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In a previous article I mentioned that I use Windows Live Photo Gallery for organizing and viewing pictures. A reader sent me an e-mail reporting that she couldn't download the program at the Microsoft Web site. After trying it myself, I had to agree that the folks at Microsoft didn’t make finding the download very easy — although for some inexplicable reason it’s become easier now that I went back to verify my initial impression. Either I’ve become smarter or Microsoft has become smarter, take your pick.
It seems logical. You want to download a Microsoft program so you go to the Microsoft Web site, find the program and download it.
I almost never do it that way. I bring up the Google search engine, type Windows Live Photo Gallery, click and there it is at the head of the list. If you use the traditional Google start page just click “I’m Feeling Lucky”.
Google is the premier search engine on the World Wide Web. If you understand a bit of the Google syntax and a few of the rules it’s almost uncanny how it brings up the very page you’re looking for.
Google is a full text search engine. Instead of looking for subjects and titles of Web sites (as the older and now obsolete search programs did) Google searches both titles and content. To do this, so-called “spiders” (computers that continually examine all the pages on the Web) maintain an always-changing keyword list. The spiders also note the number of links to and from each Web page to arrive at a page rank, a key part of the Google success. PageRank is a patented Google trademark.
Basically you start a Google search by typing a few words in the search box and hit the enter key. Try it. Open the Google home page at www.google.com. Type Nikon in the search window and hit Enter. Note that almost immediately nearly 200 million pages are available. Narrow the search by modifying the entry to Nikon D40. We’re down to 10 million pages. Note the many Sponsored Links, Google’s term for paid advertising, occupy the page along with the search results. But note also that the advertising is modest, not colorful animations, and are clearly separated from the search results.
Narrow the search further to Nikon D40 lenses. Three million pages with, curiously, a link to the Ken Rockwell Web site at the top page rank. Click on the hyperlink and you are at a fun Web site maintained by Nikon D40 enthusiast Ken Rockwell.
To become more proficient in searching go to www.googleguide.com and follow an on-line interactive tutorial on the searching options. The tutorial for novices has a wealth of information.
There’s a lot more to Google than just searching. Return to the Google home page and note the tabs at the top: Web, Images, Maps, News, Shopping, Gmail, more. Click more then click even more to see the full list of Google goodies on the “More Google products” page. Here you will find the link to Picasa.
Click the link to Toolbar and add a search box to your browser.
Return to the “More Google Products” page and click Web Search Features. Here are more Google goodies and Web search hints as well.
Now that you have added the Google toolbar to your browser, try it. Enter geekgirls in the search box and navigate to their page called “Google to the max”.
More tips and tricks using Google
Google has many exciting and fun tools to explore. I intend to explore these adventures with you over the next few articles.
If you haven’t tried The Street View in Google you’re in for a surprise. Travel the world with Google Earth and enjoy the sights of London and Paris as well as your old hometown.
The images available on Google include nearly all the images on the Web. Within the Images tab search for waterfalls and you have over a million waterfalls that you can download as screen savers if you like. You can read or search through many of the great books of the world. Exciting adventure awaits us.
Mitch Bain is a volunteer with the Gold Country Computer Learning Center. Our Web site is www.gcclc.org. For information about computer classes call 273-0497. E-mail Mitch with your questions at mitch@gcclc.org.
It seems logical. You want to download a Microsoft program so you go to the Microsoft Web site, find the program and download it.
I almost never do it that way. I bring up the Google search engine, type Windows Live Photo Gallery, click and there it is at the head of the list. If you use the traditional Google start page just click “I’m Feeling Lucky”.
Google is the premier search engine on the World Wide Web. If you understand a bit of the Google syntax and a few of the rules it’s almost uncanny how it brings up the very page you’re looking for.
Google is a full text search engine. Instead of looking for subjects and titles of Web sites (as the older and now obsolete search programs did) Google searches both titles and content. To do this, so-called “spiders” (computers that continually examine all the pages on the Web) maintain an always-changing keyword list. The spiders also note the number of links to and from each Web page to arrive at a page rank, a key part of the Google success. PageRank is a patented Google trademark.
Basically you start a Google search by typing a few words in the search box and hit the enter key. Try it. Open the Google home page at www.google.com. Type Nikon in the search window and hit Enter. Note that almost immediately nearly 200 million pages are available. Narrow the search by modifying the entry to Nikon D40. We’re down to 10 million pages. Note the many Sponsored Links, Google’s term for paid advertising, occupy the page along with the search results. But note also that the advertising is modest, not colorful animations, and are clearly separated from the search results.
Narrow the search further to Nikon D40 lenses. Three million pages with, curiously, a link to the Ken Rockwell Web site at the top page rank. Click on the hyperlink and you are at a fun Web site maintained by Nikon D40 enthusiast Ken Rockwell.
To become more proficient in searching go to www.googleguide.com and follow an on-line interactive tutorial on the searching options. The tutorial for novices has a wealth of information.
There’s a lot more to Google than just searching. Return to the Google home page and note the tabs at the top: Web, Images, Maps, News, Shopping, Gmail, more. Click more then click even more to see the full list of Google goodies on the “More Google products” page. Here you will find the link to Picasa.
Click the link to Toolbar and add a search box to your browser.
Return to the “More Google Products” page and click Web Search Features. Here are more Google goodies and Web search hints as well.
Now that you have added the Google toolbar to your browser, try it. Enter geekgirls in the search box and navigate to their page called “Google to the max”.
More tips and tricks using Google
Google has many exciting and fun tools to explore. I intend to explore these adventures with you over the next few articles.
If you haven’t tried The Street View in Google you’re in for a surprise. Travel the world with Google Earth and enjoy the sights of London and Paris as well as your old hometown.
The images available on Google include nearly all the images on the Web. Within the Images tab search for waterfalls and you have over a million waterfalls that you can download as screen savers if you like. You can read or search through many of the great books of the world. Exciting adventure awaits us.
Mitch Bain is a volunteer with the Gold Country Computer Learning Center. Our Web site is www.gcclc.org. For information about computer classes call 273-0497. E-mail Mitch with your questions at mitch@gcclc.org.
