Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
Google buys Boston Dynamics. Whats Google Up too? — Parallax Forums

Google buys Boston Dynamics. Whats Google Up too?

jdoleckijdolecki Posts: 726
edited 2013-12-17 12:24 in General Discussion
Google anounces that they just aquired Boston Dynamics.

"It is the eighth robotics company that Google has acquired in the last half-year. Executives at the Internet giant are circumspect about what exactly they plan to do with their robot collection. But Boston Dynamics and its animal kingdom-themed machines bring significant cachet to Google’s robotic efforts, which are being led by Andy Rubin, the Google executive who spearheaded the development of Android, the world’s most widely used smartphone software. "



Whats Google up too?
«1

Comments

  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-12-14 04:34
    Mergers and acquisitions are a beast in their own right. Corporate tax laws pretty much provide the option of pay taxes to the government or spending the same cash in buying up other corporations and enterprises.

    In the board room the discussion is first and foremost about buying something rather than just throwing away good cash by giving it to governments as an expense rather than getting something in exchange for the money.

    Themed purchases really can be nothing more that the fact that the majority of the board will vote yes on anything that a certain golden boy likes or anything that seems to be building a cache of power in one industry. But history has shown that an awful lot of these purchases don't mature to contribute much to the bottom line.

    So it is difficult to determine how visionary Google's actually are. When you have huge amounts of cash to place in this manner, and it is nearing the end of a tax year.. a purchase might just be a punt.
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2013-12-14 06:03
    This way they will have robots to deliver fiber to ANY door.

    <SCHWARZENEGGER>
    Ma'am, Here's your Google Fiber.....
    ..you haven't ordered it?

    I'll be back.
    </SCHWARTZENEGGER>

    P.S. I'm hoping either Google or Apple buys us - they are the only ones with enough cash and one thing we could be doing is positioning ourselves for a sale. (You'll have to do some research to figure out who "us" is - or have a good memory. I don't want to start any roomers)
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-12-14 07:18
    This weeks "Economist" has an interesting book review on M&A and pretty much confirms a rather dismal investment performance for these. The only way to take an investment position in these is to take advantage of the 'big move' in the take over process. Expecting a long-term investment benefit from a buyout is rather dubious. Very often, the buyer doesn't understand the corporate culture of what they bought or there is a wholesale abandoment of the employees that really know the company.. the result is a rather hollow asset.

    What do you do when you are as big as Google and have to end each year with buying more companies? At some point, the process becomes so routine. It gets harder and harder to find really good companies.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-12-14 07:33
    That clinches it. I want to work at Google!
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2013-12-14 08:07
    I suspect Google bought BD because they didn't want Amazon to have it. Amazon is already leading a charge into creating vast armies of bots to deliver books to people.

    Sound: Knock, knock.
    Woman at door: Yes?
    Robot: I have your books. Are you Sarah Conner?

    Seriously, Google sees all the money Amazon is making fulfilling factory orders for other companies, and has said as much that they're interested in that market space.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-12-14 08:56
    Well, if a robot knocks on your door, would you just take the package? Just ignore it? Or would you grab the robot and dismantle it?

    Frankly, I think we have enough people replaced by machines. Let's robots take over more service jobs is not really a great idea. I can accept that having robots do welding and automotive painting eliminates a lot of unhealthy jobs, but this is really silly.

    I think the banks should also go back to hiring tellers and have less ATMs. I doubt it will ever happen, but I don't even have an ATM card and I actually go to the bank to get my weekly cash needs. When I used ATM machines, I spent more impulsively and my check book was mess as I didn't always carry the check book, but did have the ATM card.

    What is the purpose of dominating the market place if nobody has a disposible income to shop there?
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2013-12-14 10:03
    It is possible that by now Google does not make the decisions at Google any more but Google does! If you see what I mean.

    So as an intelligent being that spans the planet, can read almost everything interesting and watch a lot more besides what you would probably want is legs and arms and such so that you can do stuff for yourself.

