larry

No evidence of NSA's 'direct access' to tech companies

Update, June 8 at 2:45 p.m. PT: In response to outcry over PRISM, the U.S. director of national intelligence has released some details. Among other things, he says the government "does not unilaterally obtain information from the servers of U.S. electronic communication service providers" and that PRISM-related activities are conducted "under court supervision." More here.

The National Security Agency has not obtained direct access to the systems of Apple, Google, Facebook, and other major Internet companies, CNET has learned.

Recent reports in The Washington Post and The Guardian claimed a classified program … Read more

Google: America's third political party

Congress is a dog that won't go for a walk.

We can tug at its leash as hard as we want, but it sits in the middle of the sidewalk, barking a defiant "no." It's not a purposeful no. It's just a refusal for the sake of it, couched in principle.

Then along comes America's most ambitious politician.

No, it's not Paul Ryan or Elizabeth Warren. It's Larry Page.

The man who is Google stood at last week's I/O 2013 conference and made his own types believe that he was … Read more

Larry Page's reality distortion field

Larry Page is turned off by treating his life's work as a kind of sporting competition. In his way of thinking, battles over Android vs. iOS or Google+ vs. Facebook are a petty distractions, glorified in the press. They generate negative energy, which leads to a diminished capacity to innovate and focus on moonshots, such as self-driving cars, that have the potential to change the world.

"Every story I read about Google is us versus some other company or some stupid thing," the Google co-founder and CEO told 6,000 developers at Google I/O in his … Read more

At Google I/O, Larry Page preaches a tech fantasia

SAN FRANCISCO -- Larry Page spoke softly from the stage at the Moscone Center West on Wednesday morning, but the carrot he dangled in front of developers was accompanied by the big stick he brandished against his competition.

Page let his company do the heavy lifting of going after rivals with major product updates. Changes to Google+ aimed aggressive shots at Facebook and Skype. An overhaul to Google Maps pushed it far beyond what the nearest competition from Bing can bring. Meanwhile, the new streaming music service Google Music All Access served up scorching features that could undermine the very … Read more

Google I/O: What we didn't get

The Google I/O keynote for 2013 is here and gone, but not without a fight; at nearly 4 hours, it was enough to challenge even the most rapt attention span.

Yet, Google I/O's central keynote event had precious little of the things we dreamed of and even downright expected. Instead, all most of us can seem to discuss is what we didn't get. Well, for starters:

No new Android OS: Despite a preshow rumor that Android Jelly Bean 4.3 would be unveiled, there wasn't any news. No Android 5.0, not even Android 4.… Read more

Larry Page disses Microsoft for 'milking' Google for its own benefit

Larry Page thinks the tech industry should work together. In his remarks at Google I/O, he said "us versus them" industry competition creates negativity that impedes overall progress in the industry. "Every story I read about Google is us versus some other company or some stupid thing," he said. "Being negative is not how we make progress. The most important things are not zero sum. There is a lot of opportunity out there."

Page singled out Microsoft for criticism, noting that the company recently gave its Outlook.com users the ability to log … Read more

How the voice-controlled future will change education forever

Last week, my son lost all the research he had done for his first science fair project. (Topic: Can Fossils Form in Igneous Rock?) Extreme drama ensued, and ultimately, I ended up typing his dictation for him as he Googled frantically to meet his deadline.

If you've ever worked with a nine-year-old on a big project, you know that unless your child is a prodigy, the process often dissolves into tears of frustration.

As a parent or adviser, you need to teach a child to think critically, understand basic concepts of measurement (Should we measure the temperature at which … Read more

Larry Page's festival of disses at Google I/O

Larry Page may have officially just assumed the title of bizarro Steve Jobs.

Page wrapped up the kick-off address at Google I/O Wednesday not with a slick sales pitch or "one more thing," but with some pretty inspiring talk about the role of technology in creating a better world, mixed with a laundry list of companies and institutions that make him sad.

Speaking softly due to a medical condition that Page revealed earlier has afflicted him for many years, the Google CEO ended the three-hour-plus keynote not quite with a bang, but with an unprecedented question-and-answer session punctuated with many a jab.

Here then, are the highlights of what might be Larry Page's first annual festival of disses:… Read more

Google's Page wants a tech Burning Man

Google CEO Larry Page wants a tech version of the Burning Man temporary community and art event.

Page, speaking Wednesday at the Google I/O developers conference, said that societal laws and regulations aren't changing enough to keep up with advancements in technology, and there aren't mechanisms that allow for experimentation. Because of that, he would like a small part of the world outside of normal society where people can experiment and try new things.

"There are many, many exciting and important things we can do but we can't do because they're illegal or not … Read more

Google CEO Page: Glass production numbers TBD

When it comes to Google Glass, it's a brave new future loaded with possibilities for Larry Page. But Google's chief executive told attendees at the company's big developer confab Wednesday that it was still too early to gauge consumers' reaction once the products go on sale.

"I don't know what the production numbers will be," Page said during a Q&A session following nearly three hours of presentations at the company's the annual developer conference in San Francisco. He described Glass as "a new category" with no parallel to existing … Read more