Google's Tech Quick Tip Videos

I don't know if you're like me, but if anyone in your family thinks that you have some level of tech savvy, you end up being the go-to person for tech troubleshooting for all things large and small.

For example, 20% of the time when my dad comes over to visit and is checking his email on my computer, he'll exclaim, "What happened to my bookmarks?!" Then I'll take a deep breath and remind him that his bookmarks are on HIS computer at home, and the ones on mine are specific to my computer alone.

Well, help is on the horizon now that the young techies at Google have created a fun and useful series of videos at TeachParentsTech.org. The website's name pretty much says it all.

These incredibly short and to the point videos all run under one minute. One of my favorite features is at the end of every video there is a childhood photo of the presenter with their parents.

Tips range from very basic (ie, how to copy and paste, or how to increase text size) to skills that everyone, not just parents, can appreciate (ie, how to take a screenshot (see below)). A lot of the tips are geared towards Mac users, but some do cover tips for PCs.




Feel free to navigate the TeachParentsTech.org website for more videos, or simply browse the related videos in the YouTube right menu after viewing one of their videos.

Share this news with your parents and other frequent tech-frantic but loving family member or friends. They'll thank you for it, and you can thank the folks at Google for making our lives easier.

Google Scholar: How to Re-Sort Results by Date

You may have noticed that when you run a search in Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com), the top result is NOT necessarily the most recent publication on your search topic.

As with any result of a regular Google search, the top listing is the most linked-to page on the Internet on your topic. Thus, the top result is based more on popularity on the Web rather than on accuracy or complete relevance to your original search.

It's quite straight-forward on how to re-sort your Google Scholar results. In the light-green bar above your Google Scholar search results, select the arrow next to the "anytime" box. Choose the date you'd like the results to go back to.

To make sure you have a much more thorough list of results, make sure to search a complimentary database, such as PubMed, that always ranks its results by most relevant and most recent at the top.

Google Quick Tip #28

Have you noticed that there are two links in the left menu of a Google search results page?

Hats off to you if your curiosity has gotten the better of you, and you've clicked on those links to see what's hiding under there. Or if you've ignored those links, as I did for a few weeks, you'll be happily surprised by what's hiding under those sidebar links.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #28

By clicking on either the More or Show search tools dropdown arrows in the left menu of a Google results page, you can further narrow the results to quickly find a more relevant set.

Watch this short non-narrated tutorial to see these links in action

Clicking on the More arrow lets you filter results by format type, such as:
- Images -Videos -Maps -Blogs -Books & -Discussions

TIP:
Clicking on the Discussions category displays online conservations going on out there in the Internet on whatever your search topic is. This can be a great tool for getting a pulse of what different opinions are out there on your topic.

Clicking on the Show search tools arrow further limits or rearranges your results. Some features of note that are particularly helpful are:

- results from the past month, past day, past hour, etc.
- can rearrange results by date rather than the default order by relevance
- Related searches can pull together results that were not part of your original search
- Wonder wheel is a cool visual tool that dynamically changes the results based on topics you select from a central image representing the results on the right

Thank goodness for Google constantly trying to improve their user experience. Hopefully these new features will help you quickly unearth more useful information from amongst the usual pages and pages of results you get when you search Google.

Google Quick Tip #27

My aunt used to complain that while away on business trips, her husband would forever be calling her at odd hours of the night mistakenly thinking that it was a decent time to be receiving a call in the United States.

Well, now Google makes it so that my uncle no longer has to get in trouble for waking up my aunt with his middle of the night phone calls.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #27

To find out the time in a specific city, simply type in the word time followed by the name of the location.

If you want to know the current time in different time zones in the United States, just type the words time now

Google Quick Tip #26

Since we're all lined up at the office/classroom door ready to charge out to get a head start on our holiday vacation, I'll make this tip short and sweet.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #26

Those special occasion Google logos always put a smile on our faces. Care to go down memory lane of past logos?

Go to http://www.google.com/logos to see the full archive.

Here's wishing you all a clean ending to 2009 and get ready to ring in a new decade! Be merry, be safe, be thankful, and be well!

Google Quick Tip #25

Flu season isn't over yet. Have you gotten your seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine shots?

Here's an alternative to hitting the speed dial on your phone to your local health clinic or pharmacy to find out.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #25

Google has created a Flu Shot Finder mash-up search in Google Maps to help you find the closest locations to get your flu shots.

http://www.google.com/flushot

Searching by zip code, city, or address are good ways to find the different options. You'll be linked to directions and websites with more information.

So, if you haven't gotten your flu vaccinations yet, there's no better time than the present. Here's to your health!

Google Tip #24

Every now and again, you may want to find a video describing some topic in which you're interested. You could do a quick search on Google Video or YouTube.

