Beyond Google Alternatives

Google has dominated the search space for so long that a U.S. District Court judge recently found that it has acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search. You have probably used Google Search for as long as you can remember; it’s what replaced things like phone books and encyclopedias.

But just because Google runs the most popular engine doesn’t mean you have to use it. If you have never considered a search engine beyond Google, you might be surprised to see what else is out there.

There are many Google Search alternatives on the market that have gained traction. Whether you’re looking for increased privacy, enhanced AI features or just something different, there are some notable options worth checking out.

While Microsoft’s Bing and Yahoo are arguably the most well-known, there are tons of Google Search alternatives that have also been around for a while. But for this list, we’re focusing on newer, lesser-known entrants into the search engine space.

Note: All search engines operate on your existing Browser as a web page. Most have their own software browser or app.

Search Engine    Overview    URL    Features

DuckDuckGo

Simple, Private

https://duckduckgo.com/

 Download Browser for iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows OS. Addon extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera & Safari.

Ecosia

Environmentalist Based

https://www.ecosia.org/

Advertisers profits goes to planting trees. Powered by Google & Bing engines. Download Browser for Windows & Mac OS.

Brave Search

Privacy Based, Independent, AI Powered

https://search.brave.com/

Download Browser for Windows, Mac & Linux. AI powered question answers feature on/off. Filter out sources option.

Startpage

Google Based Anonymous View

https://www.startpage.com/

iOS and Android app

Perplexity

Controversial*, AI Powered

https://www.perplexity.ai/

Free to use but $20/Monthly subscription for additional features such as image-generation models. iOS and Android app

SearchGPT

Prototype released July 26, 2024. From ChatGPT/OpenAI

https://chatgpt.com/search

Update: Found Waiting List now closed but under prototype phase. Other ChatBot products https://www.chatbotapp.ai/. It is blurring the line between Search Engines and AI systems.

*Perplexity is being accused of (Forbes & Wired) plagiarism and unethical web scraping around copyright laws. Ref: Techcrunch article

This blog from Ref: Techcrunch article

Current benefits of using a smart ring

Smart rings are getting smarter and more powerful. Like smart watches, they can do a lot and are going to be able to do more. Here are some current benefits and limitations to using smart rings.

Benefits:

• Fitness tracking: Smart rings can track your steps, heart rate, and other fitness data. This can help you stay motivated to reach your fitness goals.
• NFC payments: Some smart rings have NFC (near-field communication) technology, which allows you to make contactless payments. This is a convenient way to pay for things without having to carry your wallet.
• Gesture controls: Some smart rings can be used to control smart devices with gestures. For example, you can swipe your finger across the ring to answer a phone call or change the song that is playing.
• Notifications: Smart rings can vibrate or light up to notify you of incoming calls, text messages, and other notifications. This can help you stay connected without having to constantly check your phone.
• Security: Some smart rings can be used to unlock your phone or computer. This can be a more secure way to access your devices than using a password or fingerprint.

Limitations:

• Battery life: Compared to other wearables like smartwatches, smart rings often have a lower battery life.
• Price: Compared to other wearables, smart rings may be more expensive.
• Comfort: For some people, wearing smart rings can be uncomfortable.
• Security: Just like any other wearable technology, smart rings can be hacked.

Epilogue: My ideal smart ring is not here yet as I envision a holo projection of a screen with data, audio input & output, much like in the 1974 science fiction Zardos film featured.

4 steps to stop the spam

It may require you to be as aggressive as the spammers are to combat this growing issue. Here are 4 steps you should be doing to stop (Reduce) the number of spam calls on your smart phone.

1. Register your phone number(s) with the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry. This is the first and simplest step to take, and may help a little… although it will only affect the ‘legitimate’ spammers who respect the rules. Still, it’s a start.
   
   
2. Block the individual numbers used by spam callers; you can do this on iPhone by tapping the Info (“i”) button next to the number and selecting “Block this Caller.” This can be a useful tool when dealing with repeat offenders, but is likely to lead to a game of “whack-a-mole” as the spammers adapt and change their vector of attack. And again, this does not address the underlying problem of data exposure.
   
   
3. Block all unknown numbers by going to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers. This is a far more powerful method and should drastically cut down the number of spam calls that make it through… but has the side effect of likely blocking legitimate calls too. For many, this will be too high a price.
   
   
4. Remove your personal information from the sites and databases of data brokers: the companies and individuals who share your personal details with spammers, likely without informed consent. You can do this by sending opt-out requests to each broker, but this is likely to take a lot of time and effort and may not reach all the relevant parties. An alternative approach would be to call on the services of a data-removal service to send the opt-out requests on your behalf; such firms know exactly who to speak to in order to get the job done, and will save you the hassle of doing so.

Classic Microsoft Windows verses Ford Motor Company comparison

In 2013 after Bill Gates dissed the auto industry for it lack of progress compared to the computer industry, Ford issued the following press release: (Is it still true today?)

If Ford had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

 1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash......... twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

 3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this

 4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

 5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

 6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

 7. The airbag system would ask, "Are you sure?" before deploying.

 8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

 9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

 10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

 PS - I'd like to add that when all else fails, you could call "customer service" in some foreign country and be instructed in some foreign language how to fix your car yourself!

AI IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD!

It's been a long while since I have posted to this Blog but I wanted to create something contemporary and fresh. Unfortunately everything on this topic has already been blogged to death so I thought I would use Microsoft Edge Compose to put something together for me on this topic to demonstrate it's power!

Science Fiction Genre's

I am struggling to find good new science fiction books and I am realizing that one of the issue is that I like certain genre's better but don't know how to quantify or categorize them. So I found this list which may help me to express my favorite style of science fiction.

n Space opera/space western – Melodramatic adventures, often involving space battles (Buck Rogers)

n Utopia – Description of a perfect society, at least in the author’s mind (Ian M. Banks’ “Culture”)

n Dystopia – Description of a society gone wrong (George Orwell’s “1984”)

n Hard SF – Scientific rigor marks the story’s focus (Hal Clement’s “Mission of Gravity”)

n Soft SF – Characterization and ideas about society mark the story’s focus (“Star Trek”)

n Feminist SF – Deals with women’s role in society (Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Left Hand of Darkness”)

n Cyberpunk – High tech in a society that has broken down (William Gibson’s “Neuromancer”)

n Alternate histories – History has diverged from the one we know (Harry Turtledove’s “The Guns of the South”)

n Alternate futures - A possible future never comes to pass, often because a character travels back in time and alters the past (“Back to the Future II”)

n Slipstream - Fantastic or non-realistic fiction that crosses conventional genre boundaries between science fiction and contemporary literature (Thomas Pynchon’s “Gravity's Rainbow”)

n Science fantasy – Elements of fantasy and of science fiction are melded (Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels)

n Dark SF – Elements of horror and science fiction are mixed (the movie “Alien”)

n Erotic SF – Sex and sexuality are explored in a science fiction setting (Lois McMaster Bujold’s “Ethan of Athos”

n New wave – A movement of 1960s, it boasted a high degree of experimentation, both in form and in content (Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”)

n New space opera – A movement of 1990s, the stories tend to be more military-themed and literary than original space opera/space western (David Weber’s “On Basilisk Station”)

n New Weird – A movement of the early 21st century, surrealism or transgressive horror is used in a science fiction or a fantasy setting (China Mieville’s “Perdido Street Station”)

A Fine Tax

"A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well"