Dates in Date Range Search
About an hour ago, I wanted to read stories about Squidoo and Google as references for an article I was writing. Since it was important for me to know the latest news stories or blog posts, I restricted the search results by using the date range (through advanced search).
The search results I wanted were there, but there was something new that I noticed. Each result had dates beside it. Maybe those are the dates the entry were published or got indexed by Google.
I don’t know when this slight change started, yet I remembered using the date range feature last Sunday, 6 A.M. MDT, but didn’t noticed those dates. But I like this addition. With these dates or how much hours have passed shown beside each result, we, the users not only get relevant results to their queries, but we will also know how recent those entries are.
If Google Rules Everything…
Have you ever wondered how will it look if the search giant company owns the popular drinks, shops, cars, places, you can imagine? Then see the company’s name on every dollar you spent, on the road, in Paris, in Hollywood? Once you see all the entries in this Photoshop contest from Worth1000.Com, you would definitely say for sure, “Thank God, Google still haven’t own everything.”"
This contest started two years ago, and was opened for beginners of Photoshop. Since I am not a Photoshop critic, I couldn’t say much about the quality of the effects used in those entries, yet I’d picked five entries which I think were very clever.
1. A street sign
2. A Dollar
3. The Monopoly board game
4. A Froogle-Mart
5. A pillar box
Google.Com’s Data, Not Available in Trends for Websites!
I was trying one of Google Trends’s new features, the Trends for Websites, which is similar to what you see in Alexa and Compete. The feature allows you to view the number of unique visitors a site is getting, and even compare it to the visitors from other related sites. The results also show the regions where most of its visitors are coming from.
To see how it works, I typed in the search box: Google.Com, Yahoo.Com, MSN.com, AOL.Com, and Ask.Com—all separated with commas. Surprisingly, no data appear for Google.Com.
I went to Compete to see their data for these sites. Yet as you can see in the graph below, Google.com has millions of users.
So I wondered why there was no data available for Google.Com in Google Trends. I went back to it, and search Google.Com alone, and clicked the Learn More link.
So why does Google Trends for Websites not have data to display for Google.Com?
Maybe Google just want to humble themselves, or they thought why would someone care. Whatever the reason is, Google has the right not to include their data anyways since it was them who created this tool. As they have said in Google Trends Help page not all websites are included. Those that aren’t are:
- Websites with low traffic volume below our threshold
- Websites that don’t wish to be indexed by Google and have indicated their preference through a robots.txt exclusion file
- Websites that don’t adhere to our Quality Guidelines
- Other websites for miscellaneous reasons
With the criteria mentioned above for a website exclusion, Google.Com perhaps is under the 2nd or 4th category. Anyways, I figured out that Alexa does not rank their own site as well, while Compete does.
5 Google Search Features Valuable To Students
A student asked me once, “Which search engine should I use, Google or Yahoo?” Google was my reply, of course, not just because I’m a fan, but because I know Google’s search results really is way, way better than Yahoo’s.
Aside from giving students relevant search results to their queries, Google has other cool features which I think would be valuable to students. These features eliminate the use of some tools they need. Well, I mean, a student doesn’t necessarily have to bring his calculator or his dictionary with him when researching online, or look for sites that would offer him unit conversion features, because with Google Search alone, he can calculate, convert units, check spelling, and know the definition of words. He can even ask Google to fill in the blank, of maybe, his assignments. Isn’t that nice?
So students, let’s look closer at each of these features, and be familiarized how to use it.
1. Calculator
Well, you should be able to compute simple calculations on your own, like 25 plus 40, but if it’s a complicated math problem then it’s time to use Google’s calculator feature.
Here are some examples:
You can find a list of shortcuts from this site.
2. Unit Conversion
I think it’s fun to convert units of measurements using the real calculator, a pen, and a piece of paper, but if you are looking for an instant answer, then let Google be in charge with that. With Google, you can not only convert between units of height, weight, and mass but also currency, temperature, time, power, information, etc.
Here are some examples:
On this site, you can find more about unit conversion and using Google to know physical constants like the Faraday Constant. Once you are familiar with the different operators on Google’s hidden calculator, you can try more complicated ones like knowing your weight in the moon.
