Time Machine

Here is a testament to the power of music:

I was sitting in the truck at the A's game, waiting.

I decide to play Sweet Honey in the Rock's song 'Ode to the International Debt'. Which i hadn't listened to in a while. Suddenly tears are streaming down my face. I am transported back in time...I had forgotten Edie and I had gone to see Sweet Honey in the Rock at Zellerbach over 10 years ago. Earlier that same day I had hugged my Dad in the hospital knowing he was going to die. I had never cried so much at a concert before or since.  Wow, i got caught off guard.

We are powerless to the evocative power of music to reconnect us with both good and bad memories.

Two Ideas for the Google Suggestion Box

The Google Unifier.

Google’s mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful. What knowledge is more meaningful than the knowledge of the world’s sacred texts?

The Google Unifier would be a cross-searchable database of the world’s sacred texts. Let’s say you were interested in ‘good versus evil’, you could do a search and pertinent quotes, and/or links would come up showing relevant world wide sacred texts about this topic. It is an opportunity to show common threads across the major religions/philosophies of this planet.

My vision is to have it moderated by knowledgeable people. But there would also be a ‘wiki’ component where people could comment and discuss themes and threads.

Here is Google’s chance to be the antioxidant to the world’s infotoxins.

And/Or…..

G.U.S.D = Google Unified School District.

Let’s have Google’s deep pockets and tradition for innovation/ risk taking try its hand at the most important problem facing our current society; schools. It could be a school district swimming in technology yet grounded in the experience of seasoned teachers and administrators. Perhaps admission could be on a lottery so that a cross section of socioeconomic kids can be served.

They couldn’t do any worse than the fiasco that is modern education.