Larry Page's New GooglePlex

Is there anything Larry Page does that doesn't become a metaphor for Google's promise and danger? According to the Palo Alto Weekly, Google's co-founder plans to build a new, 6,000-square-foot home alongside his present, slightly more modest domicile in the shady bedroom community. As always, his "Don't Be Evil" motto will be in full effect. His new "eco-mansion" will include solar panels, materials that emit no toxic chemicals, and paving that will allow rainwater to seep back into the aquifer and replenish California's scare water resources. In addition, Page will replace many sick trees on the lot with drought-resistant flora, which will be able to handle the state's dry years.

But as usual, Google-watchers are also unnerved at the prospect that Page has some spooky plans for world domination operating alongside his idealism. In this case, Page's neighbors worry that he may overwhelm the bungalows and modest scale of the neighborhood with his big dreams. City regulations prohibit him from attaching the new house to his old home and create one massive structure, but Page may build a pool or tennis court between the two and accomplish the same, integrated result. In addition, some neighbors claim that Page has been secretly buying up other properties on the block, using a variety of limited-liability companies as shells. Four homes have been recently demolished, unnerving residents who fear that Page may be transforming their quaint little street into a nest of mega-mansions. That's Google for ya: Despite its best intentions, there's just something about it that people don't trust.