Want to keep your AWD in top shape? Give it a workout

 If you want to reduce expensive repair bills, exercise your traction rights

Author of the article:

Brian Turner

Published Nov 05, 2014  •  Last updated Nov 13, 2020  •  3 minute read

With winter on its way (or having already made an early arrival in some parts) drivers of all-wheel and four-wheel-drive vehicles can be excused for being a little too smug. After all, what better way to conquer Canadian winter roads than in an all-wheel-drive truck, sport utility or crossover? But many drivers find out the hard way that the equipment on these types of vehicles can bring extra repair and maintenance costs. But there are a few things that can easily be done to reduce the risks of driveline failures and some expensive repair bills.

If you drive a truck or larger SUV with a controllable transfer case and solid front axle you need to use the four/all-wheel-drive system more often than once or twice a year to keep things operational. The driveshaft that connects the transfer case to the front axle and the front axle itself have universal joints that can seize from lack of use. On a regular basis (monthly) it’s a good idea to engage the four-wheel-drive for a 10- or 20-minute drive (on the way to or from work, etc.). This will flex those joints to help keep them moving freely. If the road conditions are dry, avoid sharp turns as this can cause drive-line binding on these solid-axle set-ups.

If you’re driving a true four-wheel drive, it most likely has a two-speed transfer case. Both the external linkage system and internal chain drive mechanism on these units can suffer from the case seldom being operated in low range. Again, on a regular basis, run the transfer case for a short distance in low range being sure to come to a complete stop before trying to engage or disengage the low range function of the system.

No matter what type of all-wheel-drive system your vehicle has, there are fluids that need to be changed from time to time. If you launch a boat with your all/four-wheel drivers and the axle(s) get submerged, you would be best advised to have the fluid changed on at least an annual basis (if not more often) using fully-synthetic gear oil. Transfer case fluid service intervals vary depending on make and model, so refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual.

The majority of new SUVs and CUVs (compact utility vehicles) as well as all-wheel-drive crossovers use a fully automatic traction system that requires no driver input. These systems either use a viscous coupler to engage the secondary drive-axle, or an electronic control that monitors vehicle or wheel speeds to determine when to add more power to the slipping axle. It’s a little more difficult to “exercise” these systems when the roads are dry and traction is good. A moderate throttle stab from a standing start on a sandy or gravel covered road will do, but this should be done cautiously as it can kick up stones that can damage paint. If you’ve never experienced the automatic all-wheel control on your vehicle, practising on a snowy and empty parking lot or back street with no traffic will give you some great feedback that will come in handy when you are in traffic on less-than-perfect road conditions this winter.

On any type of all/four-wheel-drive system, having matching tires is crucial to the function of these traction control systems. Tires should always be replaced in sets of four to avoid having any difference in overall circumference which can lead to drive-line vibrations or difficulty engaging and disengaging the transfer case. Using tires from different manufacturers can cause problems even if they are all new and the same size.

Costco | Eddie Bauer Women's Lined Boot | Purchased on Nov. 2022

 Here is the link. 

Purchased date: Nov. 22, 2022 

1528754 EB Boot   59.99 GP 

Product Details

May be available In-Warehouse at a lower non-delivered price.
 

Features:

• Waterproof full-grain leather upper material
• 400g faux fur lining
• Elastic side goring
• Vulcanized rubber shell
• Removable EVA footbed
• Colour: brown
• Made in Vietnam
   

Fabric Content:

• Full grain cow leather upper with suede collar
• EVA midsole
• TPR midsole and outsole
   

Sizing:

• 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
• Size subject to availability 
   

Care Instructions:

• Wipe clean with damp cloth

Costco | Oct. 31, 2022 | Return

Feb. 8, 2023 

I should return the rain boots - broken

9855441  Pendleton    $32.99 

Here is the link.

Product Details

May be available In-Warehouse at a lower non-delivered price.

