Author Topic: Google's Quest for World Dominance (Read 37186 times)

ThePerm · « **Reply #25 on:** February 08, 2011, 04:08:28 PM »

Quote from: The Unagi on February 08, 2011, 12:10:25 AM

Perm I get what you're saying, but your argument is flawed. Not because you are not arguing it well, and to be honest you're not, but because you don't understand the point of this.

I have been to the Van Gogh Museum. I thought it was awesome. But am I excited that I can revisit it from my home? Of course I am. What Google did was give us the other side of the same coin.

In fact, I'm of the belief that this will entice more people to actually go to museums.

But sincerely, this is for the people. A gift-wrapped present for all of us to open and enjoy. How is that so bad?

No, no. Im not arguing against having another way to virtually visit the museum. Ian asked why visit the museum at all? Which I think is a really stupid question. This is no doubt the next best thing to seeing it in person.

I'm just saying people should you know venture out of their damned houses. Go visit the museum once, then see it again on google. Unless you've been to Egypt and seen the pyramids then your looking at a simulacrum.

Stogi · « **Reply #26 on:** February 08, 2011, 06:38:25 PM »

Simulacrum? Are you sure? I've ridden around the decayed pyramids on a camel and found that experience fascinating.

But back to your argument. When has Ian's views ever been part of the masses? And besides, there is no point in convincing him, because it can't be done.

ThePerm · « **Reply #27 on:** February 09, 2011, 04:55:20 AM »

keyword unless

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #28 on:** February 16, 2011, 06:01:21 PM »

http://www.demoslam.com/#/slams

Nothing game changing, just something fun to show off Google Products.
2 tech demos (presented in a fun way way) side by side. You watch them both and vote for which one you thought was the best.
You go through the match ups until you decide on the clear winner.

MaryJane · « **Reply #29 on:** February 16, 2011, 06:45:50 PM »

Wow, here I thought someone had made a thread about Google... You know talking about how Android is uber successful, the next iteration will be called Ice Cream and combine the best features of Honeycomb and Gingerbread. Chrome, Google cars that drive themselves, you know, Google stuff not art vs. computer screens. By the way, one of my favorite artists is Alex Grey and it was definitely a lot better to see his paintings in person. His art is used on merchandise and albums by the band Tool, and none of that could compare to the gallery experience, especially since he gave the tour.

About Google, I was watching this channel I recently discovered on DirecTV called LinkTV, and I forget the name of the show, but they were showing a bunch of small features from around the world, and one segment was about Google. The tribal leader of some natives in India got the chance to use a computer, then asked Google to come and teach his people how to use a computer, and the internet so their story could be part of the world. Google said okay, and is teaching the entire tribe how to use a computer, of course, by using Google.com. But still, that's pretty cool.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #30 on:** March 13, 2011, 03:12:38 PM »

Google experimented with Wave.... still not sure what to think of it.
they tried to make their own Twitter with Buzz.... I don't think it did so hot.
Now it looks likt they are gonna try to make their own Facebook....

Google Launching Secret New Social Network Called "Circles"
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-launching-secret-new-social-network-called-circles-2011-3#ixzz1GVZTZ9Pc

Quote

We believe that Google will preview a major new social service called Google Circles at South by Southwest Interactive today.
If what we've heard is correct, the service will offer photo, video and status message sharing.

Everything users share on Circles will be shared only with the most appropriate circle of social contacts in their lives, not with all your contacts in bulk. Circles may be shown off at an event co-hosted tonight by the ACLU, an organization focused on privacy and the liberties it affords. It may not be a big public launch yet, but it's clear that this is a major product in the works at the very least.

Is it necessary? Anyone think it has a chance?
Is anyone ready for everything internet to be run through Google?

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #31 on:** March 14, 2011, 12:46:27 AM »

http://goggles.sneakygcr.net/

MaryJane · « **Reply #32 on:** March 22, 2011, 02:49:15 PM »

Google has given Georgia Tech $1million to build software that 'benchmarks' your personal net neutrality. It will look for evidence of throttling and other things, and then rate how open your internet is.

It certainly is ambitious and it's for a good cause.

