It's not exactly a secret that Google is basically snatching up anyone with a pulse these days. In fact, I've been contacted five times in the last month by five different recruiters. And since I don't have updated information on Linked In or anything and I haven't floated a resume anytime recently, that means they're contacting me based on the three old copy of my resume that they've got in their system.
Most of them were standard fare, but the second letter I received was a real gem:
- This opportunity is in Mountain View, CA. Are you willing to relocate to Mountain View?
- "Do you have the unrestricted legal right to work in the U.S.?"
- If you were to accept an offer from Google, How soon would you be available to start?
- Please verify your education for undergrad and grad school (School, GPA, Major).
- Do you have any other interviews or offers pending?
- What programming and scripting languages do you consider to be your strongest?
- What is your salary expectations?
He might as well have just said "just confirm a few details and write down a number and your badge will be in the mail; you start Monday!"
Also entertaining was that the first few contacts were for "Web Applications Engineer," and with no reply from me and for no other apparent reason, the last couple were for "Senior Web Applications Engineer." How long will I need to hold out on them to make VP?
Published on Monday October 3, 2005 .
It looks like a few changes to google maps were just rolled out and then quickly rolled back. While I definitely like the new "Set this as default location" feature (though in my few minutes of usage I couldn't figure out how to change the default after setting it, and the first time I tried it it crashed Safari), the decision to put the sidebar information on the left and relegate the map itself to the right felt pretty terrible. Using it for several minutes, I repeatedly reached for the left edge of the browser for the zoom widget, and how is the map not the primary piece of information on that page?
Hopefully that left / right decision doesn't come back when these changes are re-introduced. And sorry, I didn't capture a screenshot while they were there.
Update: Okay, these changes are back, and I still don't like the left right thing.
Published on Thursday June 30, 2005 .
Between Google releasing Earth on Tuesday and a map API yesterday, and Yahoo! also releasing a map API yesterday, it's an exciting week for the map lover in me.
But between all the announcements, it was easy to overlook the launch of the A9 maps beta. I admit I'm biased, but I think it's pretty neat. One of my first comments when I saw this was "when did mapquest get such pretty maps?" Be sure to check out a city with Block View data (how about San Francisco?) to experience how much fun it can be to explore the Block View images with this interface. Don't miss the "Mark Streets With Block View" toggle.
Remember, it's actually a beta (I haven't actually asked the guys who are working on this, but I don't doubt that this claim that they finished at 2 am). Also check out what DeWitt has to say.
It's definitely exciting times for maps. I can't wait to see what someone comes up with next.
Published on Wednesday February 9, 2005 .
Mapping Google
A pretty good examination of the way Google Maps' interface works.
Published on Saturday November 1, 2003 .
Microsoft and Google: Partners or Rivals?
If this happened (and I really don't think it will), based on what Microsoft did to Hotmail, it would pretty much be the worst thing ever.
Anti-war slogan coined, repurposed and Googlewashed... in 42 days
This is a cool story of blogging and its effects on Google. I really like the possibilities of using google as a linguistic tool, and this sort of behavior is actually data if that's your goal.