Steve Milunovich - the world's greatest hardware guru - has given up on the guru business in favor of being a flack.

Milunovich joined the Brunswick Group, becoming a partner at the "communications consultancy." The firm expressed excitement over Milunovich's investing and technology "expertise." Apparently, they missed his notes on Intel's Itanium processor turning into an "industry standard" and his inability to generate interest in a self-run hedge fund.

Longtime Register readers will recognize Steve by his nickname: "The Loon." Steve wrote to us once asking why we choose to tease him in this manner. Those of you familiar with his notes penned while he served as Merrill Lynch's top hardware analyst know the answer to this query.

We've never run across Brunswick before, but the firm seems quite impressive. Its web site lists a ton of worldwide offices and skills dealing with such complex issues as crisis control and IPOs. Brunswick also likes to show off its talents at handling human being clip art.

Apparently, a pink skin tone is crucial to PR success, while clear copy on a web site is not.

With such requirements, The Loon should fit right in. ®

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