Google and Wikipedia Saved Me when I was under Cyber Attack

I was under severe Cybe Attack beginning 16th April, 2009.

But it was Google Search and Wikipedia that helped me get the RELEVANT INFORMATION.

I needed certain information to make the CORRECT PSEPHOLOGICAL PREDICTIONS. But all my Net connections were down. Figured only TEXT-INTENSIVE stuff would be difficult to crack.

So, I did the following:

1. Type in RELEVANT (that's an Art) text or phrase into Google Search of my Cellphone or the Net. Add the word Wikipedia. You can turn off the Images.
2. The relevant Text or Phrase with Wikipedia shows up. Just click on the Wikipedia link. Get the information for Processing in your mind.

Helped me in predicting outcomes in 38 out of 42 seats in the state of West Bengal.
I BEAT ALL THE MEDIA AND SURVEYS CONDUCTED. Heh, heh...

But thank God, I had already made most of the calculations in my mind prior to 16th April.

P.S. Some ?????? are still cyber-attacking me.

Browser Wars ...my take on Google Strategy

"Google Chrome" is probably the easiest browser to use...even a 7 year kid can browse the Net, thanks to it.

But I think Google is going to gradually release more and more added-on features to its Browsers.

Google Browsers for Professionals...

Yet another ingenious Google Strategy.

Meanwhile the new Google Earth with its underwater exploration features I've gotta try out.

Heard someone discovered traces of the Lost Continent of Atlantis !

Google Firefox Interface ... some suggestions

I'm 99% sure the Google fellers have done their research....so I may be wrong !

But let me point out to the Firefox 3.0 version interface showing Google's homepage.

I find the Tabs Web/Images/News/Orkut/Groups visible.
Clicking on More (that is more options) brings out Blogs, Photos...etcetera).

Now, I wonder...what with the rising popularity of Blogger, isn't it a good idea to have
Blogs on the Visible Upper Left Hand Tab link options.

It's like, more people might be interested in Blogs than Groups ???

At least people I've interacted with have heard of Blogs...but HAVEN'T HEARD OF GROUPS.

GLOBE TROTTING WITH GOOGLE EARTH

One of my favorite hobbies is roaming the globe via Google Earth.

What I really like about it is that the colors are the most "true colors". I haven't yet come across any software with its capability, and ease-of-use for the layman PC user.

Check out this pic of a guesthouse (saved using Google Earth). For some of you guys, it's just an ordinary pic. Not much details, you'd say.


But then, a picture tells a thousand words to many.

It's a place I had visited 25 years back ! (june 1982, to be precise ). A guesthouse in Bhubaneswar, capital of Orissa, a state in India.

250 degrees from the center, about 1inch to bottom is the guesthouse. Just above the title Image 2006 DigitalGlobe. It used to be called simply the Vanivihar guest house. I tilted Google Earth to confirm it is the same.

Hmm....the saplings in the garden in front of the guesthouse have grown...25 years back there were only flowering plants,shrubs and tree saplings.

The barren field to the right hand side of the guesthouse is a marker...it is exactly the same.
Check out the soil color....overall, especially 120 degrees to the guesthouse.

Red laterite soil.....gives me a feeling of deja vu. This is a typical soil color in that part of Orissa.

The black line parallel to the bottom edge is the National Highway running from Calcutta to Chennai.

Another thinner strip parallel and above the main highway looks the same...it's not meant for heavy vehicles, but for light mopeds, rickshaws.

Lower right hand quadrant 1 inch above "Eye alt" is the gate - the gate to Utkal University. It runs perpendicular to the National Highway, going towards the University. It ends in a semi-circle I remember well.

Just to the left of the guesthouse another perpendicular to the national highway black asphalt road. Tree-lined as before.

Goes to the upper left hand quadrant full of single storied houses as before..

Just below the national highway there seems to be new construction...used to be rectangular strip shallow lakes. They seem to be gone. That's the only bad part.

And of course, as I slowly keep Google Earth in a "moving mode" (so easy, just grab and give it a light shove....and it rolls)...one can check out the moving scenery, as if one's viewing the whole countryside from a chopper.

One should wait till the Streaming is 100% for full clarity. Wonderful things like elevation, lat / long , eye altitude , street description, etcetera are there.

But, this is one software which gives me hours of delight.

A VIRTUAL globe trotter.

Google's Team of Visionaries

One of the primary reasons behind Google's success is its uncanning ability to spot the visionaries.

Beginning with Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the ultimate Visionaries who had the CREATIVITY & INSIGHT that makes all the difference. Extraordinary that the entire concept of search engines was part of their thesis ! Then there was the brilliance of Eric Schmidt.

Then, none other than Al Gore joined the bandwagon. This was a clever ploy, because he was conncected with funding and development of the Internet as a Vice President and Senator. (the famous "Gore Bill" of 1991)

And, now Google's got none other than Vint Cerf, one of the "Founders of the Internet" . This is the guy, who at the Department of Defense played the critical role of developing the TCP / IP protocols. That was way back, in 1976 to 1982. Days when the DARPANET gave birth to the Internet.

And now, ordinary folks like us can also contribute to the growth of Google.

WHY GOOGLE IS SET TO BE THE NEXT SOFTWARE GIANT

Information Technology is a very dynamic technology….where innovations are made every minute. New opportunities crop up every day. ….. We are witnessing a paradigm shift in computing, I.T. , ITES & the media. In the future, most of our computing / I.T activities will be on the Net. The success of Google has been due to its ability to understand this trend. Google had the VISION to exploit the “gap” in online computing.
Right now, I see almost no one to challenge Google.

It had its humble beginnings in the Search Engine. But then it had captured more than 65% ( I believe, as of last count?) of the Search Engine Market.

Let’s take it pointwise…why I think Google is gonna be numero uno :

1. The FOCUS on the Search Engine was a brilliant start ! After all, with the GROWTH OF THE WEB….everyone started getting lost…..Google Search brought us the RESULTS WE NEEDED …IN RECORD TIME !! Everybody got hooked onto Google…and why not ?? You want the best pizza bargain near you…where can I get it?....GO GOOGLE. I want to know which flight I’ve got to take without spending transit time in Amsterdam for that London to Cairo flight…GO GOOGLE. Laymen even turn for medical solutions to Google…..Cheapest bargains in the nearest mall ? …..Google is like “select *.* from *.*” …..You can get anything you want to…..
2. Next was the expansion of the Search Engine….which its competitors did not catch up in time….Google Images, Video, News, Google Groups, University, Scholar Search, Book Search….you can get anything…….
3. In the future, more complex SQL facilities/parameters should be added to refine searches….. we might be able to query information FROM MULTIPLE WEBSITES into a COMPOSITE RESULT…….this could be Google’s Vision…
4. Then, there were further on value-additions…… useful applications like Docs & Spreadsheets which can be incorporated….who knows, these could be the default stuff to use sometime in the future.
5. GMail is a big hit….because it INCORPORATES other Google stuff with it……it’s a great story of convergence.
6. Google is becoming the MEDIA….starting with Google Book & Google Video (check this out, BTW)….it acquired You Tube…..this is another major strategical shift….MEDIA IS CONVERGING…..The TV, DVD, Movieplexes & the PC….do we REALLY NEED SO MANY ALTERNATIVES ?? We all need convergence…..& Google’s jumped major time into it.
7. And since you’re reading this blog…..well, you DO KNOW GOOGLE IS THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS BLOG REVOLUTION…..you ain’t seen nothing yet…..folks…more to come..........We are hoping for acceleration of the process of ONLINE PUBLISHING……Google's Blogger will rule because of its ease-of-use blogging tools, compared to other sites.
8. And of course, there’s the revenue….forgot to tell the best , huh ? Well, this sharing of revenue is motivating billions of users to share information for the betterment of society…we are moving towards TRUE DEMOCRACY OF THE NET, THANX TO GOOGLE….
9. Then, take GOOGLE EARTH. IMHO, this is probably one of the greatest achievements on the Net. We have the entire globe at our disposal. I hope more & more LAYERS OF INFORMATION are added. After all, “a picture tells a thousand words”. With more R & D, this layman’s GIS will GROW…..
10. We hope Google adds querying facilities to Google Earth. IT CAN, POTENTIALLY, BE THE GROWTH OF THE GREATEST SOFTWARE OF THIS CENTURY. THEORETICALLY, you can put ALL THE DATA OF THIS GLOBE INTO THIS SOFTWARE, a true VISUAL RDBMS OF THE ENTIRE GLOBE !!! It could also be glimpses of real-time, with updates.

So, fellow bloggers of the World, UNITE….here’s a toast to Google…..We Want Google