The Next Search Engine

It might as well be Google itself, but there sure is a lot of room for search. The amount of data available online is just going to keep growing like crazy. Five of the six billion people are not yet online. And as they come online, companies are going to work to make it easier and easier for people to create data online, text, audio, video and more. So you are looking at more and more stuff, in more and more languages, in more and more formats, text, audio,video. And there is the perennial demand: the quality of search. Can you find what you are looking for? How precise is the result? How user friendly is the search experience?

Google's handicap for now is it only knows text. And even text it does not do as well as we might want, even though it does it better than anyone else.

When you search for something you want the most relevant webpages and sites to show up first. And you want to be able to search within sites. How to rank pages? Google started out by saying the more sites that link to your site, the more valuable it is. Well, maybe, but not if many of them are link farms. But that was a great way to start. That still has to be the basic formula. But then each site has to be given a weight of its own based on many different criteria.



The language challenge is a big one, as is the format challenge. Can a search engine "read" audio and video like it reads words? Can a search engine search content regardless of what language or format it might be in, and then present the same in the language of the end user's choosing? You are talking real time translation. That right there is a huge challenge. Major work will have to be done in speech software to make this possible.

The formula that a website's worth is how many other websites link to it is basically good. But the formula has to get more sophisticated than that. Not all links are equal. And each site should have a weight based on a few different things. So one link from a really good site should count for more than many links from so so sites. And the search engine should be able to count the page hits for each site in real time. The activity level of a site should be a major factor of how important a site is. As important as links.

And there is this real time thing. Say if I put out a new website or just a new page to an existing site, how long before the search engine finds it? Can it be an hour? A minute? Less? It should be less than a second. The reverse should also be true. If a site or a page is taken down, the search engine should know.

Language, content format, speech, website weightage based on links and page hits. These are some of the things that come to mind. This is enough homework for now.

Google might or might not deliver. There is plenty of room for others, especially for bold upstarts.

Eric Schmidt interview (39mins MP3)



Kosmix: Desi Pride
Email, Search, News
Memo To Bill Gates

On The Web

Search engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Google UK
AltaVista
MSN Search
Google
A9.com Home Page
Dogpile Web Search Home Page
Homepage HotBot Web Search
Web Site Search Engine, Free and Pro Versions - FreeFind.com
Yahoo!
Ask.com Search Engine - Better Web Search
MetaCrawler Web Search Home Page - MetaCrawler
Yahoo! Search - Web Search
Vivisimo Clustering Engine
Yahooligans
Search Engine Watch
altavista.digital.com/
Google
My Excite
AllTheWeb
WebCrawler Web Search Home Page
Google Scholar
Ixquick
Ask.com Search Engine - Better Web Search
Lycos
Scirus
KartOO visual meta search engine
Go
Environment Web Directory
go2: The #1 Yellow Pages on your mobile phone
ProFusion - The Original Meta-Search Engine
KidsClick! Web Search
Lucene Search Engine
Clusty the Clustering Engine
Google Blog Search
Gigablast
Netscape Search
PsychCrawler
WebSideStory Site Search and Web Content Management Applications
Ask for Kids
Creative Commons Search
Chemical Search Engine
Mamma Metasearch - The Mother of All Search Engines
Search engine optimization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Google Australia
What is search engine? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia ...
Scrub The Web Search Engine
Find | Creative Commons
Kids' Tools for Searching the Internet
Search Engines
Search Engine Colossus
Search Engine Guide
Submit Express - Search Engine Placement, Optimization, SEO Marketing
CNN.com
W3 Search Engines XML
AudioFind.com - multimedia internet search
Clipart Searcher - find free clip art, photos, and animations
InFoPeople: Best Search Tools Chart
Search the RFC Index
SplatSearch.com: We do all the searching for you.
Arabic Search Engine: Directory of arabic and islamic sites
SEO Book
Beaucoup! 2000+ Search Engines, Indices and Directories
Koders - Source Code Search Engine
Main - TSEP - The Search Engine Project - A search engine for your ...
Fast Search
isoHunt - World's largest BitTorrent search engine
WiseNut
Yahoo! Search Marketing
Search Engines
Search Engine Lowdown
Bittorrent
mnoGoSearch - Internet search engine software
Blog Search Engine
Fluid Dynamics Search Engine
LookSmart Vertical Search
Search Engines :: Mozilla Add-ons :: Add Features to Mozilla Software
Search Engine Features Chart
Search Engine Showdown
Internet Search Engines
bruceclay.com - Search Engine Relationship Chart®
MathSearch -- search a collection of mathematical Web material
Search Engine Submission, Website Optimization and Free ...
FindLaw LawCrawler - Law, Lawyer, Lawyers. Attorney, Attorneys
AllSearchEngines.com
MIDI Search Engine: Let MIDI Explorer find your files
Debian GNU/Linux -- Search
Entrez cross-database search
InFind
SearchEngineWatch Forums -- Discussions About Search Engine ...
A Helpful Guide to Search Engines, Top Page
MSDS-Search
Blinkx
Rocketinfo - Search Result
Searching Stanford
Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need
Search Engine Decoder | Relationship Chart
Lyrics Search Engine
Web site search facilities - OHCHR
RootsWeb: Database Index
Ananzi Search Engine
Search Engine Roundtable
The Cybercafe Search Engine, July 17, 2006

