Google 'Solve For X' Website Goes Live

alphadogg writes "Google on Monday released a website and video regarding its Solve for X project, which the company says is 'a place where the curious can go to hear and discuss radical technology ideas for solving global problems.' It's got a TED-like think tank feel to it, but possibly with oodles of Google resources behind it. It appears related to Google's up-to-now largely secretive Google X research lab that the New York Times recently shed some light on."

Comments

Priority #1:

[Anonymous Coward]

Figure out what the hell is on top of Donald Trump's head.

Re:Priority #1:

[Miseph]

The terrible truth is that the Thing on Trump's head is, in fact, Donald Trump. The grotesque fleshy appendage below, commonly believed to be his actual body, is really the partially consumed remains of a deformed orangutan. That Thing, as it were, is a partially-sentient trans-dimensional parasite, using its host for the purposes of locomotion, sustenance, and reproduction: which it accomplishes by implanting slug-like larvae into the ears of human hosts between the ages of 17 and 32. The larvae then gestate for approximately 23 years, using that time to invade the central nervous system, and at the moment of maturity seize full motor and sensory control from the victim, leaving their former host a helpless, but conscious witness to the atrocities their former bodies will then commit.

The day of reckoning will come, Trump shall rule this world, and his Glory shall build an Empire to span our universe. All shall know Him and tremble at his Might and Power. We shall be His eternal servants, in life His serfs, in death His sustenance. Those few deemed worthy may even be given the Great Honor of serving as Trump's Host for some years, until our flesh is no longer fit to carry His Magnificence and we are ceremoniously cast into the sun as tribute to our Master.

All Hail Trump.

Re:Priority #1:

[sam_nead]

Inner-lords, I think.

I finally get it

[should_be_linear]

Point of video is: "If you own Google stocks, sell".

Good Idea!

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like a good idea! How long til they pull the plug?

I'm surprised

[Anonymous Coward]

Google is going in the wrong direction with the science-fictiony robots. The future is in increased communications, more efficient use of physical resources and ultimately understanding and hacking the human brain.

Re:I'm surprised

[Johann Lau]

They lost me at "the dinner plate connected to social networking sites"

Yeah. To open the article with such stuff, and then think that the following "These are just a few of the dreams being chased" sounds awesome and epic, instead of the zenith of stupidity, well... to each their own.

Just take the space elevator, which they cite as another example (I guess that puts "plate that twitters what you eat" and "space evelator" on the same level if you will, another indicator of pure brain power)... apparently it's all just "open space up for private exploitation, after public subsidy opened the door" -- the video stops VERY short of simply putting it like that haha, it's amazing. Though it doesn't mention that spacefare in the first place we owe to war and many, many millions of dead people, but hey, who cares. It also doesn't point out that private property in space means police and ultimately military and space, but hey, who cares when you can ride the laser beam ^^

Me, I just wonder about one thing: if "getting into space" (to do what? "same shit on a wider canvas" of course) gets people so excited -- thinking of the music to the space elevator video here -- I *really* want to hear the music they have for solving corruption, the imbalance between poor and rich, and lack of drinkable water.

"Our generation will go to space", is that the battle cry of a total pathetic looser or what? You know, the generation that managed to be out of place on its own home planet, is going to sit around in space, with a digital watch, butt scratching and ad watching. I cannot fucking wait. Mind you, I love technology, I'm all for cheap solar satellites and research, and I'm all for going to space, too. But I still call pathetic, idiotic, shallow, spineless bullshit on all of this, just to be on the safe side.

Re:I'm surprised

[Johann Lau]

That'd be a typo/mistake actually :P But oh well, the fun is in the chase...while I had you, we were something very special, baby. And they cannot take that away from us!

Also, it's "misspelled". But you knew that.

So, the question everyone is asking is:

[Seumas]

The question everyone is probably asking themselves is "what countries is this censored in?".

Re:So, the question everyone is asking is:

[demonbug]

The question everyone is probably asking themselves is "what countries is this censored in?".

More to the point, "How can we leverage the massive potential of the internet to improve communication and erode the power of regimes built on fear and ignorance when even the most trusted tech companies seem eager to roll over for every authoritarian whim promulgated by a developing market?"

We need a new Bell Labs

[Biff Stu]

The beauty of the old Bell Labs was that to a certain extent, basic research was OK and appreciated. I couldn't imagine any corporate lab today producing anything close to the quality and quantity of fantastic work that came out of Bell Labs. Google certainly has the resources to do it, but the big question is would the shareholders appreciate the long-term value of such an asset?

Re:We need a new Bell Labs

[Anonymous Coward]

But Bell Labs wasn't a "corporate lab" in quite that since, since it was run by a company with a government-granted monopoly.

