Tag: zurich

Inside Google Zurich

Bernhard Seefeld then (using the just-released Google Presentations, their online competitor to MS’ PowerPoint) described the 10 principles of Google engineering/software development: Single-source code repository for all Google code (G has a rather big repository, and all engineers have access to the source code) Developers can checkin fixes for any Google product (an “open-source” approach) You can build any Google product in 3 steps (get, configure, make) Uniform coding standards (how should code “look”) across the company Mandatory code reviews before checkin (if a developer fixes a bug in Gmail, the fix needs to be approved by the Gmail team) Pervasive unit testing (a “unit” is the smallest testable part of a program; unit testing validates that it works properly) Test run continuously, emails get sent (automatically) to developers if any failure is spotted Powerful tools that are shared companywide Rapid project-cycles, developers change projects often, and can devote 20% of their time to pursuing whatever idea/project they want (if it gets somewhere, Google will then throw some more engineers at it and turn it into a product or a feature) Peer-driven review process, flat management hierarchy

seefeld cameo

Tweakfest

Infrastructure wise the whole festival was horrible. They honestly were serving hot sausages and burgers only, along with sponsored cigarettes (WTF?) to those poor kids with no friends who were spending the day alone in a lounge chair with their laptops on their knees. I think the “organizers” of the “festival” should have to apologize to Steve Wozniak for talking him into a keynote.

zurich geeks need to step up their game it appears

Zurich cityecho

the initial issue of zurich cityecho is now available. billed as a monthly event magazine, it offers better service than existing event rags, to wit:

  • More location details
  • More non-mainstream events
  • less advertising

while some of the details of this new magazine are still in flux, there is hope that it can offer options beyond the house / R&B wasteland that is the conventional wisdom. i wish these guys luck. disclaimer: my sister christine is one of the founders of cityecho.

Still growing up

My friend Teddy called me earlier: “Any plans for tonight? Yes, busy busy. Well.. I’ve got tickets for Peter Gabriel. Oh, I think I can make time after all.” So he picks me up in his Mercedes convertible, and before I know it Peter starts working the crowd. Ss a Gabriel newbie, I could focus on the gadgets: Segway-riding for “Games without frontiers”, into-a-big-bouncy-transparent-sphere-climbing and rolling-around-the-stage for “Growing up”, and some funky-low-fi-bulb-jacket for “Sledgehammer”. I liked the show quite a bit, and also the story about the growing up of an apache kid who was deserted on a hilltop for 14 days after having been bitten by a snake. I’m glad I don’t have to earn my merit that way.