Morari · « **Reply #33 on:** March 22, 2011, 05:38:01 PM »

Quote from: MaryJane on March 22, 2011, 02:49:15 PM

It certainly is ambitious and it's for a good cause.

It's a terrible cause. Only pirates/terrorists/witches/commies have a problem with their internet being throttled! It's unamerican to want net neutrality. It's bad for the economy. How else can corporate greed flourish on the internet?

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #34 on:** March 30, 2011, 01:56:04 PM »

Google is building their first 1Gb/s internet grid in Kansas City, KS
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/ultra-high-speed-broadband-is-coming-to.html
Coming in 2012 & I hope it spreads fast.

AT&T should definitely be shitting their pants with their ADSL crap.
And hopefully it will help Comcast to stop gouging pricing and Verizon to speed up it's FiOS deployment.

Stogi · « **Reply #35 on:** March 30, 2011, 02:16:12 PM »

I always wondered how you build internet grid. Do you just lay it on top of an existing grid or do you implant your own?

I hope this spreads fast as well, especially when it comes to education. I can see Professors shitting their pants if given the opportunity to access such a grid. Streaming HD surgeries live would be incredible.

Though for me, I see this making TV even more obsolete especially if someone can get Internet-Ready TV's right.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #36 on:** March 30, 2011, 02:29:33 PM »

mix this with a GoogleTV 2.0, Netflix & Hulu+ and then who would need or even want cable?

Stogi · « **Reply #37 on:** March 30, 2011, 03:04:42 PM »

I don't need or want cable now. But your right. The only last line of defense for cable is LIVE programming. It sucks that I have to go to a bar to watch a big game in HD glory (well I guess not that much). With speeds like that, there would be another option.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #38 on:** March 30, 2011, 10:02:23 PM »

Get an HD antennae and you should get all the major networks over the air for Free and less compressed than over cable too I think.

& I just wanted to post this related piece of news as it's from the same cable company that is about to get squeezed out of KC, KS by Google in the story posted up above.

Time-Warner backed bill that prevents Local Gov. from building it's own hi-speed infrastructure moves forward in NC
This is exactly the type of bill they would have wanted to pass in KS to keep a monopoly on the market and keep broadband prices inflated. I really hope Google not only throws around some money to block this but sets up shop in NC too and pushes TW out of that market too while they are at it.

ThePerm · « **Reply #39 on:** March 30, 2011, 11:43:45 PM »

its funny how they put the local governments as bad guys, but local governments are your most direct representation of the people.

Morari · « **Reply #40 on:** March 31, 2011, 11:20:56 AM »

Indeed. If it weren't for all of these government sponsored monopolies (telecoms, cable companies, etc), we'd all have much better internet by now. Instead these old dinosaurs of corporations are doing everything they can to outright destroy the internet. They've done a pathetic job of connecting and upgrading entire regions, and now they're trying to make the entire existence of the web meaningless by shrugging off net neutrality.

They want to sell you an expensive, passive "television-like" experience. They don't want to simply sell you utility service.

MaryJane · « **Reply #41 on:** March 31, 2011, 11:44:08 AM »

Quote from: Morari on March 31, 2011, 11:20:56 AM

Indeed. If it weren't for all of these government sponsored monopolies

Also sponsored by the same local governments that are now getting screwed; it's a modern day case of being impaled on you own sword.

Morari · « **Reply #42 on:** March 31, 2011, 01:20:48 PM »

Exactly.

Most of these situations exist solely because local municipals gave exclusive rights to telephone and cable companies decades ago. Generally, it was expected to be a "fair" trade-off. Cable companies were given exclusive rights to a territory and in return they would build and run the infrastructure. The problem, of course, is that most of these companies have only done just enough to get by. There's no competition by law, so they don't really have anything to worry about. They can charge you and I outrageous fees, while providing bottom of the barrel service.

What's really frustrating however, is that they have received plenty of government funding throughout the years (even from a national level) to upgrade and expand services. It never happens though. Most companies even instate "rural access" fees, charging everyone a little extra so that they can provide service to "less profitable" areas... again though, they never do.

