Wednesday, October 8, 2003
Google DNA T-Shirt
One of my favorite Google logos (next to the Escher-one) is the Google DNA. The Google Store features a new t-shirt with this one and other doodles in the wearables section.
Knowledge_seeker-ga, Google Answers Researcher
Today, Kim alias Knowledge_seeker-ga (who answered 279 questions on Google Answers) is interviewed.
(Note that none of this is official Google Inc. information!)
See all interviews on the Google Answers Researcher Interviews page.
Knowledge_seeker
Whereabouts are you located, and what’s your profession?
I’m a writer, researcher, teacher, naturalist, scientist, and perpetual knowledge seeker. My drive in life is to collect information and pass it along.
Do you have a blog or some other kind of homepage?
Yes! In fact this interview will serve as the official unveiling of my new website -
Google Answers by Knowledge_seeker-Ga
What would be an especially fun question for you to answer?
I’m still hoping for that $200 bunny rabbit question. I’m not sure what that would look like, but I just know it would be fun to answer.
What were some of the most interesting discoveries you made during your research activity?
Oh my, that’s a hard one. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned on this job! Every question brings a new wealth of knowledge, but I think the most interesting discoveries are the customers themselves. In once case I “met” the second of only three HIV-positive heart transplant recipients in the world.
In another I met a well-known activist in the field of spinal cord and stem cell research and helped him set a scene for his upcoming screen play.
Can you give an example of a question where you think the road of discovery (or the ways to get to the answer) was highly unusual, funny, or interesting?
This one made me (and I hope the customer) laugh because the answer was literally right in front of him -Searching for a website from a news story
Knowledge_seeker-ga’s Favorites
What are your favorite online (and offline) research tools?
Besides Google, I’d have to say my brain. With it, I connect things and make lateral leaps that take me to answers I might not have found otherwise. Finding things on the internet is more than just knowing a couple of search terms. It’s about recognizing a tiny clue hidden in a vast expanse of information and knowing enough to follow it. Often that makes the difference between the unanswerable and the answerable question.
You are in charge of the Webby awards next year – who’s winning for which category?
I’m so glad you asked that! I’ve got a few awards I’d like to present.
- The Brilliant Foresight Award: The Internet Archive & Wayback Machine
- The Biggest and Most Valuable Undertaking Award: Project Gutenberg
- The Perfect Balance between Elegance and Information Award: www.laare.com
Which is an example of a Google Answer another Researcher provided which really opened your eyes on something and made you go “Wow, I didn’t know that"?
In matters of ancient (or even recent) history and world cultures, everything Digsalot-ga writes opens my eyes to things I never knew. Seldom relying on links to do his talking for him, Digsalot offers enthusiastic first hand explanations – something I find refreshing and absolutely fascinating to read. Digsalot is a natural teacher and it shows in his answers.
Also, I found the very last comment here by Tehuti-ga fascinating. Who knew we had a researcher who could read hieroglyphs?
Knowledge_seeker’s Spare-time
What’s your weirdest hobby?
Collecting “treasures” from nature – skulls, claws, wings, shells, feathers, skeletons, fossils, nests, leaves, rocks, insects, and anything else I can carry home in a knapsack.
What are some of your favorite books, movies, and music albums?
I’ll focus on books because my preference in music is all over the map, changing with my mood (Nina Simone’s playing right now) and my memory for movies is about 6 minutes.
Here are some of the non-fiction books that have changed the way I look at the world –
- “The Red Queen” - Matt Ridley
- “Guns, Germs and Steel” - Jared Diamond
- “Charles Darwin; The Power of Place” - Janet Browne
And books I enjoyed for their sheer beauty –
- “For the Time Being” - Annie Dillard
- “Darlington’s Fall; A Novel in Verse” - Brad Leithauser
- “Poisonwood Bible” - Barbara Kingsolver
Friday-Five
It was Researcher Missy’s idea to include the Friday-Five question, and here goes your set:
1. What was the last TV show you watched?
Thankfully I can’t remember. It was in 1999.
2. What was the last thing you complained about?
Yet one more website that didn’t have the information that the site was ostensibly there to provide!
3. Who was the last person you complimented and what did you say?
Well, I guess it was digsalot (whose interview by the way is one hard act to follow!)
4. What was the last thing you threw away?
Some scary grey fur thing from the bottom drawer of the fridge.
5. What was the last website that you visited?
Due to the complaint above, I’ll pass on this one. No point in spreading the pain.
Final words
We are in a unique time. For the first time in human history you have, at your fingertips, access to people of every walk of life, every profession, every culture, and every location on earth. Google Answers provides a window to a cross section of those people, allowing you to ask them any question you want. What is that worth to you?
>> More posts
Advertisement
This site unofficially covers Google™ and more with some rights reserved. Join our forum!