] There's an essay lurking in here, but I've been reluctant
] to write it. Here's what it would say. Up till now Google
] has done really well with the low-key,
] we-let-our-software-speak-for-us approach to public
] relations. But that method doesn't work now. People are
] confused about what Google is.

Ok. Good. I'm glad I saw this. I'm not nuts. Apparently, I'm also not the only one trying to wean myself off Google.

I really like Google. Its been my favorite search engine for years. And I had no problem being 100% dependent on it. The "we just do search" thing was a big deal to me. I guess, between that going away with the purchas of Pyra and the recent patent stuff.. I'm scared shitless.

I had to ask myself "the question".. If Google went away tommorow, how would I function? Answer, I wouldn't! It would be like sticking an ice pick right up through my eye socket into by brain and jiggling it around the frontal lobe. I'm that dependent on Google. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Hence, me being the way I am, I can't have that kinda dependency on a resource I'm starting to question. Its that simple. If I depend on it, I have to trust it. Otherwize, I have to have multiple options.

So, I guess it woke me up to one basic thing I already knew.. Its bad to be dependent on a single resource for a critical function. Have I stopped using Google? No, I still think Google is a rocking search engine. Am I using other search engines? Yep.

I have similar reasons for why I use Open Source toolsets.

Weaning off Google