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Perennial Searcher

June 20, 2009

Video in Wikipedia?

CNET reports that Wikipedia, the collaborative encyclopedia, plans to add video to its entries. Apparently, Wikipedia will include a link to “Add Media” in a few months, which will allows users to search for copyright-free video content, which, in turn, can be added to Wikipedia articles. Perhaps you’ll soon be able to watch a how-to clip on performing brain surgery or tying a windsor knot.

posted by Brian at 11:13 am | Comments (0)

June 18, 2009

Explore Google Search

Google – - perhaps in response to Bing and Wolfram Alpha – - has created a page called Explore Google Search to tout its cool features and tools. The page highlights using Google as a dictionary, calculator, unit converter, and more. Video tutorials and graphical examples are provided. See, for instance, this video (in the series 15-second Search Tips) on Google’s public data feature:

posted by Brian at 1:25 pm | Comments (0)

June 16, 2009

Hunch

Right on the heels of the release of Microsoft’s Bing, another tool surfaces that also claims to be a “decision engine”. It’s called Hunch:

“In 10 questions or less, Hunch will offer you a great solution to your problem, concern or dilemma, on hundreds of topics.”

To take full advantage of its features, you’ll need to register for a free account.

The best way to learn about this tool is to take the tour and read the factsheet.

And put Hunch to the test.

In the market for a new car?

posted by Brian at 10:54 am | Comments (0)

June 4, 2009

Google to the Second Power

Google has added a tool called Google Squared to Google Labs. Might this feature be a response to the recent release of “computational knowledge engine” Wolfram Alpha? Who knows. Anyways, Google Squared presents data in tabular format, almost like a spreadsheet.

The best way to learn about Google Squared? Check out this video:

Or click on some of the canned searches such as this one for digital cameras.

posted by Brian at 2:30 pm | Comments (0)

Is it Unwise to Rely on 1 Search Engine?

The Guardian delivers this provocative thought piece about search engines and how it’s important not to solely rely on one company for search. Essentially, the writer, Cory Doctorow, is asking the following: Why couldn’t there be an open source search engine that follows the collaborative style and process of, say, Wikipedia?

Excerpt:

“Could we build such a thing? It’d be as unlikely as a noncommercial, volunteer-written encyclopedia. It would require vast resources. But it would have one gigantic advantage over the proprietary search engines: rather than relying on weak ’security through obscurity’ to fight spammers, creeps and parasites, such a system could exploit the powerful principles of peer review that are the gold standard in all other areas of information security.”

posted by Brian at 2:13 pm | Comments (0)

June 1, 2009

Bing is Live

Microsoft released Bing, its “Decision Engine,” two days ahead of schedule. To its credit, the service has a more memorable name than MSN Search, Windows Live Search, Live Search, etc. Will the phrase “Just Bing it” become part of our cultural lexicon, though? In any case, Microsoft has produced this video overview of Bing:

Bing claims to especially help searches with travel and health information as well as online shopping and “local” queries.

Resourceshelf does an excellent job of highlighting Bing’s features.

posted by Brian at 11:55 am | Comments (0)

May 27, 2009

Bing

You may have heard the speculation. It’s true: Microsoft will overhaul its approach to search. Live.com, according to Wired’s Epicenter, garners only 10% of all searches. Still, Microsoft thinks it has something to offer and may unveil Bing (code name Kumo) this Thursday @ the All Things Digital conference. Ad Age reports that Microsoft will spend approximately $80-$100 million on promoting Bing.

posted by Brian at 9:50 am | Comments (0)

May 22, 2009

Collecta: Real-Time Search . . . Coming Soon

Caught wind of the upcoming launch of a real-time search tool called Collecta. You must enter your email and sign up to be notified when the site offically goes “live”. Check out these sample search results on the query Obama. Collecta crawls the likes of Twitter, Flickr, WordPress, etc. A metasearcher of the “live Web,” if you will? Here’s the company’s provacative teaser:

“The Web is alive. Why are we still searching like it is 1999?”

Stay tuned!

Now . . . will Google buy Twitter?

posted by Brian at 9:25 am | Comments (0)

May 20, 2009

Taking Wolfram Alpha for a Spin

Wolfram Alpha would like you to know the following: again, it is not a search engine! Take a look @ their FAQ, and you’ll see that the tool is a “computational knowledge engine“(now that’s cerebral, is it not?). What’s the best way to learn how to use this resource? First, creator Stephen Wolfram provides a handy 1-page summary. Second, Wolfram Alpha provides a a useful sidebar (on the right) with examples of sample searches to try. Input, for example, a city and a state. Check out the results from my query on the home of my youth: Carpinteria, CA. Type in two stock ticker symbols . . . or your birthdate. See also the examples by topic. Sample earch queries are displayed in a visual gallery, too. Considering adding the official Wolfram Alpha blog to your RSS reader to stay up to date on its developments. Better yet, participate in the community. Post questions; receive answers. Contribute!

posted by Brian at 9:42 am | Comments (0)

May 19, 2009

Visual Search

Pandia ranks and rates its top 5 visual search tools. If you’re tired of text-based results, give the likes of Ujiko and SearchMe a whirl.

Best excerpt from the Pandia post:

” . . . it is necessary to explore new ways of presenting and interacting with search results.“

posted by Brian at 4:55 pm | Comments (0)

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