* * * * *
                                        
                          Watching the searches go by
                                        
> A lot of visitors walk into the Googleplex lobby and stand mesmerized by
> the scrolling display [1] of search queries crawling across the large
> monitor suspended over the receptionist's desk. It inspires journalists to
> wax poetic and dig deep for metaphors about the international impact of
> Google and the deepening role search plays in all our lives. They're so in
> awe of this peek into the global gestalt that they don't even read the NDA
> (Non-Disclosure Agreement) they automatically agree to by signing in for a
> visitor's badge.
> 
> The query scroll is fascinating, though it's carefully screened for
> offensive terms that might clash with the wholesome decor. Screened for
> offensive terms written in English, anyway. I seem to recall a group of
> Japanese visitors pointing and smirking at some of the katakana queries
> floating across the page.
> 

“ Hey! I just saw my search go by! [2]”

Back when I wrote GeoFind [3] (originally “Brainstorm” although I think the
term “Brainstem” may have been bandied about) one of the features I added was
a live feed of all the search terms being submitted (as a network service, no
less)—I think at the time there were a few search engines that allowed one to
check the queries being submitted (although I suspect all of this was before
Google's [4] time). It wasn't difficult to add the functionality, and it was
[DELETED-fun-DELETED] interesting to watch the queries being made (except for
the disturbing [5] ones).

But one time I'm sitting in my office, watching the live search requests when
I see “Hi Sean” flow past. It was one of my fellow cow-orkers having a bit of
fun.

[1] http://www.ethworld.ethz.ch/events/explore/study_trip/weblog_11/26.jp
[2] http://xooglers.blogspot.com/2006/03/hey-i-just-saw-my-search-go-
[3] http://www.conman.org/people/spc/refs/search/
[4] http://www.google.com/
[5] http://searchrequests.weblogger.com/

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

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