ThaRemix/flickrAdvanced Micro Devices, one of Austin's largest tech employers, entered a new phase of its history today by announcing that it would split into two companies: one focused on designing microprocessors and the other on manufacturing them. The new manufacturing company, called the Foundry Company, will be a joint venture between AMD and two Abu Dhabi investment firms that have agreed to finance the building of a new chip factory near Albany, New York, and......

Jeff BeckhamInfluential weblog TechCrunch drew hundreds of folks to its high-tech mixer Thursday at Pangaea. Co-sponsored with venture capital firm Austin Ventures, the meet-up also gave several Austin startup companies a chance to shine, as they set up booths in the back of the club to talk with interested applicants, partners, and investors. Among the startups grabbing attention were: Keyvault: a service to protect the your passwords and other secure information as they travel across......

Several employees in the Austin office of Midway Games lost their jobs today as the company canceled an "as-yet-unannounced project" in production at the local facility....

ThoofThoof, an Austin-based social news site, has gone out of business. Founded in 2007 by former Revver co-founder Ian Clarke and backed by Austin Ventures, Thoof was designed to deliver news tailored to your interests, based on what you click on rather than voting buttons or other preferences.......

Is there anything the iPhone can't do? The latest useful tool for Austin iPhone-iacs is Me2Bus, which lets you track Austin Capital Metro buses....

The Austin Children's Museum is inviting kids to let loose their inner engineer this Sunday....

With a shape-conforming bed, internet-enabled pillow and massaging bathtub, the hotel room of the future is on display this week at the Austin Convention Center....

Photo by Garrette on flickr AMD opened its Southwest Austin campus on Tuesday, and softened environmental criticism with a sustainable design and a $1.5 million commitment to preserve open space. Software firm Motive was purchased by telecom giant Alcatel-Lucent of France for $67.8 million, closing a tumultuous chapter in the company's history that included stock delisting, management changes, and restated financial results. OneSpot, a startup publishing service for media and other businesses, made its public......

Honda Motors announced the roll out of its second foray into fully electric cars, the FCX Clarity, a car that is fully powered by the hydrogen fuel cell. Other competitors include recent start-ups like Tesla Motors and several from the big guys. ZENN Motor Company, a Canadian operation, features Austin/Cedar Park's own secretive company, EEEstor, and claims to have a "super-capacitor" in the works that they say has a range of 400+ miles per 4 hour charge....

When the Dallas Cowboys move into their new stadium for the 2009 season, fans will enjoy the action on the biggest high-definition screen in the world....

Image from WikipediaA New York judge ruled that Dell and its financial services unit falsely advertised financing and warranty terms to customers. In an opinion released Tuesday, State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi said that Dell and Dell Financial Services LP engaged in deceptive business practices, fraud, false advertising and abusive debt collection. "Dell has engaged in repeated misleading, deceptive and unlawful business conduct, including false and deceptive advertising of financing promotions and the terms......

Visitors to our fair city can plan their perfect day online now, thanks to the new website of the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau....

The Walt Disney Company plans to open a advertising research lab in Austin by the end of the year....

Photo by Lepti on flickrThe director of the Austin Clean Energy Incubator is leaving to become an entrepreneur-in-residence at one of the nation's top venture capital firms. According to the Earth2Tech blog, Joel Serface was selected by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to work on a Department of Energy program that focuses on commercializing clean energy technology that comes out of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. Serface came to Austin in 2006......

Photo by liewcf on flickrHeads up, Texans -- the sales tax break you've been getting by buying online at Amazon.com may be in jeopardy. The Dallas Morning News reports that officials from the state comptroller's office are investigating whether Amazon's Irving-based distribution center establishes a "physical presence" in Texas, which would put the online retailer under a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that allows states to collect sales taxes from out-of-state retailers under those conditions. Amazon......

Photo by tobiaseigen on flickrLocal venture capital firm Austin Ventures is contributing up to $50 million to create a company that will build a social networking platform for corporations. Jeffrey Dachis, who led Razorfish during its reign as one of the original digital services firms, will be the chairman and chief executive officer of the new company, which will be based in Austin. Today's announcement from Austin Ventures says that the newly formed company will......

Pink Dome, a political blog that has followed the hijinks of the Texas Legislature for some three years now, has closed down....

Advanced Micro Devices, the microprocessor maker with about 2,600 employees in Austin, announced today that it will cut 10 percent of its worldwide workforce before the end of the third quarter....

In a meeting with industry analysts today, Dell CEO Michael Dell said his company will cut even more jobs than the 8,800 it predicted last year. ...

