Mini review: Machete

Plot: revenge.

Action: vicious.

A massive bodycount.  Ladies in various states of undress.

Mini review: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest

It was okay – a comment on the story, rather than the film itself, which was perfectly well made.

 I get the impression that the books may be better, but the plot would be the same, and I don’t have the 60 hours it would take to listen to the audio versions.

Maybe someday, but then maybe not…

Spare Cycles turns four…

This lovingly crafted blog is celebrating its fourth birthday today.   A beer (or four) is cooling in the fridge to toast the reaching of a milestone.  Happy birthday!

Wired’s smart jobs not so smart?

Wired (US edition) recently featured what I thought would be a great main article.  Although it was specifically linked to the US, I was sure that it would be relevant this side of the pond, and it’s “Special Report:  The Future of Work” tag sounded like there would be some real insight into the trends affecting jobs over the next decade and more.  Wired’s writing has turned me on to some important things in the past, and I had visions of this being a new high point.

The article came out fighting:

As the US economy slowly rebuilds and the smoke from four years of charred capital starts to dissipate, we can discern the shape of the next 20 years of job growth. What we see is an economy unlike any we’ve ever known.

But I think I’ve missed something…  There are some great infographics, and good information about the decline of some industries and the types of skilled jobs that are prospering and providing a good income.  However, this is all about the here and now.  The main graphic is talking about changes that occurred in the last five years.

Where is the extrapolation?  Where are the predictions for the next two decades?  The quote above says “we can discern the shape of the next 20 years of job growth” – this is why I bought the magazine; I have gone through the magazine to see if I missed the rest of the piece and looked at the story online, to no avail. Are all the revelations hidden away in the iPad version?  Is the secret sauce reserved for some other platform to which I have no access?

I don’t think so.  I think that the article is simply flawed, or at the least mis-sold.  Take away the “The Future of Work” tag and I would have been content.  However, I am coming to the conclusion that Wired just isn’t the required read it used to be.  I don’t think I’ll re-subscribe to the UK edition when the time comes.  I’ll keep an eye on the website and pick and choose the editions that I actually buy.  It’s such a shame…

• Wired (US): The Smartest Jobs in America