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Google does this because the old search engines that didn't do it were all crap and died off.

Google understands synonyms, acronyms and related concepts. It understands multiple languages and offers translation services so that you can too.

Turns out, that is better than just vomiting out the results of a database query on the search terms in almost every case.

Where it tends to fail is when someone tries to subvert it by using 1998-style search terms, e.g. "WORD1" AND "WORD2". Maybe they need a retro mode. Or try one of the following terrible search engines instead:

http://www.excite.com/
http://www.aliweb.com/

Who?

Steve Jackson Games

What?

Look, I know that nobody reads the fantastic article, but you're allowed to read the summary. Steve Jackson is the founder and editor-in-chief of Steve Jackson Games. What's Steve Jackson Games? Well, since you're clearly new to this whole "internet" thing, that underlined text is what's called a hyperlink. You can click on it and it will take you to another web page with additional information. Or there's this marvelous invention called a 'search engine' (of which there are several) that will let you put in practically any series of characters you can think of, and it will generate a list of resources that contain additional information on your query.

I don't see this monopoly (virtual or otherwise) in search that you are talking about. Care to provide examples?

In that case, allow me.
This is just a small sample of how wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong and hella wrong you are.

That list is far from complete, and is mostly USA-centric. In other countries, not only are there more search providers, but Google does not even rank in the top lists. Or just look at China, where Google is made fun of similar to AOL is in the US today.

If that is what you label a monopoly, I really want to know what you call companies like Microsoft regarding desktop operating systems - or the phone company - or patents/copyrights for that matter.

The problem is, hiring high-school interns to categorize the web doesn't scale. The first good search engine to come along ate their lunch. Yahoo is a tech company with no technology to offer. I'm surprised that they made it this far by imitating and acquiring other companies. But hey, excite.com and lycos.com still exist, so maybe it's possible for Yahoo to just coast along forever.

Did you know Excite is still around? I had no idea.

This list is pretty amazing for some nostalgic perusal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_search_engines

(Now as for that VAX... No! Bad!)

APNEWS has just posted an article saying Apple has reversed its decision on the censoring.

See: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100615/D9GBTQFO3.html

The problem has been fixed, it was interference by some bolts.

"Late Saturday, the space station's commander, Jeffrey Williams, reported that bolts seemed to be causing the interference. He removed all eight bolts, saying the clearance would be tight but that the cover likely would fit. It did, with some coaxing Sunday."

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100214/D9DS3UOO1.html

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20081030/D94522VO0.html Wonder why a business like this would lose money. Ever try a LAN party with Battlefield 2142 with everyone at the same physical location? People randomly get kicked out. Doesn't matter if the server is on XP, Vista or OS X. Good magic. $310 million dollar quarterly loss and layoff of 6 percent of their workforce indeed.

I didn't know that there were only two search engines in the U.S. market...

However - if you read the article's related to this issue, (and I don't mean the trashy yahoo article) try this one:

http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_ge.jsp?cat=PRRELEASE&src=102&feed=cmt&section=news&news_id=cmt-072b4826&date=20080312&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw

That's not an article. That's actually a press release. You might notice its source is "ZapMedia Services, Inc."

However - if you read the article's related to this issue, (and I don't mean the trashy yahoo article) try this one: http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_ge.jsp?cat=PRRELEASE&src=102&feed=cmt&section=news&news_id=cmt-072b4826&date=20080312&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw

SOURCE: ZapMedia Services, Inc.

"ZapMedia applied for the patents in 1999. One was granted in March 2006, the other on Tuesday."

They filed for these patents 9 years ago, and one of them was just granted ... Tuesday?!!

I know we are all against software patents... but these guys have been waiting for 9 years to be able to use this patent by the rules that everyone is supposed to play by. calling them Patent Trolls for standing by and watching while Apple used thier technology to make billions, is not quite accurate.

What would have happened if this patent was issued 9 years ago? or even just the year before the iPod came out? Would it be the ZapMediaPod that everyone was playing thier music on?

Patent laws were originally designed so that the little guys can get thier inventions out without being clobbered by the big guys. Granted they don't work that way in practice.

However - if you read the article's related to this issue, (and I don't mean the trashy yahoo article) try this one:

http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_ge.jsp?cat=PRRELEASE&src=102&feed=cmt&section=news&news_id=cmt-072b4826&date=20080312&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw

You will see that these guys worked closely with Apple, and then Apple cut them out of the loop, EXACTLY what patent law was originally designed to prevent.

Patents shouldn't apply to software... maybe. How do you protect the small time coder from the big business that takes thier ideas, makes billions, and then doesn't return a dime, without patents?

