Google Questions

The folks at Google sure keep busy. There's yet another beta feature now, called Google Answers, where you pay "Researchers" to find anwers to questions you have.

I tried it out.

Unfortunately, Google Answers could not answer these questions:

• Where is Osama Bin Laden?
• Is now a good time to buy SALNC?
• Was the anthrax scare actually a wag-the-dog scam to defer media attention from Enron?
• When does Google do its IPO?
• Why am I burping so much today?

But it could answer the following

• Should I take Interstate 20 or 40?
  (One answer, costing $100)
• Will I get an agent this summer?
  (One answer, costing $12)
• What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?
  (Three answers, each costing $4.00)
• Why is the sky blue?
  (Four answers, ranging from $4 to $5)
• What is the best topic on The WELL?
  (FIFTY-TWO answers, ranging in price from $4 to $100)

The Workshop

Attended a writer's workshop last night, run by Jodie Rhodes, a literary agent. It was not what I expected. Read the story here.

meetup launches

Today is the launch of www.meetup.com. Who knows, maybe it can take off like Craigslist.

Kartoo

Interesting new "graphic search engine" called Kartoo: www.kartoo.com. Type in a search term, and you get a little character who goes off and searches for you. Then you see an illustrated hyperlink world containing the search results.

The only thing I would change is the cartoon character. Everyone who's ever seen Wim Wender's "Until the End of the World" knows that the character should be a bear, saying, "I'm searching, I'm searching, I'm searching...."