30 Days w/o Googling it: Day 18

The world is very small and technology has made it even smaller. Innovation has never stopped us from making new discoveries atop the many accomplishments we've made thus far. but over the past couple of days, I've been to libraries, meet-up discussions, and presentations, all leading up to one thing... There is no guardrail to protect us and guide us to effectively use all this new technology.

We all have the same amount of hours in the day as the great Leonardo Da Vinci, Shakespeare and even Oprah. Why havent we accomplished as great of an accolade as those who didnt have the technological pathways we have now when they 1st started? All these things were suppose to make our lives easier and free up all the mental space that could be used on other things like more studying, self-awareness/improvement, or building better personal relationships. Instead we have just given out all our needed data for computers to process. The sad part is, its not like its an overwhelming amount of data. Dont believe me? Turn off your smartphone; now tell me how many numbers you know by heart. Myself included, its a little embarrassing. We're all not CEO's, Doctors, Lawyers, or even College Professors, so what are we using our brains for?

"When's the last time you went to the library or bookstore? Internet scholarship can only take you so far." a friend

We've forgotten how to multi-task, time management is a struggle and even dating has become digital due the lack of face-to-face, in comparison to face-to-screen. I'd hate to have to video chat for the rest of my life but by the looks of it may come to that. (So every comestically challenged person is screwed) no one wants to look at a ugly phone, more so a ugly person. (so dont raise the nose at me) I believe that instead of breaking down walls, we've built them up. Increasing our xenophobia and superficial characteristics to the point where we have all become very predictable statistics.

The problem isnt websites like Google and Facebook, its how we use them and who uses them and their collected data/statistics of us to interact or avoid us. (If you know what SEO and BCC is then you understand) but there may be a light at the end of this tunnel vision... Allow me to introduce WATSON

Watson, the IBM super computer that was on Jeopardy this past week, is the...well... idk. To IBM and other intellectuals see Watson as the future for processing multiple megatons of data in matter of seconds for the medicine and other thing. I saw Watson on jeopardy and was impressed, then horrified, then questioned "what if learns how to NOT shut down?". It was a great achievement to see Watson beat Jeopardy's record breaking champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. In short, Watson Won a 3day battle effortlessly, IBM gave the money to charity and now you Can Play Watson in online game to see how he Plays Jeopardy--> HERE . (Mind you, Watson has gotten some answers incorrect)

I cant get into the specifics of how Waston works but IBM has made some great videos to explain.

After the recent win of Watson, here comes GOOGLE... some ask

Could Google Play Jeopardy Like IBM’s Watson? well...it's in the works. Watson already knows how to play jeopardy, speak common english, understands slang/context clues and reasons with confidence (percentage) of his answers. Now if Google figures out a way to out play Watson... say hello Sky-Net, Matrix, i-Robot...sheeeeit even Wall-E!! *side eye*

yeah I said it, think about it...better yet Google it

30 Days w/o Googling it: Half way There!

Valentines Day just passed and I spent it like no other V-day of my past. So while others were celebrating the commercialized hallmark holiday of Ego-boosting Females and financial manipulative men, I was reading the news on how Google wants help you further your love life.

Allow me to introduce "GOOGLE WEDDINGS" (seriously!)

Google weddings makes it easy to customize and edit your wedding website to fit your event and share the information you want. Tell people your engagement story and wedding details using one of the custom designs. Once you find the style that works best for you, jump in, start creating and share with your fiance(e) so you can work on it together.

Now you can share and plan your love story with google. Its almost as if they are saying "if it didnt get posted online, it never happened". So with that being said, What other memories must we digitize to make sure it is never forgotten? Allow me to also introduce to you "Google Holocaust".

According to a NYT article, Israeli Archive and Google Team Up to Put Holocaust Stories at Fingertips. .... (check it out)

Well, I know what youre thinking... "how does someone who is trying to avoid Googling finding out all this Google info?" ... Well, lets just say that it takes alot of attention to ignore someone or something. It all sticks out like a thumb and I'm not pointing any fingers but *points to self* Some people need the reality check to get in touch with the "offline world". We cant just sit around and wait to be acknowledged in order to feel the need to be proactive and learn from the everyday. I've even impressed myself and beat a long time fear of mine. I went to the Library and got a Library card.

