Googling around

The sheer process of learning has been reshaped beyond recognition since I was student. Ratio "Search for info/Learn info" greatly shifted towards "Learn info" since Google (and others) make the process of searching pretty damn good. That does not mean of course that it is always easy to find what you need; sometimes it requires certain effort even with all power of Google. But at least you don't have to rush to faraway library or irritate people around you with seemingly repetitive questions. Since Google (and others) keep evolving chances are search process may get even easier in future.

There is even neologism popped up, to google. I heard it first few years back from a strange source - episode of "Law&Order" where Assistant District Attorney was going to google up some secretive criminal. It is a very regular verb nowadays, hardly neologism anymore. Everybody use it. Seems like Microsoft considers it pretty damaging to the future of their newly launched project because numerous blogs of Microsoft educators advise you to "Bing it" when something is required. I did not hear yet "Yahoo it" or "Yandex it" (that's Russian search engine) but that does not mean nobody employs those constructs.

So what do people google up? Simple answer - anything. I know a girl who is crazy about real estate so she googles everything about it, from realtor's reputations to eco-friendly housing. Developers google when they need to find answers for multitude of technical questions. Travelers google best rates for hotels and air tickets. Shoppers google for shoes and books, former residents of Bishkek google for latest news from Kyrgyzstan (it is bloody unrest there at the moment).

Sometimes to google is the only way to get info fast even though it may not be pretty. My cat has walked away outside and did not come back. He always returned before. I was looking for him in vicinity, making those hissing sounds we believe are detectable by cats. Could not find him. Googling brought sad discovery - sometimes cats go away to die alone. My cat was old. That maybe what he did. Why do cats sometimes prefer to die alone? Well, that sounds like another reason to google. Seems like it would also be a very sad googling.