Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

Chris Sacca is head of Google's Special Initiatives.

There are about 5 million terabytes of info in the world and google has collected about 170T so far.

Chris talks about global access by which means plug and play simplicity of access. "I'd like to see a bunch of little networks" that are interoperable. Google is not the one to build those networks. He'd also like to see more devices. No one company can do it all.

So, how can Google help, he asks. 1. Build location-based apps that users want. This increases demand for and value of ubituitous wifi. 2. Make more money for network operators. E.g., if Google search knew where you are... 3. Convince others.

Chris talks about the free network they're building in Mountainview. They're using mesh, which means you don't have to connect each of the lamp post radios to the Net. Mountainview is 11.5 sq miles; they're installing 300+. One Mbps access will be free to anyone.

They have annonced that they will treat all packets as created equal.

Q: What about privacy?
A: We've invested a lot in privacy. We take it very very seriously.

Q: (Phil Wolff) Anything new on your China policy?
A: Sergei's parents left an repressive regime to come to the US. The last thing he wants to do is endorse a similar institution. For years, they've debated what to do about China. I don't even know if the decision is fixed or fluid. But we look at from the point of the Chinese user experience. It was bad because they'd get returns that were dead ends and they'd think Google is broken. So, we tried to balance it...

Q: Have you thought about mobilizing your user base to lobby Congress?
A: We haven't even marketed our own services to our user basis.

Q: Will there be open access for other ISP to your Mountainview network, including interoperability with other meshing devices?
A: I've opted for the simplest model. I haven't built any of that into MV. It'd take a whole other set of tools.