Google put up a storefront in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s in a prime location a few feet from the border between KC, Missouri and KC, Kansas, conveniently close to the night-life area, Westport, which, btw, is very small contrasted with those of comparable cities, but it’s about a hip as you can do in Kansas City.
The large store is impressive. The furniture and interior decor are first class. The employees there, which are actually employed by a temp agency – not Google, were friendly, had plenty of time to spare, and knew the basics about Google’s upcoming service and product offerings: the fiber modem box, and Chromebooks.
(I couldn’t get an answer to my vexing questions. What exactly is a fiber hut? Of all the seemingly better cities, why did Google choose Kansas City, Kansas first?)
One computer was running Google Earth and had a very large (wall size) 4-part screen to use. That was cool, and I looked at a few things, but, although on a large screen, it was still the same Google Earth we get anywhere.
For those of you who don’t know, a Chrombook is an internet dependent computer that can work Google Docs and anything else web-wise, and it doesn't use Windows.
They had an Ethernet cable there, which when connected to one of the Chromebooks, was on the fast connection. I did a speed test, naturally, and got an astounding 900 Mb/sec. The speed through their WiFi was also impressive at 300Mb/sec. (as I remember. I'll double check this.).
I discovered a new use for the high speed while I was playing around. I have a website copier program, WinHTTrack. Instead of browsing a site for something, I simply copied the whole site, and then I could view whatever I wanted later even without a connection, which I often don’t have.
All in all, although the place was well decked out, other than surf the internet, there wasn't much to do there. There didn't appear to be any free coffee, and I lodged the appropriate complaint with one of the temps. My visit was in the last hour of their business day, so I didn't hang there long. However, it seemed they wouldn't have cared if I sat on one of the leather couches with my laptop and played all day.
The girl in charge, with whom I didn’t have much conversation, seemed like she could be the one real Google employee. She was very nice, and from what I overheard, unlike her temp subordinates, did have some technical knowledge. I'll go back and engage her in a discussion. She looked good too.
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