Pronounced Cool, Cuil.com is a new search engine started by some ex-Google employees. Cuil indexes three times more of the web than google and search results are presented differently than what everyone is used to. Google needs some competition. What about Yahoo and MSN Live? Google needs some competition. The reason google dominates the search engine war is the frequency and the amount of updates it goes after compared to Yahoo and MSN. Google sends tons more web indexing robots all over the internet than Yahoo or MSN and is the main reason it dominates because their search results are the most relevant and timely The buyout of Yahoo by Microsoft might help make Yahoo and MSN more competitive by allowing them to combine forces and resources.

For now Cuil indexes 120 billion pages which is three times more than google has indexed. Google’s response is that the web it doesn’t index is either irrelevant or spam. The Google ex-employees were the ones that developed TeraGoogle which is a system developed to index a large number of documents and the other major employee that moved to Cuil worked on web ranking and spam detection. A search engine with more information and the ability to rank it and weed out spam sites, that could be real competition for google.

At the moment, they are having the normal start up problems and I’m sure they are busy tweaking their algorithms, because some of the search results being reported, let’s just say, need a little tweaking in order to be competitive.

I may not completely switch but I’m trying it out and it does need some adjusting to get what I think are more relevant results. You get a lot more information about a site without actually going to it. Definitely worth checking out. Cuil.com

1 Comments

• At August 4, 2008, Lindsay wrote:

  I am not that sure if it would pose any serious threat to the google empire any time soon, but it is interesting that they managed to pull resources together and make this new search engine

Computers are simple, right? Yeah, right. Everyone needs someone they can call to fix their computer. Ever try and call a support line and try to explain your problem over the phone? Or even trying to explain your problem in a short forum post asking for help?

The problem with trying to solve a problem searching for answers on the internet is you don’t know what programs to trust. Ever see ads that say something about how You May Have a Virus or Spyware? How about ads that popup advertising something to optimize your PC to make it faster? And those popups that say you can disable popups by downloading their program? Those programs are usually the ones that are loading spyware and junk on your pc. How are you supposed to know the difference? If you’re busy running your business, emailing friends or busy trucking stuff around, how are you supposed to know if these are spyware or not? Unless you’re connected into the PC world 24/7 you may not know.

Here’s your opportunity, right now. There’s a remote access service that allows support people (me) to connect with people that need assistance (you), securely, simply and efficiently. Click on the widget thing with Cross Loop or go to my CrossLoop page download the small program, create a free account which is optional, and email me about your problem. We coordinate a time when we can get together online, you start your Cross Loop, give me a random one time password and I now have access to your computer and can actually see what your problem is and can fix it right in front of you. You can change the settings to control if I have access to the keyboard or I can only watch.

Watch this quick video to see how it works. Be sure and turn up the sound, it’s a really cool soundtrack!

If you’ve made it this far, yes I have to charge for my time. But if you use the See Profile button and mention Adventures in Trucking, create an account, give me a “thumbs up” on the questionnaire after our session, I’ll give you a 30% discount for a limited time.

Or send this to your techie friend, it will be like they are looking over your shoulder and make things a lot easier on them when trying to help.

1 Comments

• At January 28, 2012, Antoni Lee wrote:

  Computer problems are extremely complicated and the real problem is you don't who to trust. The best solution maybe is subscribe to a free publication that gives you guidance and get your own conclusions. That will help you become more savvy when dealing with computers.

Another freelance job board, hire or be hired.
http://www.odesk.com/users/~~633b855b7e8ac156 Profile is a work in progress.

There are tests involved in their certifications, you don’t just say you’re qualified and get these. They’re linked to my profile on oDesk where I can be hired. Until I get home and have the time to take the CompTIA and Microsoft tests, these will have to do. I’d put them on the sidebar, but they’re too wide.

Scored in the top 20% on both of these:

Update: While waiting for the summer semester to start I did a couple more tests. A really good testing system. 40 minutes, 40 questions, not enough time to research the answers. After you finish you DON’T get to see the answers, ever. You can retake in 30 days. Each test is different. It’s not CompTIA, but I have to wait till I have the same time at home as the testing schedule.

Ubuntu is an African word meaning ‘Humanity to others’, or ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. It also means, “Not a bloated, slow, bug filled, unsecure, virus laden, piece of crap like Windows”.

Ubuntu is a version of Linux, Unix was one of the original operating systems, before Microsoft and before Apple. I’ve always wanted to try the new Linux versions. I learned computers from the C:> prompt. I also learned VMS, the operating system for  Digital Equipment (DEC), are they still around? And I did some time on Unix on a Unisys machine. I hated Windows when it first came out and any program I bought was from WordPerfect, Borland, Lotus and anyone but Microsoft.

A few years ago I became interested in checking out Linux again, but couldn’t give up a few programs that don’t have counterparts in the Linux world, until now.

The GPS I used was really a PDA on Windows Mobile that I had to download maps from my laptop to the PDA because the memory wasn’t large enough to handle more than a few states at a time. Now the entire US and Canada fit on one SD card. Even with Google Maps and a GPS, I still like some sort of routing program on a screen bigger than my GPS in case I can’t get online. I can’t use my Drivers Daily Log program with the new company. So my main reasons for XP aren’t so strong anymore.