I'll accept any answer that doesn't end with
3: ????
4: PROFIT!

Comcast says it must curb some file-sharing traffic because some subscribers would otherwise hog the cables with their uploads and slow traffic in their neighborhood.

In other words, despite what Comcast and every other cable provider who offers high-speed access to the Net will have you believe, you are still sharing one line with all your neighbors. This is different than FiOS or other non-cable connections where you have your own line.

They'll never admit to it but their own comments prove otherwise.

To read the NYT without registering, try going through Excite's article listing, located here... http://news.excite.com/provider/id/nyt.html

To read the NYT without registering, try going through Excite's article listing, located here... http://news.excite.com/provider/id/nyt.html

And the story I read stated that according to a Chinese website listing chemical prices, there is a significant difference between the two. Someone along the ling of $2800 per metric ton for the 1,4-butanediol, and $9800 a metric ton for the 1,5-pentanediol.

Oh here we go - blatantly stolen from AP.

Both chemicals are manufactured in China and elsewhere, including by major multinational companies, and are also marketed over the Internet.

It's not clear why 1,4-butanediol was substituted. However, there is a significant difference in price between the two chemicals. The Chinese online trading platform ChemNet China lists the price of 1,4 butanediol at between about $1,350-$2,800 per metric ton, while the price for 1,5-pentanediol is about $9,700 per metric ton.


http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071108/D8SPHKFO4.html

I use Wikipedia to answer this simple question: who/what the fuck is x? If people start deleting articles just because they think x isn't important enough, how am I supposed to find out what x is, even if nobody really cares about x?

Wow, that's pretty neat.

(Take a look at Excite's ... that page ought to have a warning sign on it, it hurts my brain just to look at for too long.)

You may be interested in How Much WIll Windows Security Matter which I posted as well, and is still pending as of this post. It sort of goes over the security fixes that MS has does for Vista and what not but it seems to stress on internet security...

How about reporting that people who actually have seen/used the PS3 love it?

The person familiar with the talks said a major strategic review over the past several months sought to identify additional ways to keep users within the AOL family regardless of whether they want to keep paying monthly fees of as much as $25.90 a month.

I am interested to know from where you know this "...you're not legally trespassing until you have been told to leave, at least in California...". And more importantly, does it apply in other states? mail me

heh. Bad example. Note the FBI modernization that has been completed: 30,000 new desktop computers for $600M

I never use Google/ig, because the precise reason I started using Google (in addition to their better search) was that I was sick of "portals", where every square inch of screen space had to be taken up with something. From the moment I first visited Google, I knew I was looking at something better, because the Google folks decided that they didn't need to tart their site up to look like all those awful circa-1997 portals. Go look at http://www.excite.com/, because that's where we're all headed...*again*. The only difference is that now it's customizable with JavaScript instead of lots of server-side stuff.

No, thank you; I'll stick with regular old google.com or better yet, the Google search bar built into Firefox.

The best interface is no interface.

http://money.excite.com/jsp/qt/full.jsp?time=0&typ e=QT

This news story has really only begun to break onto mainstream media and just wait for it to hit the general public. I bet Sony cant wait to have regular Joe Schmoe think that when they buy a Sony CD, they are going to mess up and get a virus on their computer. And just before the Christmas season as well. Average consumers have no was to discern what the real problem was here, the concept of a "rootkit" would probably lead to potato or carrot issues, so they will just blanket Sony products with the "full of bad stuff" stigma. And then just wait for the sales #'s to come in after the Christmas season. This stock is going from bad to worse. Boycotts are fun, but when the guys who own $300 million in stock are getting screwed, then the fun really begins. Seppuku anyone?

The precedent has already been set countless times over the last 20 years: Computers are like physical property - if you enter without permission you are breaking and entering no matter if the key is in the door, under the carpet or dangling from a piece of string.

The 13 students charged violated that policy, said Kutztown Police Chief Theodore Cole, insisting the school district had exhausted all options short of expulsion before seeking the charges. Cole said, however, that there is no evidence the students attacked or disabled the school's computer network, altered grades or did anything else that could be deemed malicious.

Smith said that Microsoft will reinvest all of the money, after legal expenses, including $5 million that will go to increase Internet enforcement efforts and expand technical and investigative support to help law enforcers to address computer-related crimes.

So I ask the question: how is this a follow-up to the previous article when in fact the linked article is a day behind the original article and only restates things?

Not to mention that the article I had submitted had all of the information and more than the original article but was rejected.

So yes, it is a dupe.

Also, how can the first post about a submitted story be Redundant? Oh right, it's Thursday. That means an extra dose of crack to carry you over til Friday.

