Houstonist Tech Buzz

Local tech news in a compact, digital format.

Overpaid Teachers Saga
Remember last week when we mentioned that HISD overpaid some employees because of a computer glitch? Well, we also found out that HISD is now asking for that money back and the head of the local teachers union is saying no way.

Are You Experienced? New Cingular Retail Outlet
Amidst crosstown traffic, AT&T has unveiled a new face in the wireless storefront community. The AT&T Experience Store. Billed as "All of the communications and entertainment products consumers want...in one place, and under one roof.” It's not a room full of mirrors, it's convergence and it includes TV, TV on demand, internet, telephone, email, satellite radio, home security and more. But where is this foxy lady, you ask? Burn the midnight oil no longer, she's located at 3773 Southwest Freeway and is one of several new outlets to open throughout Cingular's 22-state territory. All along the watchtower they are saying that in May, San Antonio and Atlanta will have these new retail outlets, too.

iPods + Astros = Better pitching
Slashdot linked to a sporty article from ESPN.com on iPods and the home team, Astros. It appears that last year, pitcher Jason Jennings used his video iPod to review training footage and now this year "every player gets his own custom set of videos loaded onto his personal iPod, sorted by date, hitter, pitcher and opponent — and updated every week or so." Man, the Astros pitching squad just upped their geek factor with the Tech Buzz! Go 'Stros.

Houston is not on this list
HotelChatter has compiled a list of the Best Geek Hotels in the World and Houston is not on it. Could someone out there work on getting us on that list next year? Thanks.

Halliburton's Move: The Tech Angle
We've all heard that Halliburton wants to (and possibly had already) moved their headquarters to Dubai, but we found this story and a blurb in that article that defines the reason Houston matters in the world energy markets and deserves to get much more credit than we receive. This little blurb gives major accolades to Houston's strength in the energy world. It gives props to our tech workers and their facilities and is one of the reasons Houston is the fourth largest and best city in the U.S. [drumroll please] - "Houston has the talent and the technology concentration to manage large-scale energy projects here and abroad - and that won't change for the forseeable future."

Let that soak in for a moment...

OK, moving on and wrapping up.

Software Developers in Houston, You're #4
According to some compiled data at Delatores.com, Houston Software Developers are number four in the U.S. in raw salary earnings for Software Developer pay, ranking in between Oakland and New York. Not too shabby. Ladies, get with a geek, it might pay off!

That's it for the Tech Buzz. Surf safe and surf smart, Houston. Remember if you have an item you'd like covered, drop us an email or leave a comment.