Cuil.com – hype fell short of Google

There was so much hype about the launch of cuil.com (pronounced “cool”) today – an internet search engine developed by former employees of Google and IBM.

Cuil.com states: “Cuil searches more pages on the Web than anyone else—three times as many as Google and ten times as many as Microsoft.” I was impressed, that was until I did several searches to test out Cuil. The results that I got was not so cuil.

The answer is simple yet far more complex than Cuil may have anticipated. It does not matter how many web pages you crawl or how fast you crawl through the web. From an internet search engine, people expect relevant results. When you can’t provide relevant results, an Internet search engine is useless.

I consider myself a savvy web user. I was a bit disoriented by cuil’s three column search engine results page (SERP).

This is how Cuil SERP looks next to the SERPs we are all used to:

Three column mess?

User's expectation of an SERP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m sure that Jakob Nielsen will agree that Cuil made a mistake by reorganizing the search engine results page. How would the user interpret ranking? From left to right or from top to bottom on first column and then the next? And how would they introduce sponsored listings without introducing more chaos to the mix?

Cuil.com release was too early and did not live up to the hype. Cuil.com will not be a Google killer and will undoubtedly fail in the hands of its intended users. I’ll be going back to google.com for my internet search.

A case for bluetooth remote controllers; manufacturers must take note

I bought a Sony PS3 a while ago. I love it. There are so many well written PS3 reviews out there, so there is no point in writing a review here. I’ve begun to use the PS3 more as a media server to stream media within my home.

Sony PS3 Bluetooth Remote

At first I had issues with the PS3 remote controller. I was rather disappointed that I couldn’t use a universal remote controller to control the PS3. This was the case because PS3 remote used bluetooth wireless protocol instead of infra red.

Lately, I’ve fallen in love with this bluetooth remote because it is a true remote controller. Unlike infra red remote controllers the devices could be any where and does not need to be lined up. This allows you to control your devices from another room without line of sight. This makes bluetooth protocol much superior and much more practical in this application.

When I first got my Sony PS3 I wished that it used an IR remote… now I’m waiting for the day all remotes are bluetooth. Sony has taken a step in the right direction in utilizing bluetooth for this remote, enhancing it’s mobility. It’s time others follow suit.

Brett Favre Press Conference Video

I’ve been looking all over for this video today finally found it. For all those Packer fans who are interested in getting the latest scoop but missed when it was aired, here it is:

Favre not finished

Are we on the verge of societal change, yet again?

Technology impacts economy our behavior, and finally it creates greater societal change.

Today, I find it hard to imagine how my grandparents waited for the newspaper to arrive, or for the news hour on TV for the latest news.

ABC News Items request contributions or comments

I don’t read newspapers nor watch TV news; I read news stories online, listen and watch people talk about it – as they break. I get news headlines via Viigo on my phone, which I choose to read or ignore.

I’ve been an avid follower and embracer of new technologies all my life. At age 33, I’ve seen more things change around me more than my grandfather and his father has ever seen. From the looks of it, I’ve only yet seen the tip of the iceberg. I wonder if this is how people felt during the European Renaissance, and the Industrial Revolution?

The biggest change in history will have occurred (thus far) during our time. Making you, and I, an intricate part of the new information revolution. What part would you play in it?

Would you play the part of the person who resists change, or would you be the one to embrace change and contribute to it? As for me, I choose to embrace change. There is a growing social media movement that is enabled by the very technologies that enabled me to write this post, and the very technologies that enable you to read my contribution to the social web.

As a web developer, I’ve used early versions of the social web such as online forums in the past, but then there were a handful of such interactive forms of communication. Ease of use and the sheer ease of deployment have enabled the masses to contribute, share and discuss just about everything instantaneously.

We now satisfy our social urges online. Share our stories, photos, videos, thoughts and even our day to day tasks. Just like the internet provided business with a global audience when it first emerged, it has now given you and I, a global audience to socialize with.

I believe that this “social web” component will cause the most impactful positive societal changes in our life time. We are on the verge of societal change, of a different form, impacting everything in our lives. Be open, embrace, and contribute. And most importantly – don’t forget to listen.