
Google is sending out blankets to open-source developers - ot
http://slashdot.org/submission/2640723/google-is-sending-out-blankets-sic-to-open-source-developers
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cperciva
I got an email like this a couple of years ago -- apparently someone liked my
work on bsdiff. 175 USD of stuff from the Google Store plus a gift; in my
case, the gift turned out to be a modular pocket knife
(<http://www.quirky.com/products/35>). (Oh, and it had "Google <3s your work"
printed on it -- so it wasn't just a left-over.)

I think it's great that Google has a program for recognizing open source
developers; that said, they seem to be going a bit far afield with their "give
people something cool they might not have yet". I think they'd do better to
send people Android phones -- at least that is something people would be more
likely to use.

~~~
sophacles
To be fair: Not everyone lives in silicon valley. Some of us have winters to
contend with. I have blankets everywhere, because I'm not about to pay the
required energy bill to keep my house balmy.

~~~
astine
I suspect that nearly everybody already has a blanket or two unless they live
in Borneo or the like. It's a little like Google giving out food. A blanket is
a basic necessity and aside from destitute street bums, people generally
already have enough. I'm wondering if Google is subtly suggesting that open
source devs can't pay their own bills?

Then again, it's also a little like Google giving out t-shirts. Maybe they're
assuming that everybody could have one more?

~~~
sophacles
Well, when you have blankets sitting out on couches and the like all the time,
at some point they become part of the decore. So even tho I have many
blankets, I really would be OK with another. Additionally the ones that get
used get worn out, dirty, or even boring (like tshirts) so a rotation is nice.

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DanBC
Some people seem to dislike the blankets.

Google (or anyone, I guess) could set up a donation system so these blankets
end up somewhere useful, rather than just sitting in a cupboard.

I don't know why people don't like blankets. I freakin' love blankets.

~~~
TallGuyShort
No sleeves.

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gokhan
What's wrong with getting a blanket from Google? (along with $175, actually)
We always keep one in our living room, handy for occasional dozing on the
couch. You can give one to a homeless guy and he will be thankful for it.
After the earthquake in 1999 here in my hometown in Turkey, we received
thousands of them from all around the world (got one from Greece and was
thankful for it). Cats love them, you can use one for the floor to make a
winter home for street cats... etc.

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SoftwareMaven
How could Google e so callous as to reward people for their contributions. I
realize polyester is a fabric of the devil, but I don't think a google is
trying to convert anybody to the church of satan.

Is it so hard to say "thanks" for an unexpected gift?

(And to the mods, please remove the [sic]. Yes, it's in the original, but it's
wrong and will certainly lead to clicks from people trying to figure out what
was really written.)

~~~
jpdoctor
> and will certainly lead to clicks from people trying to figure out what was
> really written.

 _raises hand, looks sheepish_ I couldn't figure out what word was close to
"blankets".

~~~
bjhoops1
Me too. blanket... blanks... blankety...? banker.. grah.

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lkrubner
Why is there a "[sic]" in the title? After reading the post on Slashdot, I
have the impression that we are talking about actual blankets. So the word is
correctly spelled.

~~~
cperciva
[sic] isn't used exclusively for spelling mistakes -- it means "thus was it
written", aka. "this looks wrong, but it really isn't".

In this case, I think the intention is to make explicit that yes, they really
are sending _blankets_.

~~~
gavinlynch
Regardless, it's an unnecessary qualifier. Most readers here can take the leap
of faith that yes, the title was written correctly, as they wait about 2
seconds for the link to load. Who cares, it's just a title, but all things
being equal it should be removed.

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jeresig
I've gotten this reward from Google devs twice now. First time it was tricky
to find some things on the Google store: But I managed to get myself a nice
medium-weight Google jacket and a Google cutting board (!). The second time
was even trickier, I already had everything I wanted. I ended up getting my
girlfriend a Google jacket as well - thankfully she liked it! Amusingly we get
asked _all the time_ if we work at Google, because of the jackets, which is
not true. I considered lying to the strangers that asked but reconsidered and
went with "I have a friend that works there and he got me the jacket." I've
even had one lady on the subway start asking me questions about the Google
search engine, unprompted. Tech-branded outerwear definitely results in some
weird conversations.

