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Google: All that and laundry, too?

Compiled by Seattle Times technology staff

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The Internet search engine said it would sell shares to the public. With that announcement came the long-anticipated prospectus — a federally mandated filing that details thing such as how much money the company makes ($961.9 million last year), what it spends ($91.2 million on research and development, $56.7 million on overhead last year, for starters) and how much cash is in the bank (a cool $454.9 million).

Other tidbits:

Google operates not as the first triumvirate but the latest. Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and CEO Eric Schmidt run the company "collaboratively." Page writes that decisions are often made by one of the three, and the other two are briefed later.

"This works because we have tremendous trust and respect for each other and we generally think alike," Page said. "Because of our intense long-term working relationship, we can often predict differences of opinion among the three of us."

Drop in downloads In a recent survey, 38 percent of those who download music say they are doing so less because of suits brought by the recording industry against hundreds accused of improper file-sharing. Source: Pew Internet & American Life

Google offers employees free meals, doctors and "washing machines." It didn't specify whether workers haul their dirty drawers to work for a free cleaning, or they get a free Maytag for good behavior.

It also apparently encourages employees to spend 80 percent of their time on regular projects and the remainder doing whatever they think "will most benefit Google." Page said many of the company's significant advances have occurred that way.

We have one question: Does shopping on Froogle count as research?

Neo-Woof: The social networking set has Friendster, but what about their dogs?

Try Dogster.com, a new site designed by dog-loving computer geeks. Canine lovers display their dogs on personal Web pages, where they can list such things as their dogs' likes (fire hydrants) and dislikes (mailmen).

The site also carries an advice column, the latest of which addresses bad doggy breath.

We can only guess the next column topic: dog-dating etiquette.

Mobile trouble: A Penn State student was arrested recently for allegedly threatening people at a party — with his cellphone.

Apparently someone did not want to be reached out and touched by Derek Laubach, 18. After a guy punched a relative of Laubach's, he responded by pulling the phone from his belt and waving it in the air. Police arrested Laubach for disorderly conduct and "making terrorist threats."

Sgt. Dana Leonard said someone at the party in State College, Pa., called police to report that a man was waving a gun, according to The Associated Press.

"It was an outdoor party, and it was night so the lighting wasn't very good," Leonard said. "It was a huge party, and it caused a great deal of concern among those at the party, as well as among the officers, because we responded as though it were a gun."

If Laubach was waving one of those old Motorola bricks, it could be pretty threatening, but terroristic? What's scarier, a college kid doing cellphone kung fu or police calling him a terrorist.

The cops charged the guy who allegedly started the fight with simple assault and disorderly conduct. No word on whether he was packing a wireless of mass destruction.

On the record

Deals: PhotoWorks introduced a new product, PhotoWorks Digital Partner, which helps digital photographers organize, enhance, share and print digital photo collections.

Download can be reached at 206-464-2265 or biztech@seattletimes.com.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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