So I was reading about the debut of a new search engine. Believe me, I felt like a geek more than you think I did. Apparantly this new search engine called Cuil (pronounced “cool”) is a search engine to rival the great Google. I was intrigued. Google is my primary source of transportation through the world wide web, so if something is going to be better I thought it was worth my attention. So I decided to do my own research.
I would do an identical search at both websites and see which one I liked most. Pretty simple. I thought of a search topic that would be slightly obscure but also undoubtedly produce results. So as I sat at my desk, wearing a suit, and thinking about whether or not I looked like a 7 year old in his dad’s clothes, or the cover of GQ magazine, I settled on the search topic “How to wear a suit?”
Results from Cuil.com: “No Results found for this search topic.”
Results from Google.com: “Results 1-10 of about 25,600,000.” (these were the exact words, which made me laugh, because the “about” implies that even Google itself isn’t sure just how amazing it is).
Yikes.
I then thought, I will give Cuil another chance and I clicked on “About Cuil” hoping that they might be able to pitch their product to me. I was re-directed to “There is no such URL for this page.”
And that’s when they lost my business.
Sure today was their debut and perhaps they were working out some kinks, hell, perhaps I got there too early and they hadn’t opened their doors yet, but come on, how do you expect to compete with a search engine who’s very name has become the verb for searching online?
Sorry Cuil (warning: awful pun to follow), but Google is just too Cuil for you!
Man I just went up a level in Nerdom! Which brings me to another similar topic:
I am currently writing from my desk at work. This is the first time I have been able to do this because normally my blog gets blocked (although I am free to view my friends’ blogs). But today, I figured out a way to circumvent (the ole’ reach-around) the system. I sort of feel like a hacker. I was also able to trick the system in allowing me to view my fantasy sports leagues (this was also blocked), as well as play video games on my Google homepage (games are a big no-no). Thanks Google!
The moral of this story?
Never let the man keep you down!
I promise I plan on writing a post with some weight to it here soon.
A lot has changed in the house of Young these last weeks. Change that is worth being excited for. Change that I prophesied to myself a few weeks ago (does that still count as prophesy?). Jobs are changing, locations are changing, presidents are changing their stories. Its been pretty interesting. So with this change, I thought it would be a good time to bring you in. Two things I hope to achieve: Tell you what I’ve been enjoying these last few weeks, while simultaneously informing you of impending change. (Question: if two things are done simultaneously are they still considered two separate things?)
So Darcie is getting off the wagon. By wagon, I mean the Wells Fargo Wagon. She’s donezo on Friday, and we are celebrating. Her co-workers are taking her and me out for dinner, beers, and arguing over who pays what and how much goes on who’s card at B.J.’s. It should be fun. I’m holding onto hope that my assistant manager Nathan (henceforth known as Assistant Manager Nathan) will join me and provide me with a person of similar tastes and interests (excluding my wife because she will be too busy reminiscing of deposits, withdrawals and angry customers who will draw blood for their money).
We are also moving to Irvine! Yay! Deeper behind the Orange Curtain we go. The pros and cons of moving to Irvine:
Pro: Living closer to work. Much closer. So close that I will be riding my bike (something I will be enjoying at the end of my summer).
Con: Living closer to work. I’m afraid I will run into residents at the grocery store and they will go on and on about how we have come to fix their dishwasher three times but it keeps breaking!
Pro: Living up in the hills. Its a really pretty neighborhood with lots of places to go for walks.
Con: Living with all of the yuppies on Quail Hill.
Pro: Having a much nicer apartment! A heated lap pool so that I can swim laps and get back into the shape that I was in when I was 16. Our own garage! And washer and dryer inside our apartment!!!
Con: Having washer and dryer inside the apartment. My last excuse for not doing laundry has just gone out the window.
Pro: Assistant Manager Nathan will live down the street, so his dog Bucca, and my dog Noah will have frequent play dates. Perhaps we can even set up a carpool system when we go to the PTA meeting.
We (now changing back to Darcie and me, and not Assistant Manager Nathan and me) are also gearing up for our road-trip-recon-mission up to Portland in a month. Dates have been set, travel arrangements are being made, and we are really excited. The other night we were coming home from dinner, and we pulled into our community. I pulled the car up behind another car, and Darcie slapped me on the arm to be quiet. I wasn’t sure what was happening until she pointed out the windshield. Friends, the moment was eerily beautiful.
My headlights were glowing brightly on an Oregon license plate while Pedro the Lion’s “Be Thou My Vision” was finishing up on the stereo. Two things here are amazing: 1) I have this thing about when I get home, and am coming to a stop just as a song is coming to an end. I feel like my trip is fading out with the song. 2) The final moments of said song are a few notes being held out on an ORGAN! That’s right friends! An ORGAN while my lights shine on an OREGON license plate. Darcie and I started laughing, it was just too wonderful. Then I thought to myself “This is blog worthy,” and Darcie literally said at that moment, “Wow, this has to go on your blog.” The moment was unexplainable. …Though that is precisely what I just did.
Clearly, I am enjoying (parenthesis) and lists: featuring several things this summer.
So I went and saw the movie of the summer this morning. I really enjoyed it. I love Batman and I have loved the last two versions of the story. I like how dark they have been. The movie is long, and if it weren’t for me having to pee really really bad for the better half of it, I would have loved the movie. The problem with going to a 10 o clock movie is that the morning’s coffee is still in me. At home I have been enjoying The Simpsons seasons 1, 4, and 7. There is no reason for these seasons in particular, they are just the ones that I own. This is easily the best Top Ten on Letterman I’ve ever seen.
I am looking forward to this, though I suppose we will be a little late.
These last couple of weeks I have still been listening to Pedro the Lion a lot, but have been contrasting that with a lot of my old favorites. Bands like Norma Jean and As I Lay Dying. WARNING: The previous videos will undoubtedly melt your face! However, they were not picked for that purpose. Friends, that love Aaron Weiss and mewithoutYou, will love the surprise at the end of video one. Friends that enjoy amazing drummers, if you can hold out on video two until minute 1:20, you will see some alarming pedal work.
I’m still reading The Shack. I have a terrible problem of starting a book, getting 2/4 of the way through it and then not making time for it any longer. (that was 1/2 if you were confused) I will finish it though. Believe me! The thing with reading is the moment has to be just right. I can’t just read whenever I want, because I have be able to fully immerse myself in the reading. The temperature has to be right, the music I am listening to has to be right (yes I listen to music while reading). I imagine, much like everything else in my life, when the Summer starts to go away I will begin reading more. I do want to say, though, that as I was waiting for my Honda to be serviced and was walking through a Borders, I did notice that The Shack has become a NY Times Bestseller. I think the majority of the credit should go to my friend Linda, as she has bought crates-literally crates!-of this book and thrown them out her car window to anyone and everyone while driving through the streets. But seriously, its pretty surprising seeing as Mr. Young couldn’t even get his book published and had to go DYI on it. Pretty cool.
Anyway, my friends. I am pleased that for once I have written a lighthearted entry, though it is quite long for a “What I’ve Been Enjoying” piece.
In honor of change, and in honor of one of my most favorite musicians I leave you all with this:
“The first one now, will later be last…”
Beautiful. You are all loved. You are all thought of.
