Google and the Benevolent Nerd Ethos

I overheard the receptionist say to the janitor, "If you were born in California, then you were born in the United States. That's a reasonable statement. And what about the contra positive?"

The receptionist was apparently teaching the janitor about logical statements in the lobby of Google's headquarters where I waited recently for a meeting with the good folks from Google Earth Outreach.

As I waited, two women in colorful saris walked past a purple stucco breezeway planted with agave, yucca, and prickly pear. A grown man rode up on a powder blue cruiser bike that bobbled like a child's tricycle with an orange safety flag.

I only spent about 4 hours at Google, but it was long enough to pick up the frequency of an unmistakable "benevolent nerd" vibe. The entire high-tech campus -- from lobby to office to organic cafeteria -- radiated casual, friendly geekdom of the sort that makes you believe knowledge is never used for evil purposes and shampoo is never tested on kittens.