Just a few random thoughts about Google...

If you follow this blog, one thing you'll find out about me is that I admire and seek to understand greatness.

That's why I'm always interested in what Google's doing. Much like MicroSoft, their individual components are good (perhaps not phenomenal, but very good) but, as an aggregate, their service is absolutely amazing.

This is more of a brain barf for my own records than anything else, but if anyone would like to add insight or spur arguments, feel free!

So Google is trying to control the airwaves and court the FCC (probably to no long-term avail). At the same time, they are talking about putting together a mobile phone framerwork based upon Linux and Java (GPhone)... Couple that with their mobile services that they are working on, and things immediately get interesting. They control your phone or smart phone and the data you keep on it (I'm sure there will be a Google Desktop for Mobile phones..).

Another interesting thought is the purchase of YouTube. So, people start using their smart phones as TiVo's and watching video on demand from the likes of the syndicated networks, YouTube and Netflicks.

Another random thought/rumor I remember hearing about a year ago; Google was building "caching" closets outside of major metropolitan areas for high speed delivery.

Then we move onto Google OpenSocial. Based upon Google's site, the JavaScript API in the opensocial.* namespace opens the following three main areas of functionality:

• People -- information about individual people and their relationships to each other
• Activities -- ability to post and view updates on what people are doing
• Persistence -- a simple key-value data store to allow server-free stateful applications

I've gotta read some more about this and try to wrap my mind around the implications. I've been wanting to build a social network as a toy and a test, but I've not paid too much attention to social networking outside of LinkedIn.com.

I mean, I've got accounts on FaceBook, MySpace, Orkut and other so called "social networks", but I really don't need the "self expression" that MySpace offers and I could really do without the porn or the spambots on both Orkut and MySpace... Anyway, this is on my to-do list. I think controlled social networking is huge both from the site and user standpoints, but I've not seen it done too well, YET.

The biggest thing I wonder is how Google anticipates social networking to change... I'm assuming that they think it's actually going to shift from a pastime to a real, essential and productive tool. Otherwise, it wouldn't fit into their mission of:

"organizing the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

Anyway, as said before, just some random thoughts. Perhaps I'll add a dash of insight later.

- Ray.