WHERE'S GOOGLE GOING NEXT? - Technology, Entertainment and Design. TED is one of my favorite Kindle apps because it provides a quick and easy way to download TED TALKS to view "off-line", when you don't have access to the internet. Today on the treadmill I was watching a fascinating interview of Larry Page, CEO of Google. I like his first name and the way he thinks.
During the interview a video was shown of a guy riding his bike (over rough terrain) to a village in Africa, where he routinely visits a café with internet access. The guy collects information from the web and takes it back to share with his village. Larry's response, "What's wrong with this picture? Why can't the guy have internet in his hut, or ride his bike above the terrain?"
Larry is now working on a project that uses balloons to provide Internet access to remote parts of the world, Page said, “we can build a world-wide mesh of balloons to cover the whole planet.”
Oh, by the way, about easy bike access to the café. Larry is working on a project that allows people to ride their bikes up in the air, above the rough terrain. See the entire interview by clicking HERE
I was also listening to a Philip Yancey interview today. He said, "Helmut Thielicke observed that the greatest weakness of American Christians is their inadequate theology of suffering. We get spoiled by our comforts. Our entire culture revolves around entertainment. We move from air-conditioned and heated automobiles into similarly climate-controlled buildings. We take more prescription medicines than the rest of the world combined.
As I travel, I’ve concluded, quite simply, that “God goes where he’s wanted.” God never forces himself on a person or a nation. If a society gets comfortable and loses interest in faith, the Spirit quietly moves on. Some cities have 500 cable television stations available; we have many distractions that make the average church service seem boring by contrast. Meanwhile, peasants in China, villagers in the Philippines and Brazil and much of Africa find hope and comfort in the promises of the Gospel, both for this life and for the next.
Sorry about the rant. This stuff just got me wondering how much pain I am willing to experience in order to create constructive change. More posts later today.
Navigating through this retirement thing. Sharing my life, thoughts, struggles; and moments in between.
This interview discusses several specific things, but what impresses me are the basic assumptions that I believe Mr. Page makes. He seems to see basic information and communication as paramount and above the specifics. That pure creativity and its application is the true goal, i.e. the transistor from the 50s. The concept brings with it a requirement for freedom of action and thought. I would think that many in the business community would be terrified of these concepts. They are trained to create higher business efficiency and not the radical change in thought that Google and others are advocating. I am 65 and I speak from personal experience that efficiency helps but does not move our society forward in the long run. The discussion is not about business models or products, it is about a way of thinking and the embracing of change to create a better world. It will require that we as individuals have the courage to change our individual lives.
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