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Google Struggles To Give Away $10 Million
theodp writes "On Google's 10th Birthday in 2008, the search giant promised $10 million to the best five ideas for using technology to improve the world, through Project 10^100. CNN reports that while Google's intentions were good, of course, the company's follow-through leaves much to be desired. Google announced the cash prize contest in September 2008 and closed public voting on 16 finalists chosen from over 150,000 ideas in October 2009. Over eight months later, the company has yet to announce the winners. 'While genocide and other pressing problems relentlessly advance,' remarked contest finalist Daniel Meyerowitz to Wired.com, 'it would seem that Project 10^100 does not.'"
They can't find the winners?
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
Maybe Google just didn't think the ideas were good enough to meet the requirement of "using technology to improve the world."
interactive hologram, or it didn't happen.
Where are the 16 finalists listed at? I don't see them mentioned anywhere on the google site for this.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
I think the guy gets it right with the priorities in his quote by making a poor comparison:
Given that most of the major "pressing problems" (like genocide) can't easily be resolved with technology and need simple discussion and agreement, why not ditch the unimportant and stalled competition in favour of putting the money into the pressing problems?
'While genocide and other pressing problems relentlessly advance,' remarked contest finalist Daniel Meyerowitz to Wired.com, 'it would seem that Project 10^100 does not.' Project 10^100 is a problem? It seems to be -having- problems, but I don't think it's quite something we need to put a stop to.
After all, almost everything else they do goes through a length beta programme before it's ready; several years in the case of GMail. Why should we expect "Google 10^100 Winner Section Process (Beta)" to be any different?
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
I looked at the contest and at the time I was considering entering there was just too much of a lack of information. I found it insane that a company that huge running a "contest" with large sums of money involved had a rules/regs sheet that looked like "Dave in shipping" had typed it up. I had several good ideas (vetted by industry professionals) that I finally didn't enter because the "For additional questions send mail here" people never responded to any of my mails asking basic rule/regulation questions (most of the information a serious "inventor" would need was lacking in the 1 page rules sheet they offered. They may have updated by now but I got a bad vibe from this at the start. If you can't even set up the contest right, the followthrough is suspect from the start.
They had no information at all concerning simple questions such as:
"Winnings":
How are the prize winnings distributed (are they administered by google or payed out as services or cash or ? (it never said)
Intellectual property:
Is this (they typical)internet VC front where they dole out some prize and in exchange you get all rights to IP and any revenues/future development etc that come from it? The HP "Design our next computer" contest comes to mind. They outsourced years of R&D time to tens of thousands of people on the internet and gave away 1 laptop to 1 person for the privilege of working for them.
I mean,..at least the Tribecca film "Pitch a movie" contest has the decency to tell you in the rules and regulations that by "winning" you're signing your life away to them.
we can use the ancient servers flooding the world's (and my cmompany's)data centers to plug the hole in the gulf of mexico.
I have a fix for this along with:
genocide
hunger
crime
pollution
war
greed
stupidity
and almost everything else.
I call it the Dr. Strangelove solution, however I don't think the money will do any good afterwords. Don't worry the cockroaches will survive.
"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. " -Voltaire
'While genocide and other pressing problems relentlessly advance,' remarked contest finalist Daniel Meyerowitz to Wired.com, 'it would seem that Project 10^100 does not.'
Huh? The maggots growing in the disgusting bucket behind my garage are advancing through larval stage. What the fuck does that have to do with anything? Is this guy complaining? Noting? Does he mean "if so-and-so can progress toward the annihilation of a people, why can't Google just pick an entry?" Does he mean that the holdup is making the world a worse place? Does he think mass murder and delaying a contest are comparable?
Whale
Sorry. The contest is still in beta testing.
Maybe they have a tough time finding the winners because all the entries are so lame, they would feel beneath themselves to actually award a winner....??? If you have 1000 morons hand in their projects , do you still award a winner even if that would go below your normal standard of what average contest level should be??? Remember this is the same company that had billboards everywhere of an engineering problem where you had to answer the question in order to even get an interview...
Imagine the interest on $10million!
One of the most pressing needs of the planet is a cheap, plentiful, energy source that does not emit CO2 or produce nuclear waste. This is one problem that science and technology could solve (once they get fusion working
This isn't exactly a "prize". No one who submitted any of the ideas is the intended recipient of any of this money. Google's corporate board (re:advisory committee) will decide what to do with the money, and its going to places where the ideas can be implemented.
Just a couple of notes from the FAQ:
How many ideas are you funding?
We have committed $10 million to fund up to five ideas selected by our advisory board.
How will Google implement these ideas?
Once we've announced up to five ideas for funding, we'll begin the process of identifying the organization(s) that are in the best position to help implement the selected ideas.
How involved will Google be in the implementation of the ideas?
We didn't focus on ideas that Google would implement alone; instead, we looked for ideas whose implementation will required another organization's expertise or resources. These organizations will be the recipients of the funding grants.
Dang, I got an email just the other day saying I won this contest, but I threw it out because it was in all caps!
...come up with new and wonderful ideas to help the people of the world... I can start right away with a $250,000 Dollar advance...
