Luther Alumnus Craig Cornelius arranged several meetings for us in the morning. Each were short, but still very informative. I loved this format because it was easy to follow each of the speakers with out them getting into too much etail of their product and we were still able to ask questions before we moved on to the next speaker. The awesome coffee, drink and snack bar might have helped with that also.
Our first speaker was Davidson Young, a man representing University Relations which is basically campus outreach and recruiting for employees and interns. My googler dreams were slightly diminished when he told us that most of the internships are in the engineering department, but they were rekindled once he said that there were some marketing opportunities available (low and behold-I check the website and it looks like an amazing program!) However, they do get hundreds of applications so he advised that the best way for us to get through the application process is to be referred by an employee. I hope Craig can be that person, and there could be others through my connections on LinkedIn, Facebook, and the Development Office at Luther. Having an inside connection should ease the some of the extreme competition that I'm likely to encounter applying for this internship or any others in the future. Fact from the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: approximately 80% of jobs come through networking and other connections, and about 20% is through traditional means.
Our second speaker was Michael Braderman from Google Enterprise, which are apps that are packaged and sold to organizations (like Luther... Norse apps are awesome.) He described to us that this sector was still in its infancy stage, because its potential market is so large. I'm sure their target market is the Microsoft Outlook users, I'm just wondering what is going to make them switch over. I have a friend that still uses Outlook, although I'm very puzzled by this fact since she isn't in the technological dark ages by any means. Another important thing that came up in this conversation was the term "dog fooding" which we've discussed in other meetings during this trip. It refers to eating your own dog food, or in this case testing out the Google apps to make sure they are up to caliber. At Google, quality is always one of their top concerns and it shows in every element of their product line.
Xuefu Wang was our third speaker that discussed Google books. This aspect of Google shared similarities with Bookshare.org, the branch of Benetech that we explored yesterday. It was interesting to me that it was one of the founders' many ideas while they were at Stanford (Who doesn't want free books when your paying ridiculous bookstore prices?) I hadn't thought of it until Xuefu said it, but Google is one of the largest libraries in the United States. As it acquired more titled and if/when copyright powers fade, I'm sure they will become the largest in the world, holding close to the 80 million titles the world has to offer (I thought it would be more than that, I was actually kind of surprised.) To the outside world Google Books seems like a disruptive technology, and it is. It is shifting to fit a new mold as the world changes. Similar to my earlier Creative Commons blog, who knows where this 'sharing' idea will end?
Jessica Pfund represented Google maps. She described maps as a combination of art and science, a way I had never before considered but now wholeheartedly believe. The strenuous task of localization is an aspect of maps that I would not have previously thought of, but the more she spoke of language, style, connectivity and accuracy, the more I understood just how intimate something like a map can be to someone so far away from the Google campus. Jessica brought up two things I was intrigued by: Google's 20% project policy and their mapmaker. The 20% project is something that does not directly relate to anything you are employed to do at Google, but you are still allowed to spend 1/5 or 20% of your time doing. Usually it is a side project that you are
passionate about and believe will make Google/the World better. You can spend one day a week on this or take several weeks out of the whole year to dedicate to it (I'd likely pick the first option). Google's mapmaker is something I'm very excited for. When I went to Mexico last year, the city I was studying in didn't have a terrible amount of information on it. It would have been
really exciting to upload info onto the website, so that I could have used it to find more direct routes to school and other locations near my homestay. Next time I guess!
The last man we spoke to was Rick Klau, who was from this website (Blogger). Personally, I believe this web site has a lot of catching up to do when compared to the rest of Google's applications. They have many opportunities to think outside the box to gain remarkable advances in their products, which will inevitably allow them to gain market share in comparison to their largest competitor, WordPress.
We got to look at some other technologies in a very interactive way, including an enormous Nexus One phone (it's beautiful in any size), data that shows the frequency & language of searches, Google's 1st server (see Aaron & Brad) and other data manipulators that help one track trends over periods of time.
The lunch we had in Charlie's was great. They had a dish to suit anyone's palate, and I was completely satisfied. I love that they are practicing sustainable agriculture by growing some of their own food and are also supporting that same principle by stocking many organic products in their shelves at the snack areas and cafes. I can see what Craig meant when he spoke of the "Google 15"... good thing they have gyms on campus and it's safe to bike and walk to work!
I said this in a tweet earlier today, but I'm going to apply for their internship program for this summer. I check their website and it looks very exciting to be an intern in their business program. If I end up going straight to grad school after Luther, they also have M.B.A. interns. There is always hope if I don't get accepted for this summer!
After our amazing morning with Google, we took a short trip to the Computer History Museum. It was interesting to hear how complex the first computer was and how difficult it had to be to construct the machine in real life and even in one's imagination. It looks like a time machine to me.
We were able to go to the Apple store in downtown Palo Alto for a half hour or so this afternoon. My wish list when I become a millionaire: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones. A whopping $300 but I believe they're worth it. Put on a Live at Luther College playlist, close your eyes and it'll feel like you're back at Luther in 1998.
After this we visited with a Al, a Luther Alumnus at his country-club like Circus Club. He was an investor, and the stories he had to share were very interesting. His key points to me were that relationships can get you a long way in life, and it is up to you to seize the opportunities that they present to you as they come along. I thought his message was very realistic and empowering.
Tomorrow we play with the big boys. Microsoft, Intel and Facebook. That should be interesting. Also, fun fact that Robin Williams will be on Late Night with Connan O'Brien Tomorrow night. Just a demonstration on the utility of Twitter.
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