MaryJane · « **Reply #43 on:** May 11, 2011, 05:14:14 PM »

Google really is trying to take over the world!
Their showing a lot of different things at their Google I/O event, http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/google-i-o-recap-more-web-than-you-can-shake-a-frozen-desert-at/

Highlights include Google TV coming hard:

Quote

As for partners, it's just as we heard: Sony will launch Sony Internet TVs and Blu-ray players with Google TV in the fall, and Logitech will introduce a set-top box with a Harmony remote and an HD camera for video chat at some point in the future. Dish Network will also launch a Google TV box at some point, while Best Buy will promote the platform as a whole in-store.

Google partnering with GM for infotainment services:

Quote

Functionally, it seemed like the same Google Maps we've enjoyed for months, but GM's version of Navigation keeps track of two dynamic locations instead of one: your phone, and your car. With a single button press the app contacts the Volt's internal GPS, letting you know exactly where you parked, and with another press, it can provide turn-by-turn voice directions from your current position to take you back there. What's more, you can search for addresses and locations on your handset, then relay them to OnStar (again, with a single touch) so that they're queued up and waiting for you in the vehicle's dedicated GPS once you arrive. All of this was accomplished within a "navigation" tab in the OnStar app, leaving us wondering if we'd have to use it instead of Google's own when communicating with our auto, but we imagine the companies will figure that out.

mSpot music service (not from Google, but they used the event to launch):

Quote

The free limit is right around 2GB (exact size is TBD), so if you've got more than a second generation iPod's worth of audio, this here service will only serve as a tease. For those who fall under that threshold, there's plenty to love, and if you're down for ponying up, you'll be able to secure 10GB for $2.99 per month or 20GB for $4.99 per month. Launched today at Google I/O, this "freemium" music cloud service essentially syncs your entire music library (either in iTunes or a user-designated arrangement of folders) with mSpot's servers -- provided your library is less than 20GB, of course -- and then makes it available anywhere. Phones and other computers should have no issue tapping in (though only Android will be supported out of the gate), and the app itself runs quietly in the background in order to check for new additions / subtractions and mirror said changes in your online library. For now, the service is available by invitation only through mspot.com, with public availability slated for next month.

That's from the Engadget link above, but this article: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/google-io-mspot-streams-personal-music-collections-from-the-cloud/34666 provides a little more information.
I put that there, because Google is also launching a music streaming service called, wait for it, Google Music Beta, but as of now, no pricing structure has been given, but the people in the private beta get to store and stream up to 20,000 songs: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/google-music-beta-walkthrough-what-it-is-and-how-it-works-vide/

Then there is also Chrome OS coming hard: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/google-adds-netflix-and-hulu-support-to-new-chromebooks-out-of/

Quote

Google's also just announced the cost of these Chromebooks and there's no upfront payment to speak of. Instead, Chrome OS laptops will be distributed on the basis of a recurring monthly subscription, which will cost $28 per user for businesses and $20 per user for schools. That includes regular software and hardware upgrades. Hardware as a service, folks!

Stogi · « **Reply #44 on:** May 11, 2011, 05:58:31 PM »

As long as everything is open-sourced, I only see it as a good thing. More pressure on Apple and Microsoft is always a good thing.

I've been thinking about Chromebooks that need no down payment and only cost $20 a month. I wouldn't use it as a replacement for my regular computing experience as it is too limiting; however, during those short bursts where I'd like a computer but either don't want to take my laptop or can't, chromebook could be just the thing I need.

For instance, if I my computer is in the shop or recently just failed and I need a computer, $20 is as good as you can get for a replacement.

MaryJane · « **Reply #45 on:** May 23, 2011, 11:15:43 AM »

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/22/the-protect-ip-act-googles-eric-schmidt-squares-off-against-ri/

Google trying to stand up to a corporate sponsored law that would allow the government to step in and shut down any website it deems guilty of copyright infringement. As much as I would like to spout off about how corporations are unduly influencing the government, let's try to look at this only from a Google vs. The MPAA and RIAA standpoint.

