Google Gadget Awards
Looks like Flash is going on hold for the next week or so. After attending the Google info night at school, I found out about the Google Awards competition. First things first — the Google night is just another reminder of what you’re up against, if you want to work at Google. My roomate and I got there an hour early and were among the first to arrive but by the time the thing started, there was standing room only.
And then it hit me. Google Gadget Awards. What better way to stand out from potential candidates then to play Google’s game. Show them you have good ideas, and take a concept from just a thought to completion. So with a week left, I began work on a Google Gadget for submission. I don’t even know if there are prizes or anything, but what I’m really interested in is Google’s eye 
When I’m applying for a job and whatnot and they inevitably google ‘Eric Farraro’, how cool would it be if it came up saying I had won one of their contests? This particular contest is only open university students, so I figure if I did well, I could put UC Davis on the map too and bring in even more recruiters.
Totally energized coming out of the Google info night, I wrote down about ten to twenty ideas (which I can’t share yet, but I will!) I settled on one that I’m currently working on. The contest has been going on since August, but I’m going to have to compress those several months into one week. Actually, I’m planning to submit TWO gadgets if time allows. It’s definitely a learning process. I’m decent with Javascript but no expert, and that’s primarily what you need to write the web gadgets.
The contest ends November 1st, so I’ll be busy working on this until then. I’ll be sure to post the gadget here on this page once contest has over. The funny thing is, I’ve known about gadgets for along time, but I’ve always been too lazy to work on one. But throw the word ‘contest’ in there, and that really gets the blood going. I love competing in events that I can do well in, and it’s a strong motivator. The idea that I could get my name into the hands of the right people doing something I love doing drives me to get this done.
If anyone from Google reads this, talk to me!
Back to work!