by The Editors on August 14, 2008
When knew that when video game giants Activision and Vivendi merged there would be some changes at Carlsbad-based video game developer High Moon Studios. We just didn’t know how deep the cuts went. According to Gamasutra they went nearly 30 percent deep.
The layoffs, which apparently consist of a notable portion — as many as 60 — but not a majority of the developer’s more than 150 staff, were telegraphed in the July 29th statement from new owner Activision.
Hope Carlsbadistan doesn’t loose too many of the talented minds behind Darkwatch and The Bourne Supremacy.
[Link: Gamasutra]
by The Editors on August 12, 2008
For more than a week we’ve been getting news tips telling us that the Apple store at the Carlsbad Forum was opening on August 16, 2008. Being good journalists, however, we wanted to check with the Apple PR before we said anything. Let’s put it this way: we did get one out-of-office reply.
Now, it’s official. On August 16, 2008 at 10 AM the doors of the Carlsbad Apple store will open. Here’s what they said in their official email (which we did not get).
Come to the new Apple Store, Carlsbad, and bring your curiosity. It’s the place to test-drive any Mac or iPod, experience iPhone, and catch free workshops to learn all the latest tips and tricks. When you get there, find our Concierge in the orange shirt. The Concierge is your guide to everything from checking in for an appointment to instant checkout. And if you’re one of the first 1000 visitors, you’ll get a free Apple T-shirt.*
Today, we cruised by the store and peeked in through the doors on the front of the big black box. Inside we could see a completely kitted-out Apple store loaded with product and employees getting ready to start selling. If you’re like us, then we’ll probably see you in line early Saturday morning waiting for the free shirt.
[Link: Apple Store Carlsbad]
by The Editors on July 28, 2008
Turns out that Google money we told you about last week was only a drop in the bucket. Thanks to Esenjay Investments, the Simons Family, and the Beall Family Trust the Carlsbad based electric motorcycle company has $24 million more to roll with, according to a story on c|net.com.
Aptera has set the end of this year for the release of its all-electric Typ-1, a two-seater, three-wheeled electric car whose streamlined shape might look at home in a Jetsons cartoon. Each street-legal vehicle would cost less than $30,000.
And if you want one: get on the list. The company has reportedly already accepted 3,000 $500 deposits for the 300 mpg vehicles.
[Link: c|net.com]
by The Editors on July 27, 2008
Carlsbadistan resident and “world famous kayak fisherman” Bluewater Jon Schwartz, 39, and his wife Veronica were kayaking in Kona, Hawaii when a 9-foot-long tiger shark pulled up along side them, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It surfaced next to us like a submarine,” said Jon Schwartz. “It was like 9, 10 feet long, directly perpendicular to us, about 12 feet away, a tiger shark, about 200 pounds. It was staring at us, right next to us. Our worst fear was right in front of us.”
Luckily, Schwartz was armed with a device called a Shark Shield.
In the chaos of the moment, Schwartz said he remembers flipping a switch to activate the Shark Shield. They watched as the shark suddenly veered off just a few feet from them.
“It was as if the shark hit a force field,” Schwartz said. . . . The pair said they went crazy with relief, shouting and hooting. “It was unbelievable,” Veronica said.
More fish tales? Click the link and you decide.
[Link: San Francisco Chronicle]
by The Editors on July 24, 2008
We were so excited about our favorite Carlsbad-based life sciences company the last time we mentioned Invitrogen that we bought a couple shares. Lucky us, because yesterday they announced that second quarter profits were up 30 percent
The Carlsbad, California-based company posted net income of $53.2 million, or 55 cents per share, compared with a profit of $40.9 million, or 31 cents per share, a year earlier. . . The results topped analyst expectations by a whopping 11 cents, according to Reuters Estimates, and Invitrogen shares jumped nearly 5 percent in premarket trading.
Knowing nothing about the life sciences business or the stock market in general, we’re feeling pretty good about Invitrogen’s future as well. Not that it matters.
[Link: Forbes.com]
by The Editors on July 23, 2008
Carlsbad’s three-wheeled electric motorcycle company Aptera Motors has received $2.75 million from RechargeIT, a company run by Google’s philanthropic arm, according to VentureBeat.
The 230+ miles-per-gallon Aptera has received plenty of attention over the past few months, and a post here on VentureBeat asking whether readers would drive the odd-looking vehicle continues to get responses indicating that yes, quite a few people are interested in the $30,000 car.
Every little bit helps, huh?
[Link: VentureBeat]
by The Editors on July 12, 2008
Apparently the new Carlsbad Apple Store at The Forum is no longer a surprise. One thing we can say is that the iPhone lines at this location were considerably shorter than they were at UTC yesterday on iPhone Friday.
For how that went, check out this post from a blogger who lives in Carlsbadistan.
by The Editors on July 11, 2008
Customers of the AT&T store in Carlsbad’s Plaza Camino Real Mall bought up Apple’s new iPhone 3G as quickly as workers could activate them this moring on day one of the product’s roll-out. By 11:45 AM, much to the chagrin of the 30 some people still waiting in line, the store had sold out entirely.
“When I got here a little before 8 AM there were already about 15 people in line,” said one AT&T employee. “But the line has been about this size for most of the morning.
The line, which held steady at about 30 people all morning, snaked most of the way around the Westfield Playtown in front of Sears at the mall’s west end. At about 10:30 AT&T employees began letting people at the back of the line know that the chances of them getting a phone were not good, but that they would be able to pay for the phone a “direct fulfillment process” and then be called to come into the store to pick them up when the phone arrived.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on July 9, 2008
Our favorite life sciences company, the Carlsbad-based Invitrogen, will release their second quarter earnings Thursday July 24, 2008.
Following the earnings release, Invitrogen senior management will hold a live webcast at 9:00 a.m. EDT to discuss financial and other business results. . . . The webcast can be accessed on Invitrogen’s Web site at www.invitrogen.com. Alternatively, callers may listen to the live conference call by dialing 866.831.5605 and use passcode 21567755.
After yesterday’s news we’re going to make a wild speculation and say that the news is going to be pretty good.
[Link: Market Watch]
by The Editors on July 7, 2008
We’ve been messing around with twitter for a while now. But we initailly wanted to wait until we were absolutely sure that we had something important to say before we announced it to the world.
If you have a twitter account, and you know what we’re talking about, please follow us and we promise that we will occasionally tweet. It may simply be about the weather, the waves, or who we just saw getting arrested, but at least it will show we care. And, you can tweet us back. We’ll be one big happy tweeting, twittering, Carlsbadistan family.
[Link: Carlsbadistan on Twitter]
When knew that when video game giants Activision and Vivendi merged there would be some changes at Carlsbad-based video game developer High Moon Studios. We just didn’t know how deep the cuts went. According to Gamasutra they went nearly 30 percent deep.
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