Procurement Software Blog

For the first time, and quite remarkably, The Simpsons was recently broadcast live. Think about it. That’s an extraordinary thing. An animated show, created originally in the classic mode of artist-drawn cells frame after frame, is now being broadcast live, in real time. The computing power necessary to combine motion-capture and real-time rendering, even for a basic animation form is simply staggering, and actually the subtleties in The Simpsons make it far from basic, really.

Of what use are jaw-dropping hardware specs without software that can do it complete justice? In some ways, it’s like driving an SUV powered by a lawn-mower engine or a muscle car that could never go beyond 80 mph! At a recent event in Beijing, Chinese electronics manufacturer, LeEco, rolled out the world’s first smartphone that will run Qualcomm’s much anticipated Snapdragon 820 processor, while also announcing a surprisingly diverse new range of products that included a VR headset, a television and even an autonomous driving car.

May 10 delivered a one-two punch that made it a good day to avoid the business press, especially if you’re in IT! First punch: IT job growth hit a five-year low in April, according to an analysis of Bureau of labor Statistics data by consulting firm Janco Associates. The firm says 2016 could end with a net decrease in the overall size of the IT job market, estimating that, if this pace continues, U.S. firms will create 87,700 IT jobs by year end, compared to 112,500 in 2015.

It is a curious statement that appears on British bank notes. “I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of [whatever denomination the note is].” Who is this promise made to and by whom exactly? One might be forgiven for thinking that the promise is one that the holder of the note is making to part with it on demand in return for goods or services.