And the Facebook lives on
July 26, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
MANILA, Philippines — Google said more than 20 million Internet users have joined Google+, the search giant’s latest foray (and apparently, also the company’s most successful yet) into the social networking market.
I also noticed some of my Facebook friends were quite excited about receiving their invites and creating their Google+ accounts. (I got hold of a Google+ invitation during the later part of the Web site’s first week of beta.)
Some of them were even making lots of noise about the supposed “superiority” of Google+’s privacy and security features over those of their former favorite networking site. And who can blame them? After all, there have been lots of media reports about Facebook’s shortcomings in these departments.
Most people who despise Facebook, even those who begin their days with a peek or two at the world’s currently largest social network to check on their friends’ status updates and other posts, say they do so because of the site’s user-unfriendly approach to privacy and security. A significant portion of these people also say that Facebook tends to dumb its users down.
There is no doubt that Google has finally got what it needs to take on Facebook in the networking world. Capturing 20 million users in a couple of weeks is no minor feat. Most observers believe that as Google+ fine-tunes its features and platforms, and allow users to more easily invite their friends over, its user base will explode.
Perhaps, it might be on its way to toppling Facebook from its perch.
Something, however, tells me that most Facebook users will stick around Zuckerberg’s neighborhood.
Online Privacy and Social Networks
A study by graduate students at the University of California in Berkeley revealed that although most Facebook users say they are not comfortable with how the Web site and third-party applications use their personal information, their actual behavior when using the networking site.
About 90 percent of those who participated in the study said they disagree with Facebook’s privacy and security policies. Yet, even those who are “more knowledgeable” about online security said they are using those third-party apps, such as online games.
I wonder if those Facebook users who are now bashing Zuckerberg’s online kingdom and are claiming to have found their social networking nirvana via Google+ are really serious about leaving Facebook behind.
Microsoft’s Strong 4th Quarter
What is with these IT market observers?
Microsoft posted strong figures with its fourth-quarter financial report, showing gains in operating income, net income, and diluted earnings per share, and all these so-called analysts focused on the 1% drop in the software giant’s revenue from its Windows platform.
Microsoft earned $17.37 billion during the quarter and $69.94 billion for the fiscal year.
The company earned almost $70 billion, and some people are predicting Microsoft’s ultimate demise based on that 1% decline in Windows revenue. I wonder what drugs these people are ingesting.
That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.
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The darker side of Facebook’s HQ: Eerie night shots show social networking …
July 26, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
By
Lee Moran
Last updated at 9:09 AM on 26th July 2011
It could be straight out of a James Bond movie.
With its laser defence systems, industrial style corridors and exposed aluminium air pipes, Dr No would seem perfectly at home as he plotted his route to world domination.
But while this eerie establishment is indeed in the midst of grabbing a grip on global affairs, its not with its military might – it is, instead, as the new California HQ of social networking site Facebook.
Futuristic: ‘The turnstiles use lasers to detect if you walked through without badging in. Lasers!’ posted Aaron Sittig on his Facebook group
Strange: ‘Standard seating. Not sure why all the desks have recycling bins rather than trash cans,’ he said on his photography
These spooky snaps of its new 57-acre Menlo Park campus at night are in stark contrast to the shots, released in February, showing spacious, brightly coloured offices bathed in Silicon Valley sunlight.
The latest set of pictures, uploaded by designer Aaron Sittig and obtained by the TechCrunch website, show Facebook’s darker side – and it is not just because they were taken after hours.
Back to the future: ‘In the IT help zone’ looks more like a pensioner’s living room
Hidden: A little nook where designers can meet up to talk shop
Alongside the turnstiles that use lasers to tell if visitors are not badged up and the factory-style floor lines, the campus’ Building 10 also has purple-glazed windows and chalkboard paint.
Instead of a coffee table, designers will have to use upturned wooden boxes, with some people actually facing walls as they work.
Industrial: The lines on the ground are supposed to recall factory floor markings
Upstairs, downstairs: There is a distinct lack of decoration on the walls
There’s even a rusty iron girder with spray paint running through one of the boardrooms and wires dangling between the rafters.
The photos have attracted criticism from online commentators who have ridiculed the minimalistic setup in comparison to the sprawling couches and soft furnishings its competitor Google has become known for.
Exposed: The aluminium air pipes make the offices seem like a manufacturing warehouse rather than the HQ of the world’s biggest social networking site
Innovative: This is the screen for a new conference reservation system
Defamer Australia website said about the laser turnstiles: ‘Another Facebooker responded that they look like something out of Gataca. Right, except the evil corporations in Gataca only pried into your DNA.’
And on the sparse hallways it added: ‘Long hallways are a ‘Facebook tradition,’ according to the caption on this one. A creepy tradition! Sort of like reading people’s private data.’
Protection: Metal fences surround the offices
Although the building has the capacity to house 9,000 employees, Facebook is currently believed to only have around 2,000 staff.
But according to reports it has already started buying neighbouring buildings as it plans to expand even more in the coming years.
Orange and yellow: The Facebook at night photos are in stark contrast to these colourful ones released in February
Office: A meeting room behind open windows has a whiteboard and a monitor on the wall, along with carpet tiles on the floor
Facebook is predicted to see revenue of between 1.2 billion dollars and two billion dollars this year.If it goes public next year its value could be astronomical and dwarf the $8.3bn LinkedIn was valued at in May.
Facebook bought the site from Sun Microsystems which moved out earlier this year after the firm was bought by Oracle.
Bare: This picture of what appears to be a relaxation room features a cold concrete floor and stools scattered around the room
Simple: A whiteboard in one of the open-plan rooms is next to two upturned boxes used as stools or tables and an odd crystal-shaped light hanging from the ceiling
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