Google Search By Number

fizz writes "Well, Google has done it again. This time, simply enter any tracking number or id number into the Google search box, and Voila! You have a link to the shipper and tracking information. They have a funny little mom/son tech talk bit on the blog about this."

Comments

Little by little

[winkydink]

Google is becoming the one-stop shop for information. While I know their motto is, "Do no evil", I can't help but feel a little squeamish about it.

Re:Little by little

[WD_40]

I've often wondered how long it's going to take, and how big Google will have to get, before it's considered 'evil' alongside Microsoft in the eyes of geeks.

Re:Little by little

[DoubleD]

Oh yeah definitly they should stop innovating.

Everytime they add a new feature I have this vague and unsupported feeling they are falling down this slippery slope towards utter evilness.

Please google for the sake of the children stop comming up with cool stuff. If you have to add something make it useless and sucky.

Re:Little by little

[NanoGator]

"I've often wondered how long it's going to take, and how big Google will have to get, before it's considered 'evil' alongside Microsoft in the eyes of geeks."

When enough people like Google, it'll be fashionable to hate them. It makes for a small clique of geeks that think having an extreme opinion with intelligence. It's sort of like how the definition of sci-fi has been twisted to exclude Star Wars.

Geeks can be snobs, too.

Re:Little by little

[RealityMogul]

That's a hard question to answer. Maybe you should ask Jeeves.

Re:Little by little

[lakin]

Please google for the sake of the children stop comming up with cool stuff. If you have to add something make it useless and sucky.

Microsoft have been trying this one for a while now, and are still considered evil...

Re:Little by little

[wed128]

Look, up in the sky! it's sarcasm flying over your head!

Re:Little by little

[gstoddart]

It's sort of like how the definition of sci-fi has been twisted to exclude Star Wars.

Ummmm .... the definition wasn't 'twisted' to exclude Star Wars. That was a literary definition which pre-dated Star Wars -- you know, by people like Asimov and his pre-cursors who were writing sci-fi back in the day. (eg, this or here)

Star Wars does not attempt to fulfill the role of exploring how technology affects man.

It is pure and simple Space Opera. Even Lucas will concede that point, as he never tried to make anything else.

If you took the story of the Alamo, placed it on a moon, and made the technology involved in getting to the moon and fighting the war just simply background, that would not be sci-fi. A literal re-telling of a Shakespeare play in a loosely space-based setting, is not sci-fi.

The fact that you don't like a definition which is both older than you and doesn't apply to Star Wars is something for you to reconcile.

Cheers

Not a new feature

[Anonymous Coward]

Favorite Hidden Google Features?

Just because someone's mom doesn't know something about Google doesn't make it new.

Re:Not a new feature

[ShaniaTwain]

Just because someone's mom doesn't know something about Google doesn't make it new.

Slashdot: news for moms, one year after.

Google did this a year ago

[applecore]

I agree with Googleblog's Mr. Stocky that people need to be told about this. But which people?

Most of /. probably knew about this, since it's been around since at least February 2004

That page contains the request Are there other types of numbers you'd like Google to search? Please email us at suggestions@google.com.

Today's page contains Are there other types of numbers you'd like Google to search? Please contact us.

If in the last year Google received suggestions for other numbers to be searched, they do not seem to be implemented today. Drivers Lic #'s, SSN's, Lic Plate #'s, are not likely to be included. What numbers could Google search?

Re:Google did this a year ago

[FreshlyShornBalls]

Drivers Lic #'s, SSN's, Lic Plate #'s, are not likely to be included. What numbers could Google search?

How about UPC numbers, reverse phone, IP address lookups.......

Re:Google did this a year ago

[CyberSlugGump]

What numbers could Google search?

How about large numbers you wanted factored into primes? ;)

even cooler: check out the first google map hack

[paronomasia5]

this is old news you hams.

even cooler: check out the first google map hack (it even blew the pants of the google maps crew):

http://paulrademacher.com/housing/

666

[FunWithHeadlines]

"simply enter any tracking number or id number into the Google search box, and Voila!:

User types "666" into the Google search box, hits Enter. "AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

UPS requires the terms and conditions checkbox

[ZeeExSixAre]

If you enter their website traditionally, UPS requires that the user click the annoying "By selecting this box and the Track button, I agree to these Terms and Conditions." Google bypasses this. What are the legal ramifications of this bypass?

It works!

[dmuth]

I typed in 42, and the first search result was The Answer to Life, The Universe, and Everything!

Really old news

[jamesl]

Google search on "google package tracking" yields this December 11, 2003 Google Weblog post.

http://google.blogspace.com/archives/001089/

how long before SSN's and CC # will be there too?

[drgonzo59]

I am wondering how long before I plug my SSN and get some results too. Actually I already have. The university I go to uses SSNs as university id and I took this Network Security class (oh the irony!) and sure enough the supposedly "security and privacy aware" professor has posted the results of first midterm on the web indexed by SSNs. Then just a page away he posted later the results of one of the homeworks indexed by first and last names. I have both lists now and for 20 people there is 1 in 10 chance to randomly find Name and social security combination of one of these 20 people. I then went to the library, which conviniently uses only SSN and last name as a login for their machines. In about 20 minutes I knew 19 SSN and the names associated with it. All from Google.

I am not blaming Google of course, it is the fault of the university and the professor.

Also..

[E IS mC(Square)]

Did anybody notice this :

Enter anything you want to search on www.google.com input box, click "Google Search" and VOILA!! Google displays the webpages containing those keywords!!!

Re:Way up on your horse again?

[Fortyseven]

You say "nobody said it was new", and then call it 'news' toward the end. By definition things on the front page of a news site are...well, you know. ;)

Anyways, just because you and a handful of others didn't know about this feature, doesn't mean it belongs on the front page.

I mean, I'm sure there's plenty of really interesting tidbits in, say, world history that neither of us are privy to: that doesn't mean someone should submit or accept a front page post about them.

And just for future reference, in the hopes of avoiding further seperate front page posts on each of these long-implemented features: Google can also help you correct wrongly spelled words (including links to a dictionary entry), let you search through a catalogue of images, and I hear they've even got their own web-based email service.

I heartily encourage you, 'Zonk', and the rest of the Funky Bunch to give a healthy once over of the very much hidden Google features page, just chock full of similar surprises. Ciao!