Say you want to find information on a TV show from 1973–or the person you took to prom–but you don’t have time to hit the library or stalk your old date.
You might try a brand new Internet web site called Google, assuming you’re gullible enough to believe that the infinite amount of information available on the World Wide Web can be organized.
The site bills itself as an Internet “search engine.” Boasting a patented algorithm, it encourages users to engage in all manner of keyword-based searches.
To use it you type the item you’re looking for into the demarcated box. Then you hit the “search” button.
A moment or so later you’ll see a listing of what they call “search results,” listed vertically on the page, seemingly pulled from all over cyberspace.
Advocates of the site apparently use the bastardized word “Google” as a transitive verb to describe the act of seeking this way, though it seems unlikely that such a term will ever enter the popular vernacular. (The site’s name is a play on the mathematical term “googol”).
While the results are impressive, we fail to see how this upstart will outpace old favorites like AltaVista, Dogpile or Lycos, all of which offer a comforting amount of clutter as compared to Google’s austere and rather unadorned homepage.
Let’s just hope the company doesn’t venture foolishly into any other business areas.