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Title:
Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools
Review:
Who isn't already familiar with the name Google? You may be less
familiar with the names of Google Hack's authors. Tara Calishain is
responsible for <http://www.researchbuzz.com>, and Rael Dornfest is a
researcher at publisher O'Reilly & Associates. Their new book on what
is arguably the best search engine is timely for those of us with
clients grown adept at self-service Internet research.
Calishain and Dornfest present "100 industrial-strength tips and
tools" to unearth the gems hidden within the Google mine. The book is
neatly organized into eight chapters with about a dozen or so tips in
each chapter.
The Google Toolbar comes as an interesting tip listed in the first
chapter. I've had trouble with various "helper" toolbars I've
downloaded onto my PC - including the Google Toolbar. Computer
technicians have told me they discourage users from souping up their
machines with these add-ons. As I've found out several times, they can
compromise the integrity of your Internet browser, and furthermore,
I've had little luck figuring out a work-around.
Another chapter focuses on Google's so-called special services and
collections. These include Google News, Froogle (as in frugal Google,
for us Blue Light shoppers), and Google Labs. As the authors point
out, "each data collection has its own unique special syntaxes". You
could easily debate the advantages and disadvantages of this scenario,
but I would have assumed (before reading this book) that Google
applied a one-size-fits-all approach to its syntax application across
all its services.
Chapter five centers on the Google Web API (application programming
interface). "If you've always wanted to learn Perl, but never knew
what to 'do with it', this is your section," according to the authors.
I list this chapter as a highlight, because I imagine many of us try
to maintain at least a minimal level of awareness of library-related
technologies.
Another noteworthy chapter focuses on Google pranks and games, which
makes for lighter reading after the API sections.
Google Hacks follows in the O'Reilly tradition of being a compact book
with reader-friendly design. Thermometer icons, for example, are used
to indicate the relative complexity of the 100 hacks detailed in the
book.
Calishain and Dornfest have done a good job, in the words of a library
school professor of mine, at looking under the hood and noodling
around inside the engine called Google. This book would be well worth
the list price of US$24.95, but as with most publications in this
field, you need to buy it soon after it's released, or you're better
off looking for a revised edition to be truly on top of things.
For more information on "Google Hacks," point your browser to
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/googlehks/>.
FreePint Reviewer:
Russ Singletary is a consultant with the Cadence Group Inc., an
Atlanta, U.S.-based firm, and he is assigned to the Corporate Strategy
unit of a Fortune 100 communications corporation. He holds an MLIS
from the University of South Carolina at Columbia, a BA from Wofford
College, Spartanburg, South Carolina; and has completed additional
university coursework in Quebec, Canada, and Paris, France. He is a
former journalist.
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