Google Video

dance - bellydancing 47 min 38 sec - Apr 2, 2006




Subway Station in Japan 30 sec - Feb 26, 2006



naked news 2 min 9 sec - May 22, 2006



Webcam Girls Go Wild 3 min 9 sec - Mar 17, 2006



Barbie Girl 3 min 14 sec - May 4, 2006



New record... 2 min 3 sec - May 4, 2006



Sarah Silverman 2 min 39 sec - May 11, 2006



Magic Sand 31 sec - Mar 4, 2006



Own Goals 5 min 31 sec - Apr 7, 2006



russian climbing 8 min 24 sec - Nov 9, 1996



Amazing Juggling Finale 4 min 27 sec - Mar 3, 2006



Internet is for Porn 3 min 16 sec - Nov 29, 2005



Kill Bill 1 & 2 in 120 seconds 2 min 8 sec - May 25, 2006



Porno cue cards 4 min 32 sec - Sep 12, 2000



Monkey teases Dog 9 sec - Apr 14, 2006



MALAYSIAN MARTIAL ARTS - SHOCKING "TRAINING" (?) METHODS! 4 min 33 sec - Apr 23, 2006



Nike impossible 1 min - Feb 18, 2006



Russian tunnel crash 1 min 23 sec - Apr 29, 2006



Tunak Tunak Tun 4 min 17 sec - Apr 14, 2005



Chinese Coke / WoW commercial 36 sec - May 25, 2006



Chelsea kid teasing Liverpoolplayer 25 sec - Mar 28, 2006



Amazing Football Skills and Tricks 3 min 41 sec - Nov 30, 2005



Dildo Song 2 min 27 sec - Jan 16, 2006



Liquid Lady 2 min 56 sec - Apr 16, 2006



The Evolution of Dance 5 min 59 sec - May 10, 2006



Henry vs. C.Ronaldo vs. Ronaldinho 4 min 5 sec - Apr 1, 2006



Reklama z domieszką pikanterii 30 sec - May 3, 2006



Top 20 Goals 12 min 28 sec - Apr 21, 2006



Crazy Arab Driver Accident 2 min 56 sec - Mar 15, 2006



funny clips baby fart smieszne filmy filmiki pierdzace dziecko 10 sec - Feb 20, 2006



What Old People Do For Fun 40 sec - May 20, 2006



female bodybuilder 1 min 42 sec - Jan 31, 2006

Google: Free, Wireless Internet Access, Pay Per View Video

These are two killer ideas only Google could really do.

Google is king of search. And it is that search algorithm that allowed it to roll out its hugely profitable ad regime. It has changed the structure of the business.

Now instead of standing on search, and reaching out to the ad business, let Google stand on the ad business, and reach out to the idea of free, wireless internet access. This would be a huge leap, and Google's revenue would jump by a large margin.

Somebody had to do it. It might as well be Google.

Paying for internet access is a stupid proposition. It is a waste of society's resources.

Paying to talk to someone is also another stupid idea. Once you have a city bathed in free, wireless broadband, it is only a small step from there to someone launching the little hardware and software that will turn phone calls free.

Time is money. Phone calls are not money. People should have to think if they want to spend that time on that phone call. Money should be a non issue.

