CS403, Section 3--Searches, Tables--

Bob Constantine's Tabula Rasa Fillings

1. White Pages Searching

a.)BigFoot.
Results are provided by "Anywho.com", customized to BigFoot's specifications. Query entered as "First Name", "Last Name", and "City", along with check box choice of "White Pages". Results list: name, phone number, and address, as well as links to "find out more" about the selected name, or, to change the listing. There are also buttons to send the person flowers, or, an e-card.

b.)WhoWhere
Search query only entered by "First Name" and "Last Name", thus giving many results showing Robert Constantine, alphabetically ordered by state, area code, and city. My name came within a list of three pages of results (four hits on each page). Found name also includes: phone number and address, as well as links for searching old high school friends, giving a map of my address, and creating a vcard. "Flowers" and "Free Greeting" buttons available with each returned name.

c.)Go.com.
Search queries are entered as "First Name", "Last Name", "City" and "State". Results can be then narrowed to few, or one. Shown as: name, address and phone number> Buttons allowing view of map of address, e-card sending, and adding new or editing existing listings are available.

2. Search Engine Results

Search Engine Query Result Facts
Search Engine Search Summary Syntax Used Hits

HotBot Type a text-based query into the search box. Pulldown menus allow for what expression to look for ("all the words", "any of the words", or "Boolean phrase", for example), what language to exclude pages to, further filtering of certain more precise phrases, range of dates within which results should fall, as well as specification of location/domain. Check boxes are placed to specifically receive such effects as "image", "video", "audio", or "MP3".
Taj Mahal. (look for): exact phrase. (site must contain):"music" and (must not contain): "India", "New Jersey", "restaurant", or "Trump". 10,800

Altavista Advanced search queries (usually text) are entered within search box, using boolean expressions (AND, OR, AND NOT, NEAR) to refine the query. NEAR expression uses a number to establish number of words apart beyond which selected search words would not be relevant to each other. Phrases do not need punctuation around them. Sorting to find words or phrases higher within results canm be entered into a "sort box" along with the query. "+" and "-" expressions ignored in Advanced Search, but, sort box phrases require quotes around them. Also ways to further refine to see only sites in certain languages ("Show Me"...), as well as a way to view sites last modified within a certain range of dates. Truncation allowed on ends of both search and sort box query words.
(Taj Mahal) AND (music*) AND NOT (India OR "New Jersey" OR restaurant OR Trump)
7,949

Northern
Light Allows searches in natural language (in the form of a question), as well as more familiar text word searches in the main search box. Listing a series of similar words refines a search more than a single occurence of one of the terms. Boolean OR, AND, and, NOT operators also refine searches even more precisely. Quotes are required around phrases, and "+" and "-" symbols are used when a term must or must not appear in a result. NorthernLight automatically stems search words (assume both singular and plural instance of a word). Ending or internal "expansion" of words done by truncation symbols "*" or "%" (for one letter or another). Fielded searching can sort results by asking for only certain search areas such as "URL". "TITLE", "COMPANY", or "TEXT". Combinations of fielded searches with boolean expressions available. "Taj Mahal" and music and not (India or Trump or "New Jersey" or restaurant). "Custom Search Folder" created for Taj Mahal (Band)
505