For example, if I search in Google Video for the phrase h1n1 cdc, I get 3,990 results. That's too many for me to want to comb through.

Searching YouTube with the same phrase, I get 2,890 results. Still too many to sift through.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #24

Here's how to get around the results overload when you're looking for a video on a certain topic.

In a regular Google search, you can type in some specific commands to look for different video formats.

Here's what the search phrase pictured above is looking for:

+inurl:

whatever follows behind the colon has to be in the URL of the webpage; this is indicated by the + sign

wmv OR avi OR mpg

these are examples of movie filetypes; connecting them with OR will look for any of these filetypes that must occur in the URL of the webpage

site:cdc.gov

this will look for our search exclusively in just the CDC's website

h1n1

this will look for the topic of h1n1 anywhere on the webpage

When I run this search in Google, I get 101 results. A very manageable set to browse through to find some good videos on the topic.

Google Quick Tip #23

Behold - there's a way to sort through the data dump you get when

you run a Google Images search!

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #23

The next time you run a Google Images search, click the Show Options link on the left above your list of results.

A list of options will appear in the left menu. You can filter the image results to your own specifications, such as size, color, and image type.

Click on the Reset options link at the bottom of the left menu if you want to return to your original set of image search results. And last but not least, remember to always site your image sources!

View this quick narrated tutorial to see this feature in action.

Google Quick Tip #22

Ever wish that Google could do more than just give you a data dump of results? Well, prepare to be dazzled by Google Squared.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #22

The folks down at Google are bubbling with ideas, many of which they post in the Google Labs section of their site. Google Squared is one of the coolest things to pop out of the labs lately.

Google Squared is at http://www.google.com/squared . When you type in a topic, Google will generate a table of information populated with results from various sources on the web.

This tool can be a handy way to get more details on a broad topic. Columns are usually populated with images and then additional columns of data that they believe would be of interest.

You can modify the initial set of results:

(1) There is the option to add more results
(2) Click inside an Add items or Add columns box and either select from their suggestions or type in your own addition
(3) Delete any unwanted column or row by clicking on the corresponding "X" for that item

Results can be exported as an Excel file. You can also save your table if you have a free Google/Gmail account.

Explore their list of "squared" topics below the Google Squared search box.

View this short non-narrated video tutorial to see how I generated a list of antibiotics and a list of Renaissance artists.

Keep in mind that the information generated in these tables may not be 100% accurate. Take this more as a quick tool that you would definitely not depend on as your main source of data, especially with topics dealing with health and science. Using reliable database resources for those topics is the safest bet for reliable information.

But in the meantime, knock yourself out with Google Squared!

Google Quick Tip #21

Eh... did you notice that Google has slipped in a tiny link that sits just above the left side of the results of your search?

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #21

After weeks of ignoring the link that looks like this: , I finally got around to clicking on the "+ Show options" link to see what was hiding under there.

Well, what to my wondering eyes did appear was a stroke of genius that I've been waiting for from Google for ages! There is a list of options to limit your results. It's fantastic! When you click on the Wonderwheel category, you get a fun way to visually search your results via a concept map that re-sorts itself when you click on a topic.

Ooh - exciting! Have a ball exploring these new hidden features!

Google Quick Tip #20

You've found a webpage that looks intriguing, but the text is in a foreign language. What do you do?

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #20

(1) Select the Language Tools link to the right of the Google search box

(2) Scroll down the Language Tools page to the Translate a web page section. Copy & paste in the URL of the web page you want to translate.

(3) Select the corresponding languages you want to translate from and to (ie, French to English).

(4) Select the Translate button, and voilà, the page will be hopefully comprehensible. Google's translator tool does its best to give you something that can convey the content in a language that you can understand.

If not accurate, the results can sometimes be quite amusing.

Google Quick Tip #19

Summer is upon us, and you may be flying somewhere soon or making a trip to the airport to pick-up or drop-off someone.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #19

Google helps you check flight arrival and departure times.

Simply type in the airlines and the flight number and see if the information appears.

Happy travels!

Google Quick Tip #17

How many ways can you slice your search results? Well, Google can show you by displaying your results in different formats.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #17

By typing in the phrase view:timeline after your search words, your results will display as seen below.

For example, I searched for harold varmus view:timeline

* The graph summarizes how dates in your results are spread through time

* The higher bars represent a larger number of unique dates

* Click time periods on the graph to zoom in to that particular period of time

* Can search the text box to the right to specify any range of years, months, or days

You can also select any of the other options above the graph to display your results in a list, info, or map view.

For you history buffs, check out the results for a search on world war 2 view:timeline

Google Quick Tip #16

Twiddling your thumbs and wanting something to read that's not just today's headline news? How about getting your hands on some magazines to pass the time?!

