An article on Google that looks at the search engine with a fresh perspective, from the University of Washington’s Terrance A. Brooks, is The nature of meaning in the age of Google

Even if you know a great deal about how Google works on the web, you might appreciate the perspective that this paper takes when talking about the site.

Another aspect of the paper that I liked is the references section, which includes a link to H.G. Wells’ 1937 essay World Brain: The Idea of a Permanent World Encyclopaedia.