Features: 

• Premium rubber rain boots
• Cushioned insole
• Faux fur lining
• Waterproof
• Rubberized traction sole
• Colours: black or red
• Made in China

Fabric Content:

• 100% rubber
• Lining: 100 % polyester

Sizing:

• Women’s sizes 5,6,7,8,9,10
• Regular fit
• Size and colour subject to availability

Care Instructions:

• Hand wash with soap and water

Note: The digital images we display have the most accurate colour possible. However, due to differences in computer monitors, there may be variations in colour between the actual product and your screen. Please be advised that the primary colours are listed above.

SHOP CONFIDENTLY

We are committed to offering the best value to our members, with a risk-free 100% satisfaction guarantee on both your membership and merchandise. If you have questions about your membership or products you've purchased at Costco, please visit the membership counter at your local Costco or Contact Customer Service.

Costco.ca products can be returned to any of our more than 800 Costco warehouses worldwide.

Install WordPress on IIS

Here is the article. 

Introduction

WordPress is a blog publishing application and content management system. According to wordpress.org,WordPress is "a state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, Web standards, and usability." The following sections describe how to install and configure WordPress for use with FastCGI on Internet Information Services 7 (IIS 7) and above. This document assumes that you have completed the setup and configuration of the FastCGI extension and PHP libraries.

The easiest way to install WordPress is by downloading it from the Windows® Web App Gallery. If you need the Microsoft® Web Platform, you can install the components with the Microsoft® Web Platform Installer (Web PI), which is also available at the Windows Web App Gallery

The following article provides guidance for installing WordPress manually. The instructions have been tested and found to work in the following configurations:

• Windows Server® 2008 operating system
• IIS 7
• PHP 5.2.9
• MySQL 5.1.34
• WordPress 2.8.5

Wordpress on IIS problem

 http://localhost/wordpress/wp-admin/install.php

WordPress database error Table 'mywordpress.wp_options' doesn't exist for query INSERT INTO `wp_options` (`option_name`, `option_value`, `autoload`) VALUES ('nonce_key', ']nH161L^cI`bL51#&>P0,JD<sY6df[Sk8&JHM9!a&KcN42EUjG*Ivt4g@,o`^qsQ', 'no') ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE `option_name` = VALUES(`option_name`), `option_value` = VALUES(`option_value`), `autoload` = VALUES(`autoload`) made by wp_can_install_language_pack, WP_Upgrader->fs_connect, Automatic_Upgrader_Skin->request_filesystem_credentials, WP_Upgrader_Skin->request_filesystem_credentials, request_filesystem_credentials, wp_nonce_field, wp_create_nonce, wp_hash, wp_salt, update_site_option, update_network_option, add_network_option, add_option
WordPress database error Table 'mywordpress.wp_options' doesn't exist for query INSERT INTO `wp_options` (`option_name`, `option_value`, `autoload`) VALUES ('nonce_salt', 'EIWY h9ePjJ/ a93+#%ZDvP[`$,bb*5q1|9EWb7 KQ%obrT#zP@aD<hmlf/gzo_?', 'no') ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE `option_name` = VALUES(`option_name`), `option_value` = VALUES(`option_value`), `autoload` = VALUES(`autoload`) made by wp_can_install_language_pack, WP_Upgrader->fs_connect, Automatic_Upgrader_Skin->request_filesystem_credentials, WP_Upgrader_Skin->request_filesystem_credentials, request_filesystem_credentials, wp_nonce_field, wp_create_nonce, wp_hash, wp_salt, update_site_option, update_network_option, add_network_option, add_option

WordPress database installation issue | On IIS | PHP and MySQL

 The first thing you should try is to change DB_HOST to the following:

define('DB_HOST', 'localhost:3308');

If you receive the same “Error establishing a database connection” message, go back to phpMyAdmin, and in the same section you found the Server information, please post the line for User

Query WordPress Data in MySQL Workbench

Here is the article. 

