 |
|
|
 Technology News | November 2005 
All About Google and the Cool Stuff It Can Do
 Erich Haubrich - PVNN
| GOOGLOSSARY
Google Dance - the update of the Google index, completed every 20 to 30 days.
Florida - what webmasters call the latest version of the Google index.
Google Juice - a property of a site that enjoys a high ranking on Google.
Google Whack - a results page featuring only one return, obtained by querying two words, no quotes: hobo matureness, gigolo whitethroat.
Google Bomb - when multiple Web sites use an identical phrase (e.g., "miserable failure") hyperlinked to the same URL (Click HERE), with the intent of pushing it to the top of a Google results page. Also used by bloggers to elevate their own sites.
Google Hole - the state of having been led astray by Google results.
Googlegänger - a doppelgänger, identified by Googling oneself; generally used with derision or jealousy.
Google Doodle - the occasional re-rendering of the Google logo for major holidays, the birthdays of famous historical figures, et cetera.
Googlopoly - the state of dominating the Internet search space.
Kilogoogle - a unit of measurement equal to 1,000 Google hits. |
As most people know, Google is the biggest and best search tool on the Internet, it's also quite a bit more. Started at Stanford University by two graduate students, it was initially dubbed Backrub before the pair adopted the name Google which is a derivative of the word Googol which signifies the number 1 followed by 100 zero's. That was 1996.
12 months after its birth the pair showcased their project for one of the founders of Sun Microsystems who subsequently wrote them a check for $100,000. The check posed a bit of a problem, however, because it was made out to Google, Inc. which hadn't yet been formed, so the check sat in a desk drawer for a couple of weeks while all the legalities were ironed out.
In 1998, it's first year as a full-fledged company, it was named one of the top 100 websites by PC Magazine, Google started moving up in the world. In 1999 they were answering 500,000 search queries per day and received $25 million in funding. The "beta" label, which basically means "under development" came off the site and Google really started moving up in the world.
By the end of 2000 Google was handling more than 100 million search queries per day - now over 200 million - and was deeply involved in the process of innovation. Their corporate culture was and still is comprised of some of the brightest and most creative minds in the industry, boosting profits through innovative advertising media and services offered to enterprise clients. This was the year that Google officially became the world's largest search engine, a title the behemoth retains to this day - walloping MSN, AOL and Yahoo by orders of magnitude.
In the years since, Google has grown and grown. They now index not just the web, but also printed materials, movies and television, music and anything else they can get their hands on. They have evolved from a simple but highly effective search tool into a monstrous system of information resources encompassing the largest amount of computing power and storage to ever be assembled under one brand. They have a presence in 88 countries and there are over 100 google domains.
Nowadays Google's index of web pages consists of well over 3 billion web pages and counting. If printed, this would result in a stack of paper over 240 kilometers high. Google searches this immense collection of web pages often in less than half a second. That takes a hell of a lot of computing power. Estimates are that Google has in excess of 100,000 servers - the computers that make up its immense system. They have the entire Internet saved in system memory or RAM.
Over 1,000 Googlers, the term used for Google employees make up their ever-growing staff, working tirelessly to innovate and maintain their standing and growth. When they went public in 2004 it was trading at 85$ - now its in excess of 400$ per share making the company worth about $110 billion making the founders some of the richest men in the world.
The reason for this success is that Google's system works - really well. Google's PageRank system assigns a rank to each page it indexes based on relevance The system is calculated by solving an equation of 500 million variables and more than 2 billion terms in English and 97 other languages. Google does not count links, instead PageRank uses the vast link structure of the web as an organizational tool. In essence, Google interprets a link from Page A to Page B as a "vote" by Page A for Page B. Google assesses a page's importance by the votes it receives, PageRank is actually named after the co-founder Larry Page.
Today Google's a library, an almanac, a settler of bets. It's a parlor game, a dating service, a shopping mall. It's a Microsoft rival. It's a verb. At more than 200 million requests a day, it is, by far, the world's biggest search engine. So now that you know what Google is, here are some of the cool things that Google does. Try them out, you'll find them very useful and in some cases quite entertaining. You might even want to Google yourself once in a while.