GOOGLE TIP #16

Since December 2008, Google has made available archived and current issues of popular magazines that you can browse on the web. There is no comprehensive list of magazine titles. By clicking the browser's Refresh button several times, you can see the covers of several of the magazines.

Example of some magazines currently available:

Popular Science, Ebony, New York, Women's Health, Baseball Digest, Popular Mechanics, Runner's World, Better Nutrition, Organic Gardening

You can browse page by page of these fully scanned issues.

When viewing an issue, in the right column is a link to the Contents and Browse All Issues

If you have an iPhone or other mobile device that lets you surf the Internet, let me know if you can browse these magazines. In the meantime, if you'd like to know the foods to eat to boost your energy as a runner, peruse these pages.

View this short narrated video to see the features of browsing magazines in Google.

Google Quick Tip #15

You're either proudly finished with your holiday shopping or like the rest of us, putting off those last few gifts and will probably be frantically gift wrapping on Christmas Eve.

In either case, this is a great time of year to watch a movie in the theaters because all the blockbusters are released just in time for Oscar nominations. To get away from the shopping mayhem, or to further procrastinate, why not go see a movie? Google can help you locate a theater.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #15

Type in the word movies followed by the zip code or city where you want to find a movie theater.

The first result should be a link to showtimes at the local cinemas. The results will have a link to the movie trailer, more information from IMDb (the Internet Movie Database), and the Google map of the theater location.

Go ahead and treat yourself to a movie!

Google Quick Tip #14

Quick - what's the answer to 25.31 x 45.73? Don't have a calculator close by? Don't care to interest yourself in a long multiplication problem? No problem, Google can do the math for you!

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #14

The following symbols stand for these standard math operations:

Addition +
Subtraction -
Multiplication *
Division /
Exponent ^
Percentage of % of

Say for example, I want to calculate 15.87% of the total of 2.31 times 45.0 to the 5.99th power. I'd type in the following into Google to find the answer:

15.87% of (2.31*45.9)^5.99

More tips at http://www.google.com/help/calculator.html

Now that you know these tips, hide them from your school age children who are properly learning what we as adults no longer have the patience to do by hand or handheld calculator!

Google Quick Tip #13

We've all used Google Maps to find directions and view street level locations, but did you know that you can get Google Maps mashups there too? TaxiWiz is an example of a Google Maps mashup - it's a combination of information of where to find taxis in a city with a Google Map of the city. It even gives you the estimated fare for any route that you map!

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #13

When you search a location in Google Maps, look at the very bottom of the left side bar for a link to User-created maps in the results listing. That link will take you to maps created by other people who have made Google Maps mashups.

For example, when I typed in a Google Maps search for Mission District San Francisco, under the user-created maps link, I found a map highlighting the 49 Mile Scenic Drive of San Francisco. This is a great map to use to get acquainted with the city because it also includes photos of most of the locations.

So go ahead, mash it up a little and see what you can find!

Google Quick Tip #12

Tired of always having to click the Back button to return to the list of search results in Google? You can set your preferences to open a result link in a new window.

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #12

(1) Select the Preferences link to the right of the Google search box

(2) Scroll down the page and select the option next to the Results Window section

Google Quick Tip #11

It's 6pm on the Friday just before the Labor Day weekend...The fog is rolling back into San Francisco after a three day "heat wave" in the City. I think longingly for the daily dose of Hawaiian sunshine that I enjoyed while living in Honolulu.

Hmmm...I wonder what the weather is like in Honolulu right now? I'd sure like to be there rather than in this thick San Francisco fog in August.

Wait a minute...let me check the weather on Google!

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #11

Type the word weather before either the name or the zip code of the location you are interested in finding.

In Google, I searched on weather 94143 to find the weather forecast for my San Francisco neighborhood, and got this result:

Then I searched on weather honolulu to find the weather forecast for Honolulu, Hawaii:

Wow! Suddenly I don't feel so bad. For the next four days at least, I'll be enjoying more dry and sunny weather than folks in Honolulu. But Hawaiians don't have it so bad. With the rain always come rainbows when the sun breaks through.

Google Quick Tip #10

Hmmm...what's the best way to get from the famous (heavy on the garlic) Stinking Rose Restaurant in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood to the Boudin's Sourdough Bakery in Fisherman's Wharf?

GOOGLE QUICK TIP #10

Our dear old friends at Google have recently added some new options under the "Get directions" link in Google Maps. In addition to driving directions, there are now walking AND transit directions! For the transit directions, they estimate how much it would cost for gas if you drove vs. public transit fares. Combine these new features with the Street View feature, and you're set to show your guests around town the fastest route from point A to point B. Now if Google could only get the buses to run on schedule...

View this video demo.