Create a virtual MySQL database for WordPress data in CData Connect (or Connect Server) and work with live WordPress data in MySQL Workbench.

MySQL Workbench allows users to administer MySQL environments and gain better visibility into databases. When paired with CData Connect (on-premise or Connect Server), you get live access to WordPress data as if it were a MySQL database. This article shows how to create a virtual database for WordPress in Connect and work with live WordPress data in MySQL Workbench.

 

Passenger Vehicle - Tire and Chain Requirements

Winter road conditions across most of B.C. often include snow and ice and most B.C. highways have high mountain passes where you are likely to encounter winter weather starting in October. It is the responsibility of the operator of a vehicle to understand the conditions on roads they regularly drive and equip their vehicle for those conditions.

About Winter Tires

What is a Legal Winter Tire in B.C.?

A legal winter tire (on a standard passenger vehicle or a four-wheel/all-wheel vehicle) MUST have at least 3.5 mm of tread depth.

A winter tire must be labelled with either of the following:

• The letters "M" and "S", the minimum legal requirement (mud + snow/all season tires)
• The 3-peaked mountain/snowflake symbol (some manufacturers label with both the mountain snowflake and the M+S symbol)
  

3-peaked mountain/snowflake tires (which include all-weather tires) offer better traction on snow and ice. We recommend drivers install 3-peaked mountain/snowflake tires for cold weather driving and, for extreme conditions, carry chains.

Summer tires are not permitted for driving during designated winter months. Chains on summer tires are not an acceptable substitute for legal winter tires on signed B.C. highways.

Kia Sportage | 2WD 103.9(無天窗)的車款

 小弟最後選擇購買-Kia Sportage 2WD 103.9(無天窗)的車款。

會選擇這台的原因：

1. 安全性：ESP、6SRS基本的一定要有。還有之前提到的過彎側傾，安全帶有拉住你，這點加分很多。
2. 進口車型：不是不支持國產，但看過很多例子，我弟買新車也有碰過，組裝造成異音等等，造車組裝方面，我是很相信韓國的。
3. 開起來的感覺最對味，第二對味的是X Trail 2.5。
4. 外觀：個人覺得最帥，有點渾圓的跑格休旅。
5. 動力：柴油2.0 180p，稅金不貴，油價又便宜，馬力又大，再加上是很成熟的引擎了，妥善率有保證。
6. 保固：7年不限里程的保固，你覺得國產有哪些車廠敢這樣做保固的? 大部分都5年or 10萬里程之類的，有這樣的信心，我還不買嗎？
7. 天窗：個人不愛天窗，也怕日後會有漏水問題，加上天窗應該只有小朋友會喜歡，目前是還沒有小孩，所以完全不考慮。而且要天窗的話，要再多10萬，口袋不夠深。
8. 妥善的回饋：上市到買車大概是半年時間，雖然車友少，但真的沒聽到有什麼問題反應，而且還有車友已經做2萬保養了....真的很威。

美中不足的地方：

1. 沒有push start、keyless，這點只能洗腦自己，轉鑰匙比較有感了。(今年新車款已經加回去了，車價好像是多6萬)
2. 沒盲點：說實話這個真的還好，但新車嘛，總是希望應有盡有。
3. 前雷達：這要另外裝~就沒花錢了

一年心得(缺點)：

1. 車子隔音太好，所以輪噪超級明顯。高速公路如果開到以前是收費站的路面，尤其剛剛說的路段，會滿吵的。
   有車友說換輪胎會改善。
2. 我自己開車，覺得車子左右的視線死角真的不少，要買的人可以再多試駕幾次，習慣一下。或許也是我技術沒很好就是了。
3. 保養1萬里程前，偶爾變速箱會有一個離合點，檔位會跳，1萬後就沒發生過了。
4. 保養1萬里程前，其實滿傷錢的，畢竟要一次8瓶機油，後面就1萬一次就好。目前2萬7，考慮下一次自備機油。
5. 冷氣風口，可調角度稍小了點，有時候不想吹臉，但怎麼調好像都會吹到的感覺。
6. 後廂沒有點煙器插座，滿可惜的，原本是希望可以加裝照後的行車紀錄器，看來要從後座那邊拉了。
7. 後視鏡頭，角度太下面了，也不可調，有幫助是有幫助，但要習慣。
   鏡頭也滿常有雨水會擋住，要再下車擦，不過這情況應該大部分車款都會遇到。