When I was in 3rd grade, I use to LOVE the library until I moved one day before returning a poetry book. I always read that little sign in the back that said "10 cent a day late fee" and you know the rest, I plea the fifth. Do you want to know the best part of when I went to the New York Public Library? While staring at an array of books, people and computers with index logs to business journals, there was this fellow at the PC and what was on his Screen... the Damned Google Homepage. Seriously, who googles in a library ( and the business and fashion library at that)

I highly doubt that he asked the librarian: Where are books on Restaurants? LIBRARIAN: Google it!

14 more days to Go. (Sidenote, I havent asked jeeves, yahoo, bing, or any search engine...its just that google is the Official "I-Dont-Know-Dot-Com".

30 Days w/o Googling it: Day 11

"11 Days have passed and I dont think Imma make it"

Those words will be the last thing that I'll say because I didn't begin this journey blindly. I made sure I got all the News apps and E-Subscriptions to blogs and News sites. I even have been turning this into my own independent study but I've often found my self saying "Crap I cant google it?!". Its almost as if apart of my brain is reserved just for Googling questions. So I've made a list of all the things in the past couple of days that I would have googled.

Things I stopped myself from Googling

• Is there a medical condition that makes your face look like Botox Gone wrong?
• J Walter Thomas?
• Super Bowl Ads
• Google Goggles
• Applied entropy
• How much rubber do you accidentally ingest at Chipotle?
• Who's black lady on Saturday night live? and...
• Pictures of Luxury

Then it hit me. Where is the Priority of my need for this information? Everything has become so on demand; the only importance is that I want what I want NOW.

Companies know this, but they wont make you none the wiser if they can Capitalize off of your internet dependence. In the recent my research I found that (according to Quantcast) The TOP 3 internet Websites are

1st		google.com
2nd		facebook.com
3rd		youtube.com

Did you Know :

YouTube: 91.5 Million Visitors Per Month
Largest demographic is 18 - 34 (35%)
Next largest: 35 - 49 (24%)
Third largest: 13 - 17 (19%)

Flickr: A top photo-sharing site: 2 Million Visitors
Largest demographic:

Wikipedia: 76 Million Vistors

GOOGLE:

146 Million (Per Quantcast)

Most visited site in America

And Im not even getting in to the money that's being made. But if you really want to know how big this REALLY is, Nokia and Microsoft have teamed up (made an actual pact) to take on Google and Apple. You see, they've projected that 3/4th of America in the next 3 yrs will have a mobile device, that means more money and more information they have to collect to stay relevant and connected to YOU. So...They stress the importance of Social Media (to connect and collect data).

Now, I've been using twitter to Network with all sorts of people and its NOT powered by Google...BUT according to the article I read "Are Google and Facebook trying to buy Twitter?" it might happen.

Maybe the folks from my last post were right, I cant run. But I will HIDE in the Library.

Maybe, this is all for nothing, or maybe I need to get laid? IDK Google it.

30 Days w/o Googling it: Week 1 down

So...what happened to me in my 1st week without googling my answers? I can honestly say, my awareness has come up a little more.

Along the way I've been having very interesting conversations ie; Google powers over 60% of all search engines on websites, Google is suing bing for copying their search results, and the mixed feelings Walmart is giving New Yorkers. All random info that sprung from conversations with people. Since I am not searching online for the answers, I was more intrigued.

The US and NY local news media doesnt give you all the up-to-date news until it is already a problem. Google would be a great place to find more breaking news but I forgot how many activist friends I had; while I was online, they were in the streets handing out pamphlets. I learned about the certain details about the problems in Cairo. For a few days they shut down the internet (no fb or twitter access) and shut down blackberry service. I asked myself what if they shut down internet in the US and how would they do that?

So far all the problems that I've run into are not as a result of not using Google. Half of the anwsers that i wanted to search for were of pure laziness. I caught myself asking: what the website for UPS? and Whats the number for Dominoes?... shameful. But if we could pull up half the things people google, my walk of shame wouldn't be so lonely. however, a lot of people have told me that they cannot live without Google, they admit they wish that they didnt rely on. A few even think that Google is "inescapable" and "slowly taking over the world".

With rockmail, google goggles, etc... they just might buy Disney soon. ( 2012??)

Whatever.

The Rules still apply. I'll still use my twitter feed, news feed apps and peer-to-peer conversations but just wont google anything or use any web generated answers.

Final thoughts: Am I taking myself out of the Digital box or putting myself into a primitive one? Google it.