Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
August 15, 2005

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Terry's Computer Tips newsletter - http://www.terryscomputertips.com
A computer tips newsletter for users of PC's.

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Volume 1, Number 9 -- Monday, August 15, 2005

IN THIS ISSUE:
*  Little-known Google Features
*  What about the "more" page?
*  Google's "Web Search Features"
*  Update News -- Windows Updates, Tuesday, August 9th
*  Help!  I downloaded this strange compressed file!
*  Shareware/Freeware Pick of the Week - Filzip
*  Just For Fun
*  One Last Message -- Keylogger Warning

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1.  Little-known Google Features I've written several times about how much I like to use Google for searching.  It is my primary search tool and almost always turns up the information that I want.  Last week, I wrote about Usenet and using Google Groups as a convenient way to search Usenet for information.

However, Google is more than a web search engine and a portal to Usenet.  There are the other main headings on the www.google.com page, the Images, Groups, News, Froogle and Local headings.  And the rest of the magic, "more".  News, in this case, is current world news.  Froogle is a search engine that focuses on the prices of items.  Local lets you find items in your city.   However, you don't even have to go to the Local tool to use it, though.

I did a regular Google search for the string "home depot 70817" (but without the quotes).  The response from Google was:

search for home depot 70817
Local results for home depot near Baton Rouge 70817
Home Depot - 3.0 miles SW - 18130 Highland Rd, Baton Rouge, 70810 - (225) 755-4021
Home Depot - 4.4 miles NW - 10300 Coursey Blvd, Baton Rouge, 70816 - (225) 293-9629
Home Depot - 5.8 miles NE - 2255 Home Depot Rd, Denham Springs, 70726 - (225) 791-7384

"More", on the other hand, gives you a whole new set of functions.  But, before we look at "more," let's consider what else we can do at the main Google search bar, or in the search box of a Google Toolbar.

Need to make a measurement conversion, try something like "2 gallons in cups" for an answer of "two US gallons = 32 US cups," as well as getting the usual web search results.

Wonder what a word means?  Try something like "define: ninja".  First, try it without the colon.  Then, try it with the colon to see just how useful Google can be as an electronic dictionary.

I found a web site called Google Guide that specializes in Google tips.  It even has a printable Google Guide cheatsheet.  If you read and use the tips and guides on the web pages, you can make your Google searches even more effective.

Google Guide includes a section of tips for novices and beginners as well a section for more advanced Google users.

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2.  What about the "more" page?

One big hint -- the more page is where we find all of Google's really cool stuff!

Some of these items are experimental -- the Labs link gets you to neat stuff that Google is still designing and changing.

Do you want Google to search occasionally, say once a week, for some result and email it to you?  How about the ability to search and browse mail-order catalogs?  Or to search the text of printed books and scholarly papers? If you want to start your own blog (see my August 1st newsletter) -- and do it for free -- click on the Blogger link from Google's "more" page.

You can read about and download Google's desktop search tool there, or download Google Earth (again, see my August 1st newletter), Picasa (a free picture organizer) is available for download from the "more" page.

Of course, if you are running Internet Explorer -- especially IE before WinXP Service Pack 1 -- you should be running Google's Toolbar, which includes a very effective popup blocker.  Many add-on toolbars can block popups;  however, Google's is one of the few that allows you to decide whether you want to share information with Google on where you web-surf -- just say "no" (uncheck the two Options boxes, where it says "Page Information" (these are valuable for web developers, but not many other people).  The toolbar also provides some limited autofilling capabilities for web forms.

The nondescript "Web Search Features" is anything but nondescript, if you click on it...
(Continued in Article 3)

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Continued in Part 2

Volume 1, Number 9 -- Monday, August 15, 2005
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Copyright © 2005 Terry A. Stockdale.  All rights reserved.