I intended to continue to write about my success with learning Google Apps for Education this week, but after finding out that I missed the boat on the Gafe Summit this past weekend at Mulgrave Secondary, I was so upset, that I decided to go a different route and try out some new Google tricks that I came across on "The Gooru's" website that I stumbled upon while following the #gafesummit hashtag.
According to "the Gooru", there are 12 simple tricks that we should all know about, so I decided to give them a whirl. This is what I found out.
Trick #1: Google Comparisons If you want to compare two similar items, simple type the two items into the Google search bar and separate them with "vs". (Ex: Big Mac vs Baconator)
Being a victim of horrible taste in vehicles, I immediate went for the classic AMC Pacer vs Ford Pinto matchup, and guess what??? It didn't work! UGH!!
Maybe the cars were too awesome and not even Google could draw a comparison, or maybe they were simply too old. So I tried something a little more along my pay scale if I were looking to compare new cars, and looked at the Nissan Micra and the Mitsubishi Mirage. Again, nice dice. The comparison tool, just doesn't work with Google.ca.
So far the "Gooru's" suggestions are 0 for 1. Let's see if the next one works...
According to "the Gooru", there are 12 simple tricks that we should all know about, so I decided to give them a whirl. This is what I found out.
Trick #1: Google Comparisons If you want to compare two similar items, simple type the two items into the Google search bar and separate them with "vs". (Ex: Big Mac vs Baconator)
Being a victim of horrible taste in vehicles, I immediate went for the classic AMC Pacer vs Ford Pinto matchup, and guess what??? It didn't work! UGH!!
Maybe the cars were too awesome and not even Google could draw a comparison, or maybe they were simply too old. So I tried something a little more along my pay scale if I were looking to compare new cars, and looked at the Nissan Micra and the Mitsubishi Mirage. Again, nice dice. The comparison tool, just doesn't work with Google.ca.
So far the "Gooru's" suggestions are 0 for 1. Let's see if the next one works...
Trick #2: Google Define. The idea behind this one is simple, type "define:" and then the word, and Google should give me a definition. For this one, I was looking for clarity on a word I heard a lot when I was younger.
Bingo!...we have a winner. It worked! The "Gooru" is back to even. Let's see how it does with trick #3.
Bingo!...we have a winner. It worked! The "Gooru" is back to even. Let's see how it does with trick #3.
Trick #3: Google with Quotations and get exactly what you are looking for! I love the sounds of this trick, because so often I need to look through dozen of search results until I find one that suits my needs.
I knew exactly what I wanted to know...
I knew exactly what I wanted to know...
...unfortunately, not even the mighty minds behind Google know what Spray Cheese is, so I went to option #2 ... What exactly is Michael Stipe singing in "What's the Frequency Kenneth"? Interestingly enough on this request, the quotations actually hindered my search, but in the end, I did find the answer I was looking for...kind of. (Leave me a comment below if you have any idea what the lyrics are supposed to mean.)
Tricks #4 & 5: Flights and Purchases. If you type in "My Flights" or "My Purchases" Google can apparently give you a list of your latest transactions or flights. Because I don't register my flights or purchases through any Google tracking apps, nothing came up...but at least Google recognized that. I'll say the jury is still out on these ones.
Trick #6: This but not that. The "Gooru" says that if we type in a search term and want to narrow it down by eliminating some possible results from coming up, you can place a minus symbol " - " after the search term. Cool! Sounds very practical...only problem, didn't work.
I went back to my tragic fascination with horrible cars and tried to get more information on the Gremlin. What came up, despite placing the -movie after the search term, you guessed it, Gizmo and all his creepy little Green cousins, from the 1984 classic film.
I went back to my tragic fascination with horrible cars and tried to get more information on the Gremlin. What came up, despite placing the -movie after the search term, you guessed it, Gizmo and all his creepy little Green cousins, from the 1984 classic film.
Back to the drawing board. This time I would try it with pinto -car . I was positive it would return images and information about horses...but again no. Just more information and images of Ford's terrible little mistake. On a positive note, at least horses did appear in the search result this time out. I'll classify this trick as another swing and a miss.
Trick #7: Find what you can't remember. As one of those people who can't shake off not knowing the answer to a question or the name of a song, this trick, if it works, could become a go to option when in need. To accomplished this, all you need to do is place quotations around your search and replace the missing word(s) with asterisks "*".
Ex: "Where's the * ?" (1984 Wendy's Burger Commercial) * <-Click to link to the left to see the commercial*
Ex: "Where's the * ?" (1984 Wendy's Burger Commercial) * <-Click to link to the left to see the commercial*
Trick #7 worked flawlessly every time. Nice!!
Trick #8: Movie and Actors. So you have a favourite actor and you can't remember if you've seen all of their movies. Simply type "Movies with ........ " and include the actor or actress's name and you should get a list of their filmography.
As advertised, it works! (Skip Bio-Dome, go with either Encino Man or Son in Law if your craving some Pauly Shore...buuuudy!)
Trick #8: Movie and Actors. So you have a favourite actor and you can't remember if you've seen all of their movies. Simply type "Movies with ........ " and include the actor or actress's name and you should get a list of their filmography.
As advertised, it works! (Skip Bio-Dome, go with either Encino Man or Son in Law if your craving some Pauly Shore...buuuudy!)
Trick #9: Hours of Operation. This seems like a slam dunk. Simply type in "Hours of Operation" and the name of the establishment, and voilà...when that business is open. Google even gives you the nearest location and a map. Well played!
Trick #10: Getting the weather. Now most of us would just look out the window, but if you find yourself in solitary confinement or in a room with no windows...just type in "weather", and Google gives you the local weather conditions. The "Gooru's" tips are on a roll, the last three tricks worked every time.
Trick #11: Getting the news. Lets say you are visiting a relative out of town and need to know what's going on back home. The "Gooru" says that if we type "News" and then the name of a specific city or town, it will give us only relevant news from that area. This too works!
Trick #12: Translating. Usually I just type in Google Translate and go to that page, however, the "Gooru" says that I can skip that whole process by simply putting the word "translate" in front of any text I want.
What do you know??? After a questionable start, it appears "Gooru" does know what it is talking about. Now, not all the applications worked directly through the Google Search window, but most did, and even those that didn't still gave you similar results, so all in all, I would say the tricks are well worth the try.