Google Translate (http://www.google.com/translate)
This is a great tool for figuring out what that email from your friend in Mexico says, or translating a web from one language to another. Beware though - it translates literally and the translations may have grammatical errors, making your message sound like something Apu from the Simpsons might say.
Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/)
This is a really cool tool for viewing maps and aerial/satellite photos on your PC. Google Earth puts a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. View exotic locales like Puerto Vallarta as well as points of interest such as local restaurants, hospitals, schools, and more.
Picasa Photo Organizer (http://picasa.google.com/)
Picasa is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are always organized. It also includes basic editing features and has an easy-to-use interface.
Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/)
This is where to go online to find maps and driving directions. It's easy-to-use and highly interactive. Just type in a region, city, or address and you're on your way - even from your mobile phone (US and Canada only)
Google Catalogs (http://catalogs.google.com/)
Mailman lost your newest Abercrombie & Fitch Catalog? No worries - just surf on over to Google Catalogs and view each and every page of thousands of current catalogs from mail-order companies - They've scanned in every page of the catalogs - so nothing is left out, except Victoria's Secret - they don't have that one.
Google Books (http://books.google.com/)
Google Books allows you to view and search the contents of printed books online. IT also has reviews, related books and links to purchase the books online. In some cases, when the copyright has expired, the entire text of the book is viewable.
Google Image Search (http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi&q=)
This is the best place to go to find just about any image you can imagine. There are literally billions of images in Google's index. You can find photos, graphics, diagrams, you name it - but beware - most of these images are copyrighted by their owners, so you'll need to get permission for commercial use.
Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts)
Google Alerts allows you to receive up to the minute alerts on the topics of your choice which are sent to your email address when news or events happen or new information is available on a given topic. You can choose news, web or both and customize when the results are sent.
Google Video (http://video.google.com/)
Google Video is a huge database of video clips, movie trailers, short films and more that is completely searchable by keyword. Missed the big play in last night's game? Just go to Google Video and search for the team name to view some highlights.
Google Calculator (http://www.google.com)
This is built into the Google search engine. If you need to know how many teaspoons are in a cup, how many feet makes a kilometer or even what 4,987 times 4.68 is just type it into Google and you'll have your answer instantly. This is very useful if you need a quick answer, it can even tell you how many calories you burn.
Currency Converter (http://www.google.com)
This is great for figuring out how many pesos per Canadian dollar or any other currency conversion you need - just type in 50 pesos in USD or whatever conversion you need and it appears instantly.
Google Definitions (http://www.google.com)
To see a definition for a word or phrase, simply type the word "define," then a space, and then the word(s) you want defined. Example: "define philanthropy" If Google has seen a definition for the word or phrase on the Web, it will retrieve that information and display it at the top of your search results. This is also handy for making sure you're spelling something right.
Search by Number (http://www.google.com)
If you need to track a package, look for information on a vehicle, get information on a patent or just about anything else associated with a specific number, just type the number into google and it will find the information you need in a snap.
Google Groups (http://groups.google.com/)
With Google Groups you can create a mailing list and discussion forum on topics of interest. For example if you've got a hobby which you like to share with others you can start a group and discuss your hobby with others, it also has a mailing list feature that allows you to easily communicate with other members of the group to keep them posted about upcoming events, etc.
Gmail (https://gmail.google.com/)
This is Google's free web-based email. Much like Hotmail or Yahoo, this free service allows you to have over 2,500 MB of storage (Many thousands of emails), and it has features like search, conversation and message grouping and message filtering to help you organize communications and an archive feature so you never have to delete messages from your inbox. The downside to this service is that you need to be invited - but invites are available on the Internet - just Google "gmail invites" to find one.
Google Talk (http://www.google.com/talk/)
This is Google's Instant Messaging application which allows you to send email, chat or talk over the Internet. It's a lot slimmer application than Yahoo! or MSN Messenger and automatically ties into your Gmail account.
For more techie articles check back with BanderasNews.com - we'll be bringing you up-to-date technology news and information, and if you have a tech question please send it to Erich@BanderasNews.com - we'll do what we can to find you an answer - probably by using Google :) |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us