Sebastopol, CA--In 1938, when asked to coin a name for a very large number, mathematician Edward Kasner consulted his young nephew, Milton Sirotta (who was either eight or nine at the time, depending on your source of information), who replied "googol." Googol, which represents a one followed by one hundred zeroes, has no scientific use. Kasner purportedly created it to illustrate the difference between an unimaginably large number and infinity.
If Kasner or his nephew were alive today they would be able to google the term "googol" and discover this, and more. They'd find that Google's name is derived from googol, to reflect the enormous amount of information available on the web. While the concept of googol is interesting but not especially practical, Google is put into use day in, day out, every day. Its powerful and flexible search engine sifts through the vast amount of chaotic information on the Web to deliver just what you need straight to your computer screen. All you need to know is how to ask the right questions. That's where the Google Pocket Guide by Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, and D.J. Adams (O'Reilly, US $9.95) comes in.
Ideal for daily Google users, including students researching a topic for class, medical or legal professionals looking up field-specific reference information, or home users looking for that article on home repair they saw but of which they have since lost track, the "Google Pocket Guide" helps Google users learn the fundamentals of a Google search. This includes making the most of its special syntaxes, hidden options, and powerful combinations; consulting the Google dictionary; looking up individuals and businesses in the Google phonebook; finding related web sites and pages; and restricting or expanding a Google search by subject, web site, domain, time, title, etc.
The "Google Pocket Guide" begins with essential Googling information: what Google is and what it isn't, and a summary of helpful Google services. The bulk of the book focuses on what users need most--fine-tuning their searches with power-user tips and tricks so they can zero in on the information they need and understanding the results of their searches.
The "Google Pocket Guide" is the indispensable guide to Google. If you're a Google user--and who isn't?--the "Google Pocket Guide" will turn you into a Google expert.
Additional Information:
Google Pocket Guide
Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, and D.J. Adams
ISBN 0-596-00550-4, 129 pages, $9.95 US, $15.95 CA, 6.95 UK
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
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