EconomyBeat.org » Google

Sucking up to Google

Jon Brooks — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:39:51 +0000

In February, Google made an announcement:

We’re planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States. We’ll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We plan to offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people…

As a first step, today we’re putting out a request for information (RFI) to help identify interested communities. We welcome responses from local government, as well as members of the public. If you’d like to respond, visit this page to learn more, or check out our video:

Google Fiber may sound like a new breakfast cereal, but it triggered a manic, some might say desperate, response from cities eager to become the company’s broadband guinea pig. Rancho Cucamonga, California, for example, changed its name to Rancho Googlemonga. Greenville, South Carolina rounded up 2000 of its citizens, gave them LED Glow Sticks, and arranged them in the form of the Google logo.

Topeka, Kansas launched a sophisticated online campaign called Think Big Topeka and the not-so-sophisticated gesture of issuing a proclamation changing its name in March to Google, Kansas.

Not to be outdone, Duluth, Minnesota launched its own initiative including this video announcing that the city was changing the names of all first-born males to Google Fiber and first-born females to Googlette Fiber. In typical Minnesota nice fashion, Duluth Mayor Don Ness sandwiches the video with disclaimers that no offense to Topeka is intended.

Google didn’t tell Duluth to go jump in the lake, but Mayor Ness did it anyway, jumping into freezing Lake Superior in support of the city’s bid.

State and city finances are really hurting, so it’s understandable if perhaps a little depressing, why various communities would go so far to attract private sector largesse. One user comment on BoingBoing: “Considering Google’s finances, I’m surprised they’re not holding out for their own country. I’m sure Iceland would consider it.”

Google watching

Jon Brooks — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:02:59 +0000

One way to catch a glimpse of what ple are searching for is through the suggested queries that Google kicks up when you start typing in its search box. Start any search, and Google anticipates what you are looking for by offering 10 frequently searched-for options.

For example, type in “how to save money…” and the search engine suggests:

…every month
…on groceries
…fast
…on electric bill
…in college
…for a house
…with coupons
…on food
…at the grocery store
…on a wedding

Type in “unemployment,” and suggested topics include:

…California
…extension
…benefits
…Florida
…Ohio
…rate by state
…PA
…extension 2010

The search for “finding a job” kicks up these:

…after college
…in this economy
…in a recession
…you love
…with a felony
…online
…in another state
…while pregnant
…in NYC

You can try just about anything and find something of interest. Type in “Obama,” and the No. 2 suggestion is “birth certificate.” Enter “Sarah Palin,” and “hand notes” comes in No. 2. A “Bill Clinton” search yields “impeachment” and “scandal” in the top 10.

“Bill Clinton impeachment” and “Bill Clinton scandal”? Really, America? He’s just ten years out of office, but perhaps that’s an indication of which historical events related to the ex-President are going to stick. At least “Lewinsky” wasn’t on there…

The world according to Google

Jon Brooks — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:07:16 +0000

Google has released its Year-End Zeitgeist, in which the search engine “examines the billions of queries that people around the world have typed into Google search to discover the spirit of the times.”

In the U.S. economy section, these terms showed up as the most searched-for:

crisis
cash for clunkers
iceland
california
recession
obama
unemployment rate
green
great depression
inflation

Under “Bailout nation,” these:

aig
tarp
gm
auto
bill
government
mortgage
bank
obama
ford

Related to health care reform:

obama
hr 3200
universal health care
aarp
rush limbaugh
heritage foundation
glenn beck
public option
ama
medicare

In the city-by-city section, which highlights searches unique to different metropolises, the rotten economy manifested itself in these search terms:

Atlanta: georgia department of labor
Cleveland: cuyahoga county auditor
Denver: colorado unemployment
Los Angeles: unemployment california
Minneapolis: MN unemployment benefits
Madison: UW job center
Orlando: Workforce central florida
Portland: oregon unemployment claim and workinginorgeon.org
Seattle: WA unemployment

And no signs of a lot of searching for “economic recovery” yet. We’ll keep you posted.

Google job interview cheat sheet

Jon Brooks — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:48:14 +0000

If you had to pick one company during these uncertain times that might provide the most job security (excluding those in the online porn sector, of course), a good choice might be Google. The Big G is everywhere, and if you really need proof of the search engine’s cultural relevance, just check out how many time’s it’s been satirized in The Onion. (Our faves: here, here, and here.)

Google lists lots of jobs on its web site, but its hiring process is notoriously stringent. So if you make it as far as an interview, perhaps this might help. A blog/advertisement called Seattle Interview Coach has aggregated what it says are 140 Google Interview Questions, culled from more than a dozen online sources. Whether all of these have been truly asked or are still in use, who knows? But here are some of the more interesting ones, anyway. I included only those, frankly, that I can even sort of understand.

For Product Manager:

What is the most efficient way to sort a million integers?

How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?

If the probability of observing a car in 30 minutes on a highway is 0.95, what is the probability of observing a car in 10 minutes (assuming constant default probability)?

Design an evacuation plan for San Francisco.

You have eight balls all of the same size. 7 of them weigh the same, and one of them weighs slightly more. How can you find the ball that is heavier by using a balance and only two weighings?

For Software Engineer

Why are manhole covers round?

A man pushed his car to a hotel and lost his fortune. What happened?

Describe the algorithm for a depth-first graph traversal.

What method would you use to look up a word in a dictionary?

What’s 2 to the power of 64?

You need to check that your friend, Bob, has your correct phone number, but you cannot ask him directly. You must write a the question on a card which and give it to Eve who will take the card to Bob and return the answer to you. What must you write on the card, besides the question, to ensure Bob can encode the message so that Eve cannot read your phone number?

For Quantitative Compensation Analyst:

How many resumes does Google receive each year for software engineering?

Anywhere in the world, where would you open up a new Google office and how would you figure out compensation for all the employees at this new office?

What is the probability of breaking a stick into 3 pieces and forming a triangle?

For Product Marketing Manager:

Who are Google competitors, and how does Google compete with them?

If you are the product marketing manager for Google’s Gmail product, how do you plan to market it so as to achieve 100 million customers in 6 months?

For Engineering Manager:

You’re the captain of a pirate ship, and your crew gets to vote on how the gold is divided up. If fewer than half of the pirates agree with you, you die. How do you recommend apportioning the gold in such a way that you get a good share of the booty, but still survive?

Frankly, I think I’d have better luck going in cold to take the California State Bar Exam. Or trying to beat out Derek Jeter for Yankees’ shortstop. But here’s a question for Google:

If you hire the absolute smartest people in the world, how long before someone develops a death ray that accidentally destroys the entire world? Please give your answer in the form of a puppet show.