As my readers know, I've been one of Google's harshest critics. However, I'm also a firm believer that it's okay to criticize, as long as it's justifiable and fairly balanced with deserved praise. Hence, in this article, instead of criticizing, I will be saluting Google and several of its many accomplishments.
According to
dictionary,
definition of phenomenon is:
"A remarkable development or occurrence. A marvel. "
I think we would all agree that definition fits Google like a fine tailored suit.
In 1998, singer Janet Jackson was
biggest star on
planet. On September 7, 1998, Google Inc. opened its door in Menlo Park, California. The door came with a remote control, as it was attached to
garage of a friend who sublet space to
new corporation's staff of three. The office offered several big advantages, including a washer and dryer and a hot tub. It also provided a parking space for
first employee hired by
new company: Craig Silverstein, now Google's director of technology.
Already Google.com, still in beta, was answering 10,000 search queries each day. The press began to take notice of
upstart website with
relevant search results, and articles extolling Google appeared in USA TODAY and Le Monde. That December, PC Magazine named Google one of its Top 100 Web Sites and Search Engines for 1998. Google was moving up in
world.
The name "Google" is a play on
word "googol," which was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner, and was popularized in
book, "Mathematics and
Imagination" by Kasner and James Newman. It refers to
number represented by
numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros. Google's use of
term reflects
company's mission to organize
immense, seemingly infinite amount of information available on
web.
Anyway,
rest as they say is history, as Google continues to write its remarkable history with each amazing new achievement.
Let's detail a few of Google's more recent achievements:
Froogle
In December 2002, Google introduced a beta version of Froogle, a play on
word "frugal," a product search engine that enables users to search for millions of products across
web.