Update: Wow, you guys are awesome. Not only did the questions start coming in, but others are jumping in and answering them in the comments. Real, actual conversation! I love it! I’ll get my own answers posted as soon as I can - I’ve been buried this week, which means perhaps this wasn’t the best time to do this, but I couldn’t hold it back any more. 
I won’t forget you!
Update 2: Rob Bushaway over at GottaBeMobile.com asks a question about mobile driver support for Intel graphics. Brian Jarvis (my podcast partner and fellow Intel employee with a blog) answers the question (with instructions and a photo!) over at his blog. See? This is how this stuff is meant to work!
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I want to start some conversation. I’m not officially authorized to speak for Intel on any matter (see my “Caveat Lector” disclaimer over there in the sidebar), but there are a ton of things that I can talk about. I’m just a guy, a blogger, who works at a very large company that makes the most complex things ever made by humans. It’s a fascinating place, and I know there are lots of you that would like to know more about Intel. Or maybe you have something you’d like to vent. Or perhaps you just want to say how much you love something Intel has done (wouldn’t that be nice?).
So, I’m punching a proverbial hole in the firewall. Do you have a question about Intel? Anything from what the food is like in the cafeteria to how Intel tackles some of the same problems that you probably face in your business? Let me have it, and I will do my best to either answer it, or find you the right person at Intel who can. Heck, maybe I’ll even get more Intel folks to start blogging. As with everything in life, there are no guarantees being made here. Just an honest desire to do something right for Intel and its customers.
Email me or post a comment, and I’ll get you an answer as soon as I can. This is hopefully going to be an ongoing thing, with more and more Intel people opening up and joining in.
Rules: Remember the living room rule. If you don’t behave as if you were a guest in my living room, I’ll ask you to leave, and lock the door. No secrets, nothing confidential. Do not post them, do not ask for them. And remember, we’re all humans here. Be nice.
I’m trying to be a role model for corporate bloggers, and of course, I’m not about to do anything that’s going to get me fired. Is this risky? Edgy? Yes, it is. It’s definitely unusual. Besides Scoble, I challenge you to name someone at a big company that has made themselves available to try to help answer questions on an individual level. But I really feel strongly that it needs to be done, and someone has to be the first one.
Why am I doing this? Because I believe there’s great value in forming connections and relationships between people. You can’t have a relationship with a giant legal entity known as a corporation, but you can form relationships with the humans who make up that company.
I’ve been too quiet/scared to blog much about Intel for a while. Part of it is the “restructuring” (layoffs) going on - I didn’t know if I’d still have a job, so I kept my head down. But part of it was also the “chilling effect” of having attracted the attention of HR and legal more than once. 
So I’ve been building up my courage to do something bold and risky, and here it is.
I’m getting naked, putting myself out there, and hoping that this works. Spread the word - link this post on your blog, post it to Digg, del.icio.us, Slashdot, whatever you want. Let’s start some conversation…
TinyScreenfuls Feed (this blog)
brave. or stupid. one of those two
Actually I’m really interested to hear what types of things people ask, whether they are more technology based, or more corporate culture/etc.
I’m def subscribing to this one.
Why is it that Intel’s only real attempts at blogging have come from IT types, and not those directly working in Intel’s core business areas? Is there concern that this distinction about who’s really talking gets lost when people read an “intel blog”.
What is the relationship between Intel IT and Intel’s engineering and manufacturing groups really like (is IT viewed as a pain in the ass or an equal parter, etc.)?
Risk taking is a corporate value, is it not?
It seems to me that IT people are pretty well removed from the mfg process (you call them when your computer breaks). I think that has to do with the fact that all of them I’ve ever dealt with are contractors. I don’t even know of any blue badge IT people on site. Speaking of which how can I get a T43?
I want to join the Dark Side. Please assist me:)
How many crashes does PC Service Center think that it takes before they will break down and give an employee a reliable laptop to work with? How do they think employees can stay productive if they are waiting a day or sometimes longer while they yet again rebuild a system that crashes instead of just giving it a proper burial and moving on to a newer model?