Pay Per View Video

It drives me nuts that Google has not made pay per view video possible for the masses, for people like me. I am waiting to launch a career based on that one.

Google already knows how to because it has done it for the big media companies. So if it is not doing it for the masses, it is because they are acting stupid.



They do not realize how it will fundamentally alter the TV viewing landscape. I think it will end up as big a source of revenue for Google as its ubiquitous text ads, or maybe second only to ads.

There is no way the big TV stations, or cable can reach out to what I call fragmented markets, small audiences that are only a few hundred, or a few thousand strong.

Google And Me

I feel like if Google were Microsoft with Windows, I am one of those programmers who write programs that run on Windows. Google has come to mean so much for my political career.

But, dang it, make Google Video pay per view possible. Like now, like today, yesterday.

Or make an exception for me.

How To Beat Google

The market will simply have to invent its way away from Google: a better search engine.

Or some company could license the Google ads and do a better job of free, wireless broadband.

Pay per view video for the masses. Now any company could do that today. It is simple to do. But noone is doing it. Why?

In The News

'With the Right Strategy of VoIP and Wi-Fi, Google is Set to ... TMCnet
Google To Become Wireless Virtual Network Operator? TMCnet
Report: Google Threatens Wireless Market WebProNews
With the Right Strategy of VoIP and Wi-Fi, Google is Set to ... Broadband Wireless Exchange (press release)


Ebay worried about Google Inquirer, UK
EBay CEO wary of Google HotelMarketing.com

Visitors

	Busiest day so far	7 February 2006
	Page views	22
	Page views today	1
	Page views yesterday	0

11 April

04:37

KORNET, Korea

13 April

12:14

Telefónica SA, Spain

16 April

04:06

Megabyte Ltd, Malta

16 April

21:48

Hampden-Sydney College, United States

18 April

05:10

CallPlus Services Ltd., New Zealand

19 April

01:36

Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, India

19 April

22:24

Nortel Networks, Canada

19 April

23:57

Level 3 Communications, New York, United States

20 April

10:23

Bluewin AG, Switzerland

20 April

23:08

Telefonica del Peru, Peru

25 April

13:41

Chile (itc.cl)

26 April

08:32

Technical Univ. Czestochowa, Poland

Sergey Brin Speaks with UC Berkeley Class
Educational Technology Services, UC Berkeley 39 min 43 sec - Oct 3, 2005

Sergey Brin Gives a Speech @ the FIRST National Robotics Championship!

Suen Inc. 3 min 28 sec - May 2, 2006

Larry Page's CES Keynote

Chalk Media 40 min 16 sec - Jan 16, 2006

Yahoo Phone, Google Office, Google Finance

Yahoo Phone

Now you can call from the Yahoo Messenger to a traditional phone for real cheap. That is quite an improvement. And you can give your Messenger a number so people can call you, and it costs you $25 a year.

I hope Google comes swinging to offer the same for free. Until down the road the idea of having a phone number sounds ridiculous. Don't you yave a messenger ID? Like your name? Or some version of it? And with broadband wireless, you have a cellphone with the same.

Yahoo launches Internet phone calling service San Jose Mercury News
Yahoo! offers phone calls via IMCNN International

Google Phone

Google has acquired a company that makes it look like it is now going to try and offer "Office" online. Hey, I talked about that prospect a long time back. This was but inevitable. Sergei, Larry, read this blog. I got vision alright. (Google's To Do List Keeps Growing)

Google steps into Office's domain VNUNet.com

Of course word processing has to go online. So has everything else.

Help Users Create Content

Email, search and news are great and seamless at Google. But user created content has so many glitches. That is another growth area for Google.

Blogger has too many template problems too often. Next you know, your template has truncated, and your blog looks like Egyptian calligraphy.

And give many more template options.

Also Google Pages is not as easy to use as advertised. Make it easier. Much easier.

Google Video pay per view has been postponed, looks like forever. If they could make this possible, that would be an attack on traditional TV. Google Video has the potential to become a disruptive technology. But instead of empowering the individual, Google is too busy empowering the fat companies.



Offer an audio version of Google Video. Make it easy to create audio files and host them and publish them.

Audio, video, text. That's a finity.

The utter lack of anything close to seamlessness for user created content is Google's number one weakness right now.

Google Finance

Google launched it.

