Nifty search stuff

After "reading" The Search (audiobook, I cheated), I started branching out a bit into the competition. I'll keep adding stuff to this post.

1. images: bing image search kicks Google's ass.

2. a9.com seems to be an Amazon-based product search. I read this search takes a while to get good; it takes your history and becomes more refined with use.

3.

Why is Ann Coulter Popular?

I made it through disc one of ELEVEN before returning my library selection. Here's an excerpt from the knobby-kneed, black party dress-wearing tart:

-liberals aren't religious
-Ann ponders, if people were born gay, why hasn't Darwinism weeded out people who don't reproduce? She's profound.
-why aren't we teaching kids safe littering?
-liberals swoon in pagan admiration of mother earth (?)
-liberals follow "druidical" beliefs - awesome new word!
-liberals hate science
-liberals would sooner trust the stewardship of the earth to Shetland ponies and dung beatles than God (says so in the bible)
-unborn children are valued lower than vegetation
-libs are obsessed about flushing toilets (guilty)
-libs are obsessed with Hollywood stars (guilty again)
-libs are preposterously obsessed with youth and wants to kill people when they're old
-libs defend anything hateful
-we must save Tookie and slaughter babies
-libs love the lousewort
-schools teach the Playboy philosophy
and on

The book is a series of statements like these, some with a bit of explanation.

I kind of figured it'd be something like this, but the reason I listened is my fascination of what makes something popular. Popularity to me is synonymous with traffic - web traffic. It is and will likely be a preoccupation of mine until I die.

Back to Ann, the author of the New York Times and Amazon bestseller. Why is she popular?????? There are so many millions of loser conservative and liberal bloggers ranting just as uselessly with no popularity?

I think she blabs this stuff in public as a performance art of sorts to make a good living, but that still begs the question.

I'm going to go and follow her on Twitter to try to figure this out.

shopping by email

While I'm not able to tell someone how to run their business, as a consumer, I can certainly pick the businesses that I like best based on the way they treat me.

Lately, I've been getting bids on typical farmed out homeimprovements and services by creating an email that specifies the details of the job I want done and send it to the top 5 on Angie's List requesting an estimate. It's much faster than calling and going through their cryptic mazes of finding the right person to talk to. Usually 2 out of 5 respond nearly immediately and the other 3 get back whenever they feel like it. Best price for easy jobs wins; after one volley of email to clarify the details of the job, it's scheduled at my convenience. It works well for the easy jobs so far.

The part I don't understand with any business who places an email contact on their site. Email inquiries to business are often not acknowledged. Tough to understand in a tough economy.

Tomorrow, I'm the King

Little help?

Tomorrow, I get my preference for a place to eat breakfast. What am I looking for? Likely, I'll order two eggs over easy, toast with butter, bacon - crisp, and good frigging homefries. Also crisp. It's astounding so few places can make good homefries/fried potatoes. Places that are good and not so good:

Wildflower Cafe
I believe they steam their potatoes when you ask for them well-done. If you don't, the potatoes are raw. And their fried eggs bad too.

Jack and Benny's
Not bad. They're in the running.

That diner on the north end of Short North on High
I forget the name. Really dingy. Ate there once long ago - don't remember it. I think it's good.

Bob Evans
The one at Graceland is ok, pretty good eggs and potatoes, but not perfect.

TJ's
Ever since they pulled a quick one and gave Frankie French toast sticks from the microwave, they've been on my shit list.

Northstar?
We only have about 12 years left to save for Frankie's education. I suspect Northstar's potatoes have lived a long and free range life, but when he charges a zillion dollars to slaughter them for my breakfast, I'm no longer hungry.

Any ideas?

Audiobooks, does it count as reading?

I don't read for pleasure, I read for utility. I like to learn, I just don't enjoy reading. Given that I have periods in the day I like to do exercise, monotonous exercise - it's where I zone out and relax - I decided to try an audiobook. Kind of pricey, but so far it's been interesting. I'm "reading" a selection in history now, John Battelle's "The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture." It's an interesting experience.

I should be listening to it now instead of boring you all with this drivel. Pride parade tomorrow - we'll all be there.

I really want a iphone 3S too.

Grand Rounds: Suze's Butt Operation

The world looks different at 2:30 am

Last night, Suze came home after having several lumps removed. At about $100 per stitch, I was left confused about who the Rimadyl was for. Suze was groggy last night and having many accidents while apparently trying to come off the anesthesia.

Twitching all night, I stayed up with her trying to find her a comfy spot and then around 2:30 her leg started twitching erratically. After a few minutes of this, I decided to run to MedVet in Worthington. By the time we got there, she was just peachy. Skipping out of the car and trotting to the door. At $112/visit, I made the call to postpone the ER and went home.

Both of us more awake and feeling better, we stopped at Tim Horton's for a decaf and timbits. Not the usual surly staff; I drove up, said good morning and the guy at the window said "what?" I said good morning and he laughed and said "That's the spirit." Suze woofed down half a timbit with joy. We left to go home. Pulling onto High Street, we saw several screaming lads hanging out a car sceaming to everyone that happened to be around. They were probably going to die or be arrested soon, but they looked like they were having fun. I'm glad we drove waaay behind them. On the homestretch we saw a police officer sitting on the side of the road looking for speeders - or asleep. I'm really tired and Suze is sleeping soundly.

To the first grade, ramming speed

Just last August, Frankie broke from the ranks of preschool to jump into kindergarten at Ecole Kenwood. I'm fairly certain I took the change much harder than she did. Today, she has finished the year. She made many new friends, she sings many songs in French (when she doesn't think anyone is listening), she learned from wonderful teachers (hooray public schools!) and we met many other nice parents. It was better than we could possibly have hoped. This is a (password protected - the regulars know the password, dave@davesbeer.com if you want it) video of an excerpt of their school end musical. It's pretty cool. The vid quality is poor because it's indoors, but it's still cool.

Ecole Kenwood Kindergarten Musical from dave_scarpetti on Vimeo.

And here's a vid inspired by The Blair Witch Project I shot after the musical. It was better, but I lost some footage due to my error. Enjoy.

Name the Rabbit from dave_scarpetti on Vimeo.

From the State Fair last year

From davesbeer

Oodles of fun ...

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Google now has patents

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