Tag Archives: search

Find Anything With Index of Searches

Recently, I taught a couple of friends some awesome Google Fu—the ever useful Index Of search trick. This little baby turns Google into a veritable smörgåsbord of file searching goodness. It trawls the Internet for just about anything your heart could desire.

Here’s an example of how to put this hack in use (courtesy of Lifehacker). Type the code below into Google.

Code:

-inurl:(htm|html|php) intitle:"index of" +"last modified" +"parent directory" +description +size +(wma|mp3) "Nirvana"

The above snippet searches Google for shared folders with music files with by Nirvana. It’s as simple as that. You can modify the text to search for movies, TV shows, E-books, comic books, etc.

Search Results

TextExpander by Smile Software is one of the most essential apps in my workflow. It “saves your fingers and your keyboard, expanding custom keyboard shortcuts into frequently-used text and pictures”. It’s also a super convenient way of storing bits of code that are too cryptic and/or lengthy for you to even think about memorizing.

So, for those of you already using it, I’ve created a TextExpander Snippet for your benefit. You can download it here.

Do you have any gnarly Googley tricks up your sleeve? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

Certifiably Googled

If there’s one thing we IT geeks love (almost) as much as gadgets it’s certifications. Imagine my contentment when I learned that I would be getting an official certification in Google-ology courtesy of the search gurus in Mountain View, California for completing the Power Searching with Google course!

Certificate - Power Searching with Google

I was thinking about dusting off the old curriculum vitae to include this (ahem) accomplishment, but I don’t think this carries the same weight as a (real) cert from Microsoft or Cisco.

All kidding aside, I found the course worth my time. I definitely learned a trick or two that I didn’t know before and I’ll be anxiously looking forward to whatever future learning Google deigns to impart.

So what do you think, Internet, should I update my résumé and/or LinkedIn profile with my new certification? Sound off in the comments below.

Free Power Search Course from Google

Can't Find Anything

How many times a day do you look something up on Google? How long does it take you to find what you’re looking for online? Do you just plain stink at the Internet?

No matter how you answered those questions you should still sign up for Power Searching with Google, a free course brought to you courtesy of Google (duh) which aims to enlighten us in the ways of Google wizardry.

Google Power Search

The course is made up of six classes, a mid-term, and final. Classes began last Tuesday, July 10 and will run until July 23. Each class runs abut an hour and consists of several short videos, a series of activities to hone your search ninja skills, and a post-course assessment to gauge your progress.

If you haven’t signed up yet you need to hurry—course registration closes Monday, July 16. Please also be aware that you will need to complete the first three classes and the course mid-term assessment by 7:59 am this coming Tuesday, July 17.

To get the most out of the course you’ll want to take the classes on a desktop (Mac), laptop (MacBook), or tablet (iPad) and not a mobile phone. Also, make sure you are using the most recent version of your browser.

What will you search for after you master the secrets of Google Fu? Sound off in the comments bellow.

What are you waiting for—get Googling!

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

Bing Shopping FAIL

Bing

When a friend suggested that I try Microsoft Bing’s new shopping site I thought I’d have a little fun.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that the latest and greatest version of Mac OS X (AKA Snow Leopard) is due out today, August 28th. So, I thought I’d see how easy it would be to buy it on Bing Shopping.

Snow Leopard Aug 28

I typed “Snow Leopard” into Bing Shopping and lo and behold—none of the search results on the first couple of pages came remotely close to the operating system update.

Snow Leopard - Bing shopping

I don’t know how Apple’s new OS wasn’t at the top of the list. This is a total fail on the part of Bing. It’s not like no one’s heard of it. The reviews are in and, it’s been one of the top selling items on Amazon.com.

Apparently, if Apple or another Mac product reseller wants to sell via Bing they need to place an ad. The only place to find Snow Leopard is via the sponsored links (which I usually ignore).

Bing Shopping - Snow Leopard Sponsored Links

It’s not like it’s in Microsoft’s best interest to make it easy to buy their competitor’s but if you’re going to be in the “decision engine” business, shouldn’t you be capable of showing the most timely and relevant information possible?