Friday, January 27, 2006

Say it ain't so, Google!

I can't say I'm surprised about the Google turn of events in China, but I can say I'm disappointed. I hope it doesn't go as far as it has in Redmond, but all those Microsoft is evil people on the web should consider taking note of this behavior. It may not be Microsoft that's evil -- it's money grubbing in name of "good business" that should get the blame. From my distant perch, it looks like Google is heading down that same path. Sigh...

Here's an interesting blog about google removing the censorship section of google help:

Maybe Google should change their motto from "do no evil" to "do no evil in when it suits our business model."

Here's to hoping I'm wrong...

Comments:
Nice post from the Google flack -- sounds like typically tortured legalspeak. "Uh..yes, we're censoring people, but it's really OK because we don't *want* to censor them, and if we didn't do it, somebody else would censore them *more.*" Same argument could've been used to support slavery ("Uh..yes, slavery is wrong, but at least we treat the slaves nicely, and if someone else owned them they'd get treated *worse*) or any other appeasement to moral decay you desire.

Dress it up however you want: the bottom line is Google want to make more money, and if censoring people is what it takes, they're fine with that. I'm ashamed that they're Americans, and that they share this country with people who've fought and suffered for the right to free speech, the right that they're so quick to sell for a few bucks. I hope they choke on the money, the pathetic, money-grubbing cowards.
 
There is a dance called "East Coast Swing". Two partners move about in unison, with one leading and the other following. The basic step is rather simple: the lead (usually a man) takes a step to the left, a step to the right, then steps back with the left foot and quickly transfers weight to the right -- this last part is called a "rock-step".

Believe me, it's much easier done than said. The key idea to East Coast Swing is that by taking a rock-step you build tension between the two partners. The tension releases and both partners can go into a volley of moves: twirls, kicks, jumps, pushes, etc.

Without the rock-step there's no build up of tension. Without tension, there's not enough momentum between the two partners to make any significant moves. In effect, there's no dance. None.

You can choose to see Google as bowing out on one of its principles. But if we choose to see Google dancing East Coast Swing with China, they would be currently engaged in a rock-step. It's a tense moment that by itself looks like a step in the wrong direction: very much one step back. But in itself it holds promise.

If you want to teach people how to Swing, you teach them the rock-step. If you can't even get to the rock-step, how in blazes are you going to teach them anything else?

Sure, sometimes you have to take a step in opposite directions, but it is essential for moving forward. Certainly learning a few moves of East Coast Swing is better than not learning any at all.

I suppose that's a very long winded way of saying, "One step back, and two steps forward."
 
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