 
一年心得(優點)：

1. 車子好開，坐過的都覺得舒適。我本身179，有次坐後面發現腳還可以伸出去，嚇到了，睡起來很舒服。
2. 柴油省錢又有力。我加台塑，用國泰世華的聯名卡。
3. 鈑金硬......最近剛出小事故，警察認證的硬，剛好處理的警察也想買，說我們眼光好買得好.....但維修待料真的好久~
4. 隔音不錯~所以其他的聲音聽得很明顯。
5. 老婆開覺得穩，撞到也覺得穩........
6. 皮椅坐墊很舒適，不過真的要常保養耶。
7. 妥善率超佳吧，只有一個冷氣小問題而已....真的很神。(別的牌不清楚)

Kia sportage | 2013 | Safety check | Open road hyundai Richmond | Dated Feb. 8, 2023

 Listed below are what we will be doing to ensure the car is safe and ready to drive on the road when you come pick it up.

• Transfer Case Replacement
• Front Wheel Bearings
• Rear Diff Bushing
• Battery
• Drive Belt
• 4 Tires

We are just waiting on an ETA for some parts right now but they have all been ordered already. If you have any questions please feel free to email or text me at

Follow up

Called sales rep and then asked him to send me an email. I can follow up with him easily. 

How much does it cost to replace the drive belt in a Kia

 How much does it cost to replace the drive belt in a Kia?

The real cost is in the labor, because a lot of parts need to be disassembled to get to the belt. Shopping around to get a few quotes is your best bet to get the best deal, but you can expect to pay anywhere from $409 to $919 (including parts and labor). Have a timing chain instead of a timing belt?

汽车前轮轴承多久换一次？

 一般来说，5-8万公里就要检查一下车轮轴承了。车轮轴承的好坏要考虑轴承自身的质量、车辆行驶条件、行驶里程数和负载值的大小来考虑。

汽车车轮轴承的寿命一般情况下都可以使用超过10万公里的：

1、车轮轴承一旦过度磨损，会使轴承径向间隙和轴向间隙变大；

2、在行车过程中。假如你听到持续的嗡嗡声-嗡嗡声-嗡嗡声，这个时候就应该更换轴承了；

3、假如车轮轴承坏了就不要继续开车了。轻则会影响舒适性，轮胎噪音变大，车辆跑偏，重则会造成悬架损坏，从而导致转向系统故障而引发的交通事故。

汽车车轮轴承的寿命是不固定的，假如维护好的话，可以用30万公里以上呢，假如没有好好维护的话，可能在10万公里就必须要更换了。

车轮轴承的使用寿命主要受润滑、轴承制造质量、装配、公差配合等因素的影响。轴承使用寿命：10000至192000小时不等。

1、目前小型乘用车所用的车轮轴承大都采用密封式的双排角接触轴承；

2、这类轴承中充注有润滑脂能保证轴承终身的润滑需求，靠油封将润滑脂密封在轴承内部；

3、假如出现损坏的话直接更换总成，中途基本不需要做任何保养，因此可以说这种车轮轴承是免维护的。

分动箱

 所谓分动箱，就是将发动机的动力进行分配的装置，可以将动力输出到后轴，或者同时输出到前/后轴。从这个角度可以看出，分动箱实际上是四驱车上的一个配件。随着四驱技术的发展，分动箱也一直进行着改变，并逐渐形成了风格迥异的分动箱，匹配在不同诉求的四驱车上，它们的基本原理和功能也都是各不相同的。

