Disappointing Earnings

Today was a pretty bad day overall (someone stole my umbrella, failed a test for the first time, etc) except for one crazy thing: Texas Instruments has decided to give me an offer! It's in make (chip manufacturing), and was the most technical position they had so it was my first choice and those guys liked me just as much as I liked them I guess! I'll know all the details tomorrow, and while I won't share the pay rate, I will be sure to say whether or not I'm pleased by it or not. I only have a week to decide, and accepting it will relieve me of the stress of the job hunt, but then I can't apply to Apple. I went to the Goldman Sachs reception today, who may actually work with me by the middle of next week if I need to because of Ti, and the recruiter I was talking to mentioned that Google didn't make their expected earnings, which is a headline I read this morning but didn't read into. It turns out that it's not as groundbreaking as a headline about it would have you believe, but it is the first time that their revenues didn't blow away their investors. Apparently, it was because of an unexpected increase in their tax rate, and I would consider that a pretty legitimate excuse. I can't really vouch for any other reason I could see for them to make less last quarter, and despite what some pundits would have you believe, I don't think that this is the beginning of a downward spiral for them. Of course investors are also concerned about Google's fight with the government over disclosure, but it will be a little while before any effects of that take place. There's no doubt that Google has to work doubly hard now to do better next quarter, but I believe that they can pull it off. If they don't, it will cut them pretty deep because it will shoot down most people's confidence in their business model.

If you're like me, you probably don't know much about hybrid cars besides what you've heard from other people. BusinessWeek has put up an article to dispel some of the most prominent misconceptions about hybrid vehicles. The most surprising one to me is that they're definitely not prohibitively expensive as some are under $30k. Infinite Loop (part of the Ars network) plugged an effort to give senators iPods so that they can make more informed decisions on broadcast flags, and while it's an interesting thought, I don't think it would matter. They're still going to follow their own agenda, and the best thing to do is for their constituents to make a huge push rather than to just hand them a $400 device. If you're cooler than me and have a digital camera (or camcorder), you'll get a lot out of this video podcast with great tips for taking more professional shots. Don't let the site name fool you (Mac Pro), it's applicable to all cameras in general. Lastly, Duke Nukem: Forever has finally been confirmed to be in full production. I personally think that it'll have outdated graphics and flop, but I'm not going to underestimate the cult following for the old school games.

The first time I saw the poster for Break-Up, I didn't really like it. It has grown on me now though and is actually pretty tasteful. Fans of The Office are no stranger to Jenna Fischer (Pam), and now you'll see a lot more of her in Blades of Steel, which is the upcoming comedy featuring Will Farrell and Jon Heder. She'll be Heder's love interest, and quite a foxy one at that. Another smokin' television star who will be on the big screen is Kristen Bell (from Veronica Mars), who will play a geek in Fanboys. The movie follows a group of Star Wars fans going to Skywalker Ranch so their dying friend can see The Phantom Menace, which I'll only see for her (if I end up seeing it). Speaking of chicks though, Casino Royale still needs one and has started filming without her because she doesn't come in until a month into production. This doesn't bode well for the production. Lastly, pre-production has now begun on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which they plan on releasing sometime next year (I'd guess next winter).

Now for the Wednesday Mind Hump:

Choose either one or the other:

Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate, just because.
Hot or cold?
This is tricky, but heat seems to be more important in general than cold, so I'll go with that.
A bunch of short weekend trips, or one long vacation?
Short weekend trips, because otherwise you may lose your mind at work.
Almond Joy or Mounds?
Mounds, because I don't need almonds to enjoy chocolate and coconut. I make an exception with caramel for Girl Scout Cookies though.
Country or Rock And Roll?
Rock and Roll; no-brainer. What's so great about country?
Cosbys or Bradys?
Cosbys, because that's what I grew up on.
Brand new car or brand new house?
A brand new house is a much better investment, and plus it'll probably give you more pleasure than that car.
Inside or outside?
Inside, because it's climate controlled ;)
Pepsi or Coke?
Pepsi, though I only take it with booze.