A critical piece this article left out was that Richters operations would be monitored for three years. While only three years in length the oversight will (hopefully) insure he doesn't try some other route to clog the net with crap.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush on Friday said he would veto legislation that would loosen restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and expressed deep concern about human cloning research in South Korea.

"I'm very concerned about cloning," the president said. "I worry about a world in which cloning becomes accepted."

White House deputy press secretary Trent Duffy said the work in South Korea amounted to human cloning for the sole purpose of scientific research. "The president is opposed to that," Duffy said. "That represents exactly what we're opposed to."

South Korean researchers, funded by their government, reported producing human embryos through cloning and then extracting their stem cells. It is a major advancement in the quest to grow patients' own replacement tissue to treat diseases.

The president also threatened a veto of legislation that would clear the way for taxpayer money to be spent on embryonic stem cell research.

A measure by Reps. Mike Castle, R-Del., and Diana DeGette, D-Colo., would lift Bush's 2001 ban on the use of federal dollars for research using any new embryonic stem cell lines.

"I made very clear to Congress that the use of federal money, taxpayer's money, to promote science which destroys life in order to save life - I'm against that," Bush said. "Therefore, if the bill does that, I would veto it."

Bush, in his fifth year in office, has not yet exercised his first veto. The White House also promised a veto this week of a highway bill if it exceeded the administration's spending limits.

Bush began the day at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast where he was cheered for urging people to "pray that America uses the gift of freedom to build a culture of life."

The remark was a public reaffirmation of his position on sensitive issues such as abortion and stem cell research.

Bush recalled the legacy of the late Pope John Paul II and said, "The best way to honor this great champion of human freedom is to continue to build a culture of life where the strong protect the weak."

Bush won 52 percent of the Roman Catholic vote in last year's election and got the support of 56 percent of white Catholics, defeating the first Catholic presidential candidate from a major party since John F. Kennedy. In 2000, Bush narrowly lost the Catholic vote.

DTV is not dropping Tivo. DirecTV was purchased by NewsCorp which is owned by Rupert Murdoch as we know. One of his other companies happened to be working on a DVR already. So yes, they will be offering that as an option as well.

But... the NDS DVR isn't out yet and DTV is still actively promoting Tivo both on-air and through combo deals to sign up for service. DTV's contract with Tivo lasts through 2007, and even then they can't just drop Tivo overnight. By the end of January, Tivo had signed up 3 million subscribers, and approx 2/3 of those are DTV subscribers. DTV would be foolish to drop support for something that 2 million of their customers know and love, especially since even if the NDS box is free, if it has problems or just doesn't live up to Tivo, there will likely be a customer backlash.

Take for example Comcast's own foray into DVR land. Users were less than satisfied [login required] and as a result, Comcast recently struck a deal with Tivo to co-develop a DVR based on Tivo technology.

Meanwhile Tivo has released a SDK and encouraged Java programmers to develop applications to make Tivo even more useful. Imagine shows like Survivor! that auction off props at the end of the season for charity being able to send you directly to Ebay on your Tivo!

There are also rumors of a partnership or aquisition of Tivo by Google for an as yet announced Video search/play on-demand product. Tivo already has a partnertship with Netflix to explore and develop technology for on-demand movie downloads.

Tivo needs to work hard in the coming months, but overall I think rumors of Tivo's imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated.

From this more complete AP article:

Users who download RealNetworks' new Rhapsody software will get to select the 25 tracks - it could be 25 different songs played once apiece or the same song played 25 times - from a library of more than 1 million tunes, the company said Tuesday.

Forgive me if I'm not busting down Real's door to get this.

Ask Jeeves can now point to InterActive's own properties when it feels like. Let's plan my date, Jeeves:

Where can I find easy fat chicks (match)

I need tickets to New Orleans (expedia)

Where can I get tickets for Hootie? (ticketmaster)

where are BBQ restarants in New Orleans (citysearch)

I need a cheap hotel in New orleans(expedia)

How can I have other people see my searches? (searchspy)

How can I give all my web browsing information to you for you to resell? (speedbar)

Their version of the intarweb need not point to pesky competitors.

Also notable is that all the search return links given by Ask Jeeves are not to the destination site but are referred back to Ask, which then forwards you; AJ know the search returns that you are clicking on also. Couple that with the mandatory cookies on expedia etc and you are being watched, tracked, sold to, and sold.

That 20% is also key for attracting talent. Working at Google has a lot of perks (so I hear), but for a developer, the ability to work on personal projects is magic. To my knowledge, no other company offers this.

