Week 4. Im sorry Google

On a quick note, i find it kind of ironic that im using a search engine to find a different search engine and to find out how a search engine works. Mainly because i have never given it a second though till now. I apologize google, for taking you for granted.

How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the Internet?

Search engines use an algorithm to determine to relevancy and frequency of a site when a search is done. One of the the main rules in a ranking algorithm involves the location and frequency of keywords on a web page.

Who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?

Pages with the search terms appearing in the HTML title tag are often assumed to be more relevant than others to the topic. Search engines will also check to see if the search keywords appear near the top of a web page, such as in the headline or in the first few paragraphs of text. They assume that any page relevant to the topic will mention those words right from the beginning. Frequency is the other major factor in how search engines determine relevancy. A search engine will analyze how often keywords appear in relation to other words in a web page. Those with a higher frequency are often deemed more relevant than other web pages.

I found this information at http://searchenginewatch.com/ and it was actually quite interesting so i recommend to visit this site if you want to find out more.
What are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others?

The only search engine i use is google, mainly because until now, i didnt really know or give much thought to any others. However, after completing this weeks tutorial task, i have found that i also like using Bing and perhaps Yahoo. I think i like these ones the best because i find them quite easy to navigate and they deliver reasonable search results, without having to file through a load of useless websites to get what you are looking for.

But...

Google, you are still my favourite :-)

Week 4. Google Vs. Bing

For the Week 4 Tutorial task, we had to find answers to set questions without using Google or Wikipedia. My first reaction was, is there anything other than google? Gah! I use google for absolutely everything so it was interesting finding and trying to navigate different search engines. Here were the answers i got, mostly using www.yahoo.com, www.ask.com and the one i have seen advertised on t.v, www.bing.com

1. What did Alan Turing wear while riding his bicycle around Bletchley Park?

He wore a gas mask, he suffered from Hay fever (www.bing.com)

2. On what date did two computers first communicate with each other? Where were they?

It was called APRANET, September 2 1969, UCLA (www.bing.com)

3. What is Bill Gates’ birthday and what age was he when he sold his first software?

28th October 1955, Bill Gates developed his first software at the age of 13. (www.yahoo.com)

4. Where was the World Wide Web invented?

The World Wide Web was developed in 1989 by English computer scientist Timothy Berners-Lee at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics near Geneva, Switzerland. (www.ask.com)

5. How does the power of the computer you are working on now compare with the power of a personal computer from 30 years ago?

3000 times faster, but always changing

6. What is the weight of the largest parsnip ever grown?

The Guinness World Records states that the heaviest parsnip was grown by Norman Craven (Canada) in 2004 and weighed 5.7 kg (12lb 9oz) (www.bing.com)

7. When did Queensland become a state and why is the Tweed River in New South Wales?

Queensland became a state in 1904. (www.yahoo.com)

8. What was the weather like in south-east Queensland on 17 November 1954?

cyclone, rain it was the beginning of cyclone Wanda (www.bing.com)

9. Why is is Lord Byron still remembered in Venice?

Lord Byron was a romantic poet who had an affair with Teresa Guiccioli, the wife of an Italian nobleman, while staying in Venice. It was in this period that Byron wrote some of his most famous works, including 'Don Juan'. (www.bing.com)

10. What band did Sirhan Chapman play in and what is his real name?

The Black Assassins, Stephen Stockwell (www.bing.com)

In conclusion to this exercise i found that the Bing search engine was the easiest and most efficient one to use.

Did you know?

I started off searching through youtube trying to find a funny video featuring twitter or something but came across this video instead. I chose it because it is interesting and full of freaky statistics on the advances of technology and communication and how it will affect the way we live in the future. One particular part of the video that stood out for me was the fact that "we are studying for jobs that dont exist yet using technologies that havnt been invented in order to solve problems we dont even know are problems yet". This shows the extent of technological advance in our world and the way in which every single part of our lives function with the use of technology.

Week 3. I heart my iPhone

My main form of communication and the most technological gadget i use is my iPhone. I use it to make calls, txts, listen to music, watch YouTube videos and movies, and use network sites such as facebook and twitter. I think the introduction of the 'smart phones' has made a big impact on communication because we can now use email and Internet wherever we go. There is no longer the need to log onto a computer to use networking sites or download music which makes life more easy going and efficient. I remember when mobile phones were a new gadget and my friend received her mothers old phone when we were about 10. It was seriously the size of a brick, bigger than a home phone and with a massive antennae. Now looking at the mobile phones in today's market really makes you realize how quickly technology is evolving and the endless possibilities for new things in the future that we cant even comprehend now.

I received my first phone and my own computer in grade 8, 2002. I mostly used msn to communicate with friends and started off with one of those msn profile things that are similar to myspace. I then joined myspace and facebook as the craze went through school. If it wasn't for school i probably would never have known about them. Nowadays, i generally only use facebook and have recently made a twitter account, although i have no idea how to use it. The original reason for me joining the networking sites is because everyone else had one and its how everyone keeps in contact. I joined twitter mainly to see what all the hype was about as it is constantly talked about on the radio and on t.v. I don't play many online games or anything, as im not really computer savvy. I mostly just use the Internet to search for information and to use online banking services (when im not on facebook :-p). I dont have a credit card, which is probably a good thing, so i havn't yet got into online shopping.

To be honest, when it comes to privacy, i never think about the collection of my details by networking sites such as facebook or myspace. However i always make sure that my profile is private and i only accept friend requests etc. from people i know. I use these sites as a way to stay in touch with friends and family rather than meeting new people. I dont really use chat sites or anything as it doesn't really interest me to talk to random people on the net. However, i have started to learn how to use Skype, because i have alot of family overseas. My dad constantly uses it to stay in contact with them as it is cheaper than a phone call.

When writing this, i realized how much i actually use the Internet and it is alot more than i first thought. I didnt think i was particularly computer literate but im beginning to think i manage just fine. I think alot of my knowledge of communication technologies has come from high school, even though i didnt realize it at the time.