Google gains clearance to buy and sell energy, continue taking over the world
By Darren Murph 
posted February 19th 2010 8:02PM
posted February 19th 2010 8:02PM
What Google wants, it largely gets. Need some proof of that? Fret not, as we've got plenty right here. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) just granted the internet behemoth authority to "buy and sell electricity in bulk like any other utility." As of now, it doesn't look like Google is jonesing to take on your local power provider, but rather to open up more avenues for acquiring power for its own good. Company spokeswoman Niki Fenwick noted that this filing was made so Google could have "more flexibility in procuring power for Google's own operations, including our data centers." That quote lines up with what we heard when this initiative was proposed just over a month ago, but considering that it's dabbling in the ISP business (and pretty much anything else it wants to), we wouldn't put it past 'em.
IT'S THE UMBRELLA CORPORATION!!!!
@fillup lol playing Resident evil 5 now
They should call it "Google Enron", because that's what it is.
Now if only they'd focus more on making a better mobile phone than a half bake cake.
my google phone is going to run on google electricity, my google netbook will use google internet service on its google browser. and you know what? im ok with it.
i love you, big brother google.
The Google is a virtual 'world' for the minds of people whose bodies serve as a power supply for the Machines. The machines specifically use the bioelectricity and thermal energy of their bodies as an energy source.
The Google has a "neuro-interactive" interface which means that information is directly fed to the human brain where the environment the Google creates is perceived through the five senses of a person resulting into a flawless illusion indistinguishable from reality for people connected to it.
It is made up of the majority of the human race excluding the Resistance. The Google can also be considered a prison for the human race. The humans' minds are kept inside the Google all of their lives while their bodies have been grown in endless fields of pods on vertical columns that serve as 'batteries' for the Machines.
They live out their lives in this virtual reality as they would've around the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. The time period was chosen because it is supposedly the pinnacle of human civilization.
Some speculate that the "Real World", wherein Humans live underground and surface to battle the inhabitants of the machine world, is itself merely a top-level Google. This would explain why Neo suddenly possesses telekinesis and clairvoyance.
@TFNN I'm ok with that. Just keep me in the google, don't wake me up.
ENRON!
when does Google change its name to Cyberdyne?
Sign me up for the Google Quad Play. I want the 299.99 Plan please :)
Gigabit Internet, Phone, IPTV, Electricity.
Google is funny to watch. I love their free products like everyone else. However, it's entering every market imaginable, regardless if it makes sense for them. When the one trick search engine pony is beaten by someone else, all this nonsense will disappear quickly.
@usa1 What market have they entered that doesn't make sense for them?
OS Industry
1) Bring about an open source operating system that users can contribute to freely and expand upon
2) Promote other OS companies to open up their hardware/software which will allow more innovation
ISP Industry
1) Promote an open internet (VERY important)
2) Build out their backbone while being able to recoup the costs even faster by offering internet service to consumers
3) Build up a recurring revenue source to sustain the company
Energy Industry
1) Buy energy *at wholesale prices* for the MASSIVE amounts of electricity they consume with their data centers
2) Maybe use the massive amounts of electricity they use as leverage to be able to ask the big guys to go with alternative energies (solar, wind, etc)
3) Experiment with alternative energy sources
TISP Industry **
1) Make it easier to deploy a worldwide fiber network without having to bury fiber to every home
** http://www.google.com/tisp/
Until Google shows bad behavior i will continue to support them. People being concerned with their aggressiveness i def understand why they would think crazy thoughts. To my knowledge they haven't.
Go Google! Go!
So is Google going to be Skynet, the Matrix, or the Rossum Corporation? Rossum seems to fit best...maybe I'll be like Alpha...all 100 of me ^^;
Its extremely sad to see so much potential go wasted on stupid CEO's that don't grasp the significance of the resources they are currently sitting on. Unfortunately when somebody grasps what *people* want, and they are willing to try and give it to them rather than say "thats not what we do", "its too hard", or "wtf is that????" Its bound to happen. It is google that has the clout available and the will to dive into it right now. Its the power companies and the phone companies own fault for leaving huge nitches open by trying to regulate the playing field and price gouge. Do bad business and somebody is going to sneak on in and steal all of it from you. Thats all Google is doing, just wish more companies had the money to do it with them so it wasn't all one company. Or you know, the people who already own all of it would be welcomed to the 90's and just do it themselves.
Can they please make "redesign" their next step? If we all have to live in a google world then at least make it not look like a child designed it.
Google have always been "The Smartest Guys in the Room".
I can see them buying Red Bull, Starbucks and Running shoes next.
Bad news everyone!
Google now has the power to be entirely self sufficient - turning them into an unstoppable force. All we need now is for Eric Schmidt to turn into an evil heinous villain, and we basically have the makings of the Nazi Party.
Until they buy general mills and I can buy some Google Os cereal I don't care about this.
google underwear anyone?
I named my dog Goggle, its taken over my house and pissed on my iphone.
Google is good at selling free products. So if they can come up with free energy.....
It's easy to sell free. Imagine if the nexus one were free.
Google world coming soon!
Google world just went to beta testing... to stay there forever
This is actually a pretty scary thought!
Remember me Google, when you go into your kingdom !
Google is gonna bring PowerLine ISP into the mainstream.
Really...really no one has said it?
Okay here it go...
I for one welcome our Google Overlords.
So Google's a Utility now?
Next, Google Station, and soon after than, Google Ad Sponsored Free Parking.
And then... "Go directly to Jail, do not pass GOogle, do not collect $200."