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- cross-posted to:
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I bet there is a strong WiFi spot a few feet above the building.
The moral is – Wi-fi intensity study should be part of modern architecture.
I’m all for 👍 architecture. Just consider Wi-fi before building it.
For this structure, I wonder if the best solution is – Just add more mesh points. Not elegant but what if there’s no better way?
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To support MU-MIMO / beamforming (multipath signals for multiple devices) they could also just add more flat surfaces inside the ceilings to make radio reflections/echoes less complex so that the signal processing doesn’t get overwhelmed when the source is some distance away.
Plain absorbing material removes interference but doesn’t let you use MIMO tech as effectively, because the newer higher end routers can use those reflections to boost the signal
I thought of interference too. If the Wi-fi was bouncing all over, there may be many areas with destructive interference – weak or no Wi-fi.
That was my interest in the story. Technology is so ingrained in our lives. It’s weird more furniture doesn’t have power chargers and other cords better designed into them. It’s weird our houses and electrical codes haven’t caught up.
But this is just a huge step back. Unless I’m unaware of lots of other new and old buildings with similar issues.
No, please do not start adding electrical components to furniture en mass.
If you do, I give it 1, maybe 2 generations, until furniture is partially subsidized by tech companies and it becomes niche to NOT have a “smart couch”.
Funny you mention the smart couch because that’s the type of furniture that seems to come with USB charging stations a lot nowadays. But I hope most smart home devices remain a niche for a while. The open source and crafting community around them is pretty amazing and I’d hate to see it getting literally sideshelved for smart home prefabs.
In my country, from what I observed, not many study tables and work tables with power outlets. 1 may say, “Add usb-c sockets too.” But the future is hard to predict. Will there be usb-d? Will 150-watt charging be the norm for phones? The safe thing to do is just outlets. Power bricks for phones are cheap anyway.
Agreed. My work desk is barely four years old, and already its integrated USB-A ports and Qi 1 charger are outdated and basically useless to me. I’d prefer not having them. The power outlet is still fine though.
Your batteries last longer with trickle charging. If you’re at the desk most of the day, USB-A and Qi 1 is perfect, and should be adequate for another 5-10.
Neither of my last two phones came with a USB-A cable, nor did my wireless mouse or keyboard. The flush Qi 1 charger doesn’t even work because my camera bump is too big. Also, from what I’ve heard Qi 2 should produce far less heat while charging, which makes Qi 1 worse for battery life.
Sure, I could “make it work”, but I’d be happier with two electrical outlets or even nothing than the basically useless wireless charger and ports I have now.
I’m pretty sure the problem is the shape and reflections. This type of design creates echoes from many directions which makes it harder to pick up the signal at a distance
I fucking love 👍🏻 architecture, gotta be one of my favorite genders
The two genders: engineers and architects
It’s a Google office building, they definitely considered Wi-Fi before building it but they made a mistake. Compared to that building in England that turned into a glass death ray I think this was a less obvious mistake.
Obviously they didn’t do a Wi-fi intensity study.
Oh they for sure fucked up, I just mean that it was likely a mistake as opposed to them not caring. Pretty crazy for a huge corporation to overlook it though.
Googlers assigned to the building are making do with Ethernet cables,
If I’m working at a desk, then I’d definitely rather have a cable than rely on wireless, regardless of the roof structure.
Reminder: this is the company that holds a monopoly on the internet and dictates web standards.
I would say aws is super important too lol
Don’t be evilThis is the best summary I could come up with:
Reuters reports that Google’s first self-designed office building has “been plagued for months by inoperable or, at best, spotty Wi-Fi, according to six people familiar with the matter.”
At launch, Google’s VP of Real Estate & Workplace Services, David Radcliffe, said the site “marks the first time we developed one of our own major campuses, and the process gave us the chance to rethink the very idea of an office.”
The roof is covered in solar cells and collects rainwater while also letting in natural light, and Google calls it the “Gradient Canopy.”
All those peaks and parabolic ceiling sections apparently aren’t great for Wi-Fi propagation, with the Reuters report saying that the roof “swallows broadband like the Bermuda Triangle.”
Googlers assigned to the building are making do with Ethernet cables, using phones as hotspots, or working outside, where the Wi-Fi is stronger.
A Google spokesperson told Reuters the company has already made several improvements and hopes to have a fix in the coming weeks.
The original article contains 301 words, the summary contains 165 words. Saved 45%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is why Wi-Fi is annoying, I’ll take a wired connection over Wi-Fi any day.
I’m just picturing you walking around a room on your phone with an Ethernet adapter and cable hanging out all over the place
Like we’ve gone full circle back to the corded-phone days.
