Google Buys Finnish Paper Mill

raffnix writes "Today, Finland-based paper group Stora Enso has announced that Google is buying the buildings and most of the Summa Mill site, where production of paper was ceased last month, for approximately 40 million Euros ($51.7 million). Obviously the space is most likely going to serve as a data center, which has now also been confirmed by Reuters."

Comments

Media has it Wrong

[AKAImBatman]

Google is buying the buildings and most of the Summa Mill site [...] the space is most likely going to serve as a data center

Shows what the media knows. Haven't they heard of GMail Paper? Here's the spiel from Google:

Everyone loves Gmail. But not everyone loves email, or the digital era. What ever happened to stamps, filing cabinets, and the mailman? Well, you asked for it, and it's here. We're bringing it back.

A New Button
Now in Gmail, you can request a physical copy of any message with the click of a button, and we'll send it to you in the mail.

Simplicity Squared
Google will print all messages instantly and prepare them for delivery. Allow 2-4 business days for a parcel to arrive via post.

Total Control
A stack of Gmail Paper arrives in a box at your doorstep, and it's yours to keep forever. You can read it, sort it, search it, touch it. Or even move it to the trash--the real trash. (Recycling is encouraged.)

Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe
Google takes privacy very seriously. But once your email is physically in your hands, it's as secure as you want to make it.

Is it free?
Yes. The cost of postage is offset with the help of relevant, targeted, unobtrusive advertisements, which will appear on the back of your Gmail Paper prints in red, bold, 36 pt Helvetica. No pop-ups, no flashy animations--these are physically impossible in the paper medium.

With Google's ad revenue suffering due to economic conditions, I imagine they need this new source of revenue very badly. For those who are curious, Wikipedia has a great article detailing the history of this new venture by Google.

Re:Media has it Wrong

[Anonymous Coward]

Phew... for a minute I thought the headline was a reference to google buying another Finnish paper mill called "Nokia" which owns the QT windowing system.

Re:Media has it Wrong

[slashdotmsiriv]

One of my favorite parts of the joke was the testimonial:

"Now that I have Gmail Paper, I understand the difference between labels and folders. I had one message with two labels, but when I tried to stick the paper version into two filing cabinets at the same time, it just wouldnâ(TM)t go."

Mayumi M., Associate

Data center? A likely story

[jollyreaper]

No, I see what Google's angle is. Get everybody using computers, move away from paper, and once nobody else is making paper suddenly Google will come out with the latest hot product only available on paper! And you have to have this product; nay, you need this product. You couldn't face your friends and family without it. This plan is so cunning, so clever, so devious, you could stick a tail on it and call it Karl Rove.

Re:Data center? A likely story

[Oidhche]

No, I think they're gonna print their own money.

Old News? Wrong Headline?

[dmomo]

I thought everyone new that due to the advent of Internet and Google (docs, mail, etc) *ALL* Paper Mills were Finnished.

Google Buys building.

[jellomizer]

wow.
A paper mill is just a big building. I use to work for a company where the building use to be an old saw mill. Heck the house I live in use to be a small Candy Factory.

Gmoney

[robert899]

They bought it to print their own currency. By the time it's up an running, the US dollar will be worthless due to inflation. Prudent business decision I must say :-)

Re:Its 2009 already!

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe that story got stuck in the firehose for 1 year.

Primatech

[Per Wigren]

Are you sure it wasn't Primatech they aquired? That would fit perfectly with their "Don't be evil" motto.

Mistake in headline:

[MadMidnightBomber]

Should be "Google to produce hardcopy of Internet"

Finnish Him!

[Saint Gerbil]

Doesn't sound like google they don't finnish anything half their products are still in beta!

its not good enough for google

[circletimessquare]

to merely put the newspaper industry's reason for existence into doubt

now google actually has to go out and confiscate newspapers' means of production and forcibly convert paper mills into data centers? talk about insult on top of injury

i think someone at google is taking this whole notion of the digital "revolution" a little too seriously, no? do they assassinate rupert murdoch and demolish the conde nast building next?

Re:Its 2009 already!

[Anonymous Coward]

I was wondering why 2008 felt much longer than 2007.

Re:The "Paper Mill" part is incidental

[gEvil (beta)]

Just be careful. A few weeks ago someone was telling me to watch out for the Niagaran Paper Mill scam.

Re:The "Paper Mill" part is incidental

[kqc7011]

And us yoopers could do just about anyting eh.