所谓分动箱，就是将发动机的动力进行分配的装置，可以将动力输出到后轴，或者同时输出到前/后轴。从这个角度可以看出，分动箱实际上是四驱车上的一个配件。随着四驱技术的发展，分动箱也一直进行着改变，并逐渐形成了风格迥异的分动箱，匹配在不同诉求的四驱车上，它们的基本原理和功能也都是各不相同的。

2纯机械分动箱的基本介绍

分时四驱汽车就是平时可以为两驱车，越野路况转为四驱的汽车。分时四驱分动箱是一种纯机械的装置。这种结构的分动箱在挂上4驱模式的时候，前后轴是钢性连接，可以实现前后动力50：50的分配，对于提高车辆的通过性非常有利。另外由于它的纯机械结构，可靠性很高，这对于经常在缺少救援的荒野行驶的车型是至关重要的。即使到现在，仍然有大量的硬派越野车采用这种分动箱。 在此类车型的分动箱挡把上，我们会看到2H、4H、N、和4L的切换挡位。当挂2H时，此类车型就是一台后驱车，发动机的动力经过变速箱以后，通过一根传动轴直接连接到后轴上。而分动箱的作用，就是在变速箱上，再引出一根输出端，并通过静音链条，将动力传递到前轴的输出轴。当然，这并不是直接连接的，否则就无法切换4驱和2驱了。事实上，它是通过两组齿轮实现分离和连接的，它的结构和原理类似于变速箱的一轴和二轴。切换时，扳动分动箱的挡把，通过拨叉将动力与前传动轴接通和断开。与现在主流的带同步器的变速箱不同，这个部位的切换是没有同步器的，它需要转速与轮速的完全匹配。这就是这种分动箱的基本原理。

但实际情况并不会这么简单，为了提高通过性能，这类分动箱还会有一个加力挡，也就是挡把上的4L模式。在变速箱上，有一个齿比更大的齿轮，当挂上这个齿轮时，能提供比日常驾驶高很多的主传动比。我们发现，当我们需要挂4L时，必须经过一个N挡，此时变速箱会将动力与每个传动轴分开，而挂上4L时，将接通这个齿比更大的齿轮。这个切换的过程，也是没有同步器的。

知道了这个原理，我们再来看看此类分动箱各个模式的操作特性。熟悉传统越野车的车友都知道，这种分动箱，在2H和4H之间切换时，不需要停车，一般可以在80公里/小时的时速下自由切换。而切换到2L时，则必须停车切换，否则根本挂不进去，这是为什么呢?

无论是2H模式还是4H模式，动力一直是与后轴接通的，后轮的轮速与发动机转速完全匹配。而此时只要车轮没有打滑，前轮与后轮的轮速是一样的，因此在2H与4H之间切换时，发动机转速与前输出轴的转速是匹配的，即使没有同步器，也完全可以进行切换。因此在2H模式和4H模式间切换，完全可以在行车中进行，不需要停车切换。但到了4L模式的转换时，情况就完全不同了。

从4H切换到4L模式，需要先将分动箱切换为N挡，此时发动机动力与每个车轮都断开，发动机转为怠速工况。此时如果挂4L，车轮的轮速与发动机的转速会很难匹配，相当于一台不带同步器的车行驶过程中想挂一挡，这显然是很难的。

这种分动箱前后轴之间是没有差速器的，因此在附着力高的公路上驾驶只能挂2H，4驱模式仅仅是在沙石路面以及非铺装路面为提高通过性而设计。因此采用这种分动箱的四驱车一般都是硬派越野车，它在非铺装路面路很厉害，但在公路上则表现平平。

