Google Won't Search for Chuck Norris

Smart engine, this Google, ya know. It knows where it shouldn't tread. That's why it won't search for Chuck Norris.

Don't believe me? Try this yourself.

1. Go to Google.
2. Type in "Chuck Norris".
3. Click "I'm feeling lucky".
4. Well, do you, punk?

If you don't feel like doing all this hard work, just look at this screenshot, depicting what happens when you search for Chuck Norris on Google:

Click on the image to enlarge it

Links, Links, Links - January 8th, 2009

Some interesting stuff from the net today:

• 10 of the Best WordPress 2.7 Compatible Themes
  
  
• 10 Killer WordPress Hacks
  
  
• 7 Hot Diet Books that can Help you Lose Weight - So many diets, so hard to choose.
  
  
• Top 10 Alternative Search Engines of 2008 - there's more to the net than just Google!
  

How Big is the Internet?

Seems like Google thinks it has the answers to everything lately. So, in that spirit, they also take the time to notify the world
how big is the internet.

According to Google, the web had a billion pages in 2000. Nowadays, Google claims the net holds over a trillion indexed page. That's 1,000,000,000,000 unique URLs for you.

I found this part in Google's post very interesting: "We don't index every one of those trillion pages -- many of them are similar to each other, or represent auto-generated content similar to the calendar example that isn't very useful to searchers. But we're proud to have the most comprehensive index of any search engine, and our goal always has been to index all the world's data".

So, basically, Google decide which pages you should see. All in the name of helping you, the stupid surfer, to find the info you need more easily.

Really?

I find it extremely annoying that Google thinks it should educate us on every step. I really dislike the fact that when I search for a specific word, Google show off by giving me results that include similar words. If I looked for the word VIDEO, I want results with that word, and that word only. Not VIDEOS, not CLIPS and not MOVIES. Just VIDEO, thank you very much.

Thank God for the Plus sign (+). Problem is, not many users know or want to utilize the advanced search options. So they rely on what Google gives them, and they get lazier by the day. After all, if it isn't in the first three results of Google - it ain't really THERE, right?

This is not about personalized search or natural search. This is about dumbing down the users, and making them more dependent on products like Google, to do the work for them. I think it's bad news to the internet and to the users.

Frank Herbert had it right: Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind. If we give up our thinking and let machines think for us - we won't be around for very long.

End-of-the-Year Search Trends Bullshit

Britney Spears rules again - this is the conclusion from Yahoo's Top Searches list of 2007.

Britney spears was at the top of many search lists in the last few years. It's really hard to believe that in an ever changing, dynamic world such as the internet, something like that stays so stable. This is Yahoo's list:

1. Britney Spears
2. WWE
3. Paris Hilton
4. Naruto
5. Beyonce
6. Lindsay Lohan
7. Rune Scape
8. Fantasy Football
9. Fergie
10. Jessica Alba

You can dig deeper, if you feel like it, and look at Yahoo's Search Trends for 2007.

These lists represent almost nothing at all, because they are edited and mutated by the editors of the sites that offer them. Last year, Google published a VERY weird top searches list for 2006, and after a lot of bashing and criticism, was forced to admit that the list was heavily edited and basically didn't reflect any trends at all. I suppose that's why Google stopped publishing their Zeitgeist, and moved to the more flexible, web 2.0-style of Google Trends.

Yahoo says that they remove sexual queries and navigational queries - and the list is compiled by some sort of formula they conjure.

These lists serve no one but the PR of the specific site that publishes them. They are almost meaningless. The real data of searches is very interesting, but also very valuable. That's why we will never see it - but only the distorted image the big search engine choose to project.

Google Pirate: Plunder the Web

There are plenty of Google-based search engines out there, but some of them are more fun than others.

This one just popped up on my radar: Google Pirate. The name is appealing, and so is the function: search for pirated downloads, using the power of Google. You can search for torrents, ringtones, software, ROMs and more. The results are pretty good, but it seems the engine doesn't support languages that are not English.

You can also add a plugin for your browser, if you are into that sort of thing.

Speaking of cool engines, this might be a good time to remind you that you can search for mp3 files using Google's power - with this neat site.

Plunder and enjoy!