Intel Oregon continues dramatic layoffs in a region already suffering high unemployment

Intel Oregon continues dramatic layoffs in a region already suffering high unemployment

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In what continues to be multiple waves of layoffs, Intel in Oregon has laid off at least 5,400 jobs since August and estimates are there are now less than 18,000 Oregon Intel employees. That’s a loss of just at 25% of Intel Oregon employees (based on the estimates) in 6 months.

This comes when Oregon’s job situation is lagging nationally and facing steep headwinds. Because Intel is the state’s largest tech employer, and many other local tech firms have left or are also downsizing, it means a lot of these employees are predicted to leave Oregon and cause serious economic repercussions for the local area. This has already alarmed local leaders that are now expecting a quickly eroding tax base.

Even worse, Oregon itself is facing a continuingly downward employment trend. Oregon reported a net 4,300 job losses in June 2025, up more than double the 2,100 jobs lost in May. The only sector in Oregon that grew was 900 jobs in heath care fields.

This is even more pronounced in the Portland area which is now in a multi-year decline. The Portland metro area saw the biggest declines in the whole state with 7,500 jobs lost in May and employment is down about 14,000 since last year. Unemployment has also risen dramatically – it was 3.6% in May 2024 but is now 4.6% in May 2025 – a trend that is expected to get worse for the foreseeable future.

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Labyrinth of Time Speedrun

Labyrinth of Time Speedrun

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The Obscuritory has done a 12 minute speedrun of the classic obscure game “The Labyrinth of Time“. I loved Myst and saved up my money to buy this game – only to find myself utterly lost as to what to do. It’s an obscure, but ultimately bad, game. The idea is interesting – an adventure that requires collecting items or changing the past to affect the future puzzles. It’s an idea that is probably ripe for a remake or a part 2 (that was hinted at at the ending of the game, but never written)

Back in the day, I actually contacted and talked with one of the programmers. He said that they were running out of storage space to fit the game on one CD-ROM, so they kept compressing and re-compressing the audio until it was barely acceptable quality. I believe his exact words were that ‘It was criminal’ how much they compressed them.

I remember that the sound track was pretty good. Ironically, it was mostly stock audio that could be licensed very cheaply. Some of my favorites were ‘Intrigue‘, ‘The Killing Ground‘, ‘Pastoral colours‘, and many others. Fans on the playlist linked above seem to have identified all the songs.

Here’s a longer, slower playthrough for the curious:

I lived 30 miles from this incident

I lived 30 miles from this incident

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I wasn’t alive in 1968 when this happened, but I do remember visiting the base during a summer open house when I was quite young (likely around 5-7). I remember seeing the planes and even waiting in line to take a ride on one of the planes (but the wait was so long we ended up not doing it).

If it had gone off, I doubt I would be here today since my parents lived so close.

It’s also mentioned in the absolutely fabulous books Command and Control by Eric Schlosser or Atomic Accidents by James Mahaffey.

Re-creating PS1 graphics with modern hardware

Re-creating PS1 graphics with modern hardware

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Acerola has a bunch of great graphics videos. In this one, he talks about why PS1 graphics looked the way it did.

I learned that PS1 actually had realtime camera distance tessellation – something that wasn’t available to desktop GPUs until the introduction of tessellation shaders.

Donation pickups in Oregon/Portland

Donation pickups in Oregon/Portland

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Oregon

Donating household items to St Vincent DePaul, Goodwill or other groups is good, but they don’t come pick up furnature. It turns out the Vietnam Veterans of America will send a truck out to help pick up donations.

I’ve never used them, but this could be a good option if you have an estate you need to clean out.

How to never be angered or bothered by anyone – through radical spiritual transformation

How to never be angered or bothered by anyone – through radical spiritual transformation

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An amazing homily by Pope Leo XIV that describes just how radically different the interior life of a follower of Christ is from what the world teaches and perceives. Here’s some of the best bits, but the whole thing is worth listening too.

Our age is one of unprecedented sensitivity and unrelenting outrage. In the cultural moment we inhabit, to be offended is almost a virtue – a badge of honor. To express outrage is to signal moral clarity.

Saints did not seek vengeance, they did not get offended by the failures of others – because their lives were rooted in a different center. Their identity is not fragile because it is grounded not in ego, but in God. We are rooted in a deeper truth than the changing winds of human opinion and behavior.

It’s not indifference nor is it repression. It is not being numb or passive or weak. It is not merely psychological or about managing emotions or applying therapeutic strategies.

There is something almost otherworldly about a soul that has mastered the inner alchemy of turning offenses into peace. It is sanctity and nothing less than the imitation of Christ. It is the transformation of the soul so radical that only the grace of God can bring it to completion. We have been so thoroughly transformed by love that even offenses can become opportunities for communion.

Docker based YouTube/streaming media downloaded

Docker based YouTube/streaming media downloaded

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MeTube is a yt-dlp based docker container that sets up a localhost service for downloading video/audio from YouTube and a huge number of streaming video sites. It lets you download whole channels, individual playlists, and extract the audio from streams. PinchFlat is another option, but I haven’t tried that one out.

ytmate.com is a decent online web side for downloading individual files.

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Pyramiden Polar Escape

Pyramiden Polar Escape

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This gentleman in the village of Pyramiden was caught by surprise by a polar bear. He fired off a round from his rifle at the bear, but it still charged him. The man fled on foot until he got onto a snowmobile and just barely escaped (no pun intended).

It was a bold strategy since polar bear can run up to 25 MPH.

Goodyear’s Glowing Tires

Goodyear’s Glowing Tires

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In the 1950’s, Goodyear was playing around with Neothane as a replacement for polyurethane used in tires. What’s wild is that neothane is transparent. This allowed customers to put tiny colored lights in them and you had tires that matched the color of your car. You could even use them as turn signals or brake lights.

Unfortunately Neothane was more expensive than polyurethane, didn’t last as long, and performed poorly on wet surfaces and under heavy braking.

It was demonstrated on a custom built Golden Sahara II car.

Honestly, I don’t see why these absolutely couldn’t make a comeback for blinged out cars today. Line them with LED’s and you’d have quite the head turner.