Apparently, manholes are being stolen at an alarming rate in China.

I guess the goatse.cx guy better hide! The manhole thieves might get him!

Excite has had this for years and years.

you can either challenge their decisions in court (assuming that someone isn't already)

Fortunately, somebody is: Court Debates Anti-Piracy TV Technology

A few things, that really isn't fair on India, all those people who don't have much money are not going to come to the US and testify (also it would be easy from some key wittness to not get visa in time etc.).

If you are going to do business in another country, why shouldn't you have held accountable by it's laws? Why should India lawyers before force into another legal system that they don't know? What would happen if the it was an India who commited a crime the US, should he be tried in India?

And finally, we are USA, we don't need evidence, we can now legally torture people and use what ever they tells us in court to convict them.

You can read this article off of Excites site regarding some issues that came up and Mr. Charles' response.

Firing Brian Reid wasn't too bright either.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20040724/D840RLR0 0.html.

Morons.

Just to outline the point, there's a recent reuters article about how mortuaries are now having to remove the fillings because they create toxic smoke during the cremation process.

Not something I would want in my mouth, thank you!

I had also thought that it was settled earlier than 1991, but I decided to trust this over my own memory. Perhaps Kodak was forced to withdraw from the market and recall the cameras in 1985, but the monetary settlement wasn't done until 1991. In either case, it was long, drawn out, and counterproductive.

Kodak probably could have produced the sensors if they had been thinking ahead. They, like many other "photo" companies are intimately involved in the semiconductor manufacturing arena. It's ironic that they should be left at the dock while the ship they helped build sets sail.

A few sites come to mind.

This is total bullshit. Look at how much money Microsoft took in ($32,187 x 10^6) versus how much money they spend in running the company ($5,686 x 10^6).....
.....AND.....
.....that includes all the money they lose on xBox and other bullshit they finanace with their Windows/Office monopoly. That makes for a far more than 566% percent markup on Windows/Office. Now don't forget that R&D is way up now too financing the next Winbloze due whenever they get their act together.

I could just keep going but this damn Microsoft ranting gets my friggin blood pressure up.

if convicted of the charges that they suggest are involved.

Sprague (charged):
1) criminal copyright infringement, and
2) illegal interception of a satellite signal

Caridi (may be charged):
1) contributory copyright infringement

While I'm no fan of breaking copyright law (or any law for that matter), what pisses me off is that these two will be sentenced to terms longer than Bill Janklow (R,SD). That fucker will get 100 days for killing someone AND his record will be expunged.

No wonder people have no faith in the judicial system.

What surprised me most was the URL of the story!

I remember using Excite as my search of choice for full-text searches, back before Yahoo! started charging for everything, including directory listings. Then, there was Webcrawler, once the home of the canonical robots.txt standard.

I even remember back in the day, when not all AltaVistas were created equal.

Then came Google's PigeonRank system, and it's been downhill (or uphill, whichever you see as a positive metaphor) ever since.

So the Excite.com link was a trip down memory lane. Not that I'm expecting the Good Old Days to return; when I tried to access the home page with my Opera browser, I got an error message: "The browser you're using is not allowing you to sign in to Excite." Don't worry, Excite.com... I won't be trying again.

What surprised me most was the URL of the story!

I remember using Excite as my search of choice for full-text searches, back before Yahoo! started charging for everything, including directory listings. Then, there was Webcrawler, once the home of the canonical robots.txt standard.

I even remember back in the day, when not all AltaVistas were created equal.

Then came Google's PigeonRank system, and it's been downhill (or uphill, whichever you see as a positive metaphor) ever since.

So the Excite.com link was a trip down memory lane. Not that I'm expecting the Good Old Days to return; when I tried to access the home page with my Opera browser, I got an error message: "The browser you're using is not allowing you to sign in to Excite." Don't worry, Excite.com... I won't be trying again.

There is an article on Excite here, which was covered on Slashdot here, that tells of a woman whose cell phone burst into flames. No matter the cause, there's your spark -- and much more. I do realize that she dropped the phone and this likely caused the problem, but this could just as easily have happened while she was standing at the pump.

But regardless of that, cell phones build up static energy much like people do -- any wireless internet/radio enthusiast will tell you that. This is what causes lightning to strike antennas more frequently than most other objects. Most people have also found out that static electricity from simply moving around can cause a spark.

All I'm saying is that the possibility exists for such a "spark" to take place given the right conditions (i.e., "in some cases"). Physics tells us such, and that's enough evidence for me to appreciate the concern.

I'm done. Take care.

-a

So they are complaining that there isn't enough choice while The US Government is still looking into them about DRM?