Google is a nucleus of sort. It’s the brain of the internet. It essentially is what makes up the world brain.
Google is the backbone of the world wide web, the magnifier of it absolutely in the utmost exponential way. What could be bigger than this?
GOOGLE – THE NUCLEUS OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB
The billions of lives that somehow interweave and intertwine to make up the mass world wide web with google have some link or connection to each and every facet of it.
Whether it be the simplest search and there are 3 billion searches that happen on google every single day or a business that relies on the mighty giant to drive in traffic and sales.
If we’ve got any sort of abode or even if we don’t we can bet unless we are in a very very remote and solitary place google earth has captured our house, street, roof, parameters of the property.
When we’re lost we turn to google? When we have a question we ask google? When we need a resource, a fact or figure we look to google. “Google it!” has become a popular catchphrase. And we can even count on google to solve our bets or resolve our arguments when we simply “google it.”
So what is exactly does Google have to do with the world brain?
Well, the giant launched an initiative years ago to digitize every book in existence. That’s about 130 million books that are known to exist. Perhaps there are a few that didn’t make that list for a myriad of reasons.
Now that’s a bigger number and a mighty project to tackle, but what mightier giant than google to tackle it?
HARVARD LIBRARY AND IT’S 17 MILLION VOLUMES
Google reached out to Harvard offering to digitize it’s nearly 17 million volumes for free. Harvard said yes. It’s altruistic after all to share your wealth.
Harvard did not have the capacity, ability, i.e. technology to do this on its own. The offer was far too tempting to refuse.
It’s called the Harvard Google project.
While they didn’t quite digitize all 17 million they were able to digitize a hefty body of work. Andover Harvard library was the first of the libraries at Harvard to digitize a mass amount of works. Bound volumes from the library, monographs, periodicals, reference works and anthologies were some of what was digitized with the help of google.
H. G. Wells’ – THE WORLD BRAIN
He was the creator of sci-fi, sci-fi fantasy, presenting us with ideas like time travel and outpace.
H.G. Wells had is own ideas of what make up the world brain – he prophecized a google like microcosm of knowledge that would essentially link us all together. This was more than google 50 years before it came to pass.
H.G. Wells’ World Brain is a collection of essays. The book details Wells’ vision of what he referred to as the World Brain. According to his vision that would be new, free, synthetic permanent “World Encyclopaedia.” This “World Brain” according to Wells would allow aid in everyone making the best use of universal resources. And a side note – this “World Brain” would also contribute in some way to world peace.
While Google does its fair share of good work in the world, altruistic work and donates millions to charity, World Peace might be a little far fetched even for a giant like Google. To check out some of Google’s philanthropic ventures click here.
It’s a bigger problem and will take some serious transformative understanding of war and peace, not to mention love of one another as a whole.
DIGITIZING EVERY SINGLE BOOK
Google has been up against a lot of heat. For starters the initiative was met by opposition to a 300 year old law, i.e. copyright.
It was alleging that google would be violating copyrighting laws in the process. However years later google was given the green light to continue by the courts stating it’s efforts to build a world library of sorts would not infringe upon these as google will be digitizing the entire book allowing people access all over the world to more than 130 million books. And the books would include it’s own copyright details and the book would be offered in it’s entirety not for profit or benefit by Google. It’s a mighty feat, but who’s bigger than google and who else other than google has the financial capacity and technology to take this on?
Google continues the mass undertaking of digitizing every book in the world.
Alternatively, I still prefer a good physical book I can feel, smell and touch. Nothing quite like reading the old school way.
For more inspiration check out this other post from the site.
