the.world.is.flat-第38节

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pretty　dark。　In　another　corner　is　a　screen　that　shows　a　sample　of　what　things　people　
are　searching　for　at　that　moment；　all　over　the　world。　When　I　was　there　in　2001；　I　
asked　my　hosts　what　had　been　the　most　frequent　searches　lately。　One；　of　course；　was　
〃sex；〃　a　perennial　favorite　of　Googlers。　
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Another　was　〃God。〃　Lots　of　people　searching　for　Him　or　Her。　A　third　was　〃jobs〃…you　
can't　find　enough　of　those。　And　the　fourth　most　searched　item　around　the　time　of　my　
visit？　I　didn't　know　whether　to　laugh　or　cry：　〃professional　wrestling。〃　The　weirdest　
one；　though；　is　the　Google　recipe　book；　where　people　just　open　their　refrigerators；　
see　what　ingredients　are　inside；　type　three　of　them　into　Google；　and　see　what　recipes　
come　up！　
Fortunately；　no　single　word　or　subject　accounts　for　more　than　1　or　2　percent　of　all　
Google　searches　at　any　given　time；　so　no　one　should　get　too　worried　about　the　fate　
of　humanity　on　the　basis　of　Google's　top　search　items　on　any　particular　day。　Indeed；　
it　is　the　remarkable　diversity　of　searches　going　on　via　Google；　in　so　many　different　
tongues；　that　makes　the　Google　search　engine　（and　search　engines　in　general）　such　
huge　flatteners。　Never　before　in　the　history　of　the　planet　have　so　many　people…on　
their　own…had　the　ability　to　find　so　much　information　about　so　many　things　and　about　
so　many　other　people。　
Said　Google　cofounder　Russian…born　Sergey　Brin；　〃If　someone　has　broadband；　dial…up；　
or　access　to　an　Internet　cafe；　whether　a　kid　in　Cambodia；　the　university　professor；　
or　me　who　runs　this　search　engine；　all　have　the　same　basic　access　to　overall　research　
information　that　anyone　has。　It　is　a　total　equalizer。　This　is　very　different　than　
how　I　grew　up。　My　best　access　was　some　library；　and　it　did　not　have　all　that　much　
stuff；　and　you　either　had　to　hope　for　a　miracle　or　search　for　something　very　simple　
or　something　very　recent。〃　When　Google　came　along；　he　added；　suddenly　that　kid　had　
〃universal　access〃　to　the　information　in　libraries　all　over　the　world。　
That　is　certainly　Google's　goal…to　make　easily　available　all　the　world's　knowledge　
in　every　language。　And　Google　hopes　that　in　time；　with　a　PalmPilot　or　a　cell　phone；　
everyone　everywhere　will　be　able　to　carry　around　access　to　all　the　world's　knowledge　
in　their　pockets。　〃Everything〃　and　〃everyone〃　are　key　words　that　you　hear　around　
Google　all　the　time。　Indeed；　the　official　Google　history　carried　on　its　home　page　
notes　that　the　name　〃Google〃　is　a　play　on　the　word　〃'googol；'　which　is　the　number　
represented　by　the　numeral　1　followed　by　100　zeros。　Google's　use　of　the　term　reflects　
the　company's　mission　to　organize　the　immense；　seemingly　infinite　amount　of　
information　available　on　the　
153　
Web；〃　just　for　you。　What　Google's　success　reflects　is　how　much　people　are　interested　
in　having　just　that…all　the　world's　knowledge　at　their　fingertips。　There　is　no　bigger　
flattener　than　the　idea　of　making　all　the　world's　knowledge；　or　even　just　a　big　chunk　


of　it；　available　to　anyone　and　everyone；　anytime；　anywhere。　
〃We　do　discriminate　only　to　the　degree　that　if　you　can't　use　a　computer　or　don't　have　
access　to　one；　you　can't　use　Google；　but　other　than　that；　if　you　can　type；　you　can　
use　Google；〃　said　Google　CEO　Eric　Schmidt。　And　surely　if　the　flattening　of　the　world　
means　anything；　he　added；　it　means　that　〃there　is　no　discrimination　in　accessing　
knowledge。　Google　is　now　searchable　in　one　hundred　languages；　and　every　time　we　find　
another　we　increase　it。　Let's　imagine　a　group　with　a　Google　iPod　one　day　and　you　can　
tell　it　to　search　by　voice…that　would　take　care　of　people　who　can't　use　a　computer…and　
then　＇Google　access＇　just　becomes　about　the　rate　at　which　we　can　get　cheap　devices　
into　people's　hands。〃　
How　does　searching　fit　into　the　concept　of　collaboration？　I　call　it　〃in…forming。〃　
In…forming　is　the　individual's　personal　analog　to　open…sourcing；　outsourcing；　
insourcing；　supply…chaining；　and　offshoring。　Informing　is　the　ability　to　build　and　
deploy　your　own　personal　supply　chain…a　supply　chain　of　information；　knowledge；　and　
entertainment。　In…forming　is　about　self…collaboration…becoming　your　own　
self…directed　and　self…empowered　researcher；　editor；　and　selector　of　entertainment；　
without　having　togo　to　the　library　or　the　movie　theater　or　through　network　television。　
In…forming　is　searching　for　knowledge。　It　is　about　seeking　like…minded　people　and　
communities。　Google's　phenomenal　global　popularity；　which　has　spurred　Yahoo！　and　
Microsoft　（through　its　new　MSN　Search）　also　to　make　power　searching　and　in…forming　
prominent　features　of　their　Web　sites；　shows　how　hungry　people　are　for　this　form　of　
collaboration。　Google　is　now　processing　roughly　one　billion　searches　per　day；　up　from　
150　million　just　three　years　ago。　
The　easier　and　more　accurate　searching　becomes；　added　Larry　Page；　Google's　other　
cofounder；　the　more　global　Google's　user　base　becomes；　and　the　more　powerful　a　
flattener　it　becomes。　Every　day　more　and　more　people　are　able　to　in…form　themselves　
in　their　own　language。　Today；　said　