-DML
* Encourage positive media depictions of engineers and scientists
* Enhance science and engineering education
* Make educational content available online for free
* Drive innovation in public transport
and.... *rolls 1d12*
My cousin asked me what I was studying in school, I decided to be vague in my response: "Engineering"
Her response?
"You're going to work on cars!?!"
Our theory on the thought process is... Hear: "Engine#@$@#$" Think: "Cars have engines!"
I don't think she's technically related by blood, so I don't think my children will be inflicted with the disease.
She could have *least* thought that I was going to drive trains.. alas..
They probably regret offering all that money. Now they realize how stupid everyone's ideas are and are delaying it, hoping SOMEONE will have a good idea that's actually feasible. They should've added "If we decide to use your idea, you will get the money" because now they're kinda stuck giving it to the "least bad" idea hehe.
My idea for anti-troll spray to use on internet forums goes unanswered, and to think that they LAUGHED at me at the Academy!
Who is Google supposed to give the money to? They had multiple people submit similar ideas. And what's to stop people from pocketing it, rather than use it to implement the idea?
Sounds like Google realized that they'd just be handing people a big ole check with no accountability for it.
Or was Google planning on implementing the ideas themselves?
...with an article title of "Google Struggles To Give Away $10 Million"? This would imply that Google is just itching to give away the money, but simply can't find anybody willing to bite on their offer.
Maybe a better title might be "Google Reconsiders Offer To Give Away $10 Million".
The pro-Google bias here is just astounding.
There's many well thought out ideas floating around at TED, why not just pick one of those?
Like this one http://www.ted.com/talks/willie_smits_restores_a_rainforest.html for example, real lasting results with practical amount of money.
I think at this point the Google shareholders just sit around and clap with glee every time google does anything.
"Going to war without the French is like going deer hunting without your accordion." ~General Norman Schwarzkopf
'While genocide and other pressing problems relentlessly advance,' remarked contest finalist Daniel Meyerowitz to Wired.com, 'it would seem that Project 10^100 does not.'
Wow. I love that quote. While it may be true and relevant, at face value, it's perfectly smug and smartass. I've gotta remember to use quotes like that in day-to-day life...
"While genocide and other pressing problems relentlessly advance, it would seem that my order at Taco Bob's does not."
"While the plans and schemes of terrorist organizations relentlessly advance, it would seem that this line at the DMV does not."
"While the oil spill in the gulf relentlessly advances, it would seem that, due in large part to the ladies nearby, my love life does not."
Demanding constant attention will only lead to attention.
How does this contest benefit Google shareholders? You know them, right? They're the folks that actually own the company?
If done right, 'improving the world' is excellent, unbeatable PR.
Besides the time for THAT choice was prior to launching the contest. Offering to do it and not following through has rather the opposite effect.
I believe the term is 'pot committed'. For bonus points, contrast that with 'sunk costs'. Tough choices, indeed.
Yeah, this whole thing was pretty useless except as advertisement for Google.
If the guys starting Google had relied on one of these grants, would they have received any money in time to make use of it?
There are plenty of companies, agencies and non-profits out there who manage to give out similar grants yearly. This isn't *that* hard to do.
It's a good PR campaign.
You don't just input money and people and voila! out comes good Science, automatically. Mostly you get fraud and junk and research jobs programs. At least it shows Google is looking for good Science, not just any Science.
Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
Here I thought we had some of the most brilliant people in the world and couldn't figure out why nobody could come up with an idea to stop the oil lead. If Google can't find someone with a brilliant idea to give $10mil to, maybe there isn't anyone smart enough to stop the leak.
With regards to this contest we are pleased to announce that... OOOH SHINY! Some other interesting new project to start which will not produce anything worthwhile or a new revenue stream! Let's go after it!
Time published a long "To Do" list from one of Edison's journals - things like finding a solution for the problem of the long distance telephone call decades before the invention of the vacuum tube.
An invention of that sort has a real and immediate impact.
It is commercially viable - and on paper at least - a realistic and obtainable goal for a late 19th century industrial lab.
Hungarian news portal made a parody video (in English) about the contest:
watch
I see my idea for "eliminating duplicate stories from /. by utilizing the built-in search functionality before publishing" didn't make the grade.
Reply to That ||
I feel like I've just been trolled by Google. This list reads like a who's-who of bullshit, feel-good ideas that have no real grounding in reality.
Google doesn't need ideas from the public; the public is generally pretty stupid (as proven by the "suggestions that inspired...") and far too influenced by Hollywood and the general media in terms of what they actually think computers are capable of doing.
What's really taken them so long is registering patents for all the good ideas. In a world where information and ideas are money Google has effectively gotten 150,000 people to come to them and hand over all their "e-value" without any form of return. Ten of them will get finanaced, look for Google to have heavy contractual ties to those companies and eventually a majority share in the ones that are expected to "monetise".
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
I believe you are 100% correct.
Posted to /. on 31DEC2008 by me (and also submitted to ted)
"Can Geeks and Nerds Help Prevent Genocide on Wednesday December 31, @06:07PM riondluz Comments: 0
Submitted by riondluz on Wednesday December 31, @06:07PM
"
s/Can Geeks and Nerds/How can Technology/ and I think it becomes equivalent;
e.g. small devices, crowdsourcing, etc....
10M would easily cover the basics and its perfect for what tech should
be able to achieve.
resist propaganda