I pretty much grew up on-line. I got into BBSs when 1200 baud was considered fast. The basics of having on-line identities really have changed all that much in all that time. To newer generations it's even more natural. When I see companies completely screw up basic stuff like this, I wonder if these decisions are being made by people who were never really part of the on-line world and fundamentally don't "get" it?

The people at Google making these decisions aren't some 75 year old fuddy duddy luddites, they're about my age and they're running one of the most important properties in that world. Screwing up something as basic as this has just seemed so...weird. I can only imagine that the final say-so came from somebody/people who fundamentally didn't grow up with the same kind of comfort and experience I did on-line and really doesn't understand it.

But then again, my parents, who never even used a computer until the 2000s, and never even got on-line until 2003 or 2004 get it. It seems to obvious as soon as you jump on-line that you are both empowered and need to have on-line identities that you can control.

I really wonder if the people at the top are really part of the on-line world, or just completely removed from it and spend their time wondering about all these digital ants in the digital ant farm and wondering what we're all about?