Googling for George

[ixion]

A Wired magazine article bearing the increasingly apt title "Google vs. Evil" recently disclosed the qualities that have made Google "the world's biggest, best-loved search engine." With more than 28 million visitors logging in 15 million hours a month (and enough popularity to warrant its own verb), the search engine relies on technological superiority and a "customer first" attitude, evoking a "don't be evil" philosophy of ethical purity while staying true to its primary function, which is to "quickly divine what's useful on the Web."

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The 'Google vs. Evil' phenomenon can transform anyone into an investigative reporter, as the search engine provides the kind of information that's essential to citizenship and Mom's apple pie. Want to know why George Bush won't release those 28 pages in the 911 report? A "George Bush, James Bath" Google lands a variety of interesting sites, including "Bush family's dirty little secret," "George W. Bush's dubious friends" and "the G.W. Bush went AWOL home page." Hitting "I'm feeling lucky" presents an all-inclusive article on George Bush's "ties to billionaire bin Laden brood," and with the click of a button, you get enough information to get the gist, but not so much, it spoils your lunch.

Oddly enough, even silly searches can lead to uncomfortable truths. The average American might be unprepared for the grim information unearthed when pairing George Bush with the Mafia or George Bush with the Dulles brothers and a search for "George W. Bush," and "skeletons" understandably extracts some deep, dark Bushy secrets. But who would expect that linking George Bush with nonsensical entities would also reap disquieting results? A "George Bush, Frankenstein" search via Google's "I'm feeling lucky" button, for example, leads to a serious entry regarding George Bush's frightening court nominees (i.e. "Frankenstein judges"), while "George Bush, Boogie Man" summons a sad reminder of how this administration has used "a vast array of Boogie Men designed to frighten us into submission." A goofy "George Bush, gremlins" Google leads to a George Bush doll that says ""We're working hard to put food in your family" -- even though the actual quote was "you're working hard to put food on your family." Geeze, Louise. Have toy makers become lying liars, too?

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http://www.buzzflash.com/farrell/03/08/26.html

a really awesome read... one I'm sure many of us DU'ers can appreciate ;-)

[blm]

1. Farrell is a GREAT writer.

Always hits the nail on the head.