It's Google's World, We are just Living in it...

The article (registration required) I just finished reading is a bit ridiculous, but expected. I mean you could have seen the writing in the code. As google comes out with more web applications and services (Picasa, Google Earth to name a few) their dominance as general internet giant is being felt hard in Silicon Valley. This is a classic story of rebel turned corporate snob, or that is what some would have you believe. I think the battle against google was over when you could use the company's name as a verb. Once you could start "googling" things we should have all thrown in the towel and bowed down to the overlords Sergey and Larry. In all honesty this article sounds like the call of the hater. When a company becomes successful and tries to dip it's hand into everything it can they are seen as "drying up the talent pool" and "making it hard for start-ups" , to well, start up. This is because investors always believe that whatever the start up is trying to sell them on will just come out from google tomorrow, and google will do it better. I don't see this company as doing anything more than trying to make money in a culture where the norm is sink or swim and the changeover to drowning can happen in less than a week. Google has even been compared to Microsoft with Bill Gates touting that "they are the most similar company we have ever had as a competitor". Well good, finally you guys have to do something and be innovative, but be quick about it. If there were a true competing operating system to windows out there you think Windows Vista (Longhorn) would be this delayed? I doubt it. Kudos to google, their software is easy to use, has incredible functionality and beautiful user interfaces, and most importantly, is free. Good enough for me, F the haters in Silicon Valley.

I know I talked about intelligent design a few entries ago, but I saw this comic and had to put it in. Check out this article from the BBC about America's new "War on Science". Most people in this country are not really paying attention to the erosion of scientific consideration that is happening with this current administration, with little surprise I might add. I mean, our President is known to be a faux pas factory and with his latest statement of "I think it ought to be taught" with respect to intelligent design he is only perpetuating this image. Whatever you believe about the objectivity of scientists and how to interpret and weigh their respective findings you cannot deny that this country as a whole is falling into a pit of darkness where information and outside viewpoints are rarely heard or seen and where money and religion (seemingly very separate but very much intertwined) are guiding everything from our lesson plans to our interpretation of the constitution. It will be a awesome day when the monkey known and GW leaves office. It may not change everything, but at least I won't have to look at his smirking face everyday or hear his idiotic laugh as he speaks lightheartedly about foreign relations or our supposed energy policy.