Last fall, Google set aside $10 million and asked the public to submit ideas that could use the seed money to “change the world”. Google then spent a year narrowing the 150,000+ submitted entries down to a more manageable 16 basic ideas and are now putting those ideas up to a vote. The vote will help determine how the $10,000,000 will be spent.
Which idea would/did you vote for?
ETA: This was supposed to be a poll, but there are 16 ideas and a max of 10 poll options. In the interest of fairness, you can examine the options directly at Google’s site… then, of course, come back and talk about it here!
While I’ve always understood the cost to access educational content (papers and such), I always found it a bit counter productive to the whole. . . idea of education, I guess you’d say.
Make educational content available online for free
Most of the others are way too hippy-trippy and/or trendy for my tastes based on Google’s existing business models. It it would be great if they could provide all of them but I know they can’t so they need to stick with the type of thing they do best which is not international social activism.
However,
Build real-time, user-reported news service could be a really great idea too if it were well implemented.
OK, I am a tad pissed off about this.
I submitted my idea way back - I called it the Free World University.
I suggested they take courses that are already online at many universities, colleges and other schools and make them available for students around the world.
Furthermore, I suggested many of the YouTube instructional videos were appropriate and that a group of scholars could get together, decide the curriculum, perhaps offer on-line tutoring and, at the end of the courses, students could get real college degrees, for FREE. I envisioned teachers, engineers, medical staff and others filling needs both in Western countries, as well as Third World countries where a decent education is difficult to get, if not nearly impossible, for many dedicated students who simply cannot afford a higher education.
I went into even more depth.
Imagine how thrilled I was to see almost every idea I had being used in the Educational section - but apparently, mine was “too different” from the one they selected?
Yes, yes, yes - I know they say that if there are similar ideas, one should bask in the glory of being a part of the community and not worry about it - still, it is a bit annoying to think that my idea, almost word for word, is being voted upon. Do I think I was the only one to think it? Certainly not - but it seems it would have been more fair to put several names on an idea if it is not substantially different from the selected idea…I mean, $1 million split even 1000 ways would be more fair than simply picking one of the same ideas out of a hat.
At any rate, I voted for that idea, and sincerely hope it wins as, yes - I actually do care and would rather see it succeed (and bitch about my idea not being chosen) than see it fail.
Something similar was thought out in a book edited by Bjorn Lomborg, Global crises, Blobal Solutions, where they asked renowned scientists (mainly economists) to look at what would be the best way too spend 50 billion Dollars. If I remember correctly the economically best things do were fighting disease (malaria, aids, etc) in Africa and Education (in the poorer parts of the wordl).
Google’s not going to be working on them by itself. Its advisory board will choose up to 5 final projects and then pick corresponding organizations to fund. If something with merit is already happening, great – now they might get another $10 mil to help 'em.
$10 mil really isn’t that much, but hey, it’s a start. And maybe the Google-affiliated publicity will help some lesser-known organizations.