Talk:1361: Google Announcement

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"The service was announced on 3 December 2009" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Public_DNS 108.162.254.179 05:31, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

ubuntu one? Isn't this a reference to Ubuntu shutting down Ubuntu One "focus our efforts on our most important strategic initiatives and ensure we are not spread too thin" http://blog.canonical.com/2014/04/02/shutting-down-ubuntu-one-file-services/ Randall mentions using Linux quite a bit. U1 was a pretty convenient service for linux users. Many users complain about Ubuntu depreciating various important features. U1 was something that made Ubuntu practical for people using Mac and windows because of the cloud sharing so may be seen as part of a core mandate for ubuntu. The joke is that this is foolish to shut down, it would be akin to Google shutting down all their important services to focus on the DNS core because technically it is more important. (but obviously not to most google users who have no idea what 8.8.8.8 is)

I was pretty sure this was about ubuntu because it seems like a strong parallel... but then I thought that was a bit obscure... so I came here to check it out and I suppose maybe I am the only one who sees the connection? 108.162.245.11 07:51, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

For some reason I thought 8.8.8.8 was a reference to the Penfield Mood Organ in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I have no clue why I thought this because it has nothing to do with Google. Maybe its because dialing 888 gives people the desire to watch TV no matter what's on. Either way, I realize that my idea would be too obscure and have nothing to do with the original comic.173.245.48.90 09:19, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

I'll start panicking only after Google switches its public DNS server to 6.6.6.6 - 108.162.254.185 09:21, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

That would really be scary - I mean, any event which causes Google to use IP address currently allocated to U.S. Army Information Systems Command, Fort Huachuca would certainly be reason to panic. -- Hkmaly (talk) 10:31, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

I thought that the comment criticised Google's critics, because they usually say Google should not be working on Google Plus but, instead, on its "core business". So Google goes hardcore in order to abide by that and shuts down everything that is not "core" enough - what can be more central to any internet's business than DNS, right? It's kind of a troll reductio ad absurdum, IMO. 108.162.212.194 11:29, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

I would be crushed if 8.8.4.4 were shut down. lcarsos_a (talk) 14:14, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

This is also a parody on how such rumors spread and extrapolate ludicrously. Because some VP left a company doesn't mean the product he/she was working on will be shutdown. That's not how large companies work -- another VP will just lead that effort. Saying that G+ will be shut down because Vic left is quite a stretch, and the parody is to stretch it further until you hit the "core", with an additional layer on the parody as for most people the core business that Google is known for is its search engine, not a DNS service. Ralfoide (talk) 15:57, 28 April 2014 (UTC)


I speculate that because all of Google's other services are basically loss leaders, basically to just support it's adsense program, this is just harping on it by saying google is focusing on an obscure free service it provides. 17:21, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Try "dig +short TXT google-public-dns-a.google.com" 141.101.89.204 08:56, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

Awesome!! For those without a "dig" command, the response is "http://xkcd.com/1361/" Nealmcb (talk) 12:11, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

I figured it may have to do with the game "2048" mentioned in strip 1344 four 8s in a row would put the player in a pretty good position, two 8s and two 4s is good but not great. Or maybe I just got nerd sniped. Chexwarrior (talk) 02:21, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

I think that it had to do with the stop of the streaming service of Last.fm. They said that they want to go to their core business model of scrobbeling and killed the streaming. This comic came out on the exact day that the streaming was shut off, so I had the impression that it was about Last.fm. 162.158.92.22 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Well, Google is indeed shutting down Google+ due to a data breach. Elvenivle (talk) 18:07, 27 October 2018 (UTC)

Nice reminder here! I was aware about that current Google+ issue but I didn't remember this comic - or only slightly. This needs definitely an entry at trivia. I've fixed that bad layout at trivia for better human understanding and added this issue. Is this causes by the European GDPR? In combination with the recent Facebook scandal(s)? I'm sure, but there is no proof. --Dgbrt (talk) 19:27, 27 October 2018 (UTC)