We know that Google is all about taking weird, crazy, fun, and otherwise generally completely out there ideas and trying to turn them into something monumental. This is how Android got started, it was a small and unheard of platform in it’s infancy that many people thought would go nowhere. How could it possibly take over iOS or even reach a point where it was on par with the behemoth smartphone and it’s partnering OS platform? As stated by Larry Page at the TED conference this week, he felt guilty working on Android when Google purchased the mobile OS because it was small. He had the foresight to see past the little things though and ultimately knew it was an amazingly smart idea, and… look where it is now.
This was just one of the many topics that Google’s CEO spoke out about during his interview of sorts, along with the popular topic about the NSA and their data mining scandal, and of course the topic about self driving cars came up as Google is currently well under way into pursuing research and development over the self sufficient automobile. Lets stop on that particular one for just a second. Think about the self driving car and where this could potentially go. Who wouldn’t love to be the passenger once in a while as your self driving car transported you to work or where ever else you needed to go? Other mentions from Page danced around the idea of how Google could help cure diseases and better the overall health of humanity, even reaching out so far as to say he thought Google and their efforts could help save 100,000 lives annually. More on that, he specifies that as crazy as it sounds, what if we all provided our medical records to be researched by scientists to accomplish this goal of curing disease? Of course he elaborated that individuals could keep their anonymity while providing the actual raw data, which is what the scientists would actually study. Among all the issues people already have with larger companies like Google having so much information, this one idea about medical records will surely play on people’s privacy concerns, so it’s natural that people might feel extremely uneasy about it. But what if?
There were plenty of various other topics and conversations covered in the short but sweet 25 minute talk Page had at the TED conference, but among them the ones that seemed to resonate the most with individuals were mostly the same. Many people seemed to hover over his idea about anonymous medical record sharing, and the self driving car. Many of the things that Page had talked about might have been missed by anyone who didn’t view the talk while it happened, that is if it weren’t for the throngs of people quoting his comments via tweet. One tweet touches on the subject during his stint on the government and NSA spying, stating that it’s kind of sad that Google has to save you from the government. Another stated his quote about why we need self driving cars. It was straight to the point, saying that we need self driving cars because Los Angles is half parking lots. Another interesting but crazy idea goes into Google’s plan to use giant balloons as wireless hot spots to create a global mesh of internet connectivity, called Project Loon. This along with the most wild ideas are all what are being conducted in Google’s X-Lab, along with their research on a smart contact lens that could be used for medical purposes.
Most of what Page had to say at the talk was about various things Google was working on, and about different ideas they were researching. Some of those ideas might get him and Google flamed for their outward thinking, but people might soon realize that these ideas aren’t really so much outward as they are forward. Google is known by now for ideas like this. Page, along with Google, have a vision for building a better future and using innovative technological ideas to do so.
