IBM is going through another layoff that could last all day and into the week, according to a labor union trying to represent the company's workers.

The Alliance@IBM in New York state, where IBM is based, began receiving calls and emails from IBM workers this morning. The layoffs are scattered across various sites and affect numerous divisions, said Lee Conrad, the union organizer.

The scale of the layoffs won't be know for days, but the union reports 350 layoffs as of late afternoon, based on reports received from affected employees. The employees receive layoff notifications that reveal how many colleagues in their departments were affected and how many spared, but don't identify the other employees.

Conrad said he didn't know if anyone lost work today at IBM's Research Triangle Park site, where the company is estimated to employ about 10,000 people.

Wake County schools are drawing up their wish lists for new computers and other technology-related items.

Superintendent Tony Tata said Tuesday he's releasing at least $25,000 this month to each school for a "technology refresh." The money is coming from funds set aside for technology in the $1.056 billion capital improvement program developed in 2006.

Tata said the individual schools will be using the school system's purchasing power to make bulk purchases of new technology. The idea here is  to help schools keep their technology up to date.

There's been a long-running debate about whether technology should be part of school capital improvement programs.

Techies in search of a job need look no further than Texas.

Tech salaries in that city jumped a whopping 12.7 percent last year for an average annual salary of $89,419, according to the tech jobs website Dice Holdings.
That compares to a 2.6 percent jump in Raleigh where the average annual wage was $79,830 for techies last year.

Are the new Democratic members of the Wake County school board doing their job to make sure the student assignment plan is ready or are they micromanaging the process?

That was a point of contention between Republican and Democratic board members during Tuesday's review of the assignment plan. The first half of the meeting dealt with a look at how the school system is handling its outreach efforts, particularly informing parents about their options and getting them to register if they're new.

Some tense words were exchanged over the issue of whether school registrars and data managers are able to do the job of getting students registered and informed about their options.

Want to be alerted the second your nearest Krispy Kreme turns on its "Hot Now" light? There's an app for that.

Barkley, a Kansas City-based marketing firm, developed an app that tracks when a participating Krispy Kreme shop has its hot light on, signaling that fresh doughnuts rolling off the glazing rack.

The app, which is available for iPhones and Android phones, allows users to search for nearby "Hot Now" lights and program how frequently they'd like to receive notifications. The app is also available as a desktop widget.

"Genuine engagement that is useful to our guests is key to our social media strategy," said Dwayne Chambers, chief marketing officer for Winston-Salem based Krispy Kreme, in a statement. "This unique Hot Light app is one more way we can share the one-of-a kind Krispy Kreme experience with our fans."

The app is available as a free download at KrispyKreme.com/hotlightapp, the Android Market and the iTunes store.

Empire Properties, owned by downtown Raleigh developer Greg Hatem, will receive a $50,000 loan from the city of Raleigh to retrofit a Hargett Street space for its newest tenant-- a digital media company Foursaken Media.

Foursaken Media specializes in building gaming apps as well as projects like websites and software. The company is run by four brothers, Tom, Jamie, Miles and Connor Jackson, who have been working with Hatem for about a month, he said. You may have heard of the first app game they developed: New York Zombies.

The Raleigh City Council approved the loan Tuesday, giving it terms of 3 percent interest for 10 years with a five-year call. The loan is a part of the Downtown Loan Pool program, which was created in 2004 with the goal of extending financing to businesses along Fayetteville Street.

Cisco Systems, one of the region's biggest employers, is set to unveil a new $100 million data center in Research Triangle Park that was touted by CEO John Chambers on his visit here over a year ago.

The two-story facility will showcase a lab where Cisco will develop and test software applications as well as a data recovery site for use during emergencies.

Cisco, the nation's largest computer networking company, hopes to sell its customers on buying routing and switching equipment to build similar data centers. The Silicon Valley company, which employs 4,800 in RTP, is so high on the data center it's hosting an open house next week to show off the facility.

The company says the dual function -- R&D lab and disaster recovery -- are unique in the industry.
 

A Triangle technology company is moving to new office space nearly three times the size of its previous headquarters as its business continues to expand.

Geomagic, which makes software that helps create 3-D models, expects to move into 32,200 square feet on Davis Drive in Morrisville by Monday. Some renovation work will continue through October as the company adds amenities such as employee relaxation areas.

There also will be more space to showcase the company's 3-D imaging and printing technology, as well as examples of how customers are using the products.

"It will help create a new level of energy and activity," said CEO Ping Fu.

Erskine Bowles "likes" Facebook.

The former president of the UNC system has joined the social network giant's board of directors, adding to his long history of corporate board work.

Facebook has been beefing up its board as the company is widely reported to be preparing for an IPO next year. Other board members include Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Washington Post CEO Donald Graham and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

"Erskine has held important roles in government, academia and business which have given him insight into how to build organizations and navigate complex issues,” Zuckerberg said in a prepared statement.

Appia, a Durham company that helps build "apps" stores for smartphone makers and carriers, has added a veteran technology executive to its management team.

The company formerly known as PocketGear announced this morning that it has hired Craig Forman as its new executive chairman.

Forman, 49, was executive chairman at Where Inc., a location technology company that was bought by eBay in April. He previously held various executive jobs at EarthLink, Yahoo and Time Warner.

The addition comes as Appia continues to expand under founder and CEO Jud Bowman, 30. Hiring Forman signals the young tech company wants more experienced leadership as it moves into the next stage of its evolution.