
Google has trained us all to think like marketers - extantproject
http://firewatching.com/ambient/2008/07/07/google-has-trained-us-all-to-think-like-marketers/
======
pg
_Think of all the really interesting and important things that this pool of
brainpower could be addressing._

Actually, though unsexy, making the global economy a little bit more efficient
probably does more to make people's lives better than dramatic things done
specifically to make people's lives better.

~~~
logjam
On the contrary. I think arguably the advances that have made people's lives
better over the last century have been collective, more centrally planned
efforts, _not_ driven by profit, and done in _spite_ of the attitudes of big
business and the market.

I am thinking specifically of public sanitation, public health works, winning
World War II (what a boost to the economy that was), public education; most,
if not all, beneficial scientific advances. Most technology "developed" by
business has been largely offshoots of collective efforts (eg NASA).

But come to think of it, most that was pretty damned unsexy too :).

~~~
eugenejen
I disagree. Just some counter examples in my mind.

1\. Mass production of automobiles. I don't think Henry Ford achieved this
goal without making profit on his mind.

2\. Birth of Personal computers. I don't see any government has interest to
put a computer in every household.

~~~
byrneseyeview
Although I agree with the main thesis, I must point out something that muddles
matters: if we hadn't had massively subsidized highways, cars would not have
been so ubiquitous in postwar America.

 _I_ happen to think that this supports the libertarian side, since a
government powerful enough to build something of that scope will be vulnerable
to lobbyists who want it to build something useful to their industry.

~~~
eugenejen
I agree the point of subsidised highway system encourages popularity of
automobiles in America.

This also means when government's involvement distorts the market mechanism,
the consequence of suburban sprawls, huge consumption of oil will creep in one
day. If the government did not try to build too many highways, maybe we will
not waste so much of natural resources, right?

------
rgrieselhuber
I’ve been observing the comments here and at my blog and I want to make it
clear that I’m not trying to draw the line between making money or saving the
world.

My point is that we’ve been conditioned somewhat to think that the only way to
build profitable businesses is as an advertising platform.

It’s less a question of revenue models and more a questioning of the types of
technology we build and a challenge to expand our horizons.

------
ChaitanyaSai
Pools of brainpower directed towards any task imply centralized planning. The
market's probably better at pricing what must be done.

P.J. O'Rourke has put this in more memorable words.
[http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-
orourke4-2008may04...](http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-
orourke4-2008may04,0,3597821,full.story)

~~~
pg
Units of a few thousand people are a lot higher res than central planning on a
national scale.

But I get your point. We're working hard on version 2.