Page；　〃only　a　third　of　our　searches　are　U。S。…based；　and　less　than　half　are　in　English。〃　
Moreover；　he　added；　〃as　people　are　searching　for　more　obscure　things；　people　are　
publishing　more　obscure　things；〃　which　drives　the　flattening　effect　of　in…forming　
even　more。　All　the　major　search　engines　have　also　recently　added　the　capability　for　
users　to　search　not　only　the　Web　for　information　but　also　their　own　computer's　hard　
drive　for　words　or　data　or　e…mail　they　know　is　in　there　somewhere　but　have　forgotten　
where。　When　you　can　search　your　own　memory　more　efficiently；　that　is　really　in…forming。　
In　late2004；　Google　announced　plans　toscan　the　entire　contents　of　both　the　University　
of　Michigan　and　Stanford　University　Libraries；　making　tens　of　thousands　of　books　
available　and　searchable　online。　
In　the　earliest　days　of　search　engines；　people　were　amazed　and　delighted　to　stumble　
across　the　information　they　sought；　eureka　moments　were　unexpected　surprises；　said　
Yahool's　cofounder　Jerry　Yang。　〃Today　their　attitudes　are　much　more　presumptive。　They　
presume　that　the　information　they're　looking　for　is　certainly　available　and　that　it's　
just　a　matter　of　technologists　making　it　easier　to　get　to；　and　in　fewer　keystrokes；〃　
he　said。　〃The　democratization　of　information　is　having　a　profound　impact　on　society。　


Today's　consumers　are　much　more　efficient…they　can　find　information；　products；　
services；　faster　＇through　search　engines＇　than　through　traditional　means。　They　are　
better　informed　about　issues　related　to　work；　health；　leisure；　etc。　Small　towns　are　
no　longer　disadvantaged　relative　to　those　with　better　access　to　information。　And　
people　have　the　ability　to　bebetter　connected　to　things　that　interest　them；　toquickly　
and　easily　become　experts　in　given　subjects　and　to　connect　with　others　who　share　their　
interests。〃　
Google's　founders　understood　that　by　the　late　1990s　hundreds　of　thousands　of　Web　pages　
were　being　added　to　the　Internet　each　day；　and　that　existing　search　engines；　which　
tended　to　search　for　keywords；　could　not　keep　pace。　Brin　and　Page；　who　met　as　Stanford　
University　graduate　students　in　computer　science　in　1995；　developed　a　mathematical　
formula　that　ranked　a　Web　page　by　how　many　other　Web　pages　were　linked　to　it；　on　the　
assumption　that　the　more　people　linked　to　a　certain　page；　the　more　important　the　page。　
The　key　breakthrough　that　enabled　

Google　to　become　first　among　search　engines　was　its　ability　to　combine　its　PageRank　
technology　with　an　analysis　of　page　content；　which　determines　which　pages　are　most　
relevant　tothe　specific　search　being　conducted。　Even　though　Google　entered　the　market　
after　other　major　search　players；　its　answers　were　seen　by　people　as　more　accurate　
and　relevant　to　what　they　were　looking　for。　The　fact　that　one　search　engine　was　just　
a　little　better　than　the　others　led　a　tidal　wave　of　people　to　switch　to　it。　（Google　
now　employs　scores　of　mathematicians　working　on　its　search　algorithms；　in　an　effort　
to　always　keep　them　one　step　more　relevant　than　the　competition。）　
For　some　reason；　said　Brin；　〃people　underestimated　the　importance　of　finding　
information；　as　opposed　to　other　things　you　would　do　online。　If　you　are　searching　
for　something　like　a　health　issue；　you　really　want　to　know；　in　some　cases　it　is　a　
life…and…death　matter。　We　have　people　who　search　Google　for　heart…attack　symptoms　
and　then　call　nine…one…one。〃　But　sometimes　you　really　want　to　in…form　yourself　about　
something　much　simpler。　
When　I　was　in　Beijing　in　June　2004；　I　was　riding　the　elevator　down　one　morning　with　
my　wife；　Ann；　and　sixteen…year…old　daughter；　Natalie；　who　was　carrying　a　fistful　of　
postcards　written　to　her　friends。　Ann　said　to　her；　〃Did　you　bring　their　addresses　
along？〃　Natalie　looked　at　her　as　if　she　were　positively　nineteenth…century。　〃No；〃　
she　said；　with　that　you…are…so…out…of…it…Mom　tone　of　voice。　〃I　just　Googled　their　
phone　numbers；　and　their　home　addresses　came　up。〃　
Address　book？　You　dummy；　Mom。　
All　that　Natalie　was　doing　was　in…forming；　using　Google　in　a　way　that　I　had　no　idea　
was　even　possible。　Meanwhile；　though；　she　al