Google + NASA

I’m simply dazzled, by the fact that Google, has been absorbed by the government, and there’s no public uproar. A year ago, PC industry news sources were all in an uproar, about Googles software spying capabilities. That finally simmered down over the last year, and now that kind of talk is a thing of the past. Google, the worlds most advanced data searching & cataloging system, has been aquired by NASA. That’s right, the private sector, internet searching powerhouse has been absorbed by the Federal government.

”On Sept 28 Google announced a partnership with NASA which would involve Google building an R&D center at NASA's Ames Research Center. As reported by SearchEnginejournal.com, NASA and Google were said to be planning to work together on a variety of areas, including large-scale data management, massively distributed computing, bio-info-nano convergence, and encouragement of the entrepreneurial space industry. The new building would also include labs, offices, and housing for Google engineers. Google also has a partnership with Sun Microsystems to help share and distribute each other's technologies [19]. As part of the partnership Google will hire employees to help the open source office program OpenOffice.org.”.

What’s fascinating about this story, is that it hasn’t caused a public outcry about privacy concerns. Its bad enough, Google already has track record of privacy and security issues:

“Google Desktop Search might just be too good. Using the new software, I was able to bypass user names and passwords that secure Web-based e-mail programs and view personal messages sent and received on public PCs.
Using Google's new software on a shared computer at the Google booth at the Digital Life trade show floor I was able to easily search for, find, and read private Yahoo e-mail sent on the computer by previous users earlier in the day.”

Is Google Desktop a Privacy Threat?

Its important to note, the above articles were written, before the government takeover. It would be a hassle for hackers to use your GDS against you, and likely not worth it. This would be an entirely different case for the government; its likely that Google has already given The Man a nifty little tool, to cut the hassle.

Then theres their newer privacy risk, Web Accelerator:

Today (Nov. 11) they announced their newest tool, Google Personalized Search, which offers vast improvements over keeping track of your web searching:

http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=69113&cat_id=643

Those of you who don’t fully understand the functioning of Google’s tools, don’t freak out. Most of them are only a threat if they are installed, or if you’re signed up.

The main reasons for the NASA/Google merger: 1. Because they wont make it to the moon, due to miscalculated “tens of millions”. Actually, according to them, they are 4.5 billion over-budget, not tens of millions. 2. So web surfers can have access to “Apollo mission photos”, and other NASA content:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- NASA's inability to balance its checkbook by tens of millions could hurt the space agency's chances to return to the moon by 2018, federal auditors said.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- NASA needs about $5 billion more than previously budgeted to operate the space shuttle before the program ends in 2010, said the agency's director.

Do you really think that their moon goal could not be achieved, due to not owning Google? I think it’s a joke. With all of the computing technologies available, especially to NASA, I cant understand how they can’t manage their resources all of the sudden. Even if they cant, why couldn’t Google just come in as consultants, and build the software system to suit? That logic is pointless however, because they already stated their goal is to develop bio-info-nano computing technologies.