Hey Greg, you can have my T-43, I dropped it off with the contract IT person last Wednesday when I left Intel in the big layoff. It’s a great machine, almost as good as the Toshiba Satellite M115 I picked up last weekend, which is a one-generation-ahead Core Duo (pun intended for those Intel insiders (no pun intended there)).
You are correct that the contractors are the only IT folks dealing with user PCs, but IT supports all the systems manufacturing uses, the server systems behind the manufacturing process as well as the PCs on the floor. Most of the Intel IT folks deal with business and operations systems and services. There is even a program that uses IT to build services and systems that are then used as proof of concept to other IT groups in other businesses and industries.
Mike, this may be true. The majority of mfg people dont deal with this. They deal with IT support.
Hey Josh. Why does Intel make some of the worst looking driver-support applications? And why doesn’t it get any better along with the times. http://www.istartedsomething.com/20060910/intel-why-art-thou-ugly/ Regards.
Geez, Josh. I know you want to be like Scoble (I’ve seen your internal blog posts) and take credit for Intel blogging, but it’s not going to work and you should not think legal or HR are going to get off your back UNLESS they’ve actually cleared you to do this (if they have, this post is disingenuous. if they haven’t, you are not going to like the results).
AH:
“What is the relationship between Intel IT and Intel’s engineering and manufacturing groups really like (is IT viewed as a pain in the ass or an equal parter, etc.)?”
They are pretty well removed from the manufacturing and engineering groups except for the development of certain software systems that run manufacturing tools, and for maintaining the networks and making sure engineering gets locked out of anything useful. Generally they are considered a pain and people avoid having to call them unless there is absolutely no choice.
@ Greg Smith - follow the usual procedure for upgrades… ‘accidentally’ drop your T40 and hope for a T43 as a replacement…
@ Intel Wife - IT are a nightmare like that, they never want to replace if they can help it… they prefer the quick fixes! But one thing I notice is that Windows XP usually needs to be re-installed every 12 months or so - be this on my home machine or in work. It’s not helped by the facts that a) Intel employees can install most programs that they wish and b) the constant patches that get pushed to us make a mess of our systems… Every year I book in for a rebuild, back my machine up and drop it off with IT for a day - acts like new when it comes back!
so,
Whats happening on the XScale CPU front over at intel ?
Are there going to be any faster or lower power pocketpc cpu’s ?
Or is it now up to samsung and Ti to take the lead.
Is Intel gonna release Vista Aero drivers for Intel® 915 GMS?
If yes, when?
As for the question about why it is only IT types rather than designers, the answer is complex. But I think that the main reason is that many of the designers are working on unix boxes with arcane design tools and are working on secret stuff. They can’t blog about the good stuff and who wants to blog about the bad stuff? There isn’t much incentive to blog from that point of view. You can only get into trouble. And of course, there is a vibrant NTTP community within Intel which remains largely out of view if someone wants to vent or have a “conversation”.
Manufacturing folks are similar in a way. They are the keepers of the process secrets which are the crown jewels of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer. You aren’t likely to hear about how they do their magic in a blog.
Sales or marketing folks would be a likely source of bloggers, but I don’t know much about them so I can’t draw any conclusions.
I wan to know about next the major mobile cpu release.
Will it catch up with present C2D 1066 Desktop lineup?
I am a Blue Badge IT, or better known as Engineering Computing Support. I think the only thing I can post about here, as Josh mentions above, is the cafeteria.
Most campuses have a cafeteria or two. I have been to several sites on the U.S. West Coast and Costa Rica and I can say the food is just ok.
Ok, it is late and this is a bad joke. Josh knows I am not allowed to speak about any of the stuff I support. I support TMG, Technology Manufacturing Group here at Intel and I have a very good understanding of what my customers do.
I even go further than hardware, network, and OS support and dive into the software supplied by vendors. In many cases we solve the problems for the customer and for the vendor when their software is, well not up to snuff!
