I’ve heard enough evidence to say that Google is indeed coming to RTP. I’ve confirmed that executives from the company have been here.
I’m thinking that ChannelAdvisor will be snapped up soon. You heard it here first.
Avoid Identity Theft – Shred-A-Thon Today
There will be a “shred-a-thon” at Crabtree Mall today until 2PM. The public is invited to bring sensitive documents to be shredded.
This is a great way to avoid identity theft. It’s sponsored by the N.C. Attorney General’s office, Wachovia Bank, and Recall, who is providing the shredding truck.
More info can be found here in the N&O article or the Attorney General’s press release (PDF).
Google Rumor Reaches N&O
The rumor of Google coming to RTP reached today’s News and Observer with an article that cited the blogosphere. The article cited Jason Caplain’s Southeast VC blog as well as “online marketing guru” Andy Beal, though its not clear what Beal knows that Caplain does not.
Beal was the only one available for an interview by the N&O reporter. Google was unavailable for comment, as was Caplain.
The one tidbit that the article did bring to light is that real-estate brokers are hunting for office space less than 5,000 square feet for Google. That isn’t exactly on the same scale as the Googleplex, to say the least. I’m wondering if this is to be a sales office, or a mini-datacenter as Robert Cringley wrote about.
Yesterday, Greg Brown cited second-hand information that a Google jet has been parked at RDU for the past few days. I didn’t get a chance to check that out personally, but it seems to me that a search for a datacenter wouldn’t take as long as a search for a staff office. It will be telling to see how long that jet is here.
Happy Thanksgiving
I’m appreciating all that I’ve got this Thanksgiving. We’re out for a walk on this beautiful day. Then after naps we’re headed over to my parents’ house to visit family. It should be a most delightfully noisy Thanksgiving.
Padilla Indicted
Terror suspect Jose Padilla has been indicted on terrorism charges and I couldn’t be happier. Padilla is a so-called “enemy combatant” in the eyes of the Bush administration, which has led to his incarceration for three years in a military prison without being charged with any crime.
“The issue before the Supreme Court is still alive and active — that the president signed an order to hold an American citizen for three years without criminal charges,” said Andy Patel, Padilla’s attorney. “The fact that they now decided to charge Mr. Padilla with a criminal offense doesn’t mean they couldn’t do this again to another person in the future.
It only took three years of Padilla’s life to bring charges against him. He’ll finally have his day in court. Padilla is a known gang member. He may be a terrorist. He may even be the John Doe 2 from the Oklahoma City Bombing. Regardless of all this, he is due his day in court. Now’ll he get it.
Let’s see if these charges stand.
More Google RTP
I found another reference to the rumor of Google coming to RTP. Note that its all rumors. Nothing has been announced. No concrete evidence exists.
Andy Beal, a local marketing expert, guesses that ChannelAdvisor may be the company to be assimilated. Andy points out how Scot Wingo, founder of ChannelAdvisor, has been blogging about Google Base. Andy also points out that Jason Caplain, in addition to ChannelAdvisor, is also invested in Motricity, the Durham mobile phone software company, and wonders if Motricity could be in Google’s sights.
The blogosphere has been called a giant echo chamber. I’m not helping that reputation by repeating unsubstantiated rumors. I’ll let this story rest for now until some solid evidence comes my way.
Google RTP?
A local venture capitalist, Jason Caplain, is reporting of a rumor that Google may be opening shop here in the Triangle. No sources are quoted, and no further information is given. I don’t know where they get their information, but VCs are generally known to be tuned in to the emerging business scene.
Caplian speculates that Google would get here through an acquisition, rather than build fresh. That makes me wonder if Google had anything to do with local hosting provider Hosted Solutions mysteriously calling off their seemed-like-a-done-deal recent merger plans. Since Google would be more interested in people, not datacenters, Hosted Solutions probably isn’t a target.
Trilug has had its last two sysadmins hired away to Google and shipped off to California. Now I’m in that role. What would I do if the phone rings, especially now that moving’s not a requirement?
[Update: 5 Jan 2007] Google has purchased a start-up in Chapel Hill called Skia.
The Christmas Truce
One of the songs in my Christmas music colection is The Royal Guardsmen’s Christmas Bells. This song about Snoopy and The Red Baron toasting each other on Christmas made me think of the real-life Christmas Truce of World War I. For a few days in December 1914, thousands of soldiers on either side put down their weapons, shook hands, sang songs, and shared cigarettes and brandy.
The last known survivor of the 1914 Christmas Truce has passed away. Alfred Anderson died in his sleep this morning. He was 109.
Frank H. Smith: Living Right
Nursing homes around the country are filled with people in their eighties who can no longer take care of themselves. Their minds have gone, or they’ve lost their mobility, or just need a hand. In general, we aren’t surprised because society associates old age with frailty.
Cary’s Frank H. Smith, on the other hand, is not a man who acts his age. The eighty-seven year retired engineer cheated death Saturday when he made an emergency landing on Highway 1 in his plane. A plane that he built himself, no less.
In a situation where a lot of pilots would’ve soiled themselves, Smith was downright nonchalant. “When the engine blows, you’ve got to put it down someplace,” he said. “Highway 1 was the best I could do. I lucked out.”
At an age when others are pushing walkers, Smith was pushing his plane onto a trailer. Yes, pushing the plane! It looked like he was putting some muscle into it, too.
If you want to know what it means to live right, talk to Frank Smith!
Zoo!
We had the great confluence of a few tickets to the North Carolina Zoo and a wonderful sunny Saturday with nothing planned, so we loaded up the Oddity and headed to Asheboro for the day.
The zoo is best when it’s not crowded. By that measure, our timing was perfect. We hit all the highlights and had a blast. I especially enjoyed the new Australia Walkabout exhibit as I’ve never seen kangaroos or wallabies before. My only visit to Australia was spent looking for the next bar, but I digress!
Travis did almost the whole zoo trip without a nap. He enjoyed seeing everything but went especially nuts when we got to the elephants and rhinos. I’d say he enjoyed his first zoo visit.
Hallie is an old pro at the zoo. She enjoyed the sea lions the most. We also had fun reminiscing about her first zoo visit when she was only nine months old. What a long way she’s come!
I only wish the zoo was closer as those two hours each way in the car can take a toll. For an occasional fun trip, though, its worth it.