Engineers should not wear suits

Posted by Raul Vera, Engineering Manager - Geo

It's against the laws of nature. If God had wanted engineers to wear suits, he would have given us social skills and motor coordination. I violated this law on Tuesday night, and woe befell me.

Google Maps won the Australian PC Authority Magazine award for Best Web Application (we were co-winners with Facebook). We were naturally thrilled to get this recognition. Our Head of Engineering, Alan Noble and I attended the awards ceremony.

The invite made it clear that this was a gala event, in the Grand Ballroom of the Star City Casino, for which the attire was "Suited and Booted" for men, and "Dressed to Impress" for women. In a fit of conformity, I chose to wear a suit. Once wearing the suit, I couldn't bring myself to take my grotty old backpack, as it really would ruin the look. Bad move.

The awards ceremony was great. The wine hit the spot, the food good, and the people at our table friendly. When the Google Maps award was announced, I went up to accept it and was photographed with the magazine editor, just as I was meant to, then came back and sat down.

So the whole thing was winding down just fine, when I noticed that some of the other award recipients had been given protective boxes to put their heavy, pointy lucite awards into. I looked around for someone distributing the boxes, but the room was emptying. So I picked up the award and my umbrella, and headed out the door. Outside, the issue of PC Authority featuring the award winners was available. So I grabbed one and headed down to the Star City light rail station. I caught the train, put the award, magazine, and umbrella on the seat next to me, and pulled out my book to read. When we reached my station, I plopped the book onto the pile and picked up the lot by basically wrapping it all up in the magazine, then got off the train.

Except the award is heavy, the magazine is slick, and the book was one thing too many. The award slid out the front and fell, pointy end down, onto the train platform, which is made of concrete. Oops. Not so pointy any more. The photo shows the award, with a severely dented corner in front, a rather mangled hole of missing lucite at the back, and grotty scratches on the front right edge.


Why do I blame the suit? Because if I hadn't worn one I would have taken my backpack, and the award would have been safely tucked inside it next to the laptop, not tumbling onto a train platform. Geekiness was conserved, because only a clumsy geek would try to walk while carrying that pile of stuff wrapped in a magazine.

So the suit goes back into the closet until the next funeral.

Ed: Last awards ceremony you get sent to....;)

GUIDE: HOW TO GET AN EMO HAIR

Emo hairstyles are similar to the hairstyles of music artists in the 1980s and the punk hairstyles in the past decade. Commonly, emo hairstyles include straight black hair with long bangs or fringes styled to one side, covering part of the face and eyes. However, the emo hairstyle is not limited to this anymore; styles have evolved so that anybody who wants to have an emo hairstyle can get one.

CHECK THE SHAPE OF YOUR FACE

The shape of your face is important when choosing a specific emo hairstyle. For people who have longer faces, a longer emo haircut would fit. For those with rounder faces, long fringes and short hair at the back would look best.

FIND A PICTURE

Now that you know what kind of emo hairstyle would look good with the face of your shape, the next thing to do is find a picture with the kind of emo hair you want. There are numerous sources of emo hairstyles from the Internet, especially musicians. Bring this along when you go to your hairdresser, and have your stylist cut your hair the same way.

GET YOUR HAIR CUT

Before you can get an emo haircut, you need to grow your hair a little first. This allows your stylist to cut in the emo style into your hair. Ask your stylist to cut the sides and the back of your hair in layers. The bangs should be made choppy. Although emo bangs usually have one side longer than the other, some emo styles can also have bangs cut straight across, covering the forehead. The hair at the crown should also be cut short, keeping it spiky with hair products.

HAVE YOUR HAIR COLORED

Have your entire hair dyed black or dark brown. If you want to add highlights, you can do so in a variety of colors. Emo hairstyles tend to use unusual hues in order to create a glaring contrast to the black hair – white, blue and even bright pink, for the more outrageous, are typically used. Highlights are usually added under the bangs and at the nape.