Well, it was Annual Economic & Technology Forecast day ... again ... and that meant we were up at the Austin Convention Center waiting for the forecast from the Austin's most-famous pecuniary prognosticator, Angelos Angelou, who told us how much more increases in housing prices we can expect. Angelos predicted that we will see moderate increases in housing prices, lower than the 7.2% average increase in 2007, but that we will not see a decrease in housing prices despite the significant price decrease nationwide and the local decrease in number of home sales. Angelos predicted that Austin's strong economic and population growth coupled with a large reduction in new housing starts would keep housing prices up. Angelos mentioned that he gets a lot of questions about whether there will be a significant decrease in prices in the downtown condo market - he doesn't think there will be. He sees substantial demand for downtown condos, and thinks that market will perform similarly to the rest of Austin - flat for the next several years, followed by price increases....

AngelouEconomics will host the annual Economic & Technology Forecast next Thursday, January 24, at the Austin Convention Center. The Economic & Technology Forecast is billed as the largest business event in Austin, with attendees including public officials, educators, media, economic analysts and business executives from Central Texas’ technology, legal, real estate and services industries. Speakers include Angelos Angelou, the Founder and CEO of AngelouEconomics, and Zanny Minton Beddoes, the US economics editor for The Economist....

The 6th annual Indie Music Video Festival rolls into town tonight at the downtown Alamo Drafthouse....

Photo of Perry filing Giuliani’s ballot paperwork by christopherleonard on flickrCurrent Travis County DA Ronnie Earle will retire when his term is up. Now-removed YouTube video showed Perry dissing Dubya and contrasting him with Giuliani. Is nothing sacred? State Rep. Dawnna Dukes caught playing hooky in Vegas. Some parents braved the icky weather this morning for a wristband to get them in line tomorrow for Hannah Montana tix. Pimp C's memorial service was held yesterday.......

The first U.S. troop cutback in Iraq has officially begun. The tentative working title for this one is "Operation Mistake Acknowledgment." Human rights organization takes the Kenyan police force to task on allegations of mass murder. In order to prevent the "destruction of culture," the French government has outlawed certain forms of P2P downloading. Event is referred to as a "victory" for the recording industry. Oh reeeeally? Economist suggests that we could soon know......

Image from Austin New Music Co-op’s website Austin New Music Co-op presents “Electrons and Phonons”Saturday, November 17Ceremony Hall (4100 Red River)8 p.m. | $10[info] | [Austin New Music Co-op MySpace]Austin New Music Co-op, in conjunction with SEAMUS, has put together a very special event this Saturday at Ceremony Hall to commemorate “Electro-Acoustic Music Month.” In an effort to champion new musical compositions for electro-acoustic instruments, and provide a setting for inspiration and innovation alike, Austin......

Image from RCIS.org Solar Austin Happy HourTuesday, November 6Artz Rib House [map]6:30-8:30pm[info]Solar Austin gathers for their monthly happy hour Tuesday at Artz Rib House. Renowned science fiction author and founder of Viridian Design Movement, Bruce Sterling, will be the featured and the topic will be Future Trends in Solar. Best known for his eight science fiction novels, Mr. Sterling is also a contributing editor of WIRED magazine and a columnist for MAKE magazine. He has......

It's official! A California boy playing with matches started a 38,000 acre fire. Victoria's Secret in hot water over releasing scantily-clad dolls. Sex is a no-no in the cabins inside the new jumbo airliner, The Airbus A380. The State of Texas and Travis County are both suing the developer who polluted Hamilton Pool. Remember that military contractor that killed innocent people in Iraq, your government is reportedly granting them immunity. The House passes legislation......

Providing incentives for hybrids and investing in renewable technology are just a few of the environmental issues highlighted by U.S House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who spoke at City Hall yesterday. Speaking of her "New Direction Congress", she stood with U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett, city council members, and Austin Energy head Roger Duncan to highlight Austin's leadership in finding alternative energy sources and reducing energy consumptions. According to the Statesman: "The boast of a clean energy......

The ritzy new Qua Bottle Lounge in the Warehouse District opened this month to much fanfare, thanks in large part to the club's fancy choice of flooring: a 19,000-gallon aquarium filled with reef sharks and stingrays. The 25-and-up nightclub boasts that its giant acrylic tank—the "largest ever installed in a nightclub"—is perfectly suitable for marine animals, citing a 3" barrier between the tank and the dance floor directly above as well as some impressive-sounding technology......

A bat found at Leander High School tested positive for rabies Leadership Austin's next project: finding a new chief UT nabbed a $1 million federal grant to fund grad school programs for low-income, first-generation and other minority students Happy National Coming Out Day! Some company named "Digital Reg of Texas" is suing Apple, Hustler.com, Microsoft, Playboy, Audible, Sony, Macrovision, and Blockbuster, claiming the companies violated a 1998 patents on digital rights management technology Environment......