Scientists recreate the sounds of Mars and Venus
Ever dream of visiting Mars or Venus? The actual trip may be outside your power for most of your body (and outside the government's willingness to fund), but thanks to the work of some English researchers, at least your ears can take the journey.
Using the laws of physics, scientists at the University of Southampton's Institute for Sound and Vibration Research have been able to determine exactly how sound travels on other planets, and how those sounds would be interpreted by human ears. The scientists then used software to recreate the sounds of distant planets, from the dust storms of Mars to the sound of a methane fall on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Read more...
IT workers’ top 4 dream employers
Companies often talk about their "dream" IT job candidate -- the type of worker they'd most like to have on their staffs. But what about the IT workers themselves -- what type of company are they most interested in?
Computerworld asked 431 IT workers where they dream of working someday. Here are the four companies that came out on top, along with snapshots of what type of environment IT workers will find themselves in if one of their wishes does come true and they do end up working at one of these "dream" employers:
1. Google
Don't let the lava lamps, free gourmet lunches, massage chairs and foosball tables fool you -- the fast-paced, unstructured work environment at Google is anything but casual. Google expects you to come to work with energy, passion, creativity and the willingness to put ideas into practice at what it calls "dizzying speed."
"Googlers" need to enjoy stretching themselves beyond their comfort zones -- not even "great" is good enough, according to the company. No wonder software engineers are offered "20% time" within their regular work schedules to explore their passions. Employees work on small, focused teams, with a diversity of cube mates, including former neurosurgeons, alligator wrestlers and Marines. Read more...
Microsoft offers free bacon outside Amazon and Google HQ
Working for Microsoft or Google is a dream for a lot of people. They pay well, they offer great on site services so you never want to/have to leave, and you’re probably going to end up working on some very cool projects.
The problem is, both companies are vying for employees from the same talent pool. That can make it difficult to find enough new people when trying to expand. Microsoft is dealing with that very problem right now as it attempts to double the size of its Kinect engineering team in Seattle.
To solve the problem, Microsoft has hired an advertising agency by the name of Wexley School for Girls. Their objective is to entice talent from other high profile companies in the Seattle area to jump ship and go work on Kinect. The tactics being used to get the attention of said talent are rather sneaky. Read more...