STYLE YOUR HAIR

Having emo hair is high maintenance. Styling emo hair typically involves the use of a lot of hair products. You can choose to either straighten your hair with a hair iron or create a messy, unruly look. For those with curly hair, try straightening even just the front part of your hair. When ironing your hair, remember to do so in small sections so that you go through all the parts. If you are a guy, you can also spike up the back of your hair, while keeping the front pat down. You can also use funky accessories and clips to style your hair.

CONCLUSION

Getting an emo haircut is an important part of living the emo lifestyle. Although these are simple guides on how to get a basic emo haircut, it is important to incorporate your personal ideas to create your own one-of-a-kind emo hairstyle. Try it!

New Listing - Large Home on Large Lot

Gulf Region Properties Team Keller Williams Realty (251) 215-9382 28305 Highway 65, Loxley, AL Plenty of Room Inside and Out! 4 Bdrm Single Family House offered at $310,000 Year Built 1998 Sq Footage 3,305 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 3 full, 0 partial Floors 2 Parking 3 Uncovered spaces Lot Size 3.3 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Great home in a great setting. If you are looking for elbow room, this is your home. This home features crown molding, chair rails, arched doorways and windows, recessed lighting, raised and cathedral ceilings. The home has oversized rooms, covered front and back porches, separate formal dining, huge great room with loads of entertainment options. The home is located on an over 3 acre size lot. see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Central A/C Central heat Fireplace High/Vaulted ceiling Walk-in closet Hardwood floor Tile floor Family room Living room Bonus/Rec room Breakfast nook Dishwasher Stove/Oven Microwave Laundry area - inside Yard OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES Screen Patio Jacuzzi Tub Walk In Shower ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Seller contact info: Gulf Region Properties Team Keller Williams Realty (251) 215-9382 http://www.GulfRegionProperties.com For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Nov 19, 2007, 7:46pm PST

Another Emoboy with a Heart

Got this tru email. Another hot emoboy with a really nice emo hair. His name is Charles Brindle. Visit his myspace profile and be inspired.. He also cut his own hair and do the same for his friends.. talented..

I'm a fairly extroverted person who enjoys reading, hanging out, poetry, artwork, and computers. I spend a lot of time working on artwork and reading particularly. You'll find me in coffee shops most of the time, probably working on one of these things. I absolutely love coffee and without it I probably wouldn't get as much done as I do. Starbuck's frapicinos rule 2, along with BK Joes, and Sheri's coffee. Helps to curve my ADD anyway (at least that’s what I keep telling myself.)

Right now I'm running a small business and trying to make my way through college. Life for me is usually crazy but I've been living in a mad world so long I find it more enjoyable then a boring life. Better to live your life as an adventure then not live it at all. I also really like to help people out however I can. I personally think that the greatest way to spend your time is to be spending it helping others.

If you feel like you ever need someone to talk to, send me a message and I'll do my best to get back to you. The time I spend here is not to judge people, just here to help them out as best as I can.

I've got a lot of problems and I'm far from perfect. Actually I'd say I'm a pretty screwed up person and I'm trying to rebuild my life from the ashes of other people’s mistakes. But God is there to help me along the way, and I believe I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today without Him. If you don't believe in God or share this view that’s okay. I think people should have the choice to believe in what they want (shouldn't everybody have the right to that?)

-Charles Brindle

:: 2008 Barrie and National Real Estate forecast: Existing home sales up - New home sales down ::

Housing starts in Barrie and across Canada are expected to dip in 2008 (information from Ontario Real Estate Association)

November 12, 2007 — New home construction will drop in 2008 in part due to higher housing prices and mortgage carrying costs. That’s the word from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) fourth quarter Housing Market Outlook, Canada Edition report.

Housing starts will reach 227,530 units in 2007, an increase of 0.1 per cent from the 227,395 units in 2006, according to the report. However, in 2008, residential construction will decline to about 214,000 units. Despite this drop, 2008 will mark the seventh consecutive year in which housing starts exceed 200,000 units.

“Continuing high employment levels, income gains and low mortgage rates have been a boon to Canada’s housing markets. Despite this, however, housing starts are expected to decrease in 2008,” said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist at CMHC. “The pull back in housing starts next year will be mainly due to the increases in house prices in recent years, which have pushed mortgage carrying costs higher.”

