By The Wanderboy
Google has been making quite the splash this past week. No, not with Google Wave, which frankly is a bit disappointing although I think it will get better, but by joining forces with the NSA and jumping into the social networking universe with Buzz.
In case you hadn’t heard, someone in China hacked the shit out of Google and attempted to uncover the source code that makes Google the most powerful search engine/mega company in the universe. The Chinese government and Google have also been locked in a heated battle over Internet censorship and the company has threatened to shut down operations in China.
A massive outpouring of support has come from Chinese citizens, particularly the youth movement some of whom claim they cannot live without Google. Just what we need, Chinese tweens committing suicide over a Google disconnect. That’s like those freaks in Avatar chat rooms talking about how they want to kill themselves because they know the world of the Na’vi will never exist on earth. Seriously nerds, get over it. Or do us all a favor: build rockets, ride them into space and see if you can find Pandora. We’ll all eagerly await your report while not holding our collective breath.
As a result of the hacking Google went to the NSA, which seems odd for a company that preaches a “Don’t be evil” slogan and refuses government subpoenas for information. I can only deduce that the company has no other choice but to turn to the agency that has been at the center of wiretapping scandals and privacy invasions. What the NSA does offer is immense expertise in Internet security even beyond what Google already knows…if that’s possible.
Of course there are detractors to the marriage, but again, it only stands to reason that the Don’t Be Evil corporation is joining forces with an evil agency in hopes of combining powers for the sake of Internet justice. It’s like that episode of South Park where Cartman and Kyle are both infected with HIV and, despite their dislike for one another, they team up to find the cure.
In other news Google debuted their Buzz social networking software with little fanfare. If you are a Gmail subscriber you may have noticed a little colorful pinwheel looking icon on the sidebar – this is Buzz. From what I can tell it amounts to an inter-Google Twitter although you can also add Twitter as one of the sites to share amongst your friends.
The idea seems to fall between Twitter and a kind of Facebook theme that pulls your pictures, status and other information in via links rather than being concentrated on one main site. This no doubt promotes the use of Google’s other programs such as Picasa. It is far more streamlined than Facebook, but I highly doubt that Buzz will overthrow the social networking giant anytime soon – just my opinion of course.
Pretend this China/Google clash ends up going Google’s way. Through the transitive property does that mean Google has more bargaining power than the US government? Perhaps Google is the third party! I mean, corporations already rule the nation – why not make Google the alternative to Democrats vs. Republicans? Are they in N. Korea? Iran? Google could just say, “We’re shutting off your access to the Google universe. Put down your weapons or else…” I think that could work people – just saying.
-The Wanderboy
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