Maybe because of little Egypt down state? :-p
----- Mike Hammett Intelligent Computing Solutions Midwest Internet Exchange The Brothers WISP ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Hohhof" <af...@kwisp.com> To: af@afmug.com Sent: Tuesday, February 2, 2016 10:26:51 AM Subject: Re: [AFMUG] SAD day OK, I just tried it on Google, and they do seem to have cleaned that up quite a bit. I used to get results for all sorts of cable companies that aren't within a hundred miles. In fact, I used to be able to type in "high speed Internet in Bumfuck Egypt, Illinois" and get search results for web pages supposedly offering Internet there but that must have been generated dynamically based on whatever you were searching for. I would still have to try the search from a pristine computer, otherwise Google is deciding what results to show me based on their data tracking on me. Every time I open some weird link from you guys on this list, websites and search engines for the next week decide that's what I'm interested in. So I'm surprised Google doesn't show me movies about whatever Jaime had for lunch yesterday. -----Original Message----- From: Josh Reynolds Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2016 9:50 AM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] SAD day Right now if I go to Bing, for example, and type in "what ISPs are in my $zipcode"... It's not using the location data correctly, for one. The first few pages are nothing but spam and clickbait. There isn't a single, actual provider one that page. Using Yahoo I get the same thing, but there's even more ads. Using google, there are actual real results of providers that actually provide service in this area, as well as a handful of fairly trustworth review sites. Tell me, which one is more useful? On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 9:38 AM, Ken Hohhof <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: > It doesn’t bother you that a search for high speed Internet in your town > is > useless because Google lets lead generators game their system so that the > first several pages of results are ISPs that don’t even have service > there? > > Money and monopoly power has corrupted Google’s search business (and > associated services like Maps). They are obviously not strapped for cash, > they should spend a few bucks fixing their search engine. Until they do, > we > should look for and use better search engines. So don’t use Google to > find > a locksmith. Better choices like Yelp and Angies List come to mind, plus > probably some I’m not thinking of at the moment. > > > From: Josh Reynolds > Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2016 9:05 AM > To: af@afmug.com > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] SAD day > > > You just described every large scale data source ever. > > Congratulations > > On Feb 2, 2016 8:41 AM, "Ken Hohhof" <af...@kwisp.com> wrote: >> >> Locked out of your house? Don’t use Google to find a locksmith. >> >> >> http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/business/fake-online-locksmiths-may-be-out-to-pick-your-pocket-too.html >> >> >> Read the whole article to find out just how badly Google search and map >> results are corrupted. This locksmith must be legit, I can see their >> building on Google Maps. Oh, not really there, created by Photoshop and >> “crowdsourcing”. And driven by a “lead generator” to make it look local. >> And advertising $19 but paying twice that to Google for the AdWords >> click. >> SCAM, SCAM, SCAM. >> >> >> From: George Skorup >> Sent: Monday, February 01, 2016 11:44 PM >> To: af@afmug.com >> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] SAD day >> >> Nobody says "Let me Bing/Yahoo that". So yeah, Google is how you search >> the interwebs. But I agree on the other point. I do not trust any company >> that has (or can have) such huge control over information. Be it Google, >> Microsoft, Apple, etc... or the government. >> >> On 2/1/2016 11:36 PM, Travis Johnson wrote: >> >> I would use Yahoo or Bing or any other search engine. Nothing would >> change >> if Google went away tomorrow. >> >> Blackberries and Android wouldn't even exist if Apple hadn't created the >> first iPhone. Same with tablets... look how many people tried tablets >> before >> Apple, and they all failed. >> >> I purchased a Macbook for my daughter headed to college 5 years ago. She >> used that laptop literally every day, for over 5 years. She graduated >> with >> two Bachelor's degrees... using that same laptop. Every paper, thousands >> of >> emails, etc... and she has never had a single issue... no viruses, no >> hardware issues, no software issues. Never a single issue. No OS reload, >> no >> malware scanners, nothing. It just works. Just like all the rest of >> Apple's >> products... they just work. >> >> Travis >> >> >> On 2/1/2016 10:28 PM, Josh Luthman wrote: >> >> The world's most popular site and you don't think the world would change? >> Really??? >> >> Apple is gone. People buy Blackberries and Android. Tablets probably >> won't exist. Mp3 players would probably have come to fruition without >> them. >> What else do they have? >> >> Josh Luthman >> Office: 937-552-2340 >> Direct: 937-552-2343 >> 1100 Wayne St >> Suite 1337 >> Troy, OH 45373 >> >> On Feb 2, 2016 12:22 AM, "Travis Johnson" <t...@ida.net> wrote: >>> >>> At least Apple makes products... products that literally changed the >>> computing world, the phone world, the retail world, created apps, and >>> the >>> music world. Google created a search engine (actually copying Yahoo, >>> Webcrawler, Altavista and several others at the time). They aren't a >>> "product". They don't "sell" anything. They are a webpage, just like >>> Facebook. >>> >>> Imagine your life without Google or Facebook. NOTHING CHANGES. >>> >>> Yes, they built a better mousetrap using their intelligence and hard >>> work... but they aren't "inventors". They didn't create anything new or >>> groundbreaking. >>> >>> Travis >>> >>> On 2/1/2016 10:09 PM, Colin Stanners wrote: >>> >>> I'd much rather Google / Alphabet Inc. be in that position than Apple >>> with their overpriced yet restricted / non-upgradable / crappy consumer >>> electronics. >>> >>> Google is making themselves the curator of access to the world's >>> information and communications. When you consider the value of those, >>> it's >>> not just the most valuable company in matters of money. The founders had >>> incredible foresight in addition to their intelligence and hard work. >>> >>> On Mon, Feb 1, 2016 at 10:55 PM, Travis Johnson <t...@ida.net> wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> http://www.ibtimes.com/alphabet-inc-goog-surpasses-apple-inc-aapl-become-worlds-most-valuable-public-company-2289113 >>>> >>>> >>>> "The world isn't run by weapons anymore, or energy, or money. It's run >>>> by little ones and zeroes, little bits of data. It's all just >>>> electrons." >>>> ~ Cosmo (Sneakers 1992) >>>> >>>> Literally, a one page website for a company that is less than 19 years >>>> old is now the most valuable company in the world. :( >>>> >>>> Travis >>>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >
