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By Robert X. Cringely, IDG News Service

Yet another billionaire bachelor bites the dust. By now, Google's Larry Page and his betrothed Lucy Southworth have been hitched on Richard Branson's private island in the Bermuda Triangle (actually Necker Island in the British Virgin Isles). Sir Richard himself played best man, and I understand Elvis was master of ceremonies.

(What it is about the Google Guys and secret island weddings? Sergey Brin did much the same with bride Anne Wojcicki last May. Attendees had to swim, snorkel, or skiff their way to the ceremonies. It must be some deep GeekBoy fantasy.)

And if you're wondering, the answer is no, I wasn't among the 600 invited guests, and yes, I am miffed. So much for that set of steak knives I was planning to buy them.

The more interesting marriage, to my mind, is the one between Page and Branson -- and I don't mean that in a pass-the-baby-oil kind of way.

Neither man has met an industry he didn't want to disrupt -- music, airlines, wireless communications, space travel, advertising, media, etc. Both the Google Guys and Branson appear to have a genuine interest in using technology to solve our environmental problems -- and are willing to put serious money behind it. Both seem determined to not do business as usual.

Imagine a world where the two great forces merged. Branson builds it, Google slaps ads on it, we buy it. A new cartel for the new century. Or something like that.

Hey, there are weirder scenarios. But before we solve all the world's problems, we'll let Larry and Lucy enjoy their honeymoon.


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