Google conquers the world

Mar 27 2009 by Alan Shaw

AROUND 10 years ago some computer geeks in California decided they wanted a nice, simple way to search the internet.

No bells and whistles, just a small box to type in what you’re looking for, the website will do the rest.

They needed a snappy name. There were so many websites around even then, that they decided to name their search program after a large number, the one with a hundred zeroes to be precise. Except they spelled it wrong, and Google was born.

And now, in the same way that you don’t vacuum the floor, you Hoover it and you don’t use a pen, you use a Biro, whenever you need to find something on the internet you Google it. Not content with giving us a new word and a way to find a webpage, they seem to want to take over the world.

Perhaps, in a way, they have – they have given us Google Earth, which lets you spin around an interactive globe and even zoom into street level. It was controversial, though not as controversial as the service which launched last week – Streetview.

Not every area is covered yet but of those that are, you can basically take a virtual walk through the streets. It’s been branded an invasion of privacy by some, although faces have been blurred so it would be very difficult to recognise anyone. If you could take a virtual walk through my front door, up the stairs and into the bathroom, I’d call that an invasion of privacy.

Really, it’s just another new way of cataloguing information which is already publicly available.

Where do Google go now though, now that they’ve conquered earth? The answer appears to be written in the stars. Literally. They’ve launched a service similar to Google Earth which lets you search and zoom into the surfaces of the moon and Mars. It should make spotting any life forms up there a bit easier – they’ll probably lodge a complaint about invasion of privacy!

Don’t forget that West FM’s Easter Egg appeal is currently up and running. We aim to make sure that every underprivileged child in Ayrshire gets a chocolate treat this Easter. Many thanks to those who have already popped an egg into one of our collection points, there still time to if you haven’t already.

Find full details of your nearest collection points at www.westfm.co.uk.

I’ll talk to you on the 96.7 West FM Breakfast Show, from 6am Monday to Friday.