Tech

What Took Google Hours to Fix a Glitch Its Engineers Identified in 10 Minutes

Published

1 week ago

June 16, 2025

admin

What Happened?

On June 12–17, 2025 (timeline adjusted for reporting), a widespread Google Cloud outage disrupted over 70 services globally, affecting core platforms like Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Meet—and even major third-party services like Cloudflare, OpenAI, and Shopify

Root Cause of the Outage

According to engineers, the fault stemmed from a null-pointer error in the Cloud Service Control system. Within 10️⃣ minutes of the incident unfolding, Google’s SRE team diagnosed the root cause

Why Did the Fix Take Hours?

Despite rapid identification, full resolution wasn’t immediate due to a series of complicating factors:

Network congestion hampered diagnostic tooling and fixes
System dependencies needed careful orchestration: changes couldn’t roll out piecemeal without risking further instability
Managers prioritized safe, staged recovery—eschewing risky shortcuts—to prevent further cascading failures .

Impact on Services & Users

Over 70 Google Cloud services were affected globally
Third-party platforms relying on Google—like Cloudflare, OpenAI, Shopify—also experienced disruptions
Users faced delays accessing emails, calendars, file storage, video calls, and API services.

Google’s Response & Apology

Google issued a public apology, acknowledging the severity of the outage and the inconvenience caused to millions of users and enterprise customers Internal postmortems are now underway to prevent repeats.

Key Pointers from SRE Best Practices

Guided by decades of Site Reliability Engineering, Google highlights essential learnings that are especially relevant here:

Appropriate mitigation risk levels: Don’t let remediation create larger issues
Thorough testing of recovery procedures: Big change tools must be tested before emergencies
Canary releases: Roll out changes gradually to detect issues before they become widespread .
Communication redundancy: Have independent channels when affected services are down .

These principles align with earlier incident investigations—such as the 2019 GCLB outage—reinforcing the core tenets of reliability engineering

Tech

OnePlus Nord 5, Nord CE5 & Buds 4 Launched in India: Full Details Inside

Published

3 days ago

June 21, 2025

Arya Mehta

OnePlus has officially launched the Nord 5, Nord CE5, and Buds 4 in India on July 8, 2025, expanding its popular Nord lineup. With powerful specs, flagship features at mid-range prices, and AI enhancements, these new products are set to reshape the budget premium segment.

OnePlus Nord 5: Key Specifications & Features

Processor: Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
Display: 6.74-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel
Camera: 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro
Battery: 5,000mAh with 80W fast charging
OS: OxygenOS 15 based on Android 15
AI Features: “AI Plus Mind” for dynamic optimization, smart battery usage, and camera enhancements
New Addition: Plus Key for quick access shortcuts (AI assistant, apps, routines)

OnePlus Nord CE5: Affordable Innovation

Processor: Snapdragon 6 Gen 2
Display: 6.59-inch 90Hz AMOLED
Camera: 64MP triple rear setup
Battery: 5,000mAh with 67W SUPERVOOC charging
Build: Slim and lightweight with 3.5mm jack retained
Perfect For: Students, casual gamers, and value-seekers

OnePlus Buds 4: Premium Sound Meets AI

Audio: Dual drivers for high-res audio
Noise Cancellation: 48dB Hybrid ANC
Battery Life: Up to 40 hours with case
AI Integration: Adaptive EQ, spatial audio, and voice-enhancing mic tech
Design: Sleek, metallic finish with customizable touch controls

AI-Driven Features Across the Lineup

OnePlus is focusing heavily on AI in 2025:

AI Plus Mind: Custom UI behavior, smoother gaming, adaptive brightness
Camera AI: Real-time enhancement, object tracking, and low-light magic
Battery AI: App prediction & energy saving modes based on habits

Pricing & Availability in India

Product	Price (INR)	Availability
Nord 5 (8GB/128GB)	₹29,999	Amazon, OnePlus.in
Nord CE5 (6GB/128GB)	₹21,499	Amazon, retail stores
Buds 4	₹5,499	Online & offline

Tech

Amazon sets 30‑day relocation deadline for corporate staff—opt out by resigning in 60 days

Published

5 days ago

June 19, 2025

Arya Mehta

Amazon has issued a firm directive to thousands of its corporate employees: relocate to one of its designated office hubs—Seattle, Arlington, or Washington D.C.—within 30 days or resign within 60, forfeiting any severance package

What’s changing—and why

Mandatory hub model: The directive requires employees based in remote or satellite offices to move into one of the three major metropolitan areas.
Tight timeline: Staff must decide within 30 days whether to relocate or start their resignation process within the next 60 days—with no severance safety net .
Strategic pushback: The move supports Amazon’s new push for greater office presence and collaboration, reinforcing a broader return-to-office mandate.

In the context of layoffs and AI

Lingering job insecurity: This relocation edict comes amid ongoing concerns about workforce reductions tied to the company’s shift toward AI-driven operations
Internal warnings: CEO Andy Jassy has cautioned employees about potential upcoming layoffs, intensifying uncertainty and stress across the organization

Employee reactions & wider implications

Feedback on platforms like Reddit’s r/amazonemployees signals deep unease:
Amazon already doing it under the name of PIP”
“The people were notified on 3/12 that their last day ‘employed’ is 5/12. Amazon keeps them employed for the 60 days the WARN Act requires

Employees worry the policy might mask layoffs, using “performance improvement plans” (PIPs) as a pretext under the guise of relocation compliance.

Tech

In a Historic Lift-Off, NASA-ISRO Launch $1.5B NISAR Satellite to Track Earth’s Movements

Published

6 days ago

June 18, 2025

Arya Mehta

What is the NISAR Satellite?

NISAR (NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is the world’s first dual-frequency radar imaging satellite. Developed jointly by NASA and ISRO, this satellite is designed to study Earth’s dynamic surfaces in unprecedented detail.

Costing nearly $1.5 billion, NISAR is one of the most expensive and advanced Earth-observation missions ever launched.

NASA + ISRO: A Global Collaboration

NASA contributed the L-band radar, payload electronics, and a high-speed communication subsystem.
ISRO developed the S-band radar, the satellite bus, launch vehicle (GSLV Mk II), and the mission control.
This partnership is a testament to growing Indo-U.S. space cooperation.

What Will NISAR Do?

NISAR will observe:

Earthquakes and tectonic shifts
Landslides and volcanoes
Forest biomass and carbon stock
Glacier movements and sea-level changes
Floods, droughts, and water cycle variations

With its global revisit capability every 12 days, NISAR will track environmental changes in near real time, helping policymakers and researchers across the globe.