After all this time it's just an embedded video?

I like this. I was on the edge of my seat while viewing it. It's kinda like what a stick figure themed version of the Matrix would be like...and no, I'm not referring the bullet-time action sequences.

Animator vs. Animation by *alanbecker on deviantART

We've been working on rolling out a Hyperion Business Intelligence (BI) environment at work, and have been pulling the 12-13 hour days for the past month it seems. Needless to say, it's been leaving home when the moon is still visible, and coming home when the crickets are composing their evening symphony, so their hasn't been much time for anything else. I don't even see much of the news anymore, although I do see a certain hillside every morning and see we're making good progress in filling it up with crosses.

Meanwhile gas is now over $4.00 a gallon in the Bay Area, layoffs are plentiful across industries, not everyone is getting the 'economic stimulus package' (read: kiss this money good-bye because it's either paying off debt, buying a flat screen LCD, or going to your interest-only home loan(s)), and our exit strategy is now to go through Iran.

Thank you Bush administration. You're leveling a bill that transcends 3 trillion dollars on future American generations that you'll never see or care about as you cooked your neural synapses on superb 1980s coke while your daddy was running the CIA. Bang up job Dubya.

I keep waiting for the Neo moment when Morpheus wakes me up with the red pill, and can fathom that power larger than the Bush dynasty is responsible for the economic and patriotic wasteland that's permeating our global landscape.

Right now I can't take the blue pill, as a $50 tank of gas coupled with a mortgage crisis, corporate 'downsizing', and (most importantly) a seemingly neverending antiseptic war on terrorism was unleashed on taxpayers by an American president.

Can we declare a war on layoffs?

I want to be clear here: I'm not happy about anyone losing their job. It sucks. It's a downright nasty, foul, frustrating experience usually empathized by coworkers who express uncomfortable concern for their colleagues. I say 'uncomfortable' because the coworkers are still retaining a paycheck, and they, too, could be next.

This being said, when I learned that Cnet.com is laying off about 10% of its workforce in the (all cuts to be made in the U.S.), I was surprised to see that this headline wasn't glossing the virtual pages of its online properties. Typically, Cnet has all the layoff details for other companies plastered on its site as soon as the news hits the streets.

Although, this is probably going to be a good move for them. They're a media company about technology, not vice versa. Perhaps they're realizing this. Cnet says:

...it is laying off 120 employees as part of an effort to streamline the online media company while generating more content for its news and entertainment sites.

But man, with stock at $7.25 (value closed on Wed), you'd think this move wouldn't have been a surprise. They're going to have to find a way to stand out from all the other sources of tech news out there: slashdot, arstechnica, valleywag, techcrunch, wired, various news portals/aggregators (BigNews, Digg, Reddit, Yahoo! News , etc.) by delivering competitive content that attracts ad dollars. Running leaner may help.

Of course, that little thing called the 5 year (and going!) War on Terror might also have something to do with things...

Still have my job? Yes. Game room...TBD

If you didn't know, Ask.com announced some layoffs today. We got the details in a nearby bar, where they broke the news and treated us to bagels and coffee and identified us as the 'go-forward' team.

So they can lay off 38 people, close offices in Japan, Denmark, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany, telecast the announcement that we'll be focusing on our core users, but do they really need to lock the doors on the game rooms?

Honestly, after announcing the layoffs and the shift in company priorities, couldn't they at least let people bust a few rounds off in Call of Duty 4 or shred some notes in Guitar Hero 3? Were they concerned that some of the ex-employees were going to get sticky fingers after getting the shaft?

But then, I think...I'd rather have a job right now than an Xbox 360. Still, the empty veal pens provoke strong pangs of empathy. Anyone working in the Bay Area or who has been 'downsized' or categorized as 'redundant' knows what I'm talking about.

Layoffs at Yahoo!

Here's this guy's Twitter about his countdown to layoff at Yahoo!

http://twitter.com/ryankuder

Painful highlights:

Waiting for the call from HR so I can go pick up my paperwork....C'mon, c'mon! I'm busy here! Let's get this over with. about 7 hours ago from web

This is a serious downer. Trying to drown it in free lattes. Which I will miss. about 7 hours ago from web

Walking around saying good bye to some great people and good friends. about 8 hours ago from txt

Ironic that I just got my PC repaired yesterday. Won't be needing that anymore. about 9 hours ago from txt

On the plus side, my commute just got a lot shorter. about 9 hours ago from txt

Y! layoffs today, I'm "impacted". I'm heading into work to pack my desk, get my severance paperwork and hand in my badge...more to come. about 10 hours ago from web

Damn.

More at searchengineland.