Published by JPLand on 23 May 2008 at 01:19 pm
Public Knowledge
The Googles like to do a lot of things. It started with searches, then they added maps and e-mail. Now they’re branching out into all kinds of things. My personal favorite is the 411 replacement. Just dial 1-800-GOOG411 (1-800-466-4411), tell them the city and state, and they do the google search for you. Not only can they connect you to the number, they can send you a text message with the company name, address, and phone number. That’s pretty cool.

And just when you think they’ve done it all, they roll out the latest service. Google Health. (Find out more about it here.) The concept is a good one. They say “hey, this is your information. You should control it.” And that’s a very good argument. The only problem is with that whole “privacy” thing that so many people are crying about. Apparently, Google has had a few issues with privacy in the past (details). But why harp on the negative that could exist….let’s look at the positives. Maybe they will link health information to the maps so that I can look online each morning to see who in my area is sick and who to avoid.
I’m by no means a conspiracy theorist, but you know some server out there is storing tons of data. If they’re storing information on my we searches, the news articles I read, the 411 queries I do, and now my health information, there’s only one conclusion. They’re going to clone me. This can only benefit the world.
lance on 23 May 2008 at 4:34 pm #
Maybe they could clone me too?
Maybe they have already cloned me, and my clone is the one typing this?
Maybe you don’t know me, you just know my clone?
JPLand on 23 May 2008 at 6:57 pm #
Maybe you and your clone could get together and between the two of you you could hit a decent Playstation-golf shot! (not withstanding that one hole)
pinetrees10 on 24 May 2008 at 6:55 am #
When it comes to free directory assistance, you have LOTS of choices, including several that have been around since well before the Google version and others that have come out since. They differ in some important ways, so try them all out and see which one(s) you prefer. You may even want to try them all every so often just to see what’s new! Grin!
I prefer the ones that have operators to help when the automation doesn’t recognize me and that also don’t restrict me to only business searches - sometimes I need to find people, too!
1-800-YellowPages (800-935-5697)
1-800-2ChaCha (800-224-2242)
1-800-411-SAVE (800-411-7283)
1-800-555-Tell (800-555-8355)
1-800-Call-411 (800-225-5411)
1-800-Call-Dex (800-225-5339)
1-800-Free-411 (800-373-3411)
1-800-Goog411 (800-466-4411)
1-800-Info-Fast (800-463-6327)
1-800-The-Info (800-843-4636)
JPLand on 24 May 2008 at 8:34 am #
There’s also the method of calling someone you know that is sitting at home and have them look it up for you. That’s one of my favorites!
pinetrees10 on 24 May 2008 at 8:53 am #
You’re absolutely right! I’ve seen people use their “call home 411″…and they always got the right number. GRIN!
Lones on 26 May 2008 at 5:53 pm #
Did you know you can text Google 411, too? Just send a text message to GOOGL (46645) and list what you are looking for, then the city and state (Ex: Krystal. Macon, ga), then send. In a minute you will get a text message back with the address and phone number. It’s pretty cool. Of course, standard text messaging fees will apply.
Can you tell that I’ve worked at Verizon Wireless too long? Is it obvious?
JPLand on 27 May 2008 at 11:09 am #
Silly, Lones. If you want to find a Krystal, just listen to the police radio for the place being robbed. By definition, the location will be a Krystal.
AlanM on 28 May 2008 at 8:57 am #
I want to second 800-411-SAVE and the comment about operators versus automation.
There are differences in all these providers, but I use 800-411-SAVE because they use live agents and do business, government, and residential searches in both the US and Canada … and from the sound of it, the agents are not offshore!
JPLand on 28 May 2008 at 11:25 am #
Offshore operators are the worst. They’re so busy trying to keep their boats afloat and they’re always paddling away from the sharks.