How bad is your googling habit? Mine's up to about 50 googles a day, on average. Google is something like the Wizard of Oz: Oh, Great Google, what is the current human population of the world? Or, oh, great Google, what do you know about figerglass blisters? Or, oh, great Google, what did Bob Dylan mean by "blowin' in the wind"? Or, Oh, great Google, has anyone ever wondered if tsetse-fly genes jump into their victims? Great Google will always come through with answers, no matter how far-fetched or stupid my question might be. And even if I can't spell, Google will help me out. Google is patient and kind. Google is Lord.
If I cared to take the trouble I might be able to make an argument, using Google, of course, that Google is something of quantum-mechanical monster. Google could even be the new threat to our free will and self-determination. Too early to tell. But I can tell you one thing: If Google had been around when I was in school or during my profession career, life would have been very different for me and everyone else. It's hard for us to see it, but the powers of information-gathering in human affairs are growing very fast. Maybe we are becomming
Homo sapiens googleease.
So my coffee-house questions are these: Could you live without Google (or any of its peers)? Is googling good or bad for humanity? Is it going to change us. Is Google a potentially mind-controlling monster? Or is just a better librarian?
”HM
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