Going Dormant

I've decided to let A9watch, etc. go dormant. I will occasionally publish search-related items to my personal blog, LoomisBoy. And, I cover search as relevant to AEC (architecture/engineering/construction) as part of my day job at AECnews.com. Both have XML feeds.

I'll leave this blog up for an indefinite period, as part of the historical record. Plus, I might get the occasional ad hit (worth a few cents). I think the story of my being the very first person to list a Gmail invitation for sale on eBay is worth saving. There was quite a frenzy for a time, as people rushed to get Gmail addresses. Now I have 50 invitations to share (write me at randall dot newton atsign gmail dot com if you want an invite).

Thanks for reading.

R./

Google Answers My Query on Desktop Search

Wow, that was fast! Barely an hour ago I wrote (see previous entry) about Google Desktop Search, and said I was asking Google for advice. The answer is here already:

Thank you for your note. Once Google Desktop Search is installed, it updates your personal search index whenever you open, save, or view a file, email, or other searchable item. You'll be able to search for that new content within seconds.

For items you've moved or renamed, Desktop Search should pick up the changes the next time you open or save the item. However, when you delete an item or move it without opening it, Desktop Search may not detect the change. Items you've deleted or moved without opening will appear in your results at their old locations.

To remove these outdated items, click the 'Remove items' link near the top of the results page. Check the boxes next to the items you'd like to remove and click the 'Remove checked results' button. This will remove the items you checked and return you to your results page.

If you've made extensive changes to your hard drive setup or email folder structure, you may wish to start over with a new index. For more information about doing this, please visit
http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=12899

Regards,
The Google Team

Good answer; I have no complaints. PS: I installed Microsoft's new desktop search tool today, the first day it was available.

Google Desktop Search is Just Too Efficient

I downloaded Google Desktop Search (GDS) the first day it was available, and I use it almost every day. But I find it is a bit too efficient. More than once my search results have included spam email messages that only spent a few minutes on my computer before being whisked into the ether. Having spam in my search results is only a mild annoyance, to be honest. But I see no need for the Google search database to have to store and process such bogus information.

Today I took a few minutes to read through the online help for GDS, and I didn't see anything related to how the database might update itself. So I wrote them, using the onscreen submission form, asking if there is anyway to have the GDS database update without uninstalling/reinstalling the software. I'll post the answer, if any, here and in my personal blog LoomisBoy, where this item is cross-posted.