What Google CEO Eric Schmidt said:

Quote

If there is a law that requires DNS [domain name systems, the protocol that allows users to connect to Web sites], to do x, and it's passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president of the United States, and we disagree with it, then we would still fight it...If it's a request, the answer is we wouldn't do it; if it's a discussion, we wouldn't do it.

The MPAA response:

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In April, Google senior vice president and general counsel Kent Walker testified before Congress that ‘Google supports developing effective policy and technology tools to combat large-scale commercial infringement.’ That’s exactly what the PROTECT IP Act is designed to do – it creates a narrowly-drawn, carefully constructed solution to the threat to American jobs and America’s economy, a solution that protects and strengthens our right to free speech. As constitutional law expert Floyd Abrams wrote, ‘[c]opyright violations are not protected by the First Amendment.’

Is Eric Schmidt really suggesting that if Congress passes a law and President Obama signs it, Google wouldn’t follow it? As an American company respected around the world, it’s unfortunate that, at least according to its executive chairman’s comments, Google seems to think it’s above America’s laws.

We’ve heard this ‘but the law doesn’t apply to me’ argument before – but usually, it comes from content thieves, not a Fortune 500 company. Google should know better. And the notion that China would use a bi-partisan, narrowly tailored bill as a pretext for censorship is laughable, as Google knows, China does what China does.

The RIAA response:

Quote

The head of a multi-billion dollar leading American company openly suggesting they would defy the will of Congress AND the President? This on the heels of Google’s General Counsel’s testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives where he pledged his company’s commitment to fighting online theft. It’s no surprise creators’ rights groups have expressed outrage in response to his comments (see here and here). We’ve expressed our own bewilderment as well:

"This is baffling. As a legitimate company, Google has a responsibility to not benefit from criminal activity. In substance and spirit, this contradicts the recent testimony of Google's General Counsel that the company takes copyright theft seriously and was willing to step up to the plate in a cooperative and serious way."

I'm glad to see Google (who does seem to be trying to take over the world) is on the side of the consumer, noncensorship, and technology. This Protect IP bill is way too far overreaching, and could potentially allow for the shut down of website who did nothing wrong at all. What if Youtube could be shutdown for sharing a copyrighted video, just when it so happens that another video was posted showing some sort of government misdeeds? It is a far too overreaching solution for what is a truly complex problem. Hopefully Google can use its influence and money to better this bill.

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #46 on:** May 23, 2011, 05:33:23 PM »

Now if only they could get back on the right side of the net neutrality debate.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #47 on:** May 26, 2011, 01:40:29 PM »

http://www.google.com/wallet/
Manage all your credit cards in your phone.
make payments from your phone.
Soon you will no longer need to carry your wallet anymore.... unless you need cash.... or your ID....

http://www.google.com/offers/
Googles version of Groupon/LivingSocial
Location based "coupons" that sync with Google Wallet
soon to have a loyalty program built in.

Google just needs to buy Amazon, get that FiberOptics out nationwide, get to work on that energy plant/cube thing, commercialize the cars that drive themselves, improve upon GoogleTV and provide us all with jobs and they will soon rule all of our lives.

Ceric · « **Reply #48 on:** May 26, 2011, 01:42:15 PM »

Quote from: BlackNMild2k1 on May 26, 2011, 01:40:29 PM

http://www.google.com/wallet/
Manage all your credit cards in your phone.
make payments from your phone.
Soon you will no longer need to carry your wallet anymore.... unless you need cash.... or your ID....

http://www.google.com/offers/
Googles version of Groupon/LivingSocial
Location based "coupons" that sync with Google Wallet
soon to have a loyalty program built in.

Google just needs to buy Amazon, get that FiberOptics out nationwide, get to work on that energy plant/cube thing, commercialize the cars that drive themselves, improve upon GoogleTV and provide us all with jobs and they will soon rule all of our lives.

That sounds like Socialism >.<

Stogi · « **Reply #49 on:** May 26, 2011, 02:26:59 PM »

Hey, if this means more phones will have NFC, then I'm all for it. That technology is sick.

By the way, I thought Apple would have rolled this out first since they tested the waters with their Starbucks app.

News:

Author Topic: Google's Quest for World Dominance (Read 37186 times)