Knowing .NET

Huh… I use Newsgator Online because I have so many machines. I don’t know if I should hold this out as an example of the problem with browser-based applications, but suddenly Newsgator Online has stopped properly marking articles as read. The problem extends across both Firefox and IE7, so I don’t think it’s some errant extension in my browser.

Gee, that sucks.

Via Dale Churchward, standing in for Harry Pierson, comes word that Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill to punish retailers for personal data leaks. Dale speculates “there may be some good jobs in retail IT data security.”

I think so. Of course, you should figure out what you love to do and figure out a way to get paid for doing it, but a good hobby for any self-employed person is trying to figure out non-glamorous retail industries that will have guaranteed growth. For instance, I live in a place that attracts retirees, little infrastructure, and has very high shipping costs — I know that a retail medical supply company that delivered would have ample business.

Similarly, the rise of IT data security as a business cost is a fait accompli. I have a friend who does security audits for a major consulting firm and he’s living large. Starting a business to do it on a smaller scale makes a lot of sense. I would imagine that it’s a significant amount of upfront work and then you get a long-term maintenance contract, which is nice for a business, since I would think there’s a significant amount of lock-in associated with that initial audit.

Via Bill de h?ra comes this CG image. I don’t follow the CG scene so I don’t know how this compares to the best work of others, but I wouldn’t pause for a second if I saw an image like this in an ad. So if stills have crossed the “uncanny valley” could it be more than another decade for motion?