When we boot up and get online we hardly notice that Google dispatches a cookie set to expire in 35 years. Then Google filters our reality, dictates our aesthetic, collates and catalogs our memories, chooses what information we mine. The Google experience becomes a collective Rorschach test, which shapes our worldview and affects who we are and what we will become. posted for discussion purposes only, don't shoot the messenger http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,67982,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5
"Well it is not as if we can't delete our cookies. " duh, what's a cookie? I'm guessing that you don't work with the general public. Ooops, I take that back, looking at your sig I see that you do. My bad. But, in our business (see sig) even a moderately computer literate user has very little idea of tracking cookies.
Its not like Google is the only one that uses cookies. Not to mention, I can think of a lot worse things then Google remebering the language you like when you search.
I actually find the article rather humorous. No doubt where the writer of that article stands on like / dislike / hate google scale. As a web marketer, you have to surf the trends and, at the moment, google has the biggest wave. In order to succeed online takes a bit of opportunism, and I for one, am taking advantage of the success (monopoly) google has now. Should that change in the future (and I am sure it will) I will survey the situation and the leaders in the field and decide what plan of action will ensure my survival online.
Who views google as a media company?? I don't think they "repurpose" or "repackage" pre-existing material either... unless linking to it qualifies. This article is a bit much... btw, who still reads Wired? =)
The first thing I did was check the date on the article. At first I figured doc was posting links to 5 year old articles.
If you found that interesting, pcdoc, you might want to read this too, courtesy of Crazy Daniel Brandt (aka Everyman): http://www.google-watch.org/ But be sure and read this first -- it will hjelp you put all the Brandt crap in perspective: http://www.google-watch-watch.org/
Stores your Google search preferences -- same as the cookies from most legitimate sites do. By the way, Brandt doesn't limit his paranoia to only Google any more. He now believes ALL search engines are out to get him: http://www.msn-watch.org/ and http://www.yahoo-watch.org/ Okay... the msn-watch one is a spoof by Aaron Wall