早期的分时四驱，是完全靠手动切换的，发展到后来，出现了电动切换的分时四驱，它的基本原理与手动切换的分时四驱是一样的，只不过所有的切换是通过电机来完成罢了

超选四驱分动箱的基本介绍

这个称呼是三菱的，一直以来也被看做是三菱的看家技术。从分动箱的挡把看，它更像是传统的分时四驱系统，所不同的是，它是具备中央差速器的。当挂上4H的时候，不仅能在沙石路面上高速行驶，也能在普通公路上实现公路四驱的功能。而它提供的4HLC和4LLC选项，则是锁上了中央差速锁的四驱模式，在这个时候，它与分时四驱的4H和4L的功能是一样的。

之所以三菱称之为超选，实际上是因为它比所有的四驱系统可选择的范围都要多。一般的全时四驱车，只能选择四驱行驶，在不需要四驱的时候，这样的方式显然不经济;而适时四驱虽然可以实现两驱，但在四驱的时候无法达到真正的全时四驱的性能;分时四驱就不用说了，它完全不能实现公路四驱驾驶。而所有这些，超选四驱都能选择—想经济性好，就挂上2H，想公路全时四驱就挂上4H，想达到与传统分时四驱一样的通过性，就挂上4HLC或者4LLC。

Pray meeting | Feb. 7, 2023

 以 賽 亞 書 41:17-20

Chinese Union Version (Traditional)

17 困 苦 窮 乏 人 尋 求 水 卻 沒 有 ； 他 們 因 口 渴 ， 舌 頭 乾 燥 。 我 ─ 耶 和 華 必 應 允 他 們 ； 我 ─ 以 色 列 的 神 必 不 離 棄 他 們 。

18 我 要 在 淨 光 的 高 處 開 江 河 ， 在 谷 中 開 泉 源 ； 我 要 使 沙 漠 變 為 水 池 ， 使 乾 地 變 為 湧 泉 。

19 我 要 在 曠 野 種 上 香 柏 樹 、 皂 莢 樹 、 番 石 榴 樹 ， 和 野 橄 欖 樹 。 我 在 沙 漠 要 把 松 樹 、 杉 樹 ， 並 黃 楊 樹 一 同 栽 植 ；

20 好 叫 人 看 見 、 知 道 、 思 想 、 明 白 ； 這 是 耶 和 華 的 手 所 做 的 ， 是 以 色 列 的 聖 者 所 造 的 。

Google | 20% more efficiency

Google CEO tells employees productivity and focus must improve, launches ‘Simplicity Sprint’ to gather employee feedback on efficiency

PUBLISHED SUN, JUL 31 202211:10 AM EDTUPDATED MON, AUG 1 20224:13 PM EDT

Jennifer Elias

 Google is launching a new effort called “Simplicity Sprint” in an effort to improve efficiency and improve employee focus during an uncertain economic environment.

The Alphabet company had its regular all-hands meeting last Wednesday, and the tone was somewhat urgent as employees expressed concern over layoffs and CEO Sundar Pichai asked employees for input, according to attendees and related internal documentation viewed by CNBC. Google’s productivity as a company isn’t where it needs to be even with the head count it has, Pichai told employees in the meeting.

“I wanted to give some additional context following our earnings results, and ask for your help as well,” Pichai opened, referring to the company’s second-quarter earnings report Tuesday. “It’s clear we are facing a challenging macro environment with more uncertainty ahead.”

He added, “There are real concerns that our productivity as a whole is not where it needs to be for the head count we have.” He asked employees to help “create a culture that is more mission-focused, more focused on our products, more customer focused. We should think about how we can minimize distractions and really raise the bar on both product excellence and productivity.”

It comes after the company on Tuesday reported its second consecutive quarter of weaker-than-expected earnings and revenue. Revenue growth slowed to 13% in the quarter from 62% a year earlier, when the company was benefiting from the post-Covid pandemic reopening and consumer spending was on the rise. CFO Ruth Porat said she expected some of the challenges to continue in the near term but the company doesn’t give formal guidance.

It also comes after Pichai recently announced that it would slow the pace of hiring and investments through 2023, asking employees to work “with greater urgency” and “more hunger” than shown “on sunnier days.”

