Silicon Valley could lead a very important gender-equality charge

By THOMAS HARTWELL

Microsoft and Facebook, among other large tech companies, are leading the charge on closing the gender pay gap (article here). "Hired, an online jobs marketplace" conducted a study of more than 100,000 jobs, 15,000 candidates and 3,000 companies, revealing that the pay gap in Silicon Valley, on average, is about a 3 percent difference in salary to the advantage of males (in some extreme cases, the wage gap could be up to 30 percent). Part of the contribution to this gap in pay is what is referred to as the "expectation gap." This is the idea that women, in general, have come to expect to be paid less and, in turn, ask for less when applying for a job. There is a bright side though; Mashable also found that younger women entering the tech workforce are inclined to ask for more money upon entry.

Image from hired.com

Large companies like these leading this charge can be a big help with this workplace issue, but, in many cases, companies are tackling the issue of payment in the wrong ways. For example, Google, to address the concern of a pay gap internally, raised pay across the board. While a raise came to the women of the company, the pay gap remained, so the issue of men being paid more money for the same expectations remained.

The issue of a gender pay gap, just like many other things, begins at a young age with expectations. There must be organizations that empower women from a young age and develop training that prepares women to circumvent and fundamentally change the way they approach the tech field and the workplace as a whole -- and there are third parties which do just that. Global Fund for Women's Technology Initiative speaks directly to the issue of pay gaps. While Global Fund for Women deals with worldwide women's rights issues, they have developed an initiative for funding and providing access to training and educational opportunities in the STEM and IT fields.

Image from globalfundforwomen.org

While there should be celebration and optimism surrounding the recurring announcements of slashed pay gaps, that optimism should be cautious. There is still plenty of inequality and discrimination in this country's job market (often fear-based discrimination). Many, many more steps need to be taken in the right direction --  we haven't even begun to talk about the racial pay gap or the lack of gender neutral and transgender employment...

Coca-Cola's cardboard competes with Google Cardboard

By THOMAS HARTWELL

Vertical reality is a growing medium of entertainment in the U.S, and worldwide. A few tech companies, namely Google and Oculus, have begun to master the science of the potential entertainment giant, but now Coke is getting into the game (see the article, here).

From http://mashable.com/2016/03/02/coca-cola-vr-cardboard/#9NcDAvC9RSqK 

Consumers of Coke only need a knife and some tape, and, for the price of a 12-pack, you have a pair of virtual reality goggles fit for your phone (and you get a 12-pack). The Coke makeshift headset works just like Google Cardboard, in that, through some folding, bending and securing, you can slip your smartphone into a slot and watch videos, movie trailers, etc. in virtual reality.  

From http://mashable.com/2014/06/25/google-io-2014-wtf-cardboard/#biHn8Vhb45qM

Coke isn't the only unlikely newcomer to the virtual reality front. McDonald's has been experimenting with the idea of a virtual reality goggle kit in the form of a happy meal box. The Swedish branch of the company has also provided a promotional app to go with the foldable cardboard so that children can immediately take advantage of their new gadget on a smartphone.

This competition from consumer good providers could put a damper on the excitement for tech giants' virtual reality breakthroughs, especially if they cost more than the price of a happy meal or a case of Coke. I don't expect the tech minds to drop the idea, though -- there will soon be a large market for virtual reality accessories, and once the tech really gets going, the more hardcore consumers are going to be willing to pay a little more for a high-quality product.

From http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Daily/2011/07-Jul/01/Sony%20Virtual%20Reality/SonyVirtualFront--article_image.jpg

While virtual reality hasn't yet exploded, a technology that, right now, isn't perfect but isn't terribly expensive or complicated either is sparking quite a bit of discussion. From movies, to video games, to a market in virtual travel, talk of virtual reality possibilities continue to spring up, and companies all over the globe are looking into it. Facebook, Nokia and Sony are only a few in the tech industry investing heavily, suggesting a myriad of gadgets and doodads in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled. 

Google algorithm creator to retire

By THOMAS HARTWELL

Amit Singhal, the mind behind Google's search algorithm, is set to retire at the end of February. Singhal says that he wants to spend more time with his family and, as any good "rich guy" should, pursue philanthropic endeavors (article here). He will be replaced by the creator of Google's RankBrain, John Giannandrea.

The news of Singhal's retirement has sparked discussion, and in some cases sheer terror, on where Google might be headed without him. Many took to Twitter to express their melancholy and wish Singhal well, but others condemned Google to failure without him. While simply the statement "Google is doomed to fail" is ridiculous to me, I do realize that fear, in the face of change in a company as large and influential as Google, is normal. Let me tell you why Google is going to be fine, though. 

RankBrain, another kind of SEO and almost "jumbled search decryption" engine developed by Google is going to thrive. The technology, run by Giannandrea, will transition to 100 percent artificial intelligence in "guessing" what search words are searching for. Amazingly, the RankBrain technology will be able to appropriately replace the loss of a Google pioneer like Singhal (or the 1 percent that was still not AI) with what is being called a "gut feeling" like a human's in guessing what a person might be searching for on Google, according to Greg Corrado, a senior research assistant at Google. 

Now, yes, Google's stock did fall after the SEO mastermind's announcement, but no one expert has cited his retirement as the sole reason for the 4.03 percent drop in February 2016. As things at Google stabilize and consumers and stock holders realize that the end isn't in fact nigh, those numbers will climb again. Think about it, what competition does Google have? Bing? Yahoo? Nope. I'm sure Singhal will be sorely missed, but Google will be just fine.