not so cuil
So I was all excited when I read in the HuffPost that the woman who developed the search engine that eventually became a backbone of google had started her own search engine. Taking on Google! wow! So I eagerly clicked and was immediately impressed. Sleek, black, just off-center. It’s very Web2.0 but come on, we kind of like that don’t we (see tmblr itself for proof)? So I typed in Havelock Ellis and was rewarded with a few interesting pages in a great 3 column layout. Perusing the result, I felt a little iffy, feeling that I was exchanging form for function. So I decided to conduct my own very unscientific test. I would open up google in another tab, type in an “a” and see previous searches, pick one and input it into cuil. The same for “b” “c” “d” and so on. I’d attempt to pick a random variety of past searches, from the common to the bizzare. And so:
- A: audio in-line “macbook pro”
google: 9,400 results.
1)PowerBook audio-in line-level?!? [Archive] - The macosxhints Forums
forums.macosxhints.com/archive/index.php/t-36662.html
2)Re: Audio Line in on a MacBook pro with FCP : Apple Final Cut Pro
forums.creativecow.net/readpost/8/955300
3) How to listen to audio input to my MBP through audio in line …
newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Rec/rec.audio.pro/2007-09/msg00129.html
The next 20 were very relevant as well, some forum posts, some blogs, and two articles about the release of the MPB and its improved features. All in all, extremely helpful.
Cuil: 87,906 results, 1 showing on page
1.The ‘Book Review with Charles W. Moore [PR] Novatel …
For more information, visit: http://www.techrestore.com/ [PR] OWC Intros 160GB SATA 2.5” HD Upgrade/Backup Solution for MacBook/Pro Other World Computing offers new 160GB “Upgrade and Backup Solution” engineered and packaged specifically for Intel MacBook or MacBook Pro for less than $300 Other World Computing (OWC) today announced the immediate availability…
lowendmac.com/bookrev/06/br0811/br0…
That was it. I was underwhelmed.
- B: Benzodiazepine withdrawl
google: 195,000 results
1) Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal
2)The benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome and its management.
www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1711840
3)YouTube - Dr. Heather Ashton - Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsjhqdE7-6A
Likewise, the next 20 results were relevant, some from .gov sites, some from .edu. Granted, it’s always disheartening to see wiki and youtube at the top of the list, but that I suppose is the nature of the beast. Still, I have to point out that the youtube clip is actually of a world-renouned expert on the topic, giving an educational talk. Result number 2 was a .gov site.
cuil: after spinning for the time it took to copy and paste the above, it came up with no results. But it also didn’t admit no results, just left me with a blank page, so I’m going to chalk it up to too many visitors after several articles were released about it’s launch.
- C :Chick Fil A mormon
google: 19,200 results
1)Is chick fil a owned by mormons? - Yahoo! Answers
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060728204808AASblej
2) More companies owned by the Mormons - snopes.com
message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=7943
3) WikiAnswers - Do Mormons own Chick Fillet
wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_Mormons_own_Chick_Fillet
OK, once again we’re stuck with Yahoo Answers, Snopes (I would argue that this is a credible source, due to citations) and Wiki. Yet the next 10 answers include a recent article by a “frequent flier community” notifying members of a special at the eatery, an article from Christian Business Daily profiliing Christian-owned corporations, and an entry on “stuff christians like” on the infamous blogspot site. OK, the last one is funny. And yes, I clicked on it right after the snopes.
cuil: 3 results, only two of which show up on the page
1)Resolved Question: Which of these ten statements …
Chick Fil A Coupons 10 Free Large Coke W/ US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Feb-14-2008 17:34:01 PSTBid now | Add to watch list. Large Coke | Coupons Free. 15 Coupons BOGO Coke Zero 20 oz Bottle„,FREE!!! US $1.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Feb-14-2008 19:35:46 PSTBid now | Add to watch list. Bottle FREE | Coke Zero | Coupons BOGO. COKE REWARDS/CODES/…
games2u.info/FREE-COKE
2) Starbucks to close all stores, including those in …
o be fair, if I wanted coffee and they were closed so they could teach the drones inside not to spit into the customers’ drinks or whatever, I’d be pretty pissed. Do that on your own time. It’s like Chick Fil A being closed on sunday. It enrages me. 4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal ) Scott Doyle Verified. Are you slow? It’s not at…
www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/feb/1…
120 Billiion webpages indexed and all I got was games2u.info and pegasusnews? Seriously?
Unfortunately, this experiment continued on and on with simialar results that I don’t want to detail here. I’ll leave it to my faithful readers (all 3 of you) to conduct your own comparison. I hope it improves, because I think she’s on to something. I like the column layout. I think the extended extract from each result can be helpful, if it actually pulls the correct content. I think the sheer number of indexed pages could be amazing if utilized properly. So for now, full of potential, but far prettier than helpful. I’ll stick to my boring google for now, hon, even if it does look the same as it did 5 years ago and if it’ll look the same next year. But please, feel free to change my mind