I should mention, weird Google loot not withstanding, that I think this
program is awesome. Giving Google devs an outlet for giving something back to
the Open Source devs that they like is really appreciated. Obviously financial
contributions are even better but that can be logistically tricky and this
seems like an easy middle-ground.

~~~
kingkilr
It's worth recognizing that the Google Open Source Programs office absolutely
makes financial contributions to open source projects as well!

(I've been a recipient of both the individual award, and projects I've worked
on have been recipients of grants from the OSPO).

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artofrawr
My take on it is that Google is trying to advertise a well-paid fulltime
position in their offices: "So you're an Open Source Dev? Surely you must be
poor, thus: homeless, thus: here, have a blanket."

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Matt_Cutts
According to this post on Slashdot, the open-source developer got "$175 to
spend on the Google store" and a blanket, not just a blanket.

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kailuowang
In an office at the HR department at Google.

The director: _Someone tell me what we are going to do with the 3 thousand
extra blankets we acquired for our 2012 employee bonus program?_

The smart guy: _Why not give them to those developers who write open source
software and give them for free? Those poor people must need blankets!_

People start to stand up and clap, slowly and firm.

~~~
joezydeco
They might be older than that. I used to participate in Google Answers
(remember that?) circa 2002-2003 or so and even got certified to answer
questions for cash. I got a polyester blanket embroidered with the Google logo
as a christmas present for no reason.

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AYBABTME
So what's wrong with giving out blankets? I don't quite get it. It's an odd
gift, but I don't see how it can be worth a polemic.

~~~
cpks
They are disease-infected, I presume.

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jcampbell1
"I say, 'You should blanket me' or 'you should blanket her', meaning like a
blanket is a blessing. It's a way of showing love and caring." --Michael
Jackson

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capex
Why can't this be a genuine desire from Google to send a feeling of warmth to
open source developers?

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yahelc
I was honestly expecting an extended Jeffrey Amherst/smallpox infected
blankets metaphor here.

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Djehngo
I was baffled by the title, after some consideration I decided it was probably
a metaphor relating to the diseased blankets given to native indians and that
google was offering to help open source efforts while covertly killing them.

After reading and discovering that it was literally just blankets I am as
baffled as before.

~~~
GhotiFish
Doesn't seem like a very "Google" thing to do, though.

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Bjorkbat
Blankets? Makes me think of a certain incident where blankets that were
possibly contaminated with smallpox were given to Native Americans during the
siege of Fort Pitt.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac%27s_Rebellion#Siege_of_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac%27s_Rebellion#Siege_of_Fort_Pitt)

Not insinuating that Google is trying to kill you, it was just the first thing
I thought of.

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boot
Gifting blankets... This sounds familiar. So it has begun. The war against
open source. Blankets laden with smallpox.

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michaelrhansen
Your work probably made someone sleep better, so now they want to offer you
the same in return.

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benaston
Is this a legal technique to avoid Google having to pay for open source
software in any way? Does acceptance of the blanket mean anything legally?

~~~
camus
It's a bribe !!! ;) seriously , no string attached whatsoever , it is a gift
and that's great.

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jofo25
My first impression was that this was some joke and that Google think open
source developers are poor and need help keeping warm at night.

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kemoly
I think the blankets mean that Google wants you to feel warm & fuzzy about
what you're doing.

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erikb
Why is there nobody explaining the reason to send some nearly random people
blankets?

~~~
igravious
Not random. To open-source developers. The Google <3 open-source. To say
thanks. A blanket is a gift. A gift says thank you. So does $175. Got it?

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viojezajanu
#firstworldproblems

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paranoiacblack
Looks like an open and shut case of Google being hilariously evil again.
What's going to happen when they run out of blankets, huh? Are they are going
to shut that down like Reader? I just don't know who to trust anymore.

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youngerdryas
Don't open the ones from Oracle, they have smallpox.

~~~
chris_wot
Oracle don't send gifts. Only lawyers.

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nijk
Not cool. I heard about this program of awarding bonuses to devs. Turns out is
was actually just marketing schwag store credit? Evil.