Existing home sales, as measured by the Multiple Listing Service (MLS^®), are poised to experience their best year on record with just over 521,000 units in 2007, a 7.8 per cent increase over 2006. The high level of MLS^® sales will be led by activity in the Prairies. With respect to 2008, the level of MLS^® sales will fall by 3.9 per cent, but will still be slightly over 500,000 units, the second highest on record. Growth in the average MLS^® price will remain high at 10.1 percent in 2007, mainly because of continued strong price pressures in Canada’s western provinces. As most resale markets move toward more balanced conditions, growth in average MLS^® price is forecast to slow to 4.2 percent in 2008.

The Ontario economy is expected to improve slightly heading into 2008. Accordingly, this will help sustain a high level of housing demand across the province. New home construction activity will be moderate between now and the end of 2008. Housing starts are expected to decline from 73,417 units in 2006 to 67,700 units in 2007. For 2008, a slight up-tick to 68,175 units is expected. The average MLS^® price in Ontario will rise by 6.2 per cent in 2007, while 2008 should see a more modest increase of 3.3 percent.

As Canada’s national housing agency, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) draws on over 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable, and affordable homes — homes that will continue to create vibrant and healthy communities and cities across the country.

Provincial Housing Outlook: Total Housing Starts

	2006 Actual	2007 Forecasts	2008 Forecasts
Newfoundland and Labrador	2,234	2,325	2,250
Prince Edward Island	738	680	630
Nova Scotia	4,896	4,700	4,525
New Brunswick	4,085	4,025	3,725
Quebec	47,877	52,400	48,420
Ontario	73,417	67,700	68,175
Manitoba	5,028	5,750	5,600
Saskatchewan	3,715	6,000	5,500
Alberta	48,962	47,750	42,250
British Columbia	36,443	36,200	33,250

Great to be on board...

Posted by Karim Temsamani, General Manager, Google Australia and New Zealand

It's clear that the volume of online content is increasing at an incredible rate - Google's core job is to find needles in an ever-growing haystack. So I thought there's no better way to start my time as the new GM of Google Australia and NZ than to contribute to that haystack with a post on our blog.

The online ecosystem in Australia is buoyant at present, and I'm buoyant about its growth in the coming years. As you know, Australians are spending more time online, purchasing products, reading blogs, starting websites, running businesses, and using technology to find and share information.

To match this, Google is investing significantly in our team in Australia, as Australian consumers and businesses navigate the growing online world.

We want to provide you with more of those "aha!" moments - whether it's finding the exact search result you want, finding driving directions and local businesses on Google Maps, getting instantaneous news feeds on your iGoogle page, or collaborating in real time with friends in other countries through Google Docs. Behind the scenes, there's a large team here that is working to ensure that you get access to the latest Google products, and that we continually improve our existing products.

At the same time, we want to continue providing small and large Australian businesses with the opportunity to connect with customers, and use our range of technology and products to grow their businesses.

So as Christmas parties and the festive season in Australia are just starting to kick off, my work is just beginning. It's a thrill to start at Google and I promise to grow that haystack a little more, with more posts here.

Australians care for humanity….and the election!

Posted by Karina Wells, AdWords Team

In the month of October, Australians had a great interest in humanitarian issues. Searches varied from charities that aim to help women and children all over the world to concern about bushfire and floods. The Australian October Zeitgeist reflected the top fifteen gaining Google search queries for the month of October.

It seems Australians have a strong social conscience, with Unicef coming in as the number one gaining search query. Interest in floods and bushfire was also prevalent with the bushfire season approaching.

The election was playing on peoples minds. Labor leader Kevin Rudd’s website Kevin 07 proved to be of interest, while Parliament house entered the minds of many.

Always a favourite with free home delivery, Krispy Kreme doughnuts were desired by many. While munching on Krispy Kremes, what better to do than watch Evan Almighty or the preview of the Sex and the City movie, or perhaps sample the latest album from alternative rock band 30 seconds to Mars to be released in November.

Upcoming Christmas school holidays brought about interest in Movie World. Although daylight savings got people searching - do we turn our clocks forwards or backwards?

