back to article Google unleashes 'Solve for X' confabs to save the world

Internet giant Google is once more trying to save the world, this time with its TED-rip-off "Solve for X" project. The Chocolate Factory has launched the project after the first invite-only gathering of minds, which pulled techies and boffins together to talk about "moonshots", ie, wildly ambitious projects to solve world …

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  1. Blofeld's Cat
    Coat

    Don't Panic

    Someone had a plan to save the planet from politicians, bureaucrats and IP lawyers .

    If I remember correctly, we build three huge spaceships, let's call them the 'A', 'B' and 'C' Arks...

    RIP Douglas Adams

  2. fiddley
    FAIL

    Caution:- Google are being childish

    This site won't load in IE, or so it seems, but lo, press F12, go to Tools -> Change User Agent String - > Google Chrome. Return to page and press refresh, suddenly eveything works.

  3. Rich_Herds_Cats
    Thumb Down

    ORLY?

    No problem with IE here...

    1. fiddley
      Stop

      YARLY.

      Same results on several fully patched IE9 workstations Win 7 Pro / Ultimate on four unrelated networks. don't know what kind of trickery you're pulling: chromeframe, IE8, missing patches? Seen it reported elsewhere as well.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I was about...

    ... to post something flippant, silly, rude even - cynic that I am.

    Then I thought for a bit longer, looked at the website and figured - "this is a GOOD idea"

    Who cares if it's akin to another idea, isn't that what good ideas are about, basing themselves on other ideas?

    Google has to find *something* to do with their vast wealth and if it's funding projects which could make for a better world, who but a megalomaniac hell-bent on global destruction would deny them that desire?

    Hmm, lets just hope they don't end up backing an evil genius ...

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I predict another google flop

    Any remember google's attempt at a wikipedia? I can't even remember the name of it. They tried to coin some cool new term for a unit of data or something. This is more of the same...

  6. Crazy Operations Guy

    Just like TED?

    Sounds like Google is going full Hipster then, caring only about attention and not actually doing something.

    I went to a TED conference some years ago. I went expecting a bunch of scientists discussing interesting theories and technologies they are working on. I was wrong, very wrong. What I found was a bunch of self-important coffee-shop activists discussing how if we all switched to green energy, there wouldn't be any wars and we'd all be happy and healthy; but never actually stopped and thought about *how* you would do that. Most of the people I talked to didn't even know who Enrico Fermi, Oppenheimer, or even Marie Curie were. But they sure as hell know a bunch of bloggers and activists.

    I left after an hour, didn't even get to any presentations, I left during the opening meet-and-greet. The smugness in the room could have choked an elephant.

    If anyone really cares about these problems, they should go to Universities studying solutions and help with funding and providing support to the Scientists and students working on it. Sitting around jerking each other off does nothing.

    1. Old n Cynical

      "Sitting around jerking each other off does nothing."

      Then you probably aren't doing something quite right I'll proffer. Or is it because you just feel dirty and used ;)

      More seriously though, I agree with your general sentiment, but hey, let the kids play.

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