For hundreds of millions of people there is a new portal of understanding, a gateway to the world, a tree of knowledge, a believers' bible. The legion of believers grows with every hour.
They believe in Google!
The word suggests infinite power. It is derived from a mathematical term, googol, which means 1 to the power of 100. The two visionaries who founded the company called Google chose the name to signify their dream of harnessing the immensity of information flowing through cyberspace. They have succeeded. This year Google will process more than 180 billion requests of information. It has become the world's most powerful information company. It has a market capitalisation of $173 billion. And it sprang to life just 11 years ago in September 1998.
Google inspires awe. It has been able to harness the wisdom of crowds, the collective effort of many people acting independently of each other, on a scale never seen before.
Because of Google, our species' capacity and need for co-operation is evolving into a new and higher phrase of social organisation. We appear to be becoming more like a giant ant colony, a multitude of individuals with a collective brain, and a single wellspring, a super-entity which evokes power, action and belief.
"Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night."
~ Charles M. Schulz American cartoonist, 1922-2000
I wonder how far technology will advance by the time Joseph reaches manhood - Dee Why Beach Oct 2009
