It looks like Google CEO Larry Page really is putting more wood behind fewer arrows ^[1]. Google has discontinued Knol, the company’s attempt to recreate Wikipedia in its own ad-supported image, adding to a long list of product funerals the company has held in 2011. According to Information Week, the number tops three dozen if you count not only full-fledged products but features, acquisitions, initiatives, and APIs.

Google also is discontinuing Google Bookmarks Lists, Google Friend Connect, Google Gears, Google Search Timeline, Google Wave, and its energy program known as Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal , or RE<c. The group of product terminations is the largest since June, when Google revealed plans to close Google Health and Google PowerMeter.

Then in July, Google Labs got the axe, eliminating dozens of interesting experiments. Around the same time, the company abandoned the Google Toolbar for Firefox, after discontinuing several APIs the previous month, including APIs for Code Search, Diacritize, Feedburner, Finance, PowerMeter, Sidewiki, and Wave. Google also ended its 13-year-old Google Friends newsletter and Google Directory.

In August, Google decided to shut down Slide, which it has acquired last year for $228 million.

In September, the company said goodbye to Aardvark, Desktop, Fast Flip, Maps API for Flash, Google Pack, Google Web Security, Image Labeler, Notebook, Sidewiki, and Subscribed Links.

In October, Google silenced Buzz, the failed precursor to Google+, eliminated iGoogle’s social features , and cast aside Google Code Search, Jaiku, and the company’s University Research Program for Google Search.

Read more at Information Week ^[2].