.: Above The Aether :. » California

Google goes solar

Dave — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 02:13:34 +0000

Soon we plan to begin installation of 1.6 megawatts of solar photovoltaic panels at our Mountain View campus. This project will be the largest solar installation on any corporate campus in the U.S., and we think it’s one of the largest on any corporate site in the world. The panels will cover the roofs of the four main buildings of the Googleplex, and also those of two additional buildings across the street. There will also be a portion of this installation on new solar panel support structures in a few parking lots. The amount of electricity that will be generated is equivalent to powering about 1,000 average California homes. Weâ€™ll use that electricity to power several of our Mountain View office facilities, offsetting approximately 30% of our peak electricity consumption at those buildings.

Let the race for photons begin. I think this is a great idea and a step in the right direction for a major corporation to take. If only more companies considered solar power as a viable option, we’d be able to breathe a little easier in the future.

Good you you, google.

-Dave

Best Buy prank

Above The Aether — Fri, 19 May 2006 04:59:00 +0000

From Laughing Squid Blog:

Improv Everywhere is a group of pranksters based out of New York City who have been â€œcausing scenesâ€ in public since 2001. Their lastest mission took place last month when 80 of their agents showed up at the Best Buy store in Union Square wearing blue polo shirts and khakis, which of course caused mass confusion, along with the occasional electronics sale. Hereâ€™s their full mission write-up complete with photos, video (from hidden cameras) and first-hand accounts.

Ok, I think this is brilliantly funny. I only wish I owned a blue polo shirt and was visiting NYC that weekend. I wonder if I showed up at the White House wearing a Halliburton shirt with a fistful of oil stocks and millitary contracts if Mr 30% would put me to work?

Bet he would. He ain’t too bright.

-Dave

Usability Week 2006

Above The Aether — Thu, 18 May 2006 02:42:00 +0000

I’m headed to a web conference in San Francisco for several days in June. The conference is being run by some famous web gurus and will feature topics such as design, usability, eye-tracking studies, project planning & implementation, rich content, etc.

I’m pretty excited about the trip and the chance to nerd-it-up with some fellow web geeks at the conference.

I’ll be staying in the Nob Hill area of San Francisco, so if anyone knows some good restaurants or interesting things to see, please feel free to post a comment. I hope to check out the City Lights Bookstore, famous for launching the careers of several famous beat writers.

I want a picture of myself standing on Kerouac Alley.

G’night internet.

-Dave