***Search Engine Query Result Facts***
Search Engine	Search Summary	Syntax Used	Hits
HotBot	Type a text-based query into the search box. Pulldown menus allow for what expression to look for ("all the words", "any of the words", or "Boolean phrase", for example), what language to exclude pages to, further filtering of certain more precise phrases, range of dates within which results should fall, as well as specification of location/domain. Check boxes are placed to specifically receive such effects as "image", "video", "audio", or "MP3".	Taj Mahal. (look for): exact phrase. (site must contain):"music" and (must not contain): "India", "New Jersey", "restaurant", or "Trump".	10,800
Altavista	Advanced search queries (usually text) are entered within search box, using boolean expressions (AND, OR, AND NOT, NEAR) to refine the query. NEAR expression uses a number to establish number of words apart beyond which selected search words would not be relevant to each other. Phrases do not need punctuation around them. Sorting to find words or phrases higher within results canm be entered into a "sort box" along with the query. "+" and "-" expressions ignored in Advanced Search, but, sort box phrases require quotes around them. Also ways to further refine to see only sites in certain languages ("Show Me"...), as well as a way to view sites last modified within a certain range of dates. Truncation allowed on ends of both search and sort box query words.	(Taj Mahal) AND (music*) AND NOT (India OR "New Jersey" OR restaurant OR Trump)	7,949
Northern Light	Allows searches in natural language (in the form of a question), as well as more familiar text word searches in the main search box. Listing a series of similar words refines a search more than a single occurence of one of the terms. Boolean OR, AND, and, NOT operators also refine searches even more precisely. Quotes are required around phrases, and "+" and "-" symbols are used when a term must or must not appear in a result. NorthernLight automatically stems search words (assume both singular and plural instance of a word). Ending or internal "expansion" of words done by truncation symbols "*" or "%" (for one letter or another). Fielded searching can sort results by asking for only certain search areas such as "URL". "TITLE", "COMPANY", or "TEXT". Combinations of fielded searches with boolean expressions available.	"Taj Mahal" and music and not (India or Trump or "New Jersey" or restaurant). "Custom Search Folder" created for Taj Mahal (Band)	505

4. Metasearch Results

I chose the Dogpile site with a metaseach on the blues and world musician Taj Mahal. Dogpile's query algorithms came up with >60000 search hits over 10 different search engines, both "directed", and "general" type. Dogpile's model presents a variety of search engine strategies, with those oriented towards "directed"-type sites having fewer results. There is an even distribution among these "directed" sites with more general sites such as Altavista.com, Infoseek.com, and google.com., whose result numbers averaged >15,000 hits. The metasearch engines, if all designed like Dogpile, would give the user a variety of search result representations, whether separated into neat compartments such as the 60 folders in "looksmart.com", or aggregated aggressively such as Altavista's ~41,000 hits. If one desires to wade in among this variety of options, it would seem to be a rewarding for many and diverse results in one place, although somewhat time consuming in the decision about how discrete to render the search. I would prefer to finely-tune a designed group of results in a general search engine.

5. Calendar

NOVEMBER 2000

Calendar for November 2000
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2
CS403, Section 3 3 4
First Quarter

5 6 7
CS403, Section 3;
Election Day 8 9
RJC Birthday
10 11
Full Moon

12 13 14
CS403, Section 3
15 16
CS403, Section 3
17 18
Last Quarter

19 20 21
CS403, Section 3
22 23
Thanksgiving
24 25
New Moon

26 27 28
CS403, Section 3
29 30
CS403, Section 3

**Calendar for November 2000**
NOVEMBER 2000
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1	2 CS403, Section 3	3	4 First Quarter
5	6	7 CS403, Section 3; Election Day	8	9 RJC Birthday	10	11 Full Moon
12	13	14 CS403, Section 3	15	16 CS403, Section 3	17	18 Last Quarter
19	20	21 CS403, Section 3	22	23 Thanksgiving	24	25 New Moon
26	27	28 CS403, Section 3	29	30 CS403, Section 3

6. News Flash

More News About Web Project
*There is good news* afoot on the progress of the Web presentation. The ways of the mountains, the flows of the rivers and streams, and the feeling, just the terrific feeling, that a person gets from the air around him or her when they stride through the beautiful landscapes of the White Mountain National Forest, all these situations will be examined and researched in the days and weeks to come. The decision to focus on the Sandwich Mountains are, along with the Swift River valley, represents an idea about the best combination of feelings which can be elicited in both mountainous, as well as lake-dominated terrain. The Sandwiches have areas where both landcapes can be experienced in their turn. Their position as the first 4000-footers which travelers encounter as they move north into the state makes this area visually strong and impressive, both aesthetically, and in terms of spritual inspiration.		The aim of this presentation, then, will be a focus on the area of the Sandwiches, along with the Swift River and much of its watershed, in order to convey a sense of the place to those wanderers who desire to stroll up among them. A description of the trails in the area will alternate with commentary on the wonder of taking a Riverwalk far up a tributary away from the main Swift River. The ultimate mission of the "Sandwich Mountain Hiking Company" is to encourage those curious cybertravelers who come to the site, and fill them with feelings of need to return