microsoft office | Microsoft Office and Mystery Building Number 7

Microsoft Office and Mystery Building Number 7 



One of the parks at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, United States. In this park Microsoft put a placard of their products ever launched. (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) SEATTLE, KOMPAS.com - Naturally, if Microsoft's headquarters complex in Redmond, United States, called campus terms. The layout of the building and the atmosphere does resemble a large university. Campus located in Redmond, State of Washington, United States, consists of many buildings and some areas interspersed with parks, lawns and even a protected area. Just like a campus, there are facilities that support daily activities. Starting from the football field, canteen to health clinic. Some cafeterias have restaurants that are imported from outside Microsoft, some are managed in an integrated manner. KompasTekno journalist Wicak Hidayat visited the campus of Microsoft headquarters on March 11-12, 2014 with several journalists from other countries. Here are some of the interesting things found there: 1. Mystery Building Number Seven Every building in Microsoft has a number. Starting from the first building, Building 1, to building 99, for example. But strangely, there is no No 7 building there. A signpost showing the Microsoft Campus map in Redmond, it can be seen that there is no direction to Building 7. (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) Rebecca Duffy, Global Program Manager of Microsoft, says many people ask why there is no number seven building on campus Redmond. Various speculations arise, ranging from "superstitions" around the number seven as an unlucky number and the absence of building number seven is a prerequisite for success. There is also a mention, Building 7 is actually there but kept a secret so it does not appear on the map. Bak legend Area 51, Building 7 was rumored as the place a variety of secret Microsoft products developed. Then, what is the reality? According to Duffy, it was simply a human error. Yes, Building 7 did not exist because of numbering mistakes made by Microsoft contractors many years ago. "So they originally constructed buildings 1-6, which had a similar form of X. Then, for several years there was no construction of a new building.At the time they (contractor-red) proceeded to build the next building, they apparently forgot and immediately numbered the building new from the number 8 and so on, "said Duffy. By the time the error is known, it seems too late and the numbering of the building has already been completed. Now, the absence of Building 7 so kind of "legend" to entertain Microsoft guests. 2. Legend of Lake Bill (Gates) During a visit to the Redmond campus, the group of journalists is not only herded from building to building but also through several parks in between. One of them is an area near Building 1 aka Microsoft's first building. There, there is a somewhat enclosed area, surrounded by trees, with a pond more or less along the olimpict-size swimming pool. But the shape is not like a boxy pool, but has a curve at the edge and a small artificial waterfall on one side. The area around Lake Bill is commonly used for parties, especially in the early days of Microsoft. (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) The pool, said Duffy, was nicknamed "Lake Bill" aka Lake Bill. The word Bill is of course referring to Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft. On the side of the pond were wooden tables, and a small patch of grass. "This area is usually used for employee parties, especially in the early days of Microsoft.We can hold barbecue parties for special moments, for example after the product launch," said Duffy. Lake Bill, a pond that supposedly used by team leaders who would swim across it if the team managed to meet deadlines or terget terentu. (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) The interesting thing is, in the post-completion feast of a product, sometimes there will be people who swim across Lake Bill. The legend is, the team leader for a particular product will bet across the lake if his team can reach a certain target, usually deadline targets. It is said that, in the early days of Microsoft, even Bill Gates had ever crossed the lake. "Because the team leader, will encourage his team to work hard to meet their deadlines.The promise to swim across the lake was a kind of motivation for team members, who wanted to see their boss do it," Duffy said. Surely the tradition is now increasingly rare. One of them because Microsoft is no longer solely a traditional software company that always launches the product in packaging. Still, the Legend of Lake Bill persists and becomes one of the "folklore" that appeals to Microsoft employees. 