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I'm not tired of it. If google wants to spend money on this, then it's their prerogative. Also, locking pranks by timezone won't work on the internet. At most

I'm not tired of it. If google wants to spend money on this, then it's their prerogative. Also, locking pranks by timezone won't work on the internet. At most it would just frustrate people in (for example) PST who want to play with or see the pranks that people in EST get access to.

k-mcgrady 10y ago
The timezone point was that everyone gets access up until midday in their own timezone. So in EST they have it until 12pm EST and in PST they have it until 12pm PST.
adtac 10y ago
I don't think they're spending money on this. Maybe some Googlers worked this out on their 20% time. Which is designated to not be of much commercial use anyway.
- kobeya 10y ago
  20% time doesn't exist anymore.
  - cobookman 10y ago
    Yes it does. If the project is related to your job you can easily get your manager to let you spend 20% of your time on the side project and 80% on your current job. However If the project has nothing to do with your current job your manager might have you work at 120%. And you are still responsible for your job and on top of that you can do the side project. However unlike other companies google will fund the project. (Disclaimer I work at google and have been granted to take a week off work for a 20% project. And done the whole 120% time for a project)
    - kobeya 10y ago
      So.. 20% doesn't exist anymore. What you've describe is nothing like the original 20% time. "if the project is related to your job" -- the whole point of 20% time was that _you_ choose what you work on, not the manager that defines the boundaries of your job. "120%"? Isn't that the same as "not paid to work on this, but company owns it"? I think you've drunk the koolaid.
      - cobookman 10y ago
        120% in yes you are doing more then 40 hours a week. But google pays for all expenses of project and you can use said project to get a promotion. A good example of this is people using Google servers to analyze all the code on GitHub to patch sec vulnerabilities. Or adding Easter eggs to Google search. There's also one team building a full fledged flight simulator from scratch and google is paying for the space, workshop, computers, and some raw supplies. I don't see what's changed from a 20% project of past.
    - spankalee 10y ago
      Your manager is doing it wrong. A 20% project does not have to be related to your current job, and you shouldn't have to get manager approval - just let them know. They can request you bank your time for a while, but that's it.
- lanewinfield 10y ago
  You don't think they're spending money on this?! I would venture a guess they're spending at LEAST $1m on April Fools jokes alone. That includes time (beyond the 20% project) and hiring production companies to make spots like this. I mean, just imagine the sheer number of personhours needed to create the Google Maps Pac Man game. That being said, this money is a drop in the ocean for them, and the fact that it gets coverage on plenty of places, it's probably a pretty solid marketing move.

k-mcgrady 10y ago

The timezone point was that everyone gets access up until midday in their own timezone. So in EST they have it until 12pm EST and in PST they have it until 12pm PST.

adtac 10y ago

I don't think they're spending money on this. Maybe some Googlers worked this out on their 20% time. Which is designated to not be of much commercial use anyway.

kobeya 10y ago
20% time doesn't exist anymore.
- cobookman 10y ago
  Yes it does. If the project is related to your job you can easily get your manager to let you spend 20% of your time on the side project and 80% on your current job. However If the project has nothing to do with your current job your manager might have you work at 120%. And you are still responsible for your job and on top of that you can do the side project. However unlike other companies google will fund the project. (Disclaimer I work at google and have been granted to take a week off work for a 20% project. And done the whole 120% time for a project)
  - kobeya 10y ago
    So.. 20% doesn't exist anymore. What you've describe is nothing like the original 20% time. "if the project is related to your job" -- the whole point of 20% time was that _you_ choose what you work on, not the manager that defines the boundaries of your job. "120%"? Isn't that the same as "not paid to work on this, but company owns it"? I think you've drunk the koolaid.
    - cobookman 10y ago
      120% in yes you are doing more then 40 hours a week. But google pays for all expenses of project and you can use said project to get a promotion. A good example of this is people using Google servers to analyze all the code on GitHub to patch sec vulnerabilities. Or adding Easter eggs to Google search. There's also one team building a full fledged flight simulator from scratch and google is paying for the space, workshop, computers, and some raw supplies. I don't see what's changed from a 20% project of past.
  - spankalee 10y ago
    Your manager is doing it wrong. A 20% project does not have to be related to your current job, and you shouldn't have to get manager approval - just let them know. They can request you bank your time for a while, but that's it.
lanewinfield 10y ago
You don't think they're spending money on this?! I would venture a guess they're spending at LEAST $1m on April Fools jokes alone. That includes time (beyond the 20% project) and hiring production companies to make spots like this. I mean, just imagine the sheer number of personhours needed to create the Google Maps Pac Man game. That being said, this money is a drop in the ocean for them, and the fact that it gets coverage on plenty of places, it's probably a pretty solid marketing move.