Google Technologies - Innovation at it's Finest
Everyone knows that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs don't get along, but they can band together to take on a common threat - which right now - appears to be coming from Google. Gates sees any software that doesn't require Windows as a threat, and Jobs is concerned about the rumors that Google and Napster are "talking" - which Google denies - but Napster does not. But there is no doubt - Google is leading the way when it comes to innovative web technologies.
Google seems to have figured out the recipe for making technology practical to use for the average consumer. Through acquisitions, they were the first to combine satellite imagery with global positioning; the result being Google Earth. They developed KML files that allow coordinate data to be overlaid on the images, producing (at least in urban areas) vivid overhead images with pinpoint accuracy. Most people have played with Google Earth by now - but to see it's utmost potential - one must do a "flyby" in the streets of New York, where they have overlaid vectored 3D representation of the structures on these images. It is truly amazing.
Realizing this technology's potential, Volkswagen is partnering with Google provide a three dimensional GPS navigation system to allow VW drivers to be able to use the surrounding topography to help orient themselves. I'm sure this is just the beginning of a blossoming technology. Can you say "Farfignugen"?
What brings this closer to home for me is my love for Geocaching. As soon as I downloaded the first version of Google Earth, I emailed the fine folks at Groundspeak, who developed and maintain the Geocaching site, and welcome users to suggest enhancements. I expressed what a great thing this new Google tool was - and how cool it would be to combine this with Geocaching. They responded that I was one of many (probably thousands!) of people who had suggested this integration. They promised they were working on it. Well - now it's here. It's way cool.
One of my caches in Pocahontas State Park
What's great about Google tools is there is no bias - no taking sides - you don't need Vista or Mac OS X to take advantage of their technology, and it is hardware independent. They keep Gates and Jobs honest by raising the bar, and may actually bring (or force) the two giants closer together. Go Goooogle... Go Goooogle...
Google seems to have figured out the recipe for making technology practical to use for the average consumer. Through acquisitions, they were the first to combine satellite imagery with global positioning; the result being Google Earth. They developed KML files that allow coordinate data to be overlaid on the images, producing (at least in urban areas) vivid overhead images with pinpoint accuracy. Most people have played with Google Earth by now - but to see it's utmost potential - one must do a "flyby" in the streets of New York, where they have overlaid vectored 3D representation of the structures on these images. It is truly amazing.What brings this closer to home for me is my love for Geocaching. As soon as I downloaded the first version of Google Earth, I emailed the fine folks at Groundspeak, who developed and maintain the Geocaching site, and welcome users to suggest enhancements. I expressed what a great thing this new Google tool was - and how cool it would be to combine this with Geocaching. They responded that I was one of many (probably thousands!) of people who had suggested this integration. They promised they were working on it. Well - now it's here. It's way cool.
One of my caches in Pocahontas State ParkWhat's great about Google tools is there is no bias - no taking sides - you don't need Vista or Mac OS X to take advantage of their technology, and it is hardware independent. They keep Gates and Jobs honest by raising the bar, and may actually bring (or force) the two giants closer together. Go Goooogle... Go Goooogle...
posted by Joel @ 5:40 PM
2 Comments:
At 2:51 PM,
jadam said…
Fahrvergnügen - Pleasure derived from driving. It's what makes a car a Volkswagen.
I'd also like to point out that while the Google tools are lagging behind in non-Windows OSes, they're getting better. They just announced support for some Google Pack apps in linux.
I'm all for Google as long as they remember their corporate motto: 'Don't be evil.' How that's going to work with them censoring Chinese search results is a bit baffling, though.
At 8:57 PM,
Joel said…
I'd offer you another viewpoint:
Google is a publicly held company, with millions of stockholders. They have a= legal obligation to their stockholders to make sound business decisions that will maximize the stockholders earnings, and that of the company. This is the fundamental essence of capitalism, which, for better or worse, has made this nation the greatest ever to appear on this earth.
So - the fact that the Chinese government imposes law that censors the information that is presented to their citizens is neither the fault of nor a concern of Google. What is their concern is that there are three billion new customers that will benefit from even the most censored information, as it did not exist before. Most Chinese have never left the village they were born in, much less the country's borders.
So - if you take issue with the censorship - direct it not to Google - but to the oppressive government which has made this not only a policy, but a law.
Google is doing exactly what is legally expected by the laws imposed upon it by our great nation. They do what ever is necessary to increase profits within the laws that govern the country they do business with. It's why their stock has quadrupled in such a short time. It is pure, unadulterated capitalism. The fact that their motto is to "Do No Evil" is merely an admirable quality of the company.
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