Google It

If you ask almost anyone around the world what Google is they, more often than not, will be able to tell you. Google has become a popular search engine worldwide because of its accurate and fast searches. From a personal perspective I don't know how I would have a survived a time without Google. That means I would have to hit the library to find something as simple as the capital of Germany. Google is one of the major search engines that I use to find information for school or just to fulfill my curiosities. Our class was asked to research Google just to see what they are all about. I actually googled Google (go figure) and found that the company is all about the users. They workers of Google try to find the fastest and most efficient way to to give information to people. I feel the best part of the Google company is that they rely on the feedback of the users to make the searches better. So essentially the more feedback people give, the better Google works for the rest of us. Google is even expanding its search to mobile phones so that people don't have to wait until they're sitting at a computer to search. The no pop-up aspect of the site is really important for someone like me, who gets fed up with pop-ups. All of their advertising is done with subtle ads that pertain to my search and may even help find what I am looking for. Google is definitely something that does not seem to be going anywhere for a long time.

Our class was also asked to predict what the future holds for Google in the next ten years. Honestly, I don't know what Google has in store because I can't imagine the searches being faster and more effective than they already are. But I think Google will have something greater in store for us as users that is free and easily accessible. I just hope it does not make us lazier researchers than we already are. What would be cool though is if Google bought literature from various books and we were able to access these books online for free, like a free online library. But who knows what the future holds for Google?

Acumen Fund

The Acumen Fund video by Seth Godin was not what I expected it to be. They did show a video of the "typical" poor people and tell us why we need to contribute. I really like the idea of giving people in third world countries the opportunity to stimulate their economies instead of us ( as Americans) truing to 'spoon-feed' them so to speak. We, as Americans, think we do so much when we travel to third world countries and give a bag of food and some clothes--not to say there's anything wrong with that, however it is better for the locals to help their own countries for the long run. The video was very straightforward in acknowledging what needs to happen in these developing countries so that they can move forward.

The challenge that Godin presented to the college students was another aspect that caught mt attention. It is true that many college students have a set course in mind and usually don't deviate from their path. I thought it was interesting that he acknowledged, that in order for change to occur, we ( college students) need to step out of the area that we feel the most comfortable in. And in doing so we are going to fail. This is a big issue for me because I am in my career path hoping that I wont fail because I feel comfortable in my field. me, and many other college students are afraid to make the decision for change because it will bring a lot of failures and obstacles that may not be overcome until years later. when I think about all the positive changes that are effecting the world today, I imagine that someone had to take the first step to failure in order to succeed. The Acumen Fund is definitely one of those out of the box, yet obvious projects that should have been started a long time ago. Change lies in the hands of those who are willing to take advantage of an opportunity and do something out of the ordinary. The main question that looms in my mind from this video is what would happen if I decided to step outside of the box and do something that was never attempted before? Do I have the power to start a change? Its scary how much potential is wasted because people do not seize the opportunity.