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The joys of looking back

Sep 10, 2016

I've been spending a little time (after a very busy period) bringing some more of the old stuff over here to the new shiny. Looking at posts from 12 years ago -- how time flies -- is bittersweet, but I'm not here to dwell. I'm here to point to a glorious piece from Paul Ford, which I'm very happy to say is still up.

Of course, you don't arrive at a morally profound motto like “don't be evil” without some serious thought. Here are some of the mottoes that Google tried out and rejected:

• Google! Dance with the devil, but go home before it gets serious.
• Google! We won't commit genocide in most circumstances.
• Google! Don't eat no babies.
• Google! We could do good, but we're like, whoa.
• Google! Begone, demon!

I laughed the first time. And I'm still laughing. Especially when you know what Google has become.