google: grand or greedy?

i admit it -- i like google. they're interesting, they're intelligent, kinda spunky, kinda fun, quite amusing. hell, they change their logo whenever there's a holiday. :) but recently, there's been a whole slew of news articles and analyses that criticize the company, questioning whether or not they're on the path from innocent, innovative underdog to monopolizing, evil, conglomerate, and overwhelming ruler of the technological world.

and i can't decide. i'm a little torn.. i'm a little worried -- i don't want google employees to start wearing starched white collared shirts and uber-pleated pants. i know too many people that work for google, and i don't want them to succumb to an uptight, conforming business mold. why do i even care? 'cause i use google constantly, almost non-stop... google search, google news, froogle, google images, blogger, toolbar, translate, gmail, groups, maps, earth. if i needed a desktop search, i'd most likely use their new and improved desktop search. if i didn't already have a good, solid photo organizer/program, i'd use picasa. has google taken over my life?!

ehhh, probably. haha. and i've recently discovered google talk (or g-talk, as i think it should be called.. hehe). it's simple and straightforward, a bit different and strange compared to the AIM program that i've been using for the past 8 years. but really, it's sorta neat.

so here's my conclusion: i don't really care if google's out to take over the world. they're good, that's what matters. until they blatantly steal my privacy, become stuck-up and greedy, and infiltrate my computer with viruses, i'll be just fine using their services. take that, microsoft!

p.s. i love apple too.
p.p.s. what's with the weird, shortened nav bar on the top of my screen?!
p.p.p.s. the linked nytimes article is obviously in favor of google. if you're interested in seeing the other side of the issue, check out foxnews. oh wait, just kidding.. sorta. check out this stuff -- it's google news' link to well.. news on google.