Google Offers Beta in New York City and the Bay Area Launches

On June 15, Google Offers beta was launhced in Portland, starting todya, Google begin offering the deals in the Big Apple and the Bay Area. Subscribers who sign up here, or via the new "Today's Offer" tab in Google Shopper 2.0 for Android will start receiving emails with local offers in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area today, announced Google.

Google Offers Beta in New York City and the Bay Area Launches

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DTWB/~3/cia8H_JOU58/

Google Lat Long Blog: “Download map area” added to Labs in Google Maps for Android

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

lue lisää

Google Lat Long Blog: “Download map area” added to Labs in Google Maps for Android

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/SbSV/~3/-ZYWyF-HpOE/download-map-area-added-to-labs-in.html

One Area Where Google Is Way Behind Microsoft (GOOG, MSFT)

If Google really wants to compete with Microsoft for business customers, it's going to have to get a lot better about support and documentation.

Today, Google released the beta of its Cloud Print service, which is supposed to let you print Gmail and Google Docs from any device, and send them to any Windows-connected printer in the world.

This could be really useful for people who do a lot of work away from their computers. As the Google Mobile Blog said this morning, "Imagine printing an important document from your smartphone on the way to work and finding the printout waiting for you when you walk in the door."

Sounds great! If only I could get it to work.

To give you some idea how clunky the entire process was:

• The Cloud Print homepage didn't know which version of Chrome was being used -- it kept saying to download the latest version, even when it was already installed.

• Printing a test page failed, and that was it. There was no indication of why it failed, and no suggestions on what to do next.

• The troubleshooting section of the help file mentioned a requirement for download something called the XML Paper Specification Essentials Pack from Microsoft. It would have been nice to mention that up front, but fine. Done.

• After this, Cloud Print added a new printer called Microsoft XPS Document Writer as the default printer. Unfortunately, this was an imaginary printer. 

• In the online Manage Print Settings page, there's no menu item or option to search for or add a new printer by name.

• Despite numerous attempts, Cloud Print won't delete the imaginary printer, and the option to turn the service off doesn't work.

It's true that this is a free product, beta software doesn't always work as expected, every computer and network is different, and so on.

But Google's instructions and help center for Cloud Print are so scanty and poorly thought out, there's no way to tell what went wrong or how to fix it.

Microsoft has made a lot of ugly software that doesn't work as expected. But at least it TRIES to offer useful documentation. At least it TRIES to provide real user help with wizards and troubleshooting apps when you have a problem -- and often, the help actually works. At least it TRIES to focus on the user experience, and there are noticeable improvements with every release.

But here, it feels like Google barely thought through what could go wrong and how to fix it.

Documentation is hard. It's ugly. It's boring. It's not the kind of job that hotshot engineers want to do to further their careers. But if you're trying to help customers -- especially business customers -- solve complicated problems like printing over the Internet, it's totally essential.

Microsoft has been doing this ugly work for more than two decades. Google is just getting started.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Hey Google: How About Some Real Proof That The World Is Switching To Google Apps?
• Google Apps "15 Years Behind The Times" Says Microsoft
• Coming To Google Docs: Print To Anywhere In The World

One Area Where Google Is Way Behind Microsoft (GOOG, MSFT)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/Yr49TYALqPA/one-area-where-google-is-way-behind-microsoft-2011-1

More Photos From Brazil: Waterfall Area and Swimming in Front of Isle Esme Location

SPOILERS UNDER CUT DON'T CLICK IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOWA couple of days ago Rob and Kristen shot at a location with a waterfall. Today there are shots of that as well as a second day in front of the Isle Esme location



Kristen is clearly wearing t

Tags: eclipse new moon midnight sun twilight twilight movie breaking dawn twilight news new moon movie

Post originale: http://www.blogcatalog.com/search/frame?term=location&id;=3dc7d3760a3639267052174ff72f5634

Hand-Drawn Map Exhibition in Philadelphia Area

Another exhibition of hand-drawn maps is now under way in the Philadelphia area: Nowhere: Selections from the Files of the Hand Drawn Map Association runs until December 19, 2010 at Arcadia University’s art gallery.

WorldWinds Selects Slidell as Home to One of Most Powerful Computer Systems in the New Orleans Area

WorldWinds, Inc. Selects Slidell Center as New Home to One of the Most Powerful Computer Systems in the New Orleans Area - SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO RUN STORM SIMULATIONS FOR HURRICANES

Slidell, LA--- WorldWinds, Inc., has installed one of the most powerful computer clusters in the New Orleans area at Slidell’s Gause Boulevard Complex.  WorldWinds purchased the system to run storm surge simulations for historical and hypothetical hurricanes that will be used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop new flood zone maps.  WorldWinds' executives think it is an ideal location for the new computer cluster because of its high level of security and multiple sources of backup power, allowing for work without interruption.  The Slidell Gause Boulevard Complex also houses Textron Marine and Land Systems and the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office.

The site once served as home to the former NASA Slidell Computer Complex where NASA first placed computers in 1962 to support Saturn space vehicle construction at the Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans.  The NASA Slidell Computer Complex was one of the most powerful in the country.

