InsidEPR

Friday By the Bay: San Francisco Adventure

By Roya Pakfetrat

Have you ever watched CBS’s Amazing Race? Well, I can’t say I have but I recently participated in the Amazing San Francisco Adventure and from what I’m told it’s our very own local version of the Amazing Race.

The one-day event was a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man/Woman of the Year Campaign. In order to participate in the “adventure,” we were asked to form a team of 2-4 people. Without knowing what to expect, three friends and I bought our tickets, pulled together our team outfits and just hoped for the best.

Early Saturday morning, we arrived to the “cornucopia (Crissy Field)” just in time to receive the 45 tasks that we were assigned to complete over a period of four hours. Each task consisted of a clue that would take us to all different areas of San Francisco. In order to prove we completed each task, we were asked to snap a picture of the whole team completing the task and then we were required to post the picture to Twitter (the team would have been lost without my Twitter skills, right?). We ended up in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge, inside the Ferry Building, outside of AT&T Park, in front of Coit Tower, in the middle of Chinatown and we even spent a bit of time searching for a clue in Ocean Beach (which we never actually found!). Each task had a certain number of points affiliated with it and in the end, the team with the most points took home the gold (which sadly wasn’t us). Despite our inability to take home the trophy, we still plan to do it again next year and you should too!

Here is a little slideshow that captures just some of the challenges we completed, take a gander!

2012: The Year Automotive Technology Takes a Front Seat

By Mike Tomlinson

I wasn't alive back when Ford introduced the Model T. Few of us were. But one need not have lived in that era to know what a significant role the automobile played in shaping our way of life. Suddenly, distances didn't seem so far. Visiting grandma and grandpa in Florida was a real possibility. People were more connected than ever. The same effect was witnessed throughout the 1980s and 90s as something called the "personal computer" crept its way into peoples' homes. Then, thanks to the Internet explosion of the late 1990s, information could be shared on a scale larger and faster than anyone could imagine. It was a great time for technology.

So what's the next big 'thing' that will change the world? Well, 2012 (and to a larger extent, this decade) is shaping up to be the era of automotive technology, or autotech. Evidence of this growing phenomenon is all around us. In February, the state of Arizona announced that they would be the first state to officially regulate driverless vehicles. In March, Google delighted Steve Mahan, a resident of California who is 95% blind, when one of their autonomous vehicles picked Steve up from his house and took him to Taco Bell for lunch-- accident free (although Google didn't pay for lunch, which would have been a nice touch). In April, Engadget reported plans between Nissan and Intel to collaborate on their next generation in-dash infotainment system. Even Ford claims they are prepared for the transition to a driverless world.

And since Google had a major influence in driverless technology, is it safe to assume their recently unveiled Google Glasses will work its way into Google's driverless technology (night-driving riding glasses with thermal imaging overlay, perhaps) for a fully-integrated autonomous experience. Even "big data" has something to offer - hive mind. With this comes ad hoc vehicle-to-vehicle wireless networks with fully-automated intercommunicating cars downloading traffic data and making real-time autonomous decisions. This promises not only a future of fewer accidents as a result of driver errors, but increased fuel efficiencies, safety measures (no more puppies locked in cars with closed windows) and onboard entertainment options - an endless slew of innovations that will usher in the new era of autotech.

Now if I could only get my parents to learn how to work the television remote, we'll be in business.

Friday By the Bay: We Like Wine, Not Whiners

By Molly Reynolds

Sipping wine in the sun amongst the vineyards may be a summer’s dream to the rest of the world, but for Bay Area residents, it’s a year-round option.

“Wine country” begins just a half-hour drive north of San Francisco, encompassing Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties. Dozens of appellations stretch from the peaks across the valleys, marking distinct growing regions. To you and me, this means a slew of choices, from pinot noirs to chardonnays and everything in between. While it’s fun to visit the big names like Kendall-Jackson and Robert Mondavi, locals know to save time for the hidden, small producers like VJB or Porter Creek.

The Wine Road runs vino-focused events, like Winter Wineland and Barrel Tasting. Despite the name, wine country isn’t all wine. Come for the grapes, stay for the festivals; cultural showcases of food, art, music and film dot the annual calendar.

So join us out in the Bay – and remember, drink no wine before it’s time.

It’s time.

Shoulder Surfing: Invasion of the Privacy Snatchers

By Suzanne Panoplos

A few weeks ago, an AP story on prospective employers that were asking job applicants for access to their Facebook accounts set the stage for a battle royale over individual privacy versus an employer’s right to vet prospective job candidates.  Dubbed “shoulder surfing”, this issue is being debated by legal experts, politicians, labor and civil liberties unions and businesses alike with clearly polarized views on this practice. States such as Maryland and Illinois (with many more to follow) are pushing through legislation this week that would ban employers from asking prospective job seekers for access to their social media outlets. Facebook has even weighed in on this issue, highlighting the fact that opening up an individual’s Facebook account for general consumption is against their policy.
 
Being candid, I believe accessing someone else’s social media accounts is akin to reading their email, browsing through their texts and/or searching through their dresser drawers – it is inherently wrong. Taking a look at someone's publicly-available profile is one thing but asking that individual for full access goes too far. Whereas I respect the notion that there are some positions in our society – law enforcement agent, educator, pastor, government official - that might warrant more in depth research,  perusing through a social media  site to obtain this information does not seem to be the answer.

Moving past the question of whether or not “shoulder surfing” is ethical, the more important question is whether or not it’s fair. The AP article coincidentally provided an example from McLean County, Illinois, an area of the country where my sister happens to live. I know for a fact that the job market is tight there and I suspect if my sister went in for an interview and was asked for her Facebook password, she would do it only because she couldn’t afford to lose the job.

In contrast, I work in high-tech and live in Silicon Valley where the job market for tech jobs is fairly strong. I would feel very comfortable refusing the request and heading straight for the door with the knowledge that I could most likely find another job. This creates a real inequity.

Also, it is debatable as to how much information an employer could really extrapolate from an individual’s Facebook account anyway. It is not uncommon to create a separate account to reflect a more professional online persona.  Many people have an alternate Facebook page or Twitter account with the goal of keeping their life as a “weekend warrior” away from co-workers.  How many teenagers create duo Facebook pages to hide conversations and activity from their parents?  If someone really wants to conceal something from the outside world, it is not hard to do.

So, whether or not you think that shoulder surfing is right or wrong, I just have to ask – is it fair?  More importantly, is it effective?

Friday by the Bay: Walnut Creek Wine Walk

By Leslie Schmidt

Wine tasting is not just for Napa anymore. Welcome to downtown Walnut Creek – our home away from Napa.

Each year the city of Walnut Creek holds three Wine Walk’s which allow local residents and visitors to stroll through the beautiful downtown area tasting wine from boutique wineries, sampling appetizers from local restaurants and browsing through unique shops.
 
The first Wine Walk of the year was held in March, so some of us who currently reside in Walnut Creek decided to attend. Being warned beforehand that visiting all 37 stops on the map is an extremely bad idea, we decided to pick and choose locations that would most likely have the best food: P.F. Chang’s, Le Cheval, Il Fornaio and Cypress. However, we were kicking ourselves later when we realized Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse were included on the list. For next year, we have vowed to be more cautious when selecting our stops so this horrific mistake is not repeated. One specific wine pouring station made the whole night worth it – Wig Works. You guessed it… a wig shop. A ton of wine tasting, wig wearing fun! Check out the slideshow for a peak at our new hairstyles.

My favorite wine of the night was from Rock Wall Wines, which means my Engage bias was kicking in since this winery is based in Alameda. Some other East Bay wineries that participated were:

• Sterling Albert Winery
• Tamayo Family Vineyards
• Rosenblum Cellars
• Monticello Vineyards
• Villa Alta Vista Vineyards

Bonus: You’ll be doing a good deed while you (wine) walk. A portion of the proceeds from the tickets sold is donated to the American Cancer Society as well as the Diablo Valley Assistance League.

Check out the next Walnut Creek Wine Walk this Spring.

2012 NCAA/EPR Tournament Wrap-Up

By Mike Tomlinson

What’s in a name? That’s the question that has everyone at Engage scratching their heads as ‘Can’t Snub a Champion’ maintained its self-fulfilling prophecy by rocketing into the winner’s circle for this year’s NCAA tournament EPR office pool, shunning the distant second place runner-up ‘Bitzy’s Bashers’ (30 points behind) and third place ‘Failcats’ (35 points behind). In the end, all 11 teams put up a valiant effort despite some bad early picks and unpredictable bracket-busting upsets.

Congratulations to our big winner Graham, and thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s tournament. Don’t fret—those who placed poorly in the basketball tournament have a chance for redemption once Fantasy Football resumes in August! (If names have anything to do with success, don’t be surprised if I call mine the ‘Unstoppable Champion of Champions'.)

See you in a few months for our next round of office sports tournament shenanigans!