Engadget: 1000 Microsoft engineers to code Windows 7
I don’t even need this pull quote, but I’ll paste it in anyway:

The 1,000-strong engineering team is comprised of 25 different feature teams each made up of about 40 persons on average.

Sounds like efficiency to me.
I can’t wait to see how Windows 7 turns out.

I have this rule, well, it’s more of a guideline than a rule …regarding social media. Facebook specifically.
This is the guideline:
When I get a friend request from someone on Facebook (or maybe LinkedIn, recruiters love to connect to you so they can comb through potential leads), I usually will add that person. More times than not, I know, or knew the person. I usually like to see more than the default message text. I like to see something personal, something that tells me this person really wants to connect to me (I’m old-fashioned, I know).
After around 6 months (hell even 3), if that person has not added any value to my life, or contributed in some way, I delete them from my friends.
I know what you’re thinking, yes, I’m pretty badass.
When I say ‘contribute’ this means at the very least, posting interesting status messages*, or great photographs, or addictive Youtube videos.
This doesn’t include asking me to be a vampire or werewolf.

*The art of a good status message can be traced back to when good away messages on AIM were the mark of a good online person. This topic is wonderfully exhausted in the book, Where There’s A Will, There’s Away… Messages: A 21st Century Guide to the Art of Absence (disclosure – the author is my brother).

Dell’s Zing hopes to rival Apple in ecosystem, launch two players early next year
From the article:

Dell’s hoping to partner up with Apple’s rivals to build a new ecosystem that will create better interoperation between PMPs, phones, cars, satellite radios and the multitude of online music stores out there. From the looks of things, that ecosystem is in good hands: with the acquisition of Zing’s Tim Bucher, formerly of Apple fame, and the 120 person team he’s built to help Dell put Apple in its place.

So, let me get this straight. Apple has created the most successful media management software (iTunes) and the highest selling media player (iPod) through a closed-source ecosystem where they tightly develop and integrate both these ends (software and hardware) – BUT somehow, Dell hopes to do this through partnering with a bunch of other “rivals” (oooooh) in hopes of creating a better alternative?
Listen, this isn’t like Voltron. Dell’s not going start connecting itself with other companies to form a MegaTechBot and wield its blazing sword of mediocrity at the evil Apple.
Based on my subway ride every morning, people seem to really, really, really like iPods. And iPhones. I think maybe they use Apple products because Apple focuses on making technology that people like to use. Crazy idea I know.
I also love the fact there are still some people DYING for Apple ‘challengers’. It’s not impossible people. Apple is not perfect by any means. If these companies start focusing on making great products and turn their attention off of Apple, they just might end up giving Apple a run for their money. Ah the beauty of paradoxes.

See, when I grew up, Muppets were still Muppets. They drank whiskey and smoked cigarettes and sang about gambling with Kenny Rogers.
Not like the pussy Millennial generation today, whose parents worship them and shield them from every possible danger and temptation in the world.

Fumes from the Combustion Chamber might be less frequent here since I’ve started my role as an associate creative director at Roundarch. I’m now working with executive creative director Rie Norregaard and the multi-talented Victor Brunetti on building out a great creative department here in our New York office.
When I do produce fumes, you will see a healthy amount related to data visualization, as this is going to be an area of focus in my new role.
Oh and we’re looking for talented junior and mid level interactive designers. Talent trumps experience and technical skills for this role. If you know how to design, we’ll bring up to speed on tech chops.
If you’re interested in joining a great team, hit me up at: mike.mulvey@gmail.com

I like seeing examples (however small) of data visualization helping out in the understanding of an article.
While this article is very easy to understand, the diagram distills is excellently and simply.

screengrab from Fortune: Analyst: 3 million iPhones sold in first month

I’ve completed the identity and printing for American Pride Landscaping.
A big thanks goes to Erik for being a great client (and now friend). I’m glad he let me have some fun with the back of the card.
The name of his business made a whole lot more sense when I discovered that he flies a C-5 Galaxy for the U.S. Military. You could say he’s just a little bit brave.

Nash equilibrium – I found this one in a Wired article about traffic & congestion, even though the original theory referred to games:

In game theory, the Nash equilibrium (named after John Forbes Nash, who proposed it) is a solution concept of a game involving two or more players, in which each player is assumed to know the equilibrium strategies of the other players, and no player has anything to gain by changing only his or her own strategy (i.e., by changing unilaterally).

Osborne effect – I found this one in the book, Inside Steve’s Brain:

The Osborne effect is exhibited when a company’s revelation of information about future products results in customers not purchasing (or delaying purchases of) the current offering. Its origin is a purported suicidal marketing mistake made by the Osborne Computer Corporation in the 1980s when its announcement of a successor to its Osborne 1 system led to a sharp reduction in sales, and the delay of the successor system created a revenue vacuum from which the company did not recover. This statement is a common myth[1][2].

This is why Apple keeps it’s mouth shut about product updates. Companies like Nokia should take some notes.

terminal velocity – I was curious what Evelyn McHale’s speed was when she jumped off the Empire State Building and landed on a car. I didn’t know what terminal velocity meant until today (thanks missiletest):

As the object accelerates (usually downwards due to gravity), the drag force acting on the object increases. At a particular speed, the drag force produced will equal the object’s weight (mg). Eventually, it plummets at a constant speed called terminal velocity (also called settling velocity). Terminal velocity varies directly with the ratio of drag to weight. More drag means a lower terminal velocity, while increased weight means a higher terminal velocity.

the only other place I remember hearing about velocity is Monty Python and the Holy Grail: