Google's Barge Is a Marketing Showroom 59

Posted by timothy on Saturday November 02, 2013 @02:39AM from the william-gibson-arms-apartments dept.

Dave Knott writes "The mysterious barge docked in San Francisco Bay that has been fueling intense speculation the past week will serve as a luxury showroom for Google products and a floating, modular venue for the company's private events. The large structure built out of shipping containers that sits on top of the barge will be used to market Google Glass, the much-hyped augmented reality headgear Google unveiled this year, and other products and to host invitation-only events and parties for clients. The structure is constructed of interchangeable 12-metre high shipping containers that can be assembled and disassembled and transported by road, rail or ship anywhere in the world."

Google's Barge Is a Marketing Showroom

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Correction (Score:4, Informative)

by Finallyjoined!!! ( 1158431 ) writes: on Saturday November 02, 2013 @02:49AM (#45309595)

The structure is constructed of interchangeable 12-metre high shipping containers

12 metre long shipping containers.

- Re: (Score:3)
  
  by Joining Yet Again ( 2992179 ) writes:
  
  Everything's relative, man.
  - - Re: (Score:2)
      
      by PopeRatzo ( 965947 ) writes:
      
      Standard size of shipping containers are 20ft and 40ft, yes, imperial feet, not meters.
      Is there a need to stick to metric system no matter what ?
      How many cubits is that?
      - Re: (Score:2)
        
        by MightyYar ( 622222 ) writes:
        
        20 x 40 ft. 13.33 x 20.67 cubits. 6.10 x 12.19 meters.
      - Re: (Score:3)
        
        by Jeremiah Cornelius ( 137 ) writes:
        
        Standard size of shipping containers are 20ft and 40ft, yes, imperial feet, not meters.
        Is there a need to stick to metric system no matter what ?
        How many cubits is that?
        Mycenaean? Or Old Kingdom?
    - Re: (Score:1)
      
      by contrarywise ( 1981398 ) writes:
      
      Feet and inches were Borged by the metric system a long time ago. Look up the US definition of an inch.
      - Re: (Score:1)
        
        by Zanadou ( 1043400 ) writes:
        
        That's what she said.
- Re: (Score:1)
  
  by Megane ( 129182 ) writes:
  
  Way to go, eh, CBC?
  To be fair, although there aren't really good reference objects for size in the pictures, it does look like the whole thing is indeed four stories tall. But the individual containers sure aren't 12 meters high, or there would be trouble trying to transport it "by road".
  - Re: (Score:1)
    
    by Anonymous Coward writes:
    
    " But the individual containers sure aren't 12 meters high, or there would be trouble trying to transport it "by road"."....
    Simple... lay them on their side.... ;-)
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by mirix ( 1649853 ) writes:
  
  Well, technically they're 40' long.
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by SeaFox ( 739806 ) writes:
  
  I'd like to see them demonstrate the Glasses' ability to interact with the Internet from inside a structure made of metal shipping containers.
  - Re: (Score:2)
    
    by Bazman ( 4849 ) writes:
    
    Never mind that, what about the human's ability to breathe inside shipping containers?
  - Re: (Score:1)
    
    by dottrap ( 1897528 ) writes:
    
    Maybe you're on to something. Since this is invitation-only, presumably VIP guests, maybe the real purpose is to build a "tin foil barge" to prevent snooping from the NSA and even Google itself. (nah)
  - Re: (Score:3)
    
    by gl4ss ( 559668 ) writes:
    
    that's surprisingly not a problem.
    but what they need is rooms that have been crafted to show ar possibilities...
The limit of any company far enough up its own ass (Score:2)

by Joining Yet Again ( 2992179 ) writes:

...is probably Apple. But Google are getting there.
12-metre high shipping containers (Score:2)

by smittyoneeach ( 243267 ) * writes:

Just the thing when you need to move a 30' smurf [youtube.com].
My God, It's Full of Stars! (Score:1)

by Tablizer ( 95088 ) writes:

Obelisks. Google fucked with Europa while making EuropaMaps.Google.com
That's the cover story (Score:2)

by gijoel ( 628142 ) writes:

They're actually trying to raise a Russian sub. [gwu.edu]
- Re: (Score:1)
  
  by intermodal ( 534361 ) writes:
  
  Oh, come on. Glomar Explorer aside, It would be cheaper to just buy one from Russia.
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by JustOK ( 667959 ) writes:
  
  Google wouldn't use sharks. They always use Betas.
Cool idea, too bad it's so ugly (Score:2)

by davide marney ( 231845 ) writes:

