<<The building now known as the Googleplex was originally occupied by Silicon Graphics, Inc. and purchased by Google in June of 2006. ... Creativity was clearly a priority after Google took over � no expense was spared in designing the luxurious environment. The Google headquarters boasts two swimming pools, gourmet restaurants, game rooms, free laundry and salons complete with a masseuse � definitely not your average American office building.>>
Today, the Googleplex may be a technological world wonder, but will it last forever? Let's use a quote from Edward Gibbon from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire of 1776... for this thought experiment, we just have to replace "Rome" with "Google":
<<[T]he decline of Google was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay; the causes of destruction multiplied with the extent of conquest; and as soon as time or accident had removed the artificial supports, the stupendous fabric yielded to the pressure of its own weight.>>
On that note, if you want to get an impression of the Xerox PARC, the "Googleplex of the 70s" (sort of), give the book Dealers of Lightning a try. It's an interesting account of what happens when you get some of the smartest people on earth together to do some tech research. As opposed to Google, Xerox wasn't really successful in commercializing their ideas, though. (And if you want to go back even further in computing history, check out the interesting Where Wizards Stay Up Late... it tries to wrap up the history of the internet).
[Thanks Corey D.! Photo by Matt Pagel, CC-licensed.]
"好人夏洛特" 在Googleplex为Google成立8周年演奏.
Erick Jensen总结了科技世界的7大奇迹。名单的最顶端是Googleplex,也就是Google位于加利福尼亚Mountain View的总部。它在全世界衍生出很多复制品,它们都同样用彩色的物件和熔岩灯作为装饰,所有其它的东西看起来也都很好玩。Erick写道:
这个被称为Googleplex的建筑物原来是属于Silicon Graphics公司的,它于2006年六月被Google买了下来……Google接手后首先考虑的是创意――他们没有在设计豪华的环境上面有所花费。Google总部拥有两个游泳池、美食餐厅、游戏室、免费洗衣房和配备女按摩师的会所――它绝对不是一般的美国办公楼。
如今,Googleplex可能是一个科技世界的奇迹,但是它会保留到永远吗?让我们引用Edward Gibbon于1776年创作的《罗马帝国的衰落和消亡》里面的话……为了用思维试验一下,我们只需要把"罗马"换成"Google":
Google的衰落是过分的伟大造成的自然和不可避免的结果。繁荣孕育着腐朽;毁灭的力量由着征服与扩张而成倍增长;一旦时间和机缘把虚假的支撑消灭,这个庞大的建筑物会因为它自身的重量轰然倒地。
顺便提一句,如果你想要了解Xerox PARC,也就是"70年代的Googleplex"(差不多),那可去看看《闪电商人》。这可以让你看到如果你把全世界最聪明的一些人集中在一起做科研会发生什么事。和Google相反,Xerox在把他们的想法商业化上不是很成功。(如果你想回到电脑历史更早的时期,可以看看有趣的《在巫师熬夜的地方》……(它试着概括因特网的历史)。
[感谢Corey D.! Photo by Matt Pagel, CC-licensed.]
原文:The Seven Tech World Wonders
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