    Hence, buy robot companies.
  • CuriousOneCuriousOne Posts: 931
    edited 2013-12-14 12:22
    Well, google is not all that puffy and angel-eyed, as it tries to appear...
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2013-12-14 14:33
    I making fulfilling factory orders

    I meant to say warehouse orders. Amazon is increasingly becoming a fulfillment retailer. Books are practically a sideline business.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,451
    edited 2013-12-14 15:55
    It's not time to worry until they get the nifty chips that can intercommunicate wirelessly faster than light.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2013-12-14 17:39
    Heater. wrote: »
    It is possible that by now Google does not make the decisions at Google any more but Google does! If you see what I mean.

    So as an intelligent being that spans the planet, can read almost everything interesting and watch a lot more besides what you would probably want is legs and arms and such so that you can do stuff for yourself.

    Hence, buy robot companies.

    So, the precursor of SKYNET?
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-12-15 14:34
    CuriousOne wrote: »
    Well, google is not all that puffy and angel-eyed, as it tries to appear...

    Mind expanding on that?

    I do not see them in that sense.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-12-15 14:50
    I meant to say warehouse orders. Amazon is increasingly becoming a fulfillment retailer. Books are practically a sideline business.

    Amazon is THE fulfillment retailer.

    Every dollar they have made..and this means BILLIONS..are a dollar that the B&M retailers have let them have.

    There was nothing to prevent any B&M retailer from implementing what Amazon has.

    I view Amazon's success in the same terms of how Intel and Microsoft succeeded because IBM would not change.

    If you consider how much more difficult creating new technology is, the accomplishments of the likes of Intel/Microsoft are much more impressive than those of Amazon who is just making the retail effort more efficient...which is long overdue.

    I consider a upcoming challenge to the world is what the people in the retail service sector will be doing for employment once the retail sector sees its downsizing..not everyone can be a CEO.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-12-15 15:01
    localroger wrote: »
    It's not time to worry until they get the nifty chips that can intercommunicate wirelessly faster than light.

    They may already have ;<)

    http://www.livescience.com/27920-quantum-action-faster-than-light.html

    Does that mean in the future, we will have read a book before it is delivered by Amazon via Skynet?
  • prof_brainoprof_braino Posts: 4,313
    edited 2013-12-15 16:05
    Do robots understand "do no evil"?
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-12-15 16:26
    Do robots understand "do no evil"?

    Does mankind?

    Robotics is just technology..whether it is does good or bad is up to the user.
  • rod1963rod1963 Posts: 752
    edited 2013-12-15 16:53
    "do no evil" that's funny coming from a company that's in cahoots with the NSA and sells out Chinese dissidents, reads your email and it's bosses keep their private jets at a military airfield then has the gall to act all offended when Snowden blew the whistle on Silicon Valley being total stooges for the government spy agencies.

    In regards to slogans. When a company has to sell people with slogans like "we don't do evil" or "we're ethical and you can trust us" chances are the company is neither good nor trustworthy. And the boys at the Chocolate Factory are certainly not people you want to trust given their track record.
  • Peter KG6LSEPeter KG6LSE Posts: 1,383
    edited 2013-12-15 18:57
    ewwwwwww google ........ the bigger you get the more evil you WIll allwas become .

    Cough MA Bell any one
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2013-12-15 21:03
    ewwwwwww google ........ the bigger you get the more evil you WIll allwas become .

    Cough MA Bell any one

    But watch out, you cut the head off (1980's divestiture) and it grows back bigger and stronger (today's AT&T, comprised of 4 of the original Baby Bells plus Cingular wireless)
  • Peter KG6LSEPeter KG6LSE Posts: 1,383
    edited 2013-12-15 21:14
    Ha ! very true !


    and Iam aware how much Bell labs did for us as far as tech !


    I have NO trust in google ! .. ANY company whoms dumb enough to collect WIFI data like in the scandle . is back listed as far as I am concerned..... Same with SONY and there CD rom Root Kit issue ......

    Dont any of the software geeks have any ethics at google ! ? I
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2013-12-15 21:21
    Ha ! very true !


    and Iam aware how much Bell labs did for us as far as tech !


    I have NO trust in google ! .. ANY company whoms dumb enough to collect WIFI data like in the scandle . is back listed as far as I am concerned..... Same with SONY and there CD rom Root Kit issue ......

