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Google

Tim’s Light Reading (3/24/2011)

1. Google and the Ongoing Commodification of Knowledge Nicholas Carr takes apart Google’s view of Western/world history by acting like an intellectual historian. In a Rough Type post from a few days ago, Carr questions the Google team, as represented in statements made by Google’s Chief Economist, Hal Varian, on its intellectual vision of knowledge—meaning how to search our increasingly digitized historical record to answer questions. Here are some excerpts and Carr’s punchline (bolds mine): History, in the Googley view, isn’t about what people do; it’s about what they output with the help of machines. Before 1700 you could see Read more