Notes &
Have you not glanced at Street View in Google Maps? Have you not relied on the humble aid of the search-box calculator, or checked out Google’s movie showtimes, or marveled at the quick-and-dirtiness of Google Translate? Have you not made interesting recherché 19th-century discoveries in Google Books? Or played with the amazing expando-charts in Google Finance? Have you not designed a strange tall house in Google SketchUp, and did you not make a sudden cry of awed delight the first time you saw the planet begin to turn and loom closer in Google Earth? Are you not signed up for automatic Google News alerts on several topics? I would be very surprised if you are not signed up for a Google alert or two… Have you not searched?
Answering the question, what “real value” Google produces for society. I’m with Nicholson Baker, author of this great review. I respect Microsoft, I admire Apple (err…Steve Jobs), but when it boils down to who gives me the most bang for my buck (and probably the most bang period), I trust Google…. for now…
Book Review - ‘Googled - The End of the World as We Know It,’ by Ken Auletta - Review - NYTimes.com