‘Simplicity Sprint’

“I would love to get all your help,” Pichai said at Wednesday’s all-hands meeting, speaking to its more than 170,000 full-time employees.

To that end, Pichai introduced a “Simplicity Sprint” initiative to crowdsource ideas for quicker product development. “Sprint” is a term often used in software development and by tech startups to denote short, focused pushes toward a common goal.

Pichai said the company is opening the floor for employees to share their ideas through Aug. 15 through an internal survey that asks if management can reach out if they have follow-up questions.

It’s an attempt for the company to “get better results faster,” Pichai said during the meeting. The survey, which was viewed by CNBC, shows it may also be used to cut back in certain areas.

Questions in the survey include “What would help you work with greater clarity and efficiency to serve our users and customers? Where should we remove speed bumps to get to better results faster? How do we eliminate waste and stay entrepreneurial and focused as we grow?”

The request also comes as the company tries to ease tensions between employees and executives after an annual “Googlegeist” survey showed staffers gave the company particularly poor marks on pay, promotions and execution.

Highlighting a 7% dip in views about Google’s execution, executive Prabhakar Raghavan at the time wrote “that means we need to bring more attention to busting bureaucracy.” Raghavan is among the most important and influential execs at the company, overseeing search, ads, mapping and other areas.

In May, the company announced it would overhaul its performance evaluation process that will result in increased salaries while hoping to reduce the bureaucracy around compensation and raises.

‘Some anxiety’

In Wednesday’s all-hands meeting, executives addressed employees’ concern about potential layoffs. One of the top-rated questions was “In light of Sundar’s statement that sharpening Google’s focus ‘means consolidating where investments overlap and streamlining processes,’ should we expect layoffs?”

Pichai handed the question off to Google’s chief people officer, Fiona Cicconi.

While Cicconi said the company is still hiring and doesn’t have plans for layoffs right now, she didn’t rule it out.

“We’re asking teams to be more focused and efficient and we’re working out what that means as a company as well. Even though we can’t be sure of the economy in the future, we’re not currently looking to reduce Google’s overall workforce.”

She also said, “I really get that there is some anxiety around this based on what we’re hearing from other companies and what they’re doing and as Sundar mentioned, we’re still hiring for critical roles,” Cicconi said. She asked employees to remember that it’s still the biggest hiring year in the company’s history.

In the second quarter, Alphabet said its head count rose 21% to 174,014 full-time employees from 144,056 the year prior. However, the company said last month it will slow the pace of hiring and investments through 2023, and Pichai told employees in a memo, “we’re not immune to economic headwinds.”

Pichai noted the broader economic headwinds multiple times. “If you’re looking to what’s happening externally — I’m sure you’re all reading the news— the people in businesses who use Google products are facing their own challenges right now.”

Schedule to publish on Sept. 23, 2024 - Learn to invest in long term - two years later

Sept. 23, 2022

I like to learn to invest in long term. It is important for me to learn how to invest in long term. The stock market is so volatile, and I also try to understand better about CPI 2% instead of 8% goal. 

SABR position | My loss on Sept. 23, 2022 | What I should learn

1. Take risk. Change my goal as an investor. Do not risk too much. 
2. I should not buy SABR 6000 share at price $7.6 after sold 7000 shares at price 6.7; 
3. Do not get back in until the price should be lowered around $5.5/ share; 
4. Always look for opportunity to buy low and sell high. 
5. I should learn better about economy, and read more articles and books. 
6. It is not easy to invest on long term. 
7. Evaluate SABR debt issue. Do not make same mistake as I made on GRAY stock. 
8. Stay positive. Take a break, and have a trip to take BC ferry to visit Vancouver island this weekend. 
9. A friend shared with me a tip through wechat. I should take it and sell all 6000 shares position for down turn warning. 

Learn to discipline myself as an investor, focus on reducing loss, and then stay in the market not all the time. 

