On October 4th 2013, my class the future forms project went on a filed trip to communitech, velocity and Google at the old tannery building in downtown Kitchener.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/2012/11/google-partners-with-communitech-to-help-canadian-start-ups /-Picturre from here
When we first arrived at Communitech, I could see how the old Tannery building and Communitech combined to make a blend of old and new. When we first arrived, we entered the lobby and then waited for our teacher. After waiting we meet our tour guide and two other members fo guide us around communitech. Our first look at the technology there was at the recpetion desk where we saw tv tiles that could connect and make a bigger image. After that we saw the "batterebox" which was a box that would serve as a mail box/storage/pick up location for online things you would buy. During the entire description it was hard to hear our guide over the conversations for other people in communitech. Also she was very quiet despite knowing we were a large group but of course she could've not wanted to bother others currently working there.
After leaving the lobby we passed through a kitchen and looked around after that, we returned to the lobby and headed towards the allyway fro start up companys. These company have to apply for a spot at the velocity ally and when accepted are given all the basic requirements of a company and mentors to teach them but of course they have to pay rent. We were informed that 1 desk spot which comes with all basic necessities of working a basic company life is 500$, so I could only imagine what a full sized room would cost. After leaving the start up ally, our class headed to velocity. To get there we had to pass through a garage and corriders that reeked of paint
.
As we arrived at velocity, their was a kitchen and a kitchen a woman pouring her self a cup of coffee. As we entered through velocity we saw several companys that had open rooms at their office. Those companys were candian tire, google and one other i cannot remember. After passing through there we entered a black room which contained a black room with only one open side and upon the top of the room cameras were mounted. As the tour guide explained the room was a bit like virtual reality where the user would wear glasses with antlers that would signel the camerea. As you moved with the antler glasses the camerea would follow your postion and change the imagine on the glasses depending on how you walked. It also would project objects in the virtual world you were looking at in 3D close to you. After everyone have a turn with the glasses we entered the velocity garage, where a of staff was working. We looked around and lookeed like a standerd place, but in a garage. This garage was more of a loading dock. As we left a crudely dressed man took photos of us, I can only imagine why.
Upon our leaveing we left the lobby and enterd the front of the building where we headed up stairs and set our sights upon google. As we entered the google offices we were greeted by google employees, which one of the was our teachers friend, hence how we were able to get inside for a tour. At the front of desk of google we were given name tags containing all of our names. Walking into google and different atmopshere of amazment and stuff overcomes you. The office is a bright place with a medium sized cafetera with full time chiefs cooking food for the google emplyees. Past that we noticed muptaple working rooms and some rooms with beds. From there we headed upstairs and beside the stairs was a slide for google emplyees only. On the second floor of google they had a wall full of cartoons of themselves and were told to gain a fully coulour cartoon
drawing you must have worked there for 3 years or more.
Only other things we saw on the second floor was a big metting room and 2 small kitchens. After heading down the staris we headed down mroe stairs and walked around and then entered a small gym. We stood at the gym for some amount of time, as my peers tried to throw baseketballs into the net. We also discussed that a interview for google took 4 months or more, so it was a lenthy process of much interviews. After that we exited the building and went onto the bright yellow bus and headed back to school.
Overall was a quite amazing trip to see the technology located near us and the future jobs that we could enter.
When we first arrived at Communitech, I could see how the old Tannery building and Communitech combined to make a blend of old and new. When we first arrived, we entered the lobby and then waited for our teacher. After waiting we meet our tour guide and two other members fo guide us around communitech. Our first look at the technology there was at the recpetion desk where we saw tv tiles that could connect and make a bigger image. After that we saw the "batterebox" which was a box that would serve as a mail box/storage/pick up location for online things you would buy. During the entire description it was hard to hear our guide over the conversations for other people in communitech. Also she was very quiet despite knowing we were a large group but of course she could've not wanted to bother others currently working there.
After leaving the lobby we passed through a kitchen and looked around after that, we returned to the lobby and headed towards the allyway fro start up companys. These company have to apply for a spot at the velocity ally and when accepted are given all the basic requirements of a company and mentors to teach them but of course they have to pay rent. We were informed that 1 desk spot which comes with all basic necessities of working a basic company life is 500$, so I could only imagine what a full sized room would cost. After leaving the start up ally, our class headed to velocity. To get there we had to pass through a garage and corriders that reeked of paint
.
As we arrived at velocity, their was a kitchen and a kitchen a woman pouring her self a cup of coffee. As we entered through velocity we saw several companys that had open rooms at their office. Those companys were candian tire, google and one other i cannot remember. After passing through there we entered a black room which contained a black room with only one open side and upon the top of the room cameras were mounted. As the tour guide explained the room was a bit like virtual reality where the user would wear glasses with antlers that would signel the camerea. As you moved with the antler glasses the camerea would follow your postion and change the imagine on the glasses depending on how you walked. It also would project objects in the virtual world you were looking at in 3D close to you. After everyone have a turn with the glasses we entered the velocity garage, where a of staff was working. We looked around and lookeed like a standerd place, but in a garage. This garage was more of a loading dock. As we left a crudely dressed man took photos of us, I can only imagine why.
Upon our leaveing we left the lobby and enterd the front of the building where we headed up stairs and set our sights upon google. As we entered the google offices we were greeted by google employees, which one of the was our teachers friend, hence how we were able to get inside for a tour. At the front of desk of google we were given name tags containing all of our names. Walking into google and different atmopshere of amazment and stuff overcomes you. The office is a bright place with a medium sized cafetera with full time chiefs cooking food for the google emplyees. Past that we noticed muptaple working rooms and some rooms with beds. From there we headed upstairs and beside the stairs was a slide for google emplyees only. On the second floor of google they had a wall full of cartoons of themselves and were told to gain a fully coulour cartoon
drawing you must have worked there for 3 years or more.
Only other things we saw on the second floor was a big metting room and 2 small kitchens. After heading down the staris we headed down mroe stairs and walked around and then entered a small gym. We stood at the gym for some amount of time, as my peers tried to throw baseketballs into the net. We also discussed that a interview for google took 4 months or more, so it was a lenthy process of much interviews. After that we exited the building and went onto the bright yellow bus and headed back to school.
Overall was a quite amazing trip to see the technology located near us and the future jobs that we could enter.