Those early computer systems were strikingly different from today’s sleek and modern machines.  The old systems would often fill an entire room with thousands of circuit boards, card readers, printers, and racks of tape drives.  Additionally, an army of technicians were needed to toggle switches, mount tapes, and repair equipment, which failed every few days.

Dan Yeates, Superintendent of Public Operations for the City of Slidell reminisces, “Contractor’s cars filled the entire parking lot at Gause Boulevard and Robert Road.  A large room housed key punch operators who typed instructions and data onto punch cards that filled many boxes.”  John Autry, Slidell's Information Systems Manager, added, “The systems were so fragile that if the lights blinked, the maintenance engineers would start running towards the computers like they were firemen to protect the equipment.”

In stark contrast, the new computer cluster purchased by WorldWinds, Inc. fits in two racks only six feet tall by four feet wide.  It is housed in the computer room in the basement of the building, and only requires two WorldWinds' staff members to operate it.  Hurricane storm surge simulations will run around the clock on the new computer, with much of the operation unattended.

“Storm surge simulations that previously took days to run on our old computer system now take only a few minutes”, explains Elizabeth Valenti, WorldWinds CEO.  “The new hurricane storm surge simulations will be used by FEMA to determine the likelihood of flooding in coastal areas as a result of hurricane water and winds.  A high performance computer is needed for the model runs in order to correctly position levees, roads, and channels.”

The model estimates the water level at each 30-foot grid point every 15 minutes, given the characteristics of a simulated hurricane (size, forward speed, maximum winds).  Model runs will initially be made for Georgia and northeast Florida while new flood maps for the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts were produced shortly after Hurricane Katrina.

WorldWinds, Inc. continuously gathers weather and ocean information from many sources and packages it into usable products for the public.  This wealth of information is evaluated, assembled, and disseminated through a network of computers located across the southeastern US.  In addition to running storm surge models, WorldWinds, Inc. provides customized weather information for mariners and emergency responders.  In cooperation with Baron Services, detailed satellite images, sea surface temperature maps, buoy observations, and wind forecasts are transmitted via the XM WX Satellite Service, http://xmwxweather.com.  To help fishermen in their quest, WorldWinds developed a product called FishBytes that identifies preferred fishing locations.  It is available on the same XM WX Satellite Service.

###

WorldWinds, Inc. develops cutting edge technology from NASA, the US Navy, NOAA, and other government partners into state-of-the-art products and services that benefit the public.  WorldWinds is an active member of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster of the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA). MBA’s goal is to impact economic development by serving as an advocate for small and medium sized businesses.  For more information about WorldWinds, Inc., visit www.worldwindsinc.com.

 

Silicon Valley Employment Levels Recovering Faster than Bay Area

While the economic recovery has the legs of a wounded duck, Silicon Valley's comeback looks like it's just taking flight.   

A report released by the Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific in Stockton predicts the Valley's economic engine is likely to recover faster than the rest of Northern California. The report says the San Jose metropolitan area "continues to be the only area in Northern California that is clearly recovering." The Center forecast job growth at a rate of 3 percent next year and in 2012.  

Speaking at a Bay Area Council meeting in Santa Clara, John Haveman of Beacon Economics in San Rafael, an economic analysis firm, predicted that Silicon Valley will "bounce back faster than either the East Bay or San Francisco." Employment in IT, including telecommunications, Internet service providers, Web portals and data management - which had slipped 8 percent during the recession - already has returned to its normal growth rate, he said.

Valley Boom in Temp Jobs Could Signal Growth for Full Time Slots

Temporary positions in Silicon Valley jumped by 14.6 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And while the numbers aren't great - there are about 18,000 temp jobs in Silicon Valley - the figure is is widely viewed as a precursor to growth in full-time employment.

The downside, of course, is that temp jobs tend to pay less than full-time positions. For instance, in Santa Clara County, the average annual wage for temporary workers was $43,700 in 2009 versus $82,000 for full-timers.

Fast Growing Super Micro To Boost Staff by 200-Plus

One San Jose company that's looking to beef up its workforce is Super Micro Computer,  a maker of servers and related products, which plans to add 220 workers in 2011, with a focus on  hardware engineering talent. The company already employs more than 60 engineers who focus on power supply systems.

With about 1,100 employees, most located in Silicon Valley, Super Micro's revenues were up 43 percent last year. At the same time, the company's workforce expanded by about 20 percent. 

Of Top 10 Fields for New Grads, Four Hottest are in Technology

Of the 10 hottest occupational fields for newly minted college graduates, the top four are in IT. The list, compiled by University of California San Diego Extension, is based on enrollment figures, national employment statistics, and interviews with area business executives. 

Leading the list are healthcare IT, mobile media, data mining, and embedded engineering. For the most part, healthcare IT jobs in demand are those needed to implement the switchover from paper to digital medical records - healthcare integration engineer, healthcare systems analyst, clinical IT consultant, and technology support specialist.

-- Doug Bartholomew

Post originale: http://career-resources.dice.com/articles/content/entry/silicon_valley_employment_levels_recovering