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Google Determined To Provide Joymaker Infrastructure
In his excellent 1965 novel The Age of the Pussyfoot, science fiction writer Frederik Pohl wrote about a future society in which every social interaction is mediated by the joymaker, a scepter-shaped device that surely constitutes the ultimate PDA. The wireless joymaker made use of an amazing back-end computer infrastructure to make appointments, find out new things for you to do, get you jobs and keep you on top of your world.
Now Google is determined to provide us with the computer information architecture to make this possible.
(The Googleplex in Mountain View)
Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, wants the company to encompass not just book-based information, but your personal information as well. He says:
“The goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask the question such as ‘What shall I do tomorrow?’ and ‘What job shall I take?’ ”
To this end, Google is relaunching iGoogle, a personalized Google search page with user-related content. Google's personalized search lets users give Google permission to store their web-surfing history to create search result pages that contain more of what you are looking for.
The company is also working on Google Recommendations - a service that the company hopes will give users personalized suggestions based on their established preferences.
For tips on future services, Google would do well to consider the feature set of Pohl's fictional joymaker. Filling out an interests profile makes sure that the joymaker can help you find what you need among the endless possibilities available.
Online Employability Profile Testing makes sure that you can find the job you want, and helps employers find you - just like Google wants to do.
The answers made no more sense than the questions; tardily he realized that the joymaker was undoubtedly monitoring his nervous system and learning more from the impulses that raced through his brain than from his words, anyway......the joymaker was talking.
"Your profile, Man Forrester, indicates relatively high employability in personal-service and advocative categories.
(Read more about Online Employability Profile Testing)
Google isn't the only one who wants to bring the Joymaker and its services to life:
- Web Services Wizard And Frederik Pohl's Joymaker
One of the people working to make that happen in Charles Petrie, senior research scientist in the Stanford Logic Group. - Cellular Phone Robot And iPhone - Joymaker Wannabes
The Cellular Phone Robot has 12 micro-nozzles to emit odors that are intended to identify the caller... - Rity - Sobot Longs To Be Near You
Rity - a software robot (or "sobot") - can transfer itself from one computer to another to serve his masters.
From Google's Goal: To organize your daily life. Thanks to Zac Hunter for pushing me into writing the story.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 5/24/2007)
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I might also be thinking of K-9 from Doctor Who.