3. Walk of Fame In Hollywood, there is a street featuring the names of the movie stars on the sidewalk. Tourists often spend time searching for their favorite star names and photographing them as mementos. On Campus Redmond, there is also such a "Walk of Fame". However, what is displayed is the names of Microsoft products that have been released. In this park Microsoft put a plaque of their products ever launched. Walk of Fame that soon became (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) For those who have been using computers since the 1980s, the walks on the Walk Of Fame can be a kind of "memory path," given the admiration (or annoyance) early use of computer. Classic products like Encarta, Microsoft Word 6 or Microsoft Windows 95, are listed there. Also "less well known" Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Hellbender or Microsoft Bob. Microsoft Encarta Plaque (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) The conditions of the plaques seem to be time consuming. Even now, Duffy said, is no longer done the addition of a new plaque. Even the addition of the plaque has stopped since a few years ago. As software develops more rapidly, and the changes that Microsoft is experiencing, it seems that the "Walk of Fame" will become a museum to commemorate the early days of Microsoft with a dream that is practically true: presenting a PC in every home. 4. Microsoft Museum Talking about museums, on Campus Redmond there is one area that is really designed as a museum. Area named Visitor Center that displays props that tell the history of Microsoft. Visitor Center at Microsoft Headquarters, Redmond, like a museum featuring various Microsoft products and the company's historical viewer. For example, on one side of the room there are demonstrations of various classic objects and Microsoft products that "change" objects that. Ancient typewriter, for example, comes with a plaque that includes Microsoft Office. A reminder of how humans work has changed a lot. Classical objects that have been replaced by Microsoft products, including mesik tik. (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) Not far from the show, there are "old school photos" in the early days. The photo featured an early Microsoft team that developed the BASIC programming software in their office in Albuquerque, Texas, in 1975. The next area of ​​the museum featured more of Microsoft's latest products. Surface 2 tablets, laptops and of course Windows Phone based devices appear there. Then there is also a special area featuring Xbox One. Microsoft Surface Tablet exhibited in the space Visitor Center (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) Some concept of "future" is also displayed there. Starting from wearable devices to large-sized touch screen high resolution with 100 point touch called Perceptive Pixels. 5. The "Crazy" Scientist Laboratory Another interesting location, but this one is not open to the public, is the laboratory that Microsoft uses for the development of things "out of the box" aka "out of the box. "Edison Lab is headed by Stevie Batiche, a long-haired man who always seems enthusiastic about explaining the" magic "tools in the lab.In this visit, Batiche explains the various screen experiments performed by Microsoft. Edison's laboratory is used as one of many experimental sites in Microsoft. For example, there is a screen that when viewed by two different people will display different images, even though they are staring at the same screen. is displayed is playing the game First Person Shooter without split screen Edison Lab is also used for computer screen research (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) In addition, there is a 3D screen that does not need glasses, hologram that can be viewed from various angles, transparent screen allows users to manipulate objects on the screen by putting hands behind the scenes and more.Batiche says, no everything they do in the lab is shown on the coming group of journalists. Some projects are still "undisclosed". 6. Cybercrime Center Microsoft also has a special facility handling cyber crime is interesting. Visually, the facility is similar to a laboratory in the CSI series, with glass walls and large screens. Cybercrime Center, where Microsoft monitors and analyzes a variety of illegal activities on the internet. (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) Of course, the audience watched is an open area where visitors. But the facility is actually used also by law enforcers from various regions that work with Microsoft to handle certain cyber crime cases. Researchers at Microsoft's Cybercrime Center also monitor and analyze malicious programs, including malware, botnets, to software piracy. Unfortunately, the workspace of cybercrime researchers should not be immortalized (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) One of the most prominent cases is the handling of botnet networks Citadel and Conficker. At the facility Microsoft is also monitoring their software piracy around the world. 7. Envisioning Center As the ultimate location on a visit to the Redmond campus is a special area called the Envisioning Center. This area is designed for Microsoft client executives, as well as state or celebrity officials visiting Microsoft. (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) At Envisioning Center, the concept of the future is exhibited in a theatrical style. (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) This area displays the future concept of 3-10 years to come. Designed in the form of rooms, the Envisioning Center is a tool to tell how technology will be used in the future, whether working or at home. Future technology concept at Envisioning Center (Wicak Hidayat / Kompas.com) The concepts shown are designed to amaze, but still with "reliable" technology. So do not expect things like time machines or "doors to anywhere" here. Demonstrations are displayed theatrically, usually with a guide who takes on certain roles like an actor on a drama stage. Visitors will be taken to see how someone in the future, for example, conducts work meetings with large-screen displays and "personal assistants" in the form of artificial intelligence.