Google apparently has real plans to blanket the United States with free wireless internet access, along with (guess what) free advertising to boot. No I’m not saying they will give you free advertising, you’ll get to see their advertising for free! How do you like that? I’d probably be cool with it in exchange for free nationwide wireless coverage.

Here are some excerpts from Cnn:

The search-engine giant has developed three technologies for offering wireless Internet access, and advertising, free of charge.

More evidence has emerged that Google is getting ready to blanket the U.S. with free Wi-Fi

[Google] has filed for three patents related to offering wireless Internet access. Search Engine Roundtable points out that the patents all have to do with serving up advertising through a wireless Internet connection maintained by a third party, whose brand Google would include in the presentation of those ads.

Read more about it on cnn’s site.

Several news sources have reported that the Gdrive is really going to happen. Note that this is not a hack to use your Gmail account as a harddrive, which has been available for some time. This would be a real network share, or universally accesible harddrive. Data Docket (apparently with some connection to Google) has registered the domainname gdrive.com
Hacks to use Gmail as a storage device here and here.
Read more: here, here & here.

According to the Times online (UK version), Google may be laying the groundwork to create it’s own proprietary “internet”. In January Google began recruiting personell to negotiate purchases of “dark fibre”- or unused fiber optic communications cable that has been physically installed, but for unknown reasons, hasn’t been connected to the internet and put to use.

This article also talks about Google’s recent purchase of a large ( 270,000sq ft) warehouse in the New York area, and a plan to make “mobile” or “drop-in” data centers using shipping crates; all of this leading them to believe that Google plans to create their own private internet. You can read the entire article here.

UPDATE: There is a lot more to be said on this issue. Read up what John Dvorak has to say on this issue. It’s not quite a conspiracy theory, but it’s interesting.

Google Watch. The most recent buzz over Google has centered around various rumors that the company will make dumb terminals, its own operating system, or a wireless mesh network, light up dark fiber all over the country, and (get this) finance the “space elevator.” You have to wonder how much of this is simply Google jerking the chain of the computer industry simply because it can.

I’m convinced that many of these rumors are a smokescreen for the one important idea on the laundry list: lighting up the dark fiber that permeates the United States. Hear me out on this one.

keep reading.