Google to Hire More Than 6,200 Workers This Year

Surfboards lean against a wall at the Google office in Santa Monica, California.

SAN FRANCISCO – Google Inc. plans to hire more than 6,200 workers this year in the biggest expansion yet by the Internet's most profitable company.

The hiring spree will likely be welcomed by President Barack Obama, who is expected to emphasize the need for more jobs during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. Google CEO Eric Schmidt was among a group of business leaders who met with Obama last month to discuss ways to bolster the listless economy.

But Google's push to further expand a work force that grew by 23 percent last year may not be as well received on Wall Street, where the Internet search leader's spending has annoyed some investors who would prefer a more frugal approach in hopes of fatter returns.

Google executives have consistently brushed aside those concerns, saying that the company needs to aggressively recruit the smartest computer engineers and most persuasive sales representatives to maintain its lead in online search and advertising, as well as to diversify into other services in computing, telecommunications and the media.

SOURCE: Associated Press

"Energy Independence" of Saudi Arabia, Now go to Your Bunker

The United States is getting ready to sell $123 billion in conventional arms to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar.  the order mostly consists of F-15 fighters and Lockheed Martin's high-altitude Thaad missile defense system.

Why are the Gulf states buying? Partly of course because they have a lot of money burning holes in their pockets: With high oil prices they have accumulated  vast hordes of foreign currency. However, their main immediate motive appears to be fear of a hegemony-minded nuclear Iran and, closely related to that, fear that Israel might attack Iran--and that Iran might then retaliate against them, because of implicit or explicit cooperation with Israel.

You don't have to worry; only 15% of our oil comes from the Middle East; It is Japan and Europe that are deeply dependent on the Gulf states oil.  You may ask when the Gulf  states plan to end there buying spree; we the answer appears that they are not going to stop any time still.  With experts saying that Israel is not going to attack Iran and our absence of action. (despite King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia asking the US to attack Iran in his last visit)

source: IEEE Spectrum

Net Neutrality Or FCC Overthrow

Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its latest plan on regulating the Internet to assure Net Neutrality. The plan, among other things, would allow Internet providers to  charge users and content providers for their usage.

I have no doubts, however, that given the FCC's plan yesterday that proposals to meter customer as well as content provider Internet usage, such as that tried by Time Warner Cable last year, will emerge from most of the major US Internet providers in a matter of weeks. Time Warner got stopped when it hit a political backlash - I don't see that happening in the new Congress.

If what the FCC wants to do goes to pass, the days of getting all the content you want over the Internet at a fixed price are soon to be only a forgotten memory.  in the words of anonomuses internet users "The Internet is dead!! Long live the Internet!!"

source: IEEE Spectrum

Job Growth for Engineer and Technology Sectors

Computer Software Engineers: from 2008 - 909,600 to 2018 - 1,204,800; increase of 32%, growth much faster than the average.  Computer Programmers meanwhile get a decline of 3%.       Excellent, largest employment increase of any occupation spurred by the creation of sophisticated technological innovations. Though outsourcing may temper the growth, the occupation is less vulnerable to outsourcing as the work requires innovation and intense research and development.

*the chart is a link to site; links in the chart don't work

Source's: http://cio-nii.defense.gov/initiatives/netgenerationguide/appendices_D.html,http://www.it-schools-online.com/Programs/default.aspx,http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos303.htm