1. Tough on myself. Take gain $3000 or more. 
2. Do not miss the market. Even SABR continued to go high after my sale, stay away. Stick on my plan. 
3. If I bet again with $1/ share 6000 shares, then I should take gain at price $8.3, or cut loss when price dropped back to $7.6/ share. 
4. Be consistent. 
5. Pressure is hard to take. But do not ignore it. 

Google cancels half the projects at its internal R&D group Area 120

Sarah Perez@sarahintampa / 11:44 AM PDT•September 14, 2022 

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, speaking at the Code Conference last week, suggested the tech company needed to become 20% more efficient — a comment some in the industry took to mean headcount reductions could soon be on the table. Now, it seems that prediction may be coming true. TechCrunch has learned, and Google confirmed, the company is slashing projects at its in-house R&D division known as Area 120.

The company on Tuesday informed staff of a “reduction in force” that will see the incubator halved in size, as half the teams working on new product innovations heard their projects were being canceled. Previously, there were 14 projects housed in Area 120, and this has been cut down to just seven. Employees whose projects will not continue were told they’ll need to find a new job within Google by the end of January 2023, or they’ll be terminated. It’s not clear that everyone will be able to do so.

According to Area 120 lead Elias Roman, the division aims to sharpen its focus to only AI-first projects, as opposed to its earlier mandate to fuel product incubation across all of Google.

TechCrunch learned of the changes from a source with knowledge of the matter. Google confirmed the changes in a statement.

“Area 120 is an in-house incubator for experimental new products. The group regularly starts and stops projects with an eye toward pursuing the most promising opportunities,” a Google spokesperson said. “We’ve recently shared that Area 120 will be shifting its focus to projects that build on Google’s deep investment in AI and have the potential to solve important user problems. As a result, Area 120 is winding down several projects to make way for new work. Impacted team members will receive dedicated support as they explore new projects and opportunities at Google.”

Over the years, the division has launched a number of successful products, including the HTML5 gaming platform GameSnacks, now integrated with Google Chrome; an AirTable rival called Tables which exited to Google Cloud; an AI-powered conversational ads platform AdLingo, which also exited to Cloud; video platforms Tangi and Shoploop, which exited to Google Search and Shopping, respectively; the web-based travel app Touring Bird, which exited to Commerce; and a technical interview platform Byteboard, a rare external spinout.

One of the projects now being cut with the changes is Qaya, a service offering web storefronts for digital creators, launched late last year. Similar to “link in bio” solutions available today like Linktree or Beacons, Qaya additionally integrated with Google Search and Google Shopping. It could also be linked with a YouTube Merch Shelf, to promote the creator’s products and services.

The other six projects being canceled weren’t yet launched but included a financial accounting project for Google Sheets, another shopping-related product, analytics for AR/VR, and, unfortunately, three climate-related projects. These latter projects had focused on EV car-charging maps with routing, carbon accounting for IT and carbon measurement of forests.

The changes follow last year’s reorg of the Area 120 team, which saw the group moved into a new “Google Labs” division led by veteran Googler Clay Bavor. The incubator was then grouped alongside other forward-looking efforts at Google like its virtual and augmented reality developments and its cutting-edge holographic videoconferencing project known as Project Starline. We understand Google Labs and Starline are not impacted for the time being.

Pichai announced in July that Google would slow its hiring and sharpen its focus, but the company had said larger layoffs were not planned — it would still hire in engineering, technical and other critical roles. However, as part of its renewed emphasis on productivity, the company acknowledges it may need to restructure teams, deprecate products or even, at times, eliminate roles.

As for the Area 120 team members whose projects have now been discontinued, Google’s recruiters will work to help them find new roles, though placement is not a given in situations like these.

Google has north of 174,000 employees. Area 120 had over 170 employees at the beginning of the year but is now under 100, one source said. Google told us these figures are not accurate, however.

Editor’s note: The article was updated moments after publication with Google’s comment. Updated 7:45 pm with correction about headcount.