Google searches hit the billions every month
Google has a strong foothold in the world of search engines. It is the #1 search engine in India and Brazil and accounts for 92% of searches stateside. Its usage is continually rising, with the company's revenues and profits steadily increasing.
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, reported revenues of $137 billion in 2018, and a record $40.5 billion for Q3 2019. Nearly 90% of the company's earnings were driven by Google's ad revenue. This growth is primarily due to Google's dominance of the search engine space.
It is interesting to note that Google's search volume has grown exponentially in recent years. In 1998, there were a mere seventy-five million searches, but in recent years, that number has grown to 2.8 trillion.
Any online essay writer could state that while other search engines have grown considerably, Google has continued to remain the leader, with more than two trillion searches conducted every month. Despite this dominance, there are still some competitors, but the company is firmly entrenched.
Google is also expanding its presence on the world stage. Its market share has reached more than 4 billion users and is used by hundreds of companies around the world. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 internet users turn to Google for answers. Every search takes only 0.2 seconds to complete and a single query travels up to fifteen thousand miles. With the increasing use of the internet, Google's search volume continues to grow.
In addition to the growth in the number of users and searches, Google is also continuing to expand its user base. In December 2019, Juice Wrld was the most popular item to be googled, followed by Black Friday and the World Series. From February to April 2020, Coronavirus was the most searched subject and grew by almost a quarter. In 2020, 13% of all searches are translation-related. With such a high volume of people searching online, it makes sense that businesses invest in local SEO.
Facebook uses the same amount of energy as 200,000 homes
While Facebook is one of the least energy-intensive forms of digital entertainment, its energy use is growing. Facebook processes 250 million photos daily. Its computer farms use as much electricity as 1.3 percent of the world's energy. To further cut down on its energy consumption, Facebook users can disable some features. A recent report reveals that Facebook uses the equivalent energy of 200,000 homes. This is a big concern and will be further investigated when Facebook plans to go public this year.
The Department of Energy and Zynga are among those interested in Facebook's energy-efficiency technology. The companies Advanced Micro Devices, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard collaborated with Facebook to develop the technology. Data centers in the United States account for about $4.5 billion in electricity annually and are expected to double in the next five years. By comparison, the average home uses less than a third of that amount.
Internet speeds are 17,800 times faster than the current standard high-speed internet
The world's fastest internet connection has reached a speed of 178 terabits per second (Tb/s). That's fast enough to download the entire Netflix library in under a second. Engineers in Japan and the UK have developed new methods of modulating light so that they can transfer data at higher speeds. With these new technologies, the world's fastest connection will be able to achieve speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second. In New Zealand, the fastest connection rates will be able to reach speeds of more than 200 Mbps.
Ultimately, the type of broadband you get will determine how fast your connection is. Broadband service over fiber optic networks is the fastest. However, it costs a lot to build these networks. Broadband service providers will typically invest in developing faster connections in urban and suburban areas because these are areas where potential customers live close together and have a lot of disposable income. This will ultimately result in faster Internet speeds for their customers.
Recycling is a big deal
One of the biggest problems with recycling is sorting post-consumer plastic. But sorting technologies have come a long way from human pickers working along a conveyor belt. One company, ZenRobotics, replaced manual pickers with AI-powered robot arms that sort through about 120,000 tons of waste a year. This new technology, referred to as the Holy Grail project, is designed to optimize recycling through smart packaging.
The United States has over 500,000 employees dedicated to the recycling industry. It also generates more than $100 billion in revenue. That's a significant benefit, given that recycled materials are highly valued. For example, the PET material used in water bottles sells for $309 per ton; clear HDPE in milk jugs sells for $734 per ton.
Furthermore, companies like American Airlines are making recycling a part of their business strategy by buying recycled materials, and by investing in green R&D.
Many companies are getting involved in recycling, and some are even taking it to the next level. Some are even mining for fresh materials and reusing them. Companies like Cisco have a takeback and reuse programme that encourages users to return their old hardware when it is no longer needed.
By doing so, the company diverts around 48,000 tons of electronic waste from landfills. Globally, 50 million tons of e-waste were created in 2017 and the number is set to increase as consumers upgrade to 5G-ready gadgets.
Despite its benefits, recycling has also become increasingly competitive. In the U.S., 15.2 percent of textile waste was recycled in 2017, while the fashion industry is doing their part by refashioning vintage clothing.
Moreover, the global market for high-quality recycled materials is growing. Among consumer goods companies, Coca-Cola, and Bank of America have all invested in companies in the circular economy. These companies are making recycling a big deal in the technology industry.
Driverless cars could be a reality by 2025
Fully autonomous driving could become a reality in about five years. Currently, the technology isn't quite ready to share the road with human drivers. Human drivers are unpredictable and unpredictability in machine behavior will have to be dealt with. Currently, most collision accidents between human and autonomous vehicles are rear-end crashes caused by humans driving too close. Also, the lack of common sense in these vehicles may lead to them taking extreme action when they sense danger.
While it is still early days to say whether driverless cars will be available on the road, research is underway on this technology. Google has backed several DARPA challenges and is now conducting its own research and development.
By 2010, Google had built several prototypes and was driving them on the Pacific coast. In addition, engineers from the DARPA winning team stepped in to help with the development of the software. The prototype used a video camera and remote control. In 2010, the team embarked on an intercontinental autonomous challenge.
While the deployment of driverless vehicles will depend on public trust and the safety of initial trials, the technology has many advantages. It will help people in dense urban areas live more efficiently.
People won't have to wait in line at the curb to get into their cars, and streets will be easier to navigate. Further, the technology will likely lead to the creation of new types of infrastructure. Once the technology is developed, the driverless cars could become a reality as early as 2025.
Although the technology is still many years away, research suggests that it could be a reality as soon as 2025. Telecommunications companies will have a crucial role in the development of autonomous cars.
Since autonomous vehicles require a reliable wireless connection, the telecommunications networks will become a critical backbone for the technology. Having short latencies and widespread coverage areas is important for autonomous vehicles to function properly. Moreover, reliable connections and consistent speed are essential.
