The Googlization of Culture, doubleplusungood Options

[PalePhoenix]

Web search leader Google Inc. has applied for U.S. and international patents on technology to rank stories on its news site based on the quality of the news source, according to patent applications obtained by Reuters Thursday.

Apparently, now even rankings are up for grabs on ownership. When I mention "Googolization," I'm not just talking about the corporate entity, but an all-consuming monstrosity of our Information Age. When was the last time you saw all they were up to?

This post has been edited by PalePhoenix: Nov 17 2005, 09:24 PM

[Galahad]

Well, we know how the Prop 8 thing went down, but did you know the entire Internet was malware?

For about an hour on Saturday morning, Google listed every site on the Internet as malware.

After the initial problem was fixed, it took a couple of hours to iron out who actually was to blame--Google or a nonprofit known as StopBadware.org.

TechCrunch and CNET reported around 7 a.m. PST that every site found via Google search was flagged with this message: "This site may harm your computer." As part of Google's malware protection, clicking on a flagged site's link would pull up an additional warning. Although a link could simply be cut and paste, Google's warning was unnerving enough to keep some people from pushing their luck... (read more)

The world seems a little less secure if Google can get snagged like that. Then again, we have no idea how many people were looking for free porn on a Saturday morning.