Google Finance doesn't reinvent on-line investing, but it's still ... Globe and Mail, Canada
Google Finance is Something Else WebCPA
Google Finance, a bit thin ZDNet
Google empire to move into the money This is Money
Why Google Finance Makes Me Sad WebProNews, KY
Yahoo Responds to Google Finance Portal Marketing Vox News
Mixed Reviews of Google Finance Corante, MA
Google Launches Yahoo Finance Rival WebProNews, KY

Google, Yahoo, Microsoft

Yahoo is not a direct Microsoft competitor, Google is. Google is also a direct Yahoo comptetitor. That is why Google's market cap is so much larger than that of Yahoo.

Visitors

13 March

12:24

Deloitte & Touche, Hermitage, United States

13 March

13:32

Verado Inc., United States

13 March

13:34

United States Army, United States

14 March

21:47

U s Communications Corp., Japan

15 March

14:39

NTL Internet, Luton, United Kingdom

17 March

19:48

QUALCOMM Incorporated, San Diego, United States

18 March

15:24

State University of New York, United States

19 March

11:20

Datastream, Malta

20 March

00:18

Saudi Arabia Backbone, Saudi Arabia

20 March

16:44

XMission, Salt Lake City, United States

22 March

06:04

Wanadoo France, France

22 March

14:50

Telepac II, Portugal

Are You A Fonero?

I have been following the universal, wireless broadband vision furiously at this blog over the months. First Wimax, then xMax, but someone has come up with an idea that goes over the curve for its simplicity and practicability. And I read about that in the news earlier today, and only an hour earlier I ended up doing a technorati search on my Nepal blog, and it appeared that some Rebecca Mackinnon has been linking to my blog posts quite a lot, and from a respectable, experimental Harvard blog too. So I googled her, found her email address and emailed her to say thanks: all that helps the movement back there, I said. Then I proceeded to read a little of her, and bam, there she was, she sits on the board of this hot company.

My friend Martin Varsavsky has just made an exciting announcement: his new Wifi startup, FON, has received investment and backing from Google , Skype, Sequoia Capital, and Index Ventures. ........ (Disclosure: I am a member of FON's U.S. board of advisors) ......... Three months after Martin launched FON on his blog, the $21.7 million dollars worth of funding shows tremendous support for FON's vision: a global community of people who share WiFi connections, known as "Foneros" in a tribute to the company's Spanish origins.

Wow. This is quite circuitous, don't you think?

RConversation
RConversation: Microsoft takes down Chinese blogger
Techjournalism News :
Rebecca MacKinnon
North Korea zone
Rebecca MacKinnon - Berkman Center for Internet & Society
North Korea zone
IT Conversations: Newbies - Bloggercon III
Blogging, Journalism and Credibility
CJR Daily: Rebecca MacKinnon, Pretend Tourist No More

FON In The News

Speakeasy: No deal with FON, despite what FON says Seattle Post Intelligencer
Google, Skype Make Wi-Fi FON Red Herring
FON Raises $22 Million for Open Wi-Fi Access Sharing Converge Network Digest
FON Raises $21.7M Light Reading
Fon takes Freenet cue for WiFi hot spot plan Globe and Mail, Canada

02/07/06 1:45 AM Update. I just saw someone on the FON Board who I have met personally when the guy was running for New York City Public Advocate. We had a brief conversation at the MeetUp.com headquarters hosted by Scott, the CEO. (Social Networking: Where The Internet Comes Down From The Clouds, MeetUp, LinkUp)

Andew Rasiej is the Founder and current Chairman of MOUSE. He has also served on the New York City Board of Education’s task force on technology and has spearheaded several innovative projects that support efforts to bridge the "Digital Divide" in public education. He truly believes in the need for WiFi as a way to empower citizens to do more then connect to the internet and read email.

Rebecca MacKinnon was one of CNN’s youngest Bureau Chiefs (China, fluent in Chinese), named as a Global Leaders of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum. She left CNN and became a fellow at Harvard’s Berkmen Center and founded Global Voices with Ethan Zuckerman.



2:33 AM Update: Browsing around I bumped into this: WiFi Phone. In the works. It's all coming together: the chips are falling in place. The Skype people have funded FON, and Netgear is to carry Skype. The dots are connecting. (Internet Phones, Video Blogging, Nano)