 15th anniversary of the PlayStation reveals some interesting statistics about PlayStation gamers. According to the chart, six out of ten PlayStation gamers would rather give up their cell phones for a year in favor of keeping their PlayStation. While 84% would sooner deactivate their Facebook and other social networking accounts for a year. Would you sacrifice social networking and your phone in favor of playing video games?


Pokemon done Call of Duty-style

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Culture, Internet, Nintendo

I frequently ask myself the question, “what if Modern Warfare 2 was like Pokémon?”, and at last all quandaries have been put to rest courtesy of Blastedroof.com. The new gaming community has fused the two unlikely gaming franchises into what can only be described as utterly brilliant. Included in the seven minute video are some memorable internet personalities such as the British gamer who “played 7hrs straight”, the senior citizen bum from the bus fight video, a MW2 guru who makes video walkthroughs, and a nod to Infinity Ward’s own Robert Bowling. The video pokes fun at noobs, and different styles of play (rushing vs. camping) as well.


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