    Dont any of the software geeks have any ethics at google ! ? I

    + 1
  • jdoleckijdolecki Posts: 726
    edited 2013-12-16 05:33
    Amazon is having ther own problems with workers wanting more money.

    http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/12/16/amazon-workers-germany-strike-wages-contract/
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2013-12-16 05:56
    Peter,

    Don't any of the software geeks have any ethics at google
    Perhaps more than the hundreds of thousands of engineers building missiles, nukes, guns, chemical weapons, biological weapons, tazers, killer robots and drones, mines, etc etc etc. I would say the engineers at Google are positively saintly compared to many.
  • Peter KG6LSEPeter KG6LSE Posts: 1,383
    edited 2013-12-16 08:40
    Heater .......... wepons are there own thing .......... and all the thngs you described were Hardware!

    the public can See guns and take cover ...... The public knows they are near a army base that may have nerve gas.
    Iam talking about sofwtare .

    no one expects to have there WIFI name and its metadata collectrd and then put on a map .
    Its just not right ...........

    Or Heck with sony ....... no one Consent to have a root kit installed ....

    Its all about Consent ! . no resonable person would consent to a mass drive by snooping
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2013-12-16 09:32
    Heater. wrote: »
    Perhaps more than the hundreds of thousands of engineers building missiles, nukes, guns, chemical weapons, biological weapons, tazers, killer robots and drones, mines, etc etc etc. I would say the engineers at Google are positively saintly compared to many.

    The BD robots were developed (at least partially) with DARPA and DoD money, and there's no changing that. Google would have bought the contracts and encumbrances, too. My feeling is that Google will continue with the DoD work, because the technology was paid for by taxpayer money. But then off-shift the technology to non-defense applications - like memory foam developed for the gobment, then sold commercially for making beds.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-12-16 20:10
    The BD robots were developed (at least partially) with DARPA and DoD money, and there's no changing that. Google would have bought the contracts and encumbrances, too. My feeling is that Google will continue with the DoD work, because the technology was paid for by taxpayer money. But then off-shift the technology to non-defense applications - like memory foam developed for the gobment, then sold commercially for making beds.

    DARPA money just accelerates technology development.

    For most part, it would happen any way.

    Some projects like GPS would be very tough without it considering the cost of satellites.
  • PoundSign2PoundSign2 Posts: 129
    edited 2013-12-16 20:59
    Time to weigh in on this one! Google is a love/hate relationship. Google's utilities like Gmail and Drive, or Maps and Translate are very useful and convenient (funny how I didn't mention the search engine first, long live AltaVista!) that to just ditch everything they bring to the table is crazy in its own way. However with all the spying and what not, I feel let down, betrayed. Looking at this differently it's hard not to go with a big, major corporation that wasn't named in the NSA scandal, so with that being said it becomes a lot like 'pick your poison'. If I'm going to be snooped on (and I most certainly will be by the company itself, or the U.S government) than I might as well get something in return. With Google, I get convenience. Not many others offer that in return.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-12-16 22:53
    PoundSign2 wrote: »
    Time to weigh in on this one! Google is a love/hate relationship. Google's utilities like Gmail and Drive, or Maps and Translate are very useful and convenient (funny how I didn't mention the search engine first, long live AltaVista!) that to just ditch everything they bring to the table is crazy in its own way. However with all the spying and what not, I feel let down, betrayed. Looking at this differently it's hard not to go with a big, major corporation that wasn't named in the NSA scandal, so with that being said it becomes a lot like 'pick your poison'. If I'm going to be snooped on (and I most certainly will be by the company itself, or the U.S government) than I might as well get something in return. With Google, I get convenience. Not many others offer that in return.

    Not to make any excuses for Google...but ANY company spies on its employees and its customers.

    The big issue is where does the Country stand on data mining.

    The leaks from Snowden has brought the issue to the spotlight....both government and private companies.

    An example...had a chat with a major credit card company recently...during that conversation it came to light that they had extensive info on my extended family members...and they likely have it on yours also.
  • edited 2013-12-17 00:41
    A Bank I had 30 years past has the same saved info - BoA in fact...
  • edited 2013-12-17 00:43
    Yes Google is a major Big Brother player for us ..
    Bill Gates another Steve Jobs of course and his twin etc...

    lots of puppets yonder..

    99% of leaders clebs and so on to make a braod spectrum
    anti biotic formulation anti biotic means from the latin against all life!

    And too if that residual one percent is behaving BADLY then they are MIA for good!
Sign In or Register to comment.