What? When? Are gen-Z using corded phones now or something?
Read the comment I replied to.
Ok, you were being facetious too. Cool.
This is how phones used to work!!! The cable was all spirally and you could get really long ones!
Those things were always a twisted mess hahaha
“Hold on, I need to move to the office on the other wing.” Cables everywhere.
Guessing the building was designed by an artist and not an engineer.
The architecture world is crazy
I’ll take access point bombing for 1000 Alex. I see several in wall and wall-mounted varieties in the immediate future of that place… 😂
“Googlers assigned to the building are making do with Ethernet cables, using phones as hotspots, or working outside, where the Wi-Fi is stronger.”
How the fuck is a person that writes articles for a living not aware of the phrase “making due”? What goes through their mind when they write out “making do”? How the fuck does that make any sense to them?
I hate to be that guy, but come on. It’s literally your job.
Edit: Now it’s my job to admit that I was pretty damn wrong. Thanks chryan for posting this: https://www.grammar.com/make_do_vs._make_due
Are you from the 18th century?
Lol yes. This modern spelling and technology is too much for me.
I worked for a soda company once. Not going to say which one, but every Tuesday and Thursday I did have to make dew.
Was the dew you made of the mountainous variety? Did you have to make do with what you had in order to make due on your rental payment? Am I doing this right?
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Watermark AND convenient excuse for an actual typo… nice!
Confidently incorrect:
Internet culture is strong with this one
At least I learned now what an Eggcorn is
lmao
While writing this angry comment, did you stop to consider that maybe they did their job right and you’re wrong?
https://www.grammar.com/make_do_vs._make_due
Unless you’re living in the early 1900s, “make do” is correct for today’s English.
Oh Geez. I didn’t know this until just now?
I learned so much by reading literature… but I guess the idioms and spellings have moved on since they were written and I need to keep up.
Frustrating, but thank you for the link.
Yeah looks like I may be wrong about “make do” being incorrect. Didn’t know the spelling was changed in the 40s. I’ve always seen it written as “due”. Seems like an odd word to use though. Wouldn’t due make more sense? Like you’re able to meet the dues that are required?
I see the correct form as ‘make-do’, which implies makeshift solutions or workarounds.
make it do the thing it’s supposed to do.
Conversely, I’ve only ever seen “make do” used.
“Make due” would make sense to me in the context where debt is a factor, for example, “make due on rent”.
It doesn’t make sense when you apply that meaning to how the sentence was written in this article.
Good point on the difference in context. I guess that’s how I’ve seen it used mostly.
Ironically, they spelled Internet as internet.
You think that’s bad, you should take a gander at the official news sources in Jacksonville Florida. I don’t know if they’re still this bad, but as I recall they have not one, but at least two big news publications, both produce articles that look like they were written by grade schoolers. Anything that wasn’t copy/pasted from the AP seems to be written hastily by somebody who dropped out before understanding English. I’m sure many other cities have the same issue. The one is called news five or Jax 5 news, and the other is first coast news. They’ll hire anybody to write apparently.
Oof. Yeah, I’d doubt they pay very much there, probably have to take what they can get. Maybe I should apply🤪
hate to be that guy…
Are you sure?
Yep, still hate it… I realized now that make do is the accepted agreed upon spelling.
Glad to see Google is embracing evil even with it’s architecture now
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But unlike a lot of the other products they cancel, I’ll have actually known that this existed first.
Nah, they’ll just add a chat app. Then destroy it.
They have to build it first and then use it for a few months and then demolish it
First they have to kick out the people who were enjoying it
That’s the most fun part! We know you have been enjoying your new office and benefits (because we read your email), but please note in two months we will be discontinuing a this. We are releasing a new service you might want to try though, Google unemployment!
Didn’t forget renaming
Why do all thing need to look like these soulless glass metal and concrete blobs. Like bruh, why not build something cool lime a Roman Temple, European Castle, Viking Longhouse, Ancient Chinese Pagoda …
I think glass metal and concrete blobs are cool.
Those would be far more expensive to produce, needing specific skilled craftsmen. Not that glass production is easy, but compared to hand-carved wood and stone the labor hours alone is a staggering difference.
These are done by architects rather than designers. Usefulness isn’t a consideration, only form and aesthetics matter.
Architects are designers.
highly skilled labor shortage and time. eventually ai architects will 3D print incredible stuff that is completely unmaintainable.
Epic (software company) has a really cool campus near Madison, WI where all of the buildings are different styles of architecture. One of them is a giant dairy barn.
Ok that is epic indeed
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Tell me again why are C-level and VPs paid so much? 🤣