Google Power & Light [Googletopia]

Google Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google Inc., has been granted utility status by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

That's right. Google can now sell you electricity.

Why does Google want to do this? Right now, the company rakes in billions of dollars from ads and it doesn’t have to have extensive support desks and remote repair teams — the kind of people-power providers must have on staff — in order to do it. Selling power is a much more hands-on business.

Google has said it wants to go carbon neutral. With the FERC order, it can now effectively erect as many solar panels and install as many fuel cells as it likes without worrying about having purchased too much capacity; the company can now sell off the extra power it generates.

But more importantly, Google can now exploit its massive data centers to provide services for controlling power consumption in commercial buildings, industrial sites, and homes. It is largely a task that should be handed off to large computer rooms.

It was only a matter of time. Google's data centers use a ridiculou amount of energy, and its founders are strong green energy proponents. Now that they can become a self-sufficient power and data company, there is little stopping them from taking over the world.

With their commitment to green energy and efficiency, this may be a good thing, as long as they don't turn evil.

I personally look forward to the day when Google makes government obsolete.

[via TWig]

Google Censoring 'iPad' Image Search

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

Exhibit C.

In another shot in the battle between Google and Apple, Google appears to be censoring images of the iPad on its image search, as none appear on the first page of arguably the best image search available. Yahoo and Bing both display several iPad images on the first image search page.

Don't tell me this was an accident.

Google's Quest To Conquer the World

Step 1:  Make a Map.

Today, as soon as Google showed off its beta GPS navigator, the stocks of Garmin, TomTom and other companies in that industry fell into the toilet. It's hard to compete with free Google apps, but that's not why they're screwed...

TomTom owns Tele Atlas, who drives the roads of the world in order to make maps, and until recently was a major map provider for Google. Nokia owns the only major competitor, Navteq, who has also provided maps for Google. Look at Google Maps now, though, and you'll see that the entire US bears just one single copyright: Google's.

Street View wasn't just a neat way to get imagery to accompany the data already found in Google Maps. As it happens, it was a way to drive the same roads that were already in Google Maps, tracing them with Google's own road teams, and—through efficiency and brute force—do away with those costly map licenses. Google has mapped the US, and will surely map the rest of the world soon enough.

This is just a timely example of Google's monstrous growth, and the destruction it causes. Any business that trades in data or packages it for public consumption may one day face the same issues. It's not just whether or not to compete with the behemoth, but even whether or not to go into business with it. In either case, there is a chance of being destroyed.

Google entering a business is a good signal that it's time to pack it up and leave, or pray you get bought. As Google continues to conquer every facet of our lives. This blog is even served by Google.

I, for one, welcome our new nerdy overlords.

Best New Podcast

This Week in Google, with Leo Laporte (TWiT, Tech TV), Jeff Jarvis (Buzz Machine), and Gina Tripani (Lifehacker). If you are in any way interested in Google, technology, or the future of the Internet, this podcast's greatness will smack you in the face. I suffer a whimsical black eye every week from this podcast's analysis of Google's attempt to harness the power of the Internet.