Kranar
05-09-2007, 10:01 PM
So I just arrived at Google yesterday and let me just say... this place is nuts. As such I figure it only appropriate to compile an entire list of crazy things I come across on this campus and report them here (if it isn't confidential information).
Getting to Google is great, I arrived at what is called The Googleplex via a limo-bus with nice leather chairs, tables with cup holders and wireless internet available. Of course there's no need to feel guilty as the limos run off of a hybrid bio-diesel engine and they're also working on getting these solar powered as well (30-40% of the Googleplex now runs on solar-power too). Once you get there, there's the usual craziness, for example people riding scooters or Segways all over the place and for reasons that are quite obvious this place is full of tourists, most of which are Asian and love to take pictures of everything they see here.
There's free food at over 12 really nice restaurants all over campus. I so far ate at a place that specializes in sushi, one place has all sorts of exotic food and fruit juices that they can mix in anyway you want them to. I heard there's also Indian and Thai restaurants, I'll have to check them out sometime.
You also have these swimming pools that are called "The Endless Pools" basically they are mini pools but they generate a current that goes opposite to the direction you're swimming in so that you can swim in them in the same direction for as long as you please. They also have a similar rock climbing mechanism so that you can climb a wall endlessly even though you'll never be more than 5-6 meters off of the ground.
There's a skeleton of a T-Rex that sits outside as well, and recently some pink flamingo statues have invaded the T-Rex's territory. From what I've been told the first week the pink flamingoes had a party there, the second week they were found being devoured by the T-Rex in his mouth and his claws, the third week they apparantly managed to fight back, the fourth week they were all in a heap behind the T-Rex, and well now they seem to have made peace as all of them are wearing sun glasses and shorts amicably.
Many of the conference rooms here are also very cool. Of course the conference rooms are portable... you just pick up a conference room suitcase, find an open area somewhere and then take out the conference room tent and then let it inflate. Once it's setup, the conference room is actually sound proof when the doors are closed.
But definitely one of the craziest and most adventurous aspects of being here for me personally has been experiencing this crazy super toilet that I thought only existed in Japan. Let me say I was very hesitant to use it but curiosity got the best of me... if you haven't heard or seen these things, they are really high tech toilets with many additional features built into them like the ability to both wash you and then dry you after you're done your business... you have the option to have it massage but I was not so brave enough to do that nor do I have any clue what that would even particularly do.
Yeah, this is going to be pretty fun and crazy. I underestimated this place thinking it was just a small or medium company located in one or two buildings... this place has grown considerably in the past two years and at this rate I can only imagine what it will be like two years from now.
Getting to Google is great, I arrived at what is called The Googleplex via a limo-bus with nice leather chairs, tables with cup holders and wireless internet available. Of course there's no need to feel guilty as the limos run off of a hybrid bio-diesel engine and they're also working on getting these solar powered as well (30-40% of the Googleplex now runs on solar-power too). Once you get there, there's the usual craziness, for example people riding scooters or Segways all over the place and for reasons that are quite obvious this place is full of tourists, most of which are Asian and love to take pictures of everything they see here.
There's free food at over 12 really nice restaurants all over campus. I so far ate at a place that specializes in sushi, one place has all sorts of exotic food and fruit juices that they can mix in anyway you want them to. I heard there's also Indian and Thai restaurants, I'll have to check them out sometime.
You also have these swimming pools that are called "The Endless Pools" basically they are mini pools but they generate a current that goes opposite to the direction you're swimming in so that you can swim in them in the same direction for as long as you please. They also have a similar rock climbing mechanism so that you can climb a wall endlessly even though you'll never be more than 5-6 meters off of the ground.
There's a skeleton of a T-Rex that sits outside as well, and recently some pink flamingo statues have invaded the T-Rex's territory. From what I've been told the first week the pink flamingoes had a party there, the second week they were found being devoured by the T-Rex in his mouth and his claws, the third week they apparantly managed to fight back, the fourth week they were all in a heap behind the T-Rex, and well now they seem to have made peace as all of them are wearing sun glasses and shorts amicably.
Many of the conference rooms here are also very cool. Of course the conference rooms are portable... you just pick up a conference room suitcase, find an open area somewhere and then take out the conference room tent and then let it inflate. Once it's setup, the conference room is actually sound proof when the doors are closed.
But definitely one of the craziest and most adventurous aspects of being here for me personally has been experiencing this crazy super toilet that I thought only existed in Japan. Let me say I was very hesitant to use it but curiosity got the best of me... if you haven't heard or seen these things, they are really high tech toilets with many additional features built into them like the ability to both wash you and then dry you after you're done your business... you have the option to have it massage but I was not so brave enough to do that nor do I have any clue what that would even particularly do.
Yeah, this is going to be pretty fun and crazy. I underestimated this place thinking it was just a small or medium company located in one or two buildings... this place has grown considerably in the past two years and at this rate I can only imagine what it will be like two years from now.