When we last heard about Jimmy Lemke the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee senior was in deep trouble for trying to plan a block party on Facebook. More than 5,000 people signed up to attend Jimmy’s big bash last weekend and the huge guest list caused local cops and university officials to crack down on the party. Jimmy was told to cancel the fiesta and warned that he would face serious consequences if anyone showed up ready to rock out. I checked in with Jimmy to see if he survived his social networking ordeal.

I got in touch with Jimmy through, what else, a message on Facebook to see how things went last. Jimmy told me that there were “no problems” and that “everything worked out well.” It looks like Jimmy learned from his bad Facebook experience, because he didn’t respond when I sent him a second message asking for more info about what went down. Perhaps Jimmy Lemke’s wisely decided to stay away from Facebook for awhile.

A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student named Jimmy Lemke tried to plan a block party on Facebook and now he’s in hot water with school officials, his neighbors, and the local SWAT team.

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So, you want to work in the game industry. You want to live, breathe, think, screw and shit video games for the rest of your life. Unless you want to be a master of the custodial arts, game design is the last thing you’ll want to major in. As Frank Caron of Ars Technica points out, the game industry is a very brutal and competitive field. He offers some words of wisdom for those actively pursuing their dreams by suggesting more broad majors just so you have skills to fall back on in case the game industry’s doors were closed.

A few lucky souls may wind up producing art or doing programming for projects directly out of trade school, but for the vast majority, unemployment at the hands of a limited skill set will be the unfortunate reality.

Ouch. Thanks to Frank, if you want to get your foot in the door of the industry, you know what to do. Broaden your skills, whether it be computer graphics, programming or both. Last but not least, kiss as much ass as possible.  My advice? Become an indie developer.

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If you’re a Facebook user, you’ve probably noticed the new layout by now. While it has plenty of flaws, overall, it really helps blend the site together properly. A lot of my friends tend to not agree with me and switch back to the old version but soon they’ll be shit out of luck. Come September, Facebook will permanently switch over to the new layout. Says a Facebook exec:

“Around 20% of our users have now migrated to the new platform and it has been received well after people get used to it”

That’s not a good sign, so we’ll see what kind of chaos takes place next month when everyone is struggling to update their status. Personally, I think if you play with the design and UI enough, you’ll enjoy it. At least Facebook has instant messaging down pretty well.

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Today’s New York Times reports that many colleges are giving away free iPhones or the iPod Touch to their students. Apple hopes to hook new customers with the program and the schools involved hope to improve communications, test educational applications, and allow online research in class. Many professors are concerned that the devices will be a distraction.

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Not for those with severe scoliosis, the Reppo II Backpack Boombox from designer Joonas Saaranen packs in a pair of full-range speakers and an amplifier for jamming to tunes as you stroll around campus, as well as providing everyone around you with a bass-induced migraine. Needs more sub-woofer (and cowbell).

So far, Saaranen has gotten as far as creating a functional prototype for the Reppo II, yet has no comment on whether he plans on pursuing a mass-production of the backpack. Could it be the reestablishment of the boombox as we know it? — Andrew Dobrow

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So you got a Target giftcard for Christmas; do you have any plans for it? If you are a college student and don’t have a dish washer, here’s the answer. This is the countertop dish dryer. So maybe it won’t wash your dishes, that just means that you have to wash with soap, but it definitely will save you precious time that you would normally have wasted on drying those dishes with a cloth.

• 34 liter large capacity dish dryer can store up to 4 large size dishes, 8 medium size dishes, 6 small dishes, and 6 sets of chopsticks
• Fast hot air circulation promotes fast drying process with one touch
• Overheat protection installation and auto shut-off if the temperature exceeds 85°C
• Resists heat, prevents breakage and distortion

Why does it have a count for the amount of chopsticks that you can stuff in there? Shouldn’t it count forks or spoons? At least the china in the picture is pretty. — Nik Gomez

Countertop Dish Dryer [via OhGizmo!]

It’s a daily occurrence at colleges and universities around the nation, and this USB drive might help solve the problem. This problem is of course, bike robbery. While those who have their bike seat stolen are out of luck, a new USB drive made by Duck Image has a built-in bike lock. Time to get metaphorical. Get how your USB drive keeps your data safe? Now it can also keep your physical property safe. While we are not too sure how secure a three number twist dial lock is, but it’s definitely better than nothing. Even looking at the worst-case scenario, when someone steals the bike lock for the USB drive, they still have to enter a password once the plug it into their computer to try to access your data. So whether you’re extra paranoid, a college student, or just want a bike walk/USB drive combo, this design fits your needs. Too bad no one is making it yet (it’s just a concept design). — Nik Gomez

Duck Image USB Drive [CrunchGear]