The San Francisco Citizen

Check it - if you’re an employee at Google who wants a little employer-provided daycare in the Silicon Valley, you’ll soon be paying $2390 per infant per month according to the leak on Valleywag. So, if you make it to work about 20 days per month, then you’re burning $120 each time you drop off your precious bundle in the morning.

What’s that? You don’t trust the ’Wag? Well, how about the Grey Lady? Joe Nocera is calling this daycare issue a “rare fumble” for Google on the New York Times today.  

“Sergey Brin said he had no sympathy for the parents, and that he was tired of ‘Googlers’ who felt entitled to perks like ‘bottled water and M&Ms.’”

Did he really say that? The World Wonders. Were the Googlers really crying at work?

But hey, some perqs will remain free of charge at Google. Like the contents of this on-site convenience store, with all the Red Bulls, Rockstars (the drink created by the son of Savage Nation shock-jock Michael Savage!) and, yes, water you can drink. Sadly, Dennis Nedry’s preferred Jolt Cola is not on the menu, but rest assured, the aforementioned free M&Ms are camera left:

That Reggio Emilia (named after the place where Ferraris roam free in Northern Italy) approach must cost a fortune. If you want, check out this Ning - see all that stuff? 

Oh well, some feel it’s still a good place to work.

Let’s give three cheers for Valleywag for posting the leaks it gets. Or, put another way:

“Wow! This actually seems like journalism. On Valleywag! And the comments are interesting, too.”

Please Google, next time, less $$$ and “more whimsey.”

There seemed to be quite a few Gayglers (gay Googlers) in the crowd during Pride 2008 last weekend. They weren’t too hard to spot, what with their official T-shirts, as in years past. 

What will be the next “-oogler” coinage to take off?  Noogler, Loogler, or Xoogler?

Online, you might notice a similar rainbow theme, depending on what you search for.

Of course, employees at the California offices of Google don’t necessarily have to have to press all 14 buttons during each visit to the loo, but then they wouldn’t be getting the full benefit of this fancy toilet, made by Toto (no, not the Toto that stole a song from the Beatle(s) until Jake Shimabukuro stole it back, this Toto, from Japan).

It’s the Jasmin Washlet E200. Awesome! It has a 52-page instruction manual, so read all about it. Or just buy one of your own.

Now if you’re at work, think twice before checking out Toto’s out-of-this-world, infomercial-laden Clean is Happy website, because the partial nudity makes it marginally NSFW. (But actually, I was bold enough forward the link to my grandmother). Keep clicking, as it gets better and better. 

If you’re a Googler, you should demand an immediate upgrade to the latest model, the S400. If you’re not a Googler, then click on to see all the command module buttons up close. That way, you’ll be prepared during your visit, if you ever get so lucky. See you after the jump.   (more…)

San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu packed them in last night when she addressed the future of America at the New Leaders Council Annual Fundraiser last night inside the San Francisco offices of Google.

Despite some hectoring from the MSM, Ms. Chu seems to be taking her time to think about this November’s election day. Some people are already working hard to try to replace her, like Ron Dudum, for example. Only time will tell.

Here’s what the NLC wants to do: 

New Leaders Council is building the future of progressive leadership by providing young people with mentoring, networking and job placement programs in the fields of journalism, business, politics, and government. With a commitment to social responsibility and civil independence, New Leaders Council is focused on shaping the future by developing tomorrow’s leaders today and molding tomorrow’s political environment.

Check them out, if you want.

NLC Executive Director Adam Borelli:

See you next year!

The Presidio of San Francisco, on the northern waterfront to the left of the newly upscale Ghirardelli Square, hasn’t seen this much action since they filmed The Presidio, starring Sean Connery. It appears that a mounted member of the United States Park Police briefly detained a Google Maps camera car for some sort of driving infraction this morning. Oh noes! Don’t impede this car - it’s gone to some interesting places. It’s not scary at all, right?

[Update: National Park Service employee and Commenter #67 Motorcop_2000 disputes any account that has the Googler getting a ticket. MC_2K indicates that this driver merely got lost and was trying to get "back to the Avenues" (meaning the Richmond or the Sunset districts). Bad driving and Toyota Priuseses seem to go together, so this story rings true.]

So the photo below shows how the magic of Google Street View happens - you can see their method all laid out. In this case, Google is using a brand-spanking-new Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid (wouldn’t a 50-state VW Jetta TDI diesel get better mileage?) and a rather tall metal mast with mad cameras, GPSes and SICK laser range finders. Click to expand:

Courtesy of damianspain of the San Francisco Bay area. Thanks Damian! Check out his flickrstream for lots of great shots of San Francisco, including a rare blue sky at the North Beach Festival.

(Normally, the Presidio is a quiet place, except for people feuding over the location of the new CAMP museum and the occasional coyote attack. And Hooverball - the kids these days make all sorts of noise throwing their old school medicine balls around.)

Keep up the good work, Google Street View drivers. Just make sure to watch out for The Man (as well as all those sexy pedestrians trying to catch your attention).

Google Maps just added real estate listings as an optional search.  This comes on the heels of the very useful Google Transit. It seems our Friends at the Googleplex seem to think we want more everything:

Google Maps is evolving from a driving directions and business search tool, to a comprehensive representation of all the world’s information, on a map.” That’s why Google Maps started to integrate different layers of information when you search for an address and it added a new “More” button to enable layers for photos and Wikipedia articles.

Don’t count on this new service to show you a complete picture of the Bay Area real estate scene (there’s no listing shown for Red Rock Island for example), but it’s a great start. You can even refine your search by number of bathroooms, etc. Get started by simply clicking on “Show search options.”

Pretty soon, we won’t need real estate agents or brokers for anything, right?

Welcome to the future!

This is your chance to own beautiful Red Rock Island, now listed for just $22 million by Santa Rosa’s Steven Higbee. Imagine owning your own private Alcatraz! Per the shill:

…the ONLY privately held island in the San Francisco Bay….out of the fog belt just south of the San Rafael/ Richmond Bridge…six acres, 175 feet high…views spectacular…just eight miles to Fisherman’s Wharf…

If you lived here, you’d be home by now 

You want. Make an offer why not? You’d only have to sell 38,000 shares at current valuations. Then you’d be a part of history and NPR would want to put you on the FM radio too.

What’s in it for you? Well, you could try to develop it.  Might be a bit of a hassle dealing with three different counties but think of all the manganese you’d be able to sell after you’re done leveling the island with dynamite or something. You’d make big bucks.

Plus, they’ll probably even throw in the island’s home page to sweeten the deal. The website has all the photos you’d want of your new home. 

Perché no? 

Google Transit has come to the Bay Area, finally. Watch the video here.

What about getting down over to San Hoser? You’ve been away so long, you may go wrong and lose your way. 

Check it out. Now, do you know the way to San Jose? 

Thank you India/ thank you providence/ thank you disillusionment/ thank you nothingness/ thank you clarity/ thank you GOOGLE!