Something I’ve been meaning to blog for months: I visited Google’s offices in March, and got a bag of swag during the visit. Among the gifts was the strangest corporate gift I’ve ever received – a holographic bracelet.
Says the package: “Power Bracelet is a mylar hologram that is embedded with a range of frequencies found in nature that react positively with your body’s energy field. It has been shown to improve balance, flexibility and strength as well as contributing to an overall sense of well being among its users”
The reason I think this is so weird is, the holographic bracelets are magic. Mumbo jumbo, with no scientific proof they work. Google, on the other hand, is run by engineers, and prides in using algorithmic approaches – pure science – to solve problems. So the bracelet is antithetical to what Google represents to me as a company. And it’s a cheap Chinese item, too, rather than anything made with pride in Mountain View. Makes me wonder if the company is being run over by unscientific marketers. Guess Larry Page has some work to do to rever the course of the corporate culture that’s been emerging.
You don’t understand irony. Shame on you.
I don’t think it’s a joke. Or if it is, the execution is quite poor. The quality of the packaging and the wristband implies it’s a cheap knockoff order from Alibaba. I’d expect that if it was an elaborate joke, the person who did the order would have at least checked the text for spelling. Or maybe even mentioned Google in the text?