3. Dictionary Definition
There are two ways for Google to help you know the definition of a word. The first one, is by putting a space between define and the word you are looking for, i.e. define cooperative, define exhilarating. This will yield to several pages that define that word, and then you choose which page you want as a resource.
There are some instances though that some pages in the search results don’t really define the word, but just have those two keywords on the page. Thus, using the other shortcut is better wherein you get a list of definitions from various online resources. You can do this by putting a colon, instead of a space, between define and the word, i.e. define:cooperative.
4. Spell Checker
There are some people who are good with spelling, and there are some who aren’t, but there are just some words that are really hard to spell isn’t it? That’s why Google is here to give us a hand. If you aren’t sure of the spelling of a word, just type the word, with the spelling you have in mind, on the search box and hit click. If that is misspelled, then Google will give you the more accepted one or correct one.
5. Fill in the Blank
So, this time you were asked who invented electricity, or what did Columbus discovered. You know you know the answer, but it just have slipped from your mind. Now, don’t worry because Google will fill in the blank for you. Just type an asterisk (*) after the phrase you want Google to complete.
Here are some examples:
Conclusion
The five features enumerated are in fact just a few of Google’s search features. There are also advanced search features like putting quotation marks between phrases, and using a date range to restrict the search results. And it is not just Google Search, there are other products and tools student can use when doing their researches and assignments like Google Scholar, Google Docs, Google Book Search, and Google Notebook.
Google Street View Car Busted?
So, there’s no exception for Google’s car?
One of the vigilant citizens of California, damianspain, caught one of Google’s street view cars being detained for some sort of traffic violation in San Francisco Bay area. I just found this out when my friend send me a link to this post.
I’m actually impressed on the kind of camera Google is using to snap those ‘street view’ photos for Google Maps and Google Earth. And I wonder when will those Google cars visit Metro Manila, and see the cars myself; though I’m sure the possibility is slim, or will take years before it happens. Most streets here aren’t ‘photogenic’. Sigh.
Enable Gmail Labs Features
Do you constantly check your inbox for new emails? Or compose messages every five minutes? Or chat with your co-workers, and with friends endlessly? In short, do you admit that you are an email addict? Well then, there’s no doubt you need to take a break in using your Gmail. Grab some soda, or chips while you wait for Gmail to be unblocked.
Do you think, I’m kidding? No! I am talking about one of the Gmail Lab features you can enable in the Gmail settings—the Email Addict feature. If you believe you need to take a break from using your Gmail account, just click the Take a Break link on top, near the Settings link, and your Gmail account will be blocked for 15 minutes. It makes you invisible in chat as well. Haha.
But there’s one simple trick you can do if you can’t wait any longer, which I won’t tell. It’s pretty easy. Once you’ve done the trick you can start browsing your account, yet you will still be invisible for awhile. I guess the Gmail team has to fix that, or else Email Addict would be useless.
Another experimental feature you can try in Gmail is the Superstars. If you are bored looking at that yellow icon for your starred items, then try out new designs. Use an exclamation point to remind yourself of an email that needs your attention next time you open your account, or use a check icon once you have replied to an important mail. If you are in doubt with an email you’ve received, assign a question mark icon to that mail.
There are twelve icons to choose from, including the yellow star. Choose your icons by going to Settings > General Tab. Then, to see all your mails with icons just go to your Starred folder under Inbox.
And oh, have you played that snake game? You can play that inside Gmail! Once you have enabled Old Snakey just hit ‘&’ from the main page, and start playing while you wait for an important email, or a person to respond to your message in chat. Make sure you have enabled keyboard shortcuts if you want to use this feature.
Anyways, Email Addict, Superstars, and Old Snakey are just three of the features you can try in Gmail Labs. There are still more like adding pictures in Gmail chat, and using random signatures. However, all these features are still in experimental stage, “so they may change, break or disappear at any time.”
To enable any of the Gmail Labs features, go to Settings and then to Labs tab (just after Web Clips). In the Labs tab, choose among the Lab Features you want to try. Click enable, and then click the save changes button located at the bottom of the page. And don’t forget to send your feedback so that your favorite lab feature will be in Gmail for good.
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