Google the future

[resonant]

A conservative, hawkish, and suspiciously clean-cut young man won the primary here for Republican candidate for Congress. Today as I was dreamily staring out the window, I saw a yard sign with his name on it, and I thought: "I should Google him to find out when he'll be propositioning a male undercover cop in a public restroom."

Like, for that split second, it seriously seemed completely plausible to me that it ought to be possible to Google for things that haven't happened yet.

I mean, think of the repercussions! If I GoogleFuture a book that hasn't been written yet and pass off parts of it as my own, is that plagiarism? If I GoogleFuture things I actually wrote (only not yet), could I find out what fandom I'll be in ten years from now?

If I GoogleFuture myself and find my obituary, would I be better off looking at the date or not?

Comments

[jelazakazone.livejournal.com]

What if you just write a book called GoogleFuture? I'd read it:)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

The spouse and I tried to work this out, but we couldn't think of anything that would happen. And the days when sci-fi stories could be "Introduce nifty technology. Show character using nifty technology. The end." are long gone.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

They could call it Foogle!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

There's already a Froogle for shopping. Or there used to be, anyway.

[maxinemayer.livejournal.com]

You slay me, girl! You make me laugh so hard!
Love, max

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

[maxinemayer.livejournal.com]

This should go into the new community on LJ called "overheardfandom" I believe. I'm just not sure how to get it there! Isiscolo, could you pass this along to "overheardfandom" - please. I mean, only if you agree it's quotable! Thanks!
Love, max

[witling.livejournal.com]

Uh, I actually wrote a story about this. Basically. Wow. Great minds!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Really? Cool! A fannish stor or a non-?

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

*mind reels*

If I GoogleFuture myself and find my obituary, would I be better off looking at the date or not?

Heh, now there's the question...

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I just thought, too, that you know how people have various cheats they use to try to improve their page's Google-ability? Link-farms and the like? Wonder if there's something similar you could do to affect your future?

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

Damn, wouldn't that be cool though!

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

ditto the suggestion that you write that book! What a great near-future SciFi thriller it would be! Your heroine could accidentally stumble onto the GoogleFuture beta, thinking it was regular Google, and hijinks could ensue....

(I'd definitely buy that book, but only if you wrote it...)

love your brain!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Now that could be interesting. First she goes to look up the weather, and she thinks somebody's just made a mistake, and then she goes to look up yesterday's winning lottery number but gets tomorrow's instead, and then she goes to look up, I don't know, a prominent presidential candidate, and discovers a bunch of sites about his assassination ...

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

You scared me with that last sentence.

Politician / undercover cop! Woohey!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Except that the politicians are all people I don't want to see get sexual satisfaction and/or find love!

Though -- wouldn't it be funny if some politician were caught in naked hijinks with an undercover cop, and instead of saying, "I didn't do it -- I thought he was a woman -- I was afraid he'd beat me up," he said, "Yes, but we're in love"?

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

But it needn't be about love! It can be powerfucking or I'm so stressed I need a shag-shagging or omg I'm humilated publicly and will lose the election (and thus ensueth a blackmail conspiracy fic) or, um.

[aebhel.livejournal.com]

I third the demand to WRITE THAT BOOK. That would be beyond awesome.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I just wish plots didn't elude me so firmly.

[raqs.livejournal.com]

SK points out that you can set Google to notify you as soon as "his name", "boy prostitute," or "undercover cop" hit the newsfeeds. but we agree, it would be neat if you could actually get Future hits (I think they'd be up at the top with Images and Maps.)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Google keeps track of which subjects get a lot of Google report requests? If somewhere back in the office they're going, "This fellow in Illinois must be up to something -- look at all these people who want to get reports of him getting arrested."

[raqs.livejournal.com]

you gotta HOPE they don't - since their motto is "don't be evil" - but since they essentially are, they probably do.

but then they could go and set the guy UP with a hopelessly attractive boy prostitute, thus CAUSING the future to happen - AS YOU REQUESTED IT TO!!

boy, google IS powerful.

[mz-bstone.livejournal.com]

Would future googling be Fugoo?

B