Tech 2.0 for Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Anonymous may have struck again. The hacker group appears to have posted the addresses and other personal information of Oakland, California, city officials to the Internet. The information went up on a website attributed to the group. A note with the post expresses anger over how police have treated members of Occupy Oakland and city budget cuts that have been approved. The mayor, police chief and city council members were among those whose information was included in the posting.
Looking for a promising career in a down economy? A new study suggests you're apt to find it in the apps built for smartphones, computer tablets and Facebook's online social network. Demand for those applications has created more than 450,000 jobs in the U.S. since 2007. That's based on an analysis released by technology trade group TechNet. The estimate counts 11,000 jobs at companies making the apps and another 155,000 at local merchants that have expanded their payrolls due to a ripple effect caused by increased spending at their businesses. The study says this so-called "app economy" is in the early stages of a boom driven by the mobile computing and social networking crazes.
There's a new board game and puzzle collection based on AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com. The game combines 124 of the website's photos with a series of open-ended questions. It's available in select retailers. The Awkward Family Photos puzzle collection will feature a 999-piece count and form a collage featuring the website's most popular images. Titles will include: Pets, Holiday, Siblings and Vacation. The games and puzzles will start shipping to retailers nationwide this summer.
