Microsoft is Evil. That's neither a question, nor a debate. If you don't know that you're not paying attention - they've been very up front about it. Basically, they try to get everyone hooked on closed-source internet software, and if they could get enough people they'd own the internet outright. Everyone in the world paying Microsoft a monthly fee is their plan for world domination. Basically, it almost worked, but it didn't. Thank goodness for open source, Linux, and Richard Stallman!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my little university has converted to Google Docs and I'm a bit worried. Why? Let's see if I have this straight. Google can find virtually any content on the web (Search). Yahoo tracks all of the web pages I visit (and with app sharing on the net, I'm sure Google has access to this), they literally hire people to take pictures of people's houses and streets (Google Maps), and have satellite photos of each place in the world (Google Earth). Google also has access to all the videos (Google Video) and pictures (Google Pictures) people make about themselves and their lives. They also have detailed information about your life preferences (Google Plus, Google Calendar,....) Soon, I'll being switching my work over to Google Docs so they'll have all my work info in addition to my private info. Google knows where I live, who my family is, what I, they, my house, my work look like. They know how long I've lived in each place. They know more about me than probably anyone alive.
It's more than a bit scary. My guess at the future is that Google will offer a new app: Google Funerals. Plug your laptop into a projector, make a few decisions and hit "Go." Google will automatically create a video that talks about everywhere they've lived, who their family and friends are, and put a positive spin on their life. You'll be able to choose a virtual Pope from the past to run your wedding (selected from a pull down menu of course). "No one will be forgotten" will be their motto. The cost? Nothing, just a small stamp on you and your children's digital foreheads.
The Google name will then lose some of it's luster, but no one will be able to do anything about it. So, they'll start to be brazen and just rename themselves "SkyNet."
It's pretty freaking scary. I once sent a friend a photo of me at the beach in shorts and a bikini top (when I was much thinner) and mentioned nothing about what I was wearing. All the ads that popped up were for swimwear, bikinis and bras. I know they sift our emails, but our photos, too?
ReplyDeleteKathi Jo