Newspaper Page Text
THE ISLANDER, AUGUST 18, 2008, PAGE 15
More effective Google searches, part 1
By: Mike Ainsworth and John Sanford
Search engines have become
the primary tools people use to
find information on the Inter
net. While all the leading search
engines work well, Google is
the clear leader. Despite the
fact that millions of people use
it daily, few are getting full
advantage of its power. The
scope of information available
is much broader than most
realize. In this and next week’s
articles, we will cover ways to
improve your Google searches
and get better, more specific
information quickly.
Find Digital Images
Suppose you are looking for
an image to include in a report.
With Google you can find down
loadable images that may meet
your needs. To do this, click on
the word Images that appears
in the upper left hand corner of
the Google window, enter the
subject of your search in the
query bar and hit Return or
click the Google Search button.
Pages of images will likely be
produced.
You can also find images
by adding words like ‘pics’ or
‘pictures’ to your search terms
when you do a regular web
search.
As Google will remind you,
some images are subject to
copyright protection. Be sure
to verify rights of use before
incorporating an image found
by Google in the document or
website you are producing, par
ticularly if it is for a commer
cial use.
Track Shipments
Parcel tracking IDs, patents
and other specialized numbers
can be entered into Google’s
search box for quick access to
information about them. Enter
a UPS tracking number, click
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the Google Search button, and
Google will return the latest
information on your shipment.
This works with UPS, FedEx
and United States Postal Ser
vice packages.
Find Serial Number Based
Items
Google can return specific
information about a number of
items that are controlled by a
serial number. These include
automobile VIN numbers,
product UPC codes and pat
ent registration numbers. For
instance, enter the VIN num
ber 1FACP52U8MA230364
and you will immediately learn
this is a 1991 Ford Taurus
with a V6 engine. Enter “pat
ent 6423127” and you will be
told it covers a pseudo-plastic
water base ink for ball pens.
Define Words, Idioms, and
Phrases
To get a basic definition of a
word, type the special Google
operator “define:” with no
space between it and the term
you want defined. For instance,
“define: elephant” will display
a list of definitions of elephant
with links to source documen
tation.
For more general definitions
for a word or phrase, including
links to pages containing vari
ous uses of the text, type the
word “define,” then a space,
and then the word or phrase
you want defined. Google will
retrieve links to web pages pro
viding definitions and display
those at the top of your search
results.
Do Calculations
Google’s has a built-in calcu
lator function. To use it, enter
the calculation you’d like done
into the search box and click
on the Google Search button.
The calculator can solve math
problems involving basic arith
metic, more complicated math,
units of measure and conver
sions, and physical constants.
For instance, to find the square
root of 6785, enter sqrt(6785)
and Google will let you know
the answer is 82.37lill4.
Find Equivalent
Relationships
Forgotten how many yards
there are in a mile or need to
know how many inches there
are in a kilometer? What about
the number of teaspoons in a
cup? Google will immediately
provide the answer to such
equivalency questions. Just
type the query into the search
bar and hit Return or click the
search button. For instance, the
query “inches in a kilometer”
tells us the answer is 37,370.
“Teaspoons in a cup” reminds
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Do Foreign Currency Con
versions
This ability to find equiv
alent values also extends to
some items where the rela
tionship will vary over time.
For instance, the relative value
of the US dollar to the Euro
changes constantly. To find the
current value, enter a query
such as “$345 US Dollars in
Euros.” The current exchange
rate will be returned. Suppose
you don’t know the name of
the currency used in Bolivia,
but need to find out how much
of whatever it is equals $500.
The query “500 US dollars in
Bolivian money” will let you
know the answer, which on the
date this was written equaled
3,828.70 bolivianos.
Check Airport Conditions
and Flight Status
Is your flight going to be
delayed by bad weather or
other conditions? Google can
help you find out. In the search
bar, type an airport’s three-let
ter code followed by the word
“airport.” For example, San
Francisco International Air
port updates can be found by
searching for “sfo airport.” A
link is provided to a site provid
ing detailed weather and air
traffic information
You can also check to see
how a specific flight is doing.
This is a big help in knowing
when you need to leave for the
airport. To check the status of
a U.S. flight, enter the name or
code of the airline followed by
the flight number. For exam
ple, to see the status for South
west Airlines flight 241 search
for “Southwest 241” or “SWA
241.” You will be directed to
a link with information from
fboweb.com that indicates
flight status. If a flight is in the
air, approximate location and
anticipated arrival information
is also given.
These are but a few of the
powerful features of Google
that many people never use.
Next week we will take a
look at some others, including
advanced search techniques
that will improve the quality
of the links Google provides for
your review.
For more information and
tutorials, visit the authors’
website at www.bienvilleser-
vices.com. □
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