jaydubya’s blog

ONLamp.com has recently posted an interesting article on Google custom search engines.  Basically, a Google custom search engine narrows the scope of a search in order to yield more pertainant results.  An example of a Google search engine provided in this article is titled Bermuda.  If a user inputs “scuba diving” into this search engine, the results are narrowed down to sites related to scuba diving in Bermuda only, as opposed to scuba diving anywhere.  This article goes through step-by-step instructions on how to create one of these search engines and mentions that money can actually be made through AdSense by creating these custom search engines.  The article claims that simple custom search engines can be made in a matter of minutes. 

Almost everyone I know has a FaceBook account.  In order to remain in contact with distant friends and up to date on the latest gossip, a college student really MUST have one.  With a user base of over 30 million, FaceBook has become a great testing site for independently developed applications.  Some of the most successful have been the movies, pirates, and quizzes applications.  Although they can become overbearing and often seem pointless and irrelevant, these applications are nevertheless seen by the masses.  This article compares FaceBook to fruit flies because it is a cheap and easy way to test new ideas.  The author suggests that applications introduced through FaceBook could then branch off into standalone programs with subscription fees.   He argues that in the near future, we may see Google and Yahoo open their sites up for independent programming as well.

    I’ve always been fascinated with computer viruses, hacking, and the whole persona that comes with it. Not that I would ever participate in such an act– its a bit similar to thinking Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry is awesome; one can be mystified by the whole idea of fighting in the west, all the while never intending to shoot someone. This article, found on Digg.com, tells the story of the man credited with the first widespread home computer virus. It is a very interesting read– it begins with his personal story then accounts for a brief history of computer viruses up to the present day.

Learning to program seems to be the next best thing to becoming a computer hacker– it will be exciting to see how this semester pans out.

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