I love the idea of modular, transportable structures, but do they have to look like a pile of garbage bins with pins sticking out of the top? That's not industrial-cool, or retro-cool, that's just plain ugly. Makeover!
It will be great for the California traffic cops! (Score:3)

by PolygamousRanchKid ( 1290638 ) writes: on Saturday November 02, 2013 @05:54AM (#45310065)

They can just hang out around the barge, and pass out tickets in the barge parking lot!
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/30/tech/mobile/google-glass-driving-ticket/ [cnn.com]

Google's Barge = Traveling Salesman (Score:1)

by Anonymous Coward writes:

So they're trying to recreate one of the classic problems in computer science...lol...
My bet is on a telco competitor. (Score:1)

by deviated_prevert ( 1146403 ) writes:

Combine these barges with tethered balloons and presto you have one hell of a great ground plane for a wifi and high speed phone communication tower device that can sit in any harbor. Bring it up the Mississippi and you can cover most of the central US. Put a few on the Great Lakes and boom you cover huge populations in both Canada and the US. Put smaller versions of the same thing in strategic places and you can have a North American wide network that is not dependent upon the telcos or the cable companies
- Re: (Score:2)
  
  by AHuxley ( 892839 ) writes:
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_ship [wikipedia.org] of the coastline to avoid "constitutional" interference.
Rich dude party barge (Score:2)

by globaljustin ( 574257 ) writes:

will be used to market Google Glass.....and to host invitation-only events and parties for clients.
/. friends, this is how billionaires party these days...they buy a boat and sail it into international waters and do w/e they want
these are probably Brin's old models...he upgraded to a bigger party barge & decided to sell his old one to his company
The Spy Boat (Score:2)

by AHuxley ( 892839 ) writes:

Surveillance, exciting and new
Contractors Aboard. We're rewarding you.
Data, life's sweetest via a telephone cord.
Let it split, it tunnels back to you.
The Spy Boat soon will be making another splice
The Spy Boat promises to link every optical telco device
Set a course for legality,
Your mind on a new locality.
Domestic spying won't be illegal anymore
It's on open source offshore.
Yes Surveillance! It's Surveillance!
I've got an idea (Score:3)

by slashmydots ( 2189826 ) writes: on Saturday November 02, 2013 @10:18AM (#45311155)

We should invite all the google glass enthusiasts to it on one day and then sink it.

Not intense speculation (Score:1)

by gelfling ( 6534 ) writes:

Outside of the small circle of bloggers and 'journalists' who were hoping it was an antigravity battle station. Because they're morons.
Maybe... (Score:2)

by jbwolfe ( 241413 ) writes:

Google's first attempt at a holodeck?
Virtual Light again? (Score:2)

by kheldan ( 1460303 ) writes:

I realize this may be only me, but whenever someone mentions Google Glass, I think Virtual Light glasses from the Gibson series of novels -- where the Bay Bridge was no longer used as a bridge, and squatters were living on it instead, which for some reason I was reminded of again by having Google's floating structure in the Bay..
Makes no sense (Score:2)

by Animats ( 122034 ) writes:

Why build a demo space out of shipping containers? The dimensions are awful.
The floating data center isn't a great idea, either. You have all the headaches of salt water corrosion. It's hard to get bulk power and data offshore. It's not cheaper than building on low-value land. The only justifications would be political. It might be useful if you had to bring up a big data center in a primitive area with little infrastructure.
Glass isn't augmented reality (Score:2)

by riffzifnab ( 449869 ) writes:

It's a heads up display, totaly different.
Oh that can't be right!! (Score:1)

by Nov8tr ( 2007392 ) writes:

This has to be fake! Google would never use anything massive and over bloated!

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Google's Barge Is a Marketing Showroom 59

Google's Barge Is a Marketing Showroom More Login

Google's Barge Is a Marketing Showroom

Correction (Score:4, Informative)

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The limit of any company far enough up its own ass (Score:2)

12-metre high shipping containers (Score:2)

My God, It's Full of Stars! (Score:1)

That's the cover story (Score:2)

Re: (Score:1)

Re: (Score:2)

Cool idea, too bad it's so ugly (Score:2)

It will be great for the California traffic cops! (Score:3)

Google's Barge = Traveling Salesman (Score:1)

My bet is on a telco competitor. (Score:1)

Re: (Score:2)

Rich dude party barge (Score:2)

The Spy Boat (Score:2)

I've got an idea (Score:3)

Not intense speculation (Score:1)

Maybe... (Score:2)

Virtual Light again? (Score:2)

Makes no sense (Score:2)

Glass isn't augmented reality (Score:2)

Oh that can't be right!! (Score:1)

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