Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Yahoo Video Search

Yahoo brings us their own video search. This looks awfully close to the results AltaVista was showing in their video search for a long time already. As AltaVista is now part of Yahoo, it looks as though for now Yahoo just put their own name tag on an existing engine. [Via Battelle.]

Yahoo Video Search by Philipp Lenssen

Google Winning Against Geico

“A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a key element of insurer GEICO’s trademark infringement case against online search engine Google Inc.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that there was not enough evidence of trademark violation to bar Google from displaying rival insurers when computer users search the word ’GEICO.’”
AP, U.S. Rejects Key Part of GEICO Case Against Google, Dec 15, 2004

Google Winning Against Ge ... by Philipp Lenssen

Give the Gift of Google

Google promotes its bundled download page in a very original way – you are supposed to pass on the URL as christmas gift (note PDFs will open from that page).

Give the Gift of Google by Philipp Lenssen

Ask Jeeves Desktop Search

Yet another desktop search program, this one from Ask Jeeves. I like the site’s warning: “Please close all other applications prior to downloading.” (Because ...?)

Ask Jeeves Desktop Search by Philipp Lenssen

Google’s DMCA Note

If you search Google for seven wonders of India, you can see the following note at the bottom of the result page:

“In response to a complaint we received under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have removed 1 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read the DMCA complaint for these removed results.”

I think it’s good Google shows the searcher what has been omitted, and for what reasons. They should do the same for results they censor to obey to specific country laws (like when you search German Google for Stormfront).

Google’s DMCA Note by Philipp Lenssen

Creator of Web Opposes New Domains

Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of HTTP, HTML, and WWW, is against the proposed new top-level domains “.mobi” (for small-screen mobile content) and “.xxx” (for adult content). The “.mobi” domain specifically goes against the device-independent design and spirit of the original World Wide Web, as it would try create a restricted web space aiming at mobile devices (even though the combination of [X]HTML Strict + CSS is already suited to serve hand phones and similar tools). Tim Berners-Lee’s argument makes for an interesting read into the current problem, as well as the history of domain names in general. [Via Sirsha.]

“The Web is designed as a universal space. (...) The success of the Web stems from its universality as do most of the architectural constraints.

The Web must operate independently of the hardware, software or network used to access it, of the perceived quality or appropriateness of the information on it, and of the culture, and language, and physical capabilities of those who access it. (...) Hardware and network independence in particular have been crucial to the growth of the Web. (...)

By separating the information content from its presentation (as is possible by mixing HTML with CSS, XML with XSL and CSS, etc.) the Web allows the same information to be viewed from computers with all sorts of screen sizes, color depths, and so on. (...)

While with the current technology, the phrase “Mobile” may equate roughly in many minds to “something like a cell phone”, it is naive – and pessimistic – to imagine that this one style of device will be the combination that will endure for any length of time. (...)

But the point is not that a division into “.mobi” and the (“immobile?”) rest of the world is futile, it is that it is harmful.

The Web works by reference. (...) The URI is passed around, written, spoken, buried in links, bookmarked, traded while Instant Messaging and through email. People look up URIs in all sorts of conditions.

It is fundamentally useful to be able to quote the URI for some information and then look up that URI in an entirely different context.”
- Tim Berners-Lee

Creator of Web Opposes Ne ... by Philipp Lenssen

Google Suggest Game

Nathan Weinberg notes Google Suggest can help create funny sentences. Here are some – and as Google always suggests what’s most popular (with some adult filters applied), it reveals people often use Google as their personal friend and counselor:

Type This ...	and Google suggests this
When will I ever ...	use math
Where in the world is m ...	marijuana legal
Is there someone ...	out there for me
What time does ...	it get dark
Will I l ...	lose my hair
Who said ...	I have a dream
I want ...	I want a hippopotamus for christmas
Who d ...	do I vote for
Is Bush ...	wired
I lost m ...	my frog
When will I ...	get married
Who danced ...	the dance of seven veils
Why is ...	the sky blue
Why is ...	it important to vote
Why is ...	Mars red
I am ...	bored
Will my ...	vote count
My next ...	job
I saw ...	mommy kissing
I can’t ...	wait for the weekend
I really want ...	one of those
My sister is ...	mean
How do you ...	kiss
How do you ...	make out
Is my ...	boyfriend gay
Is my ...	cat pregnant
Am I ...	fat
How does one ...	become a saint
How do people ...	live in the desert
What ...	not to wear
How do I spell ...	my name in Chinese
Naughty pictures of ...	the Simpsons
Naughty pics of ...	me
When am I ...	going to die
Pics of my ...	wife
Why is Google ...	so fast
My girlfriend ...	hates me
When do I say ...	I love you

Google Suggest Game by Philipp Lenssen

GoogleLibrary.com

“I have the domain GoogleLibrary.com. Way back when I discovered a new invisible universe that you could use the internet as a rocket ship to get too, I named the land Googleonia, paying homage to Google, the great internet company. Our library is called the Google Library, once again paying respect to the great Google company that has helped elighten us about the possibilities of the internet.”
– Justin Pfister, Google Library is the library in Googleonia as well as on Earth, December 14, 2004

GoogleLibrary.com by Philipp Lenssen

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