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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)