Comments on: WWGD? – The scientific solution to the world’s problems http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/24/wwgd-the-scientific-solution-to-the-worlds-problems/ by Jeff Jarvis Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:40:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: links for 2009-02-24 « Brain Music –Gadgets, Neuroscience, Music, Social Media, Health 2.0 & More http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/24/wwgd-the-scientific-solution-to-the-worlds-problems/#comment-391016 links for 2009-02-24 « Brain Music –Gadgets, Neuroscience, Music, Social Media, Health 2.0 & More Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:08:56 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4258#comment-391016 [...] WWGD? - The scientific solution to the world’s problems « BuzzMachine (tags: google) [...] [...] WWGD? – The scientific solution to the world’s problems « BuzzMachine (tags: google) [...]

]]> By: Daniel Tunkelang http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/24/wwgd-the-scientific-solution-to-the-worlds-problems/#comment-391012 Daniel Tunkelang Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:29:30 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4258#comment-391012 It's interesting to see what happens when Google tries to run things outside their domain of expertise, where you can't just make things free by getting advertisers to pay. The most publicized case that comes to mind was their fumble on employee day care. True to your words, they tried to "create and manage abundance rather than control scarcity". Only they discovered that top-quality day care was actually expensive, and then they found themselves managing scarcity again. As everyone knows the free lunch at Google is for employees and their guests. For the rest of us, we can't just wish ourselves bread and circuses. Juvenal may be too long dead to be Googley, but he knew a thing or two about the art of the possible. I'd love for Google's or anyone else's quests to solve the world's problems to succeed. The PowerMeter project is clever. But from there to "Google Power & Light"? Go easy on that kool-aid. :-) It’s interesting to see what happens when Google tries to run things outside their domain of expertise, where you can’t just make things free by getting advertisers to pay. The most publicized case that comes to mind was their fumble on employee day care. True to your words, they tried to “create and manage abundance rather than control scarcity”. Only they discovered that top-quality day care was actually expensive, and then they found themselves managing scarcity again.

As everyone knows the free lunch at Google is for employees and their guests. For the rest of us, we can’t just wish ourselves bread and circuses. Juvenal may be too long dead to be Googley, but he knew a thing or two about the art of the possible. I’d love for Google’s or anyone else’s quests to solve the world’s problems to succeed. The PowerMeter project is clever. But from there to “Google Power & Light”? Go easy on that kool-aid. :-)

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