Re:We need a new Bell Labs

[TeTalon]

Well I would think that Google stock holders would be more concerned that Google does not pay out stock dividends. As far as long term value you can’t beat holding a lot of patents in your corporate portfolio. Also I can think of worse things to spend all their cash on.

Re:We need a new Bell Labs

[This is my user name]

Bell labs was only functional because the AT&T monopoly had quite a bit of cash to blow, and was, well, a monopoly. Google is a hairs breath away from that point, but still...

Re:We need a new Bell Labs

[__aaltlg1547]

There's no legal way to patent public research.

Re:Good luck with that...

[jpwilliams]

Penile enlargement is only "spam" for some ...

Don't neglect the little guy...

Google announces closing of Solver for X

[Anonymous Coward]

Google today announced the closure of the Solve for X website immediately. A Google spokesperson said the site had not obtained a "large enough marketshare to warrant its continued development" and that they "valued everyone's participation utp to this point." Google suggested Google+ as an alternative website where the discussion can be continued, and said that with their next projects they plan to announce the cancellations prior to launch to spare users any more inconvenience.

Re:Google announces closing of Solver for X

[Grishnakh]

Mod up!

This is pretty close to the truth. I can't count the number of Google projects where I never even heard about them until I saw an article on Slashdot announcing their closure.

X: How to reconcile privacy and internet use?

[Kyle]

A: Dismantle Google.

Re:fridge that can order food

[TaoPhoenix]

Just wait till they hook it so that they can give you more ads.

"You liked Fettucini Alfredo, did you know we also do Spicy Southwest Macaroni and Cheese?"

Yet another failure, like Wave?

[twoears]

Looks like a solution in search of a problem.

Re:fridge that can order food

[ColdWetDog]

I'm sorry Dave. I can't do that.

(Your supposed to be on a diet, remember?)

Re:Solve for X is already registered trademark

[PatDev]

That's not really how trademark works. Two different companies can use the same trademarks if they work in sufficiently different fields as to not lead to confusion.
Evidence:
http://www.delta.com/
http://www.deltafaucet.com/
http://www.deltamachinery.com/
http://www.deltadental.com/
http://www.delta.edu/
http://www.deltasociety.org/
http://www.deltacycle.com/
http://www.deltacreative.com/
http://www.deltacollege.edu/
http://www.deltastorage.com/
http://www.deltatargets.net/
http://www.madebydelta.com/
http://www.deltachildren.com/
http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/
http://www.deltamarine.com/
http://delta.ncsu.edu/
http://www.deltasrestaurant.com/
http://deltamotion.com/
http://www.deltaeducation.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910860/
http://www.deltapress.com/
http://www.deltatire.com/
http://www.deltarf.com/

On Google

[Tsiangkun]

Googles wants to make cars that drive themselves a reality; driving is a major distraction from the advertising they would like to present you. Google wants to make your fridge know what you eat; knowledge of diet lets them show you ads related to shopping you must do. Google wants to develop advertising into all aspects of life. I think I just solved for X.

solve for X

[MadMaverick9]

will this help me solve my problems with X Windows?

Lots of solutions already, they are just ignored

[Paul Fernhout]

In the video they asked for the cure for cancer, and it turns out most cancer can be prevented with adequate vitamin D, eating lots of vegetables, and avoiding some lifestyle risks.

Global warming can be dealt with by renewables and probably LENR (cold fusion) and if all else fails, Thorium power (but it is not clear it is all from fossil fuels as much may have come from topsoil destruction by poor farming practices, or that global warming is entirely a bad thing compared to delaying a next ice age).

Massive unemployment can be dealt with through a "basic income", an expanded gift economy, improved subsistence technologies like 3D printing and home gardening robots, and/or by better participatory planning at all levels of government.

The biggest issue Google, like the rest of us, needs to wrestle with is the one in my sig below -- the irony of technologies of abundance being used to fight over perceived scarcity, or worse, to create artificial scarcity.

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[russotto]

A large number of the "big" problems (hunger, poverty, homelessness, addiction, oppressive dictators, bad laws, etc) are social in nature. Technology will not help solve them.

Oh, I don't know; men like Browning and Kalishnikov have built technology which helps solve some of those issues. (naturally causing a few of their own)

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[ceoyoyo]

"You can't use technology to solve social problems." [citation needed]

Hunger, poverty, homelessness, oppressive dictators and bad laws are all a LOT better now than they were a hundred or two years ago, mostly because of technology: the printing press, reliable cheap lighting, mechanized agriculture, everything that went into the industrial revolution....

Now addiction, well, it's always been around, but it used to be pretty much the province of the rich. Nobody else could afford it. Now that we're all rich (yes, if the homeless guy can afford to enough cigs and booze to be addicted and still eat enough to stay alive he's rich), such vices are open to a lot more people.

No RSS feed.

[slasho81]

No RSS feed. Really, Google?