I’ll still be with Windows no matter what now. I need to take the A+ and Network+ tests and this semester I’m taking a Vista class. So I may be using all three. Mainly Linux and Vista and I may keep XP in case someone has a question about it.

Ubuntu is small and fast and it’s getting easier all the time. With all the resources on the Internet, if you have a question about how to do something, google it and the answer is probably there. Linux used to only be used by the Super Geek. Unix as a whole is still pretty geeky, but with the graphics interface they are trying to change that. Ubuntu is being used on a lot of the small Netbooks that are mainly used for going online to check email and surf the internet and it’s becoming more popular around the world.

Want to check it out? There are a couple of different ways to check it out without destroying your XP or Vista setup. Goto Ubuntu.com for more info and I’ll explain more if anyone is interested.

The easiest way to try it is to use wubi. This installs Ubuntu just like a regular windows program. You won’t see the speed benefits because you’re still running Windows, but it’s an icon on your desktop and you can uninstall it using Add / Remove Programs. wubi is a small download, but it goes out and downloads Ubuntu and that’s a 700 meg download.

I’ll explain with more detail later if anyone is interested in dumping Microsoft. My question would be, “Who wouldn’t want to dump Microsoft?” And did I mention it’s free? And the programs that run on Ubuntu/Linux – free. Now, who wants to dump Microsoft?

2 Comments

• At December 16, 2008, Mike wrote:

  Have you looked into virtual machines for your Windows needs? IMHO, VirtualBox is the best.

• At December 16, 2008, Wayne wrote:

  VirtualBox from Sun, I tried it on windows, never thought about using it for a windows machine in linux. Since I have to take a class on Vista and Office, I'll probably just dual boot Vista/Ubuntu in the future. Thanks!

Pronounced Recall. Remember Jott? I wrote about it awhile back and I’ve been using it to send myself reminders, especially when I’m driving. I use my recorder more, but it doesn’t have a reminder function. Jott is changing to a paid service, but they’re leaving a few basic options free and adding a small monthly price to some of the more advanced features. There’s nothing wrong with a company wanting to make money from subscriptions to their service, but it’s tough to compete when someone else is offering the same thing for free.

ReQall is still free. Does email and text message reminders and is very intuitive in putting your reminders in different categories. Such as if you say, “Buy milk”, anything with the word Buy goes automatically into your shopping list.

Just like Jott, you can share reminders and give reminders to your friends that are part of your ReQall list. “Tell Joe to buy beer”. Will send Joe an email reminding him to buy beer.

ReQall can’t update your Twitter, blog or Facebook, but it’s not meant for that. The problem with updating other programs from Jott is that if the transcribing is wrong, you can’t fix it until you get to a computer but if you sent an update to a program like Twitter that can’t changed, you’re out of luck. I tried a few blog posts (on another site) and it worked okay, but unless I wrote it down, read it, and could go back and edit, it may not look or read as well as it could. And if I go though all that trouble, I might as well log on and type it into a regular post.

I hesitated buying one of these things for a long time. My cellphone allows recording, so I tried that for awhile, I tried Jott.com which you call a number to dictate notes or reminders to yourself. They all kind of worked. Cindy bought this for her Nevada history class when she had to visit some museums around Las Vegas. She gave it to me when she was done with her museum notes.

This little thing is really cool. It does so much, you actually have to read the manual to get all of the features. I use it to record the mileage when I cross a state border (used for fuel taxes), and now I’m using it a lot to remind me of things while I’m driving, things I remember while I’m driving, but will forget when I stop five hours later. Things like what I need the next time I stop for a grocery run, things I would like to post about, websites or subjects I hear on the radio I want to look up later. It’s quick and easy and seems to do well on its AAA batteries. I only short quick notes and haven’t tried it for something long like a class lecture or something where it’s on and recording constantly.

This will also hook up to a computer and allow you to download your notes to your computer and keep or organize them. Theoretically, I could dictate something, download to my laptop, then upload it to Adventures in Trucking and you could listen to what I had to say. Except for the fact I would want to edit out all of the pauses and rearrange everything so it makes sense to everyone else, it could be used for that. Maybe someday.

Here are the features of this little thing:

• 256MB of built in flash memory, allowing you to use up to 1 hour and 44 minutes of recording.
• digital display screen that shows the time, low battery indicator and recording countdown.
• Unit has a USB port allowing for file download to a PC, helping you listen, share, save and organize with ease.
• Automatic Voice-Activated Record (AVR) mode which will sense sound and start recording automatically once sound begins.
• Multiple playback speeds so you can listen to your recorded files at your own pace.
• Date and time a recording was made with the date/time stamp.
• By using the date/time stamp along with intro scan, which gives you a preview of message content, you can quickly find specific recordings without the hassle of listening to complete recordings.
• Editing functions to cut and paste recordings, erase partial or complete recordings
• built-in speaker, built-in microphone,
• recording quality selector
• Headphone and Microphone jacks.
• Selectable folders and bookmarks for easy organization.

RCA RP5120 at Amazon

1 Comments

• At August 6, 2008, Trevor wrote:

  Voice recorders like these are really amazing. i can imagine that if you are on the road alot you have many ideas to record. RCA makes good voice recorders.