Australians in the market for a new car looked for Toyota Australia for more information, however those after something more compact went for the scooter option instead.

With Christmas on the way and lots of presents to buy, job hunters looked for the Jobs NSW website.

For breaking news and obscure information alike, people around the world search on Google. What follows is a summary of Google Zeitgeist results for the top gainers on Google.com.au in the month of October.

For more information, visit the Google Zeitgeist and Google Trends.

October's top gainers:

Unicef
Scooter
Floods
Jobs NSW
Toyota Australia
Bushfire
30 seconds to Mars
Evan Almighty
Movie World
Daylight savings
Krispy Kreme
Parliament house
Sex and the City movie
Kevin 07
Election

Mobile Real Estate MLS Statistics and Trends - November 2007

The table below contains real estate statistics extracted from the Mobile Area Association of Realtors MLS Data reflecting sales data as of October 2007 for Mobile County. The spreadsheet will not fit in the window. You can use the scroll bar on the bottom of the spreadsheet to see the data on the right of the screen. Click on the tabs to see the different types of analysis - Units Sold, Median Sales Price, Units Available, Days on Market, and Absorption Rate which reports the number of months supply of homes available.



Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions or would like for us to do a custom analysis of your neighborhood.

:: City of Barrie Housing & Cost of Living Statistics ::

Housing Costs (June 2007 Estimates)

Housing	Second Quarter 2007	First Quarter 2007	Second Quarter 2006
Detached Bungalow	$252,000	$247,000	$235,000
Executive Detached Two-Storey	$475,000	$485,000	$500,000
Standard Two-Storey	$242,000	$235,000	$230,000
Standard Townhouse	$192,000	$186,000	$182,000
Senior Executive	$817,000	$840,000	$860,000
Standard Condominium	$255,000	$247,000	$240,000
Housing Type	Typical Description
Detached Bungalow	3 Bedroom single storey, 1.5 bathrooms, one car garage, 1,200 sq.ft. structure on a 5,500 sq.ft. lot.
Executive Detached Two Storey	4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, two car garage, 2,000 sq. ft. structure on a 6,500 sq. ft. lot
Standard Two Storey	3 bedroom, 1.5 bath, single garage, 1,500 sq. ft. structure with 3,500 sq. ft. lot.
Standard Townhouse	Condo or Freehold 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom, one car garage, 1,000 sq.ft. of living space.
Senior Executive	4 or 5 bedroom, 3 bath, two car garage, 3,000+ sq.ft. on a 6,750 sq.ft. lot.
Standard Condominium	2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 900 sq. ft. Living space

Housing Prices for Selected Ontario Municipalities

			Standard Two Storey			Standard Town house
Municipality		Apr - Jun 2007		Est. Taxes	Est. Monthly Rent		Apr - Jun 2007	Est. Taxes
	BARRIE	$242,000		-	-		$192,000	-
	Brantford	$214,000		$3,481	$1,300		$137,000	$2,230
	Burlington	$350,000		$3,100	$1,950		$225,000	$2,300
Etobicoke	(North)	$392,000		$2,600	$2,500		$295,000	$2,300
	Georgetown/ Halton Hills	$326,042		$2,400	$1,400		$196,202	$1,700
	Hamilton - Mountain	$290,216		$3,662	-		-	-
	Kitchener	$242,500		$3,750	$1,500		$199,500	$2,950
	Markham	$450,000		4,446	$2,000		$325,000	$3,211
Mississauga	(Meadowvale/Streetsville)	$329,000		$2,500	$1,500		$262,000	$2,100
	North Toronto	$638,500		-	-		$470,000	-
	Oakville	$350,000		-	-		$260,000	-
	Ottawa	$418,000		$4,350	$2,300		$269,000	$3,350
	Richmond Hill	$350,000		$3,000	$1,600		$245,000	$2,600
	St. Catharines	$189,000		-	-		$168,000	-
	Sarnia	$130,000		$2,160	$900		$110,000	$1,782
Scarborough	(West Hill)	$355,000		$2,700	$1,600		$250,000	$1,700