And yes, I am a Unix guy but cross over to the dark side on a daily basis.
Hopefully not all IT folks are viewed as a PITA.
Hey Josh, how come you stopped blogging internally? You left when it started getting interesting.
So, you work for Intel, eh?
Perhaps you could answer some questions for me about the video chip in Dell PDAs, the Intel 2700G.
Are there any other devices using this chip? Is this chip in anything else? Is it upgradable? What video card for normal PC would this be comparable to from a specifications stand point? From a programmer’s point?
Here’s a question about the new Core processors:
What is the difference between Core DUO and Core DUO 2? I just bought a Core DUO 2.0Ghz laptop; now there’s the DUO 2. What is the difference in performance? Could I possibly just plug a DUO 2 in the same socket (I know there’s more to it than that, but are they pin and voltage compatible?)
Here’s a question about the industry employment:
Is it true that a degree in computer electronics and engineering and a degree in technology management (with a minor in windows programming) could get me a job at Intel? What would *you* recommend for degrees? I already have an A.S. in Computer Electronics and Engineering, working towards the Windows Programming (to get to the B.S. in Tech Management).
Are you aware of any entry-level positions? Not immediately, just general information, I’m not seriously looking for a job right now, I just need the information on employment for a research paper on the industry I want to be a part of…
I *greatly* appreciate you extending this invitation! I found it at just the *right* time (assuming you can answer the employment before November 9, when my paper is due).
Thanks!!!
A friend of mine has a daughter who is in an electronic engineering degree program in the UK. She is on a ’sandwich’ course, which means she has to find a placement in industry in between her second and third years. She would like to get an overseas posting to broaden her horizons. What is the chance of her finding an internship in Intel? Who should she contact - HR, OCAC? Thanks for any tips.
Intel. One of the mysteries right up there with the Sphinx.
Now let’s get down to it. They’ve done some amazing and wonderful things lately, with the E6xxx series chips, and I hope that even better things are ahead. BUT, lets not ignore something which Intel seems determined (by historical trend) to ignore: money.
Money is even more amazing (if that’s possible) than Intel. Money Money can disapper faster than anything. Even that mst fleeeting of things, open hard drive space, can’t compare to how fast money can evaporate these days. Why is this important? Because, while Intel prefesses to realize this fact, they don’t always act like it.
The current crop of CPUs emphasizes that fact. They use the LGA775 socket. Fine. But now we hear about the upcoming quad-core ships, to be released fairly soon. Presumably they will require a different socket. Well, Intel, unlike my socks, changing motherboard sockets requires a new motherboard. Being someone who has been building their own systems for many years, the prospect of changing a motherboard doesn’t give me fits. Instead, I reserve that sinking feeling when I contemplate the COST of changing a motherboard AGAIN, within a 1 year period. So guess what, Intel? I’m NOT going to buy into your current CPUs. Sorry. I’m going to reserve my money for the quad-core CPUs and the motherboards that support them.
Hopefully, I can get a whole year out of it before shelling out seceral hundred dollars again.
Jeff Partridge:
The new Kentsfield chips DO use socket 775. However, most motherboards won’t support the voltage and current requirements of the new CPU’s. Many boards that support Conroe will Kentsfield.
I second the question about Aero and the 915 graphics unit. I’m extremely frustrated that I haven’t been able to get it on my Gateway convertible purchased less than a year ago using the betas. Why not let the users be the judge on whether the display is too slow?
can u describe me intel’s procedure for hiring summer interns. I got internship at Intel and now waiting for the official offer letter from them. I recently got an email from Intel regarding offer letter discussion. What questions should I expect in that 30 minute offer letter discussion.
Hi
I was wondering if in Intel you would be intevriew for one group but might be hired by some other group
@Anusha - Interesting question. I suppose it’s possible, but I’ve never heard of it, and I’d say it’s unlikely. For most positions, you’d be interviewed by the hiring manager and team members.