By Mary Jane Irwin, 1:05 PM on Mon Oct 1 2007, 259 views (Edit, to draft, Top, Slurp)

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As much as we'd liked to believe the 800-GOOG-411 billboards are Google's bid to take over another part of the advertising world, its sudden advertising blast is more benign. Google simply wants drivers to dial GOOG-411. Since it can't beam the message straight into your brain, and the Web, Google's home turf, isn't the best way to spread word of a toll-free number, Google is plastering the countryside. That's a lot of cash being pumped out for marketing a free service. Google, no doubt, is trying to drum up a user base before rolling out some sort of advertising scheme. Perhaps it'll be based on ThePudding's spooky audio version of AdSense, targeting callers based on their spoken words. (Photo by Nick Starr)