I use several of Google's services and I search with it frequently. So, the handy link on the main Google page to "News" is right there and I use it. I think Google gets its news from the web sites of many newspapers and news services. They use some sort of formula for deciding what topics are getting attention and the result is a page of news gathered from all over the world.
It is not perfect by any means. Besides possibly contributing to the undermining of traditional news organizations and sources, many of which are quite valuable, the mechanical nature of the gathering and its focus more or less guarantee that popular topics get more attention. Since my interests are not part of a hot demographic group, that is, aging men like me do not tend to spend much money, what is of interest to me is usually not a hot popular topic.
Nothing makes this clearer to me than the number of articles in Google news that relate to cell phones. I am a short, small man and I have short small pockets. So, an iPhone is impractical unless I want to wear a holster for it. I don't. I have enough stuff in my pockets already. Besides, I live in a non-metro area, in the less-populated part of a state which barely makes the top 20 in population. So, my location is not a hot demographic, either. Geographic coverage is important to me. A cell phone is not usable without a signal.
Like many other people, I am not always that sure of what my interests are. To some extent, I can remember what topics I looked at yesterday and what interested me 5 years ago. Some of those would be good to refresh, to follow. But what else is going on?
Recently, I heard a mention or two of the TED conferences. The letters stand for "technology, education and design". All important topics and all of interest to me. The Posit Science blog (makers of brain training software we have used and enjoyed) has an article on it about the body's '2nd brain', the intelligence-gathering cells in our gut. I have had gut problems for years and I respect its importance. The 2nd brain talk is by Heribert Watzke. I never heard of the man and wondered who and what he was. I was lead to this list of TED speakers, their backgrounds and topics. Looking over it, I am reminded of how much of the world I am not in touch with and never will be.
The topics and specialties make clear to me how narrow is the range of topics I am normally exposed to. It is a fun but impossible task to find out what is going on these days.
