Else 3.24.14: “In front of us are two roads – which way are we going to go?”

Back in the saddle after missing a week of Else (sorry about that). The best stories from the past two weeks are below, and you’ll note a bit of TED, which ran last week, as well as a fair amount of Google, which is hard to avoid given the focus of this newsletter: If you’re going to cover “becoming data” it’s best you get used to hearing about Google.

Larry Page: Where’s Google going next? – TED

Page does not do public speaking events very often, both because of his voice condition, and because it’s just not who he is. But this TED conversation with Charlie Rose offers insights into Page’s thinking on a range of issues, in particular, on privacy, where he moved the needle, in my estimation.

Richard Ledgett: The NSA responds to Edward Snowden’s TED Talk – TED

Ledgett is the Deputy Director of the NSA. He is responding to Snowden’s much covered video conference with TED curator Chris Anderson.  It’s rare to have someone like Ledgett respond so quickly, it’s a worthy half hour, despite the predictable bromides.

Algorithms will do more and more of the thinking in the world – Gigaom

A video and short article, taking up the fact that decisioning by machines is simply winning for most complex markets, in particular finance and marketing. Featuring Quid founder and CTO Sean Gourley.

Quirky and GE cook up a smarter, prettier air conditioner  – Engadget

As I read about this “smart” AC from GE, I thought to myself  “Huh, now Google and GE are competing (via Google’s acquisition of Nest).” Interesting.

Thinking Out Loud: Potential Information – Searchblog

In which I muddle through an idea that’s been pulling at my brainstrings for quite some time.

The Rise of Anti-Capitalism – NYT

Jeremy Rifkin is back with an essay arguing that many information-based goods are approaching the cost of “free” – raising the question of whether capitalism will continue as we know it.

How Google Does Fundamental Research Without a Separate Research Lab –  MIT Technology Review

Step one: Tie research to actual product groups. Step Two: Bring in the academics, lots of them. Step Three: Add (piles of) money.

A Missing Jet in a World Where No One Gets Lost — Daily Intelligencer

A meditation on why the lost aircraft disturbs us so – in a world where data about our every move seems ubiquitous, how can something so “large” get lost?

The era of Facebook is an anomaly – The Verge

A profile of Microsoft researcher (and teen social expert) danah boyd, whose new book It’s Complicated recently came out.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee: World wide web needs bill of rights– BBC News

“It’s time for us to make a big communal decision,” says Berners-Lee. “In front of us are two roads – which way are we going to go?”