pixar

Jobs e-mail to Schmidt suggests no-poaching deal in play

Steve Jobs once thwarted Google's attempts to recruit one of his company's engineers via an e-mail to Google's Eric Schmidt, resulting in the immediate firing of a Google recruiter, according to a new court filing.

The filing, picked up by Reuters this afternoon, details an e-mail exchange between late Apple co-founder and CEO Jobs and then-Google CEO and Apple board member Schmidt, wherein Jobs politely asks Schmidt to keep Google from attempting to hire one of Apple's engineers.

"I would be very pleased if your recruiting department would stop doing this," Jobs wrote to … Read more

New book highlights Pixar's fantastic art

If you're a fan of Pixar's many wonderful movies--and who isn't?--you've no doubt spent years caught up in the studio's terrific storytelling. But you've probably also been glued to your seat again and again by Pixar's terrific artistry.

Now, you can dig deep into the history of that work. With the new book "The Art of Pixar," Amid Amidi takes us inside the creative process behind Pixar's long list of hit films--"Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," "Monster's Inc.," "Ratatouille," "… Read more

'Toy Story' aliens invade fashion runway

Buzz Lightyear is flying into high fashion, and he's taking Woody, the Aliens, and the rest of the Pixar-inspired crew with him, thanks to a new "Toy Story" fashion line from Bossini of Hong Kong.

A set of photos on Bossini's Facebook page show off the new line, which includes dresses, men's shirts, kids' costumes, and accessories.

Obviously, clothes that tap into the "Toy Story" motif are nothing new, as Disney and Pixar merchandise their movies faster than Kim Kardashian seeks out divorce lawyers. But from what I can make of Bossini's captions, it's laying out prices as high as $1,000 per three-eyed-alien tunic. … Read more

With Pixar, Steve Jobs changed the film industry forever

There's never been a movie studio with an unbroken streak of hit movies like Pixar. From the original "Toy Story" to "Finding Nemo" to "Cars," "Ratatouille," and "Toy Story 3," the animation wizards at Pixar have won over the industry, forcing Hollywood to change how it makes films, and it's made billions in the process.

And it never would have happened without Steve Jobs.

Pixar began as a division of George Lucas' LucasFilm, working on the development of imaging technology and its own imaging computer. But inside, some … Read more

The 404 919: Where we say farewell to someone insanely great (podcast)

Today's episode of The 404 Podcast runs a little shorter than usual, but we spend the show talking about Steve Jobs and how he directly affected each of our careers in technology.

We'll also talk about former Gizmodo Editor Brian Lam's heartfelt letter of regret regarding the lost iPhone 4 and his interactions with the former Apple CEO, and show a few ways that New York is commemorating Steve Jobs.

The 404 Digest for Episode 919

CNET's full coverage of the passing of Steve Jobs. Statement from the President on the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve testing Photo Booth filters in 2005. Former Gizmodo Editor Brian Lam remembers Steve Jobs.

Episode 919 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Replica of Disney-Pixar 'Up' house for sale in Utah

In the Disney-Pixar animated movie "Up," Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner) and wife Ellie dream of traveling to Paradise Falls, South America. When Carl takes that trip by using thousands of helium balloons to lift his home right off its foundation, the house takes quite a beating.

A home builder in Utah has created a full-scale replica of that charming home--firmly fixed to the ground--in the city of Herriman, about 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

Related story Balloons float real-life 'Up' house near LA

The builder, Bangerter Homes, has re-created several rooms from the 2009 film in retro detail--down to the wallpaper, light switches, and custom-made fireplace mantel, which is currently adorned with some very "Up"-like knick-knacks. … Read more

How one app introduced AutoDesk to consumers (Inside Apps)

When Autodesk's SketchBook Mobile application launched two years ago, it garnered more than 1 million downloads within the first two months, propelling the company into a completely new business.

So it's surprising that Chief Executive Carl Bass didn't know about the application--which lets you make an array of sketches with your finger--until a week before the launch.

"We definitely didn't have the attention of the company," said Christopher Cheung, project manager in charge of SketchBook. "It was a small isolated project."

SketchBook's success was partly born of the extreme hands-off approach … Read more

'Brave' trailer teases lush, epic animated adventure

A trailer for Pixar's next animated film, "Brave," was finally released online today after being imprisoned in theaters as a preview that displayed before "Cars 2."

The trailer reveals a hero, many generations ago, surviving larger-than-life challenges in the beautifully portrayed highlands of Scotland. Scenery and tone feel like a fairy tale, and as always, the main protagonist is an unexpected one: a girl named Merida, who has long curly red hair and a side serving of extra panache as she shoots arrows around Scotland.

Environments shown in the trailer look amazingly lush, reminiscent of realms one would see in MMORPGs. The official Web site reveals more about the story: … Read more

Classic wheels salute 'Cars 2' in Hollywood exhibit

HOLLYWOOD--To mark the opening of Pixar's animated "Cars 2," the Petersen Automotive Museum is showing off some rare and notable real-world vehicles in a special exhibit here.

"Cars 2" parks in theaters this weekend, pretty much guaranteeing that another fleet of Brinks trucks will pull up to Pixar when the movie likely makes another mint for the Oscar-machine animation studio.

Pixar and Disney are celebrating by buddying with Kodak, Goodyear, and other sponsors to build a temporary "Cars 2"-themed amusement park behind the historic El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, the movie's Los Angeles headquarters.

The El Capitan traditionally hosts Disney's biggest releases, and the theater often presents a live stage show before screening its animated features. Since you can't have cars thumping around the footlights, the "Cars 2" World Grand Prix Attraction will give families and car lovers a little extra mpg for their El Capitan ticket money.

The park sits on the grounds of Hollywood High School, immediately behind the movie palace. The attraction is open until the end of August.

While the kids are building Lego race cars or tooling around the park's pedal-power go-kart track, car-loving adults can steal away to the large, air-conditioned tent housing the Petersen Museum contributions. From the sublime to the ridiculous, visitors can enjoy an up-close look at elite period performance cars like the 140 mph 1968 Lamborghini Espada and perennial flops like the 1976 AMC Pacer.

See images from the special collection in our gallery.

This Day in Tech: New domains mean trademark issues; Apple shares down

Too busy to keep up with today's tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Monday, June 20.

New domains mean new trademark issues The Internet's overseers approve a plan to expand the number of top-level domains. That opens the door for .paris, .canon, .eco--and for a new era of trademark complications. More

Offline Google Docs playing peek-a-boo The offline version of Google's productivity suite has been spotted outside Google's firewall. With Chromebooks now launched, time is of the essence. More

Is Apple's declining stock cause for concern? Several pundits … Read more