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Google 2084

Posted by Michael Zimmeron October 13, 2005in Search Engines

Randy Siegel in the New York Times speculates on what the Google homepage might look like in the far future (it allows you to search not only the web, but friends, family, ex-spouses, tax records, music, your future, and other…

Paper: The Value Implications of the “Google Paradigm” for Organizing, Distributing and Accessing Information

Posted by Michael Zimmeron October 8, 2005in Events, Search Engines, Values In Design

I am presenting this paper today at the 6th International and Interdisciplinary Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AOIR). The panel is titled "Search Engines - Their Politics; Their Logics":The Value Implications of the “Google Paradigm” for Organizing, Distributing…

‘UnGoogleables’ Hide From Search

Posted by Michael Zimmeron October 4, 2005in Privacy, Search Engines

This Wired News article, 'UnGoogleables' Hide From Search, offers a profile of Geri Agalia (not her real name), a person who values her privacy and is trying to keep info about herself out of the Google database: Geri Agalia doesn't…

Google describes Googlebombing

Posted by Michael Zimmeron September 20, 2005in Information Ethics, Search Engines

Google's company blog has a post explaining Googlebombing: If you do a Google search on the word [failure] or the phrase [miserable failure], the top result is currently the White House’s official biographical page for President Bush. We've received some…

The Truth About Google’s so-called “simplicity”

Posted by Michael Zimmeron September 14, 2005in Information Ethics, Search Engines

Don Norman has a great post criticizing the oft-lauded "simplicity" of Google's interface. It's worth quoting in its entirety:The Truth About Google's so-called 'simplicity'The truth? It isn't simple.Look, I like Google. It's a great search engine. But I am sick…

More Google Hacking

Posted by Michael Zimmeron September 13, 2005in Information Ethics, Search Engines

"Google hacking", using the power & reach of Google's web index to access sensitive information and hack into networks, is becoming more pervasive, organized and powerful. This article features Johnny Long, whose web site seems to be the starting point…

Google inserting alternate queries – paid placement?

Posted by Michael Zimmeron August 21, 2005in Information Ethics, Search Engines

John Battelle reports on a recent new feature within Google search results where "related queries" get inserted within your original search results. For example, when you search for "on demand," you also get search results for "Comcast on demand." (see…

Through the Google Goggles: Sociopolitical Bias in Search Engine Design

Posted by Michael Zimmeron August 20, 2005in Professional, Search Engines, Values In Design

Alejandro Diaz, a grad student at Stanford University in Communications (with a BA in Computer Science), has written an excellent (and nearly 200-page) honors thesis entitled "Through the Google Goggles: The Sociopolitics of Search Engine Design" [pdf]. Here is the…

Google as Library or Neutral Source of Information? Perhaps neither…

Posted by Michael Zimmeron August 17, 2005in Search Engines, Values In Design

Siva Vaidhyanathan has been engaged in a lengthy discussion regarding Google's recent decision to slow down their Google Print Library project. Much of the conversations have centered on whether Google should be considered a library. This response from Eileen Snyder,…

Google Library vs. Google Print

Posted by Michael Zimmeron June 17, 2005in Search Engines

The Google Library and Google Print projects seem to be confronting each other. TechDirt points to this article detailing the collision of these two different book scanning projects, and the court battle that might ensue. It's worth a read.