Google and religion

Although I’ve never read about google‘s philosophy page and didn’t know about the company, I understood that google is a great company think about user first of all. They always seek the way to improve its service. Today, I would like to focus on 7 and 8 of ten things we know to be true.

7. There’s always more information out there. 


Once we’d indexed more of the HTML pages on the Internet than any other search service, our engineers turned their attention to information that was not as readily accessible. Sometimes it was just a matter of integrating new databases into search, such as adding a phone number and address lookup and a business directory. Other efforts required a bit more creativity, like adding the ability to search news archives, patents, academic journals, billions of images and millions of books. And our researchers continue looking into ways to bring all the world’s information to people seeking answers.

8. The need for information crosses all borders. 
Our company was founded in California, but our mission is to facilitate access to information for the entire world, and in every language. To that end, we have offices in more than 60 countries, maintain more than 180 Internet domains, and serve more than half of our results to people living outside the United States. We offer Google’s search interface in more than 130 languages, offer people the ability to restrict results to content written in their own language, and aim to provide the rest of our applications and products in as many languages and accessible formats as possible. Using our translation tools, people can discover content written on the other side of the world in languages they don’t speak. With these tools and the help of volunteer translators, we have been able to greatly improve both the variety and quality of services we can offer in even the most far–flung corners of the globe.

As you see it, you can look it up a ton of information by using google search, the search results are organized. We can see various information, for example, journals and theses. In addition, user can know more accurate information, because google has a lot of offices in many countries. By using google, they can know more about the thing what they want to know before I could not get . In other words, the amount of information people gets increase and people can think it from objective perspective.

In the view of religion, people get more opportunities to know about other religious views. Before that people only could get religious views from limited communities, for example their family, friends and church. In my case, I  had few chance to think about religion,because I and other people around me had no religion. That is why, people's view tended to fixed.

 However, Google made us possible to know about it from all over the world.  In short, Goole made our thinking more flexible. 

In addition, people can know much more about religious problems. We can get them timely even though we are in far place from it happens. We can’t indifferent to other religions and religious problems.  

iPad and an electronic book

We discussed about an iPad and learned that iPad is the product between mobile phone (iPhone) and personal computer (Macintosh)  in the class . Today I would like to think about what we can do with a tablet.

First, this is one of the iPad’s CM in Japan. As you see, you can do a lot of things through applications and softs. A iPad can be used for playing game, reading and making documents. An iPhone can fit in your pocket and be carried easily, and is  good for communicating with others like a mobile phone. However, it is not suited for making documents and reading, because the screen is too small. A personal computer is difficult to carry, so it is inconvenient to bring along. On the other hand, a tablet is versatile, because a tablet is thin and light and has big screen. You can use it at home or while away for home.  Also you can customize as you like. In other words, a tablet expresses your personality. For example, If you like cooking, you would download some cooking applications. When someone see your iPad, he/she knows that you like cooking. 

 

  I think a tablet has some attractive qualities. One of them is an electronic book, because a tablet is useful for getting electronic books.  You can enjoy reading anywhere by using tablet, because you don’t need to mind about the weight of the book. In my case, now I'm in US, it is very difficult to get Japanese book in print. However, If I had a tablet, I could read Japanese books. 

Although electronic books are useful, at the same time, they can change the way to connect with others.

At first, If you have a tablet and use an electronic book, you needn’t go to bookstores, because you can can buy your book online. On the other words, the process you get a book was changed. An electronic book doesn’t need printing makers, book designers and bookstore, people work at these company become unnecessary. 

Also, an electronic book is not a " thing"and you cannot share books with others. For example,  If you borrow a book to a friend, you can talk and share your impression about it face-to-face. By sharing a book, you might be a good friend after that. The connections through books were changed and disappear by everyone using an electronic book.

 On the other hand, new connections and communities form between people use by spread electronic books and the Internet. One of the good examples is social reading. If you use social reading sites, like COPIA, you can post and share your ideas of the books and connect with a large number of the general public. Although an electronic book looks like a private thing, it is possible to make new types of communities  and connections if you can use resources on the Internet.

As I said, a tablet can do various things and has great possibility. By finding and using good applications for you,  your life will be more convenient and comfortable. 

Apple Products

I clearly remember when I saw the Apple store on TV for the first time. This is because Apple stores are in the city, I thought I had no chance to go at that time. In the book, it was written that Jobs considered the Apple store. The store was really stylish and huge. I felt that Apple was cool. After the Apple store iPod was on the market and succeeded, Apple advanced some markets,such as music industry and publish markets.

Why could one company, Apple, affect various markets and become one of the succeeded companies?

Apple could succeed at branding and promoting the image that apple products had originality. All Apple products are named “i~”. It expresses they are Apple products. In addition, Jobs made an effort to develop products that are “simple” and easy to use for the user. For example they invented iPhone and iPad, which has a multi-touch screen and does’t have a power button.

His idea about the design was consistent throughout his life. For example, in the book, it is written that “He［Jobs］’s always believed that thin is beautiful”.  He was looking for perfection. As a result, a lot of people have an image that Apple products are cool and refined. People get these images by possessing them. Moreover, I think these products are regarded as one of the tools to raise peoples’ worth.

As a result of his thoroughgoing policy, Apple could differentiate from other companies and became one of the most successful companies.

Digital products and communication

   When you have spare time, what do you do? Read books? Play game? It is said the way to spend spare time has become changed especially in young people, these days.  One of the biggest reasons for this change is the diversification of digital content. Now, we lead a life surrounded by a lot of technology products, and we cannot imagine the world without them. According to Marc Prensky[1], our generation is called “digital natives”. The meaning of digital native is a generation lives in the Internet environment and grew up with personal computers.

   We can use digital products well and use them as part of our daily life. By the spread of digital products and contents, the ways to entertain our free time has increased. Most digital products and contents are personal things. People use them by themselves. By using them, personalization is advanced. It seems that the opportunities to interact with people face-to-face is decreasing. On the other hand, we get involved with many people on screen. For example, although Internet sites look inorganic,  they are made by people. In addition, we can communicate with people who cannot meet face-to-face by using SNS and online chat. In short, we have more opportunities to communicate more people than before. I think the situation is very interesting.

   

    However, at the same time, this situation causes some problems. For example, the amount of time talking face-to-face with others is decreasing. Some people are becoming not able to write write kanji, which is a kind of Japanese characters. That t has many kinds and some of them are complicated. This is because people are used to typing and don’t write by hand.  

We have to understand risks and use digital products effectively.

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[1] Prensky, Marc. "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants." On the Horizon 9.5 (2001): n. pag. Print.

http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/prensky%20-%20digital%20natives,%20digital%20immigrants%20-%20part1.pdf