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Google Tips & Tricks
- Set Mozilla Firefox as your default browser. It automatically incorporates google as a home page.
- Download and install the Google toolbar at http://toolbar.google.com. Not only does it put the Google search box into your browser full-time, but it also blocks pop-up ads and fills in forms for you.
- Phrase your question in the form of an answer. So instead of typing, “What is the average rainfall in the Amazon basin?”, you may get better results by typing “The average rainfall in the Amazon basin is.”
- Put quotes around phrases so Google won’t waste your time finding one set of Web pages containing individual words.
- Put a hyphen right before any word you want screen out. If you’re looking up dolphins, for example, you’ll have to wade through a million Miami Dolphins pages unless you search for “dolphins –Miami.
- Google is a global White Pages and Yellow Pages. Search for “phonebook:home” to instantly get an address and phone number.(Do not put any space after phonebook)
- Google is a package tracker. Type a GedEx or UPS package number (just the digits); when you click Search, Google offers a link to its tracking information.
- Google is a calculator. Type in an equation and click search to see the answer.
- Google is a units-of-measurement converter. Type “teaspoons in a gallon” for example and click search to see the answer.
- Google is an atlas. Type in an area code to see a Mapquest map of the area.
- Google is Wal-Mart’s computer. Type in a UPC bar code number to see the description of the product.
- Google is an aviation buff. Type in a flight number for a link to a map of that flight’s progress in the air.
- Google is the Department of Motor Vehicles. Type in a VIN (vehicle identification number) to find out the car’s year, make and model.
- For hours of rainy-day entertainment, visit: http://labs.google.com/.
- You will find additional features on the “Services & Tools” link on the Google.com home page.
By David Pogue @ DavidPogue.com
(Permission to post by David Pogue on February 14, 2011)
Google Docs & Spreadsheets
- Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a free web-based word processing and spreadsheet program. With it, you don’t need to keep track of different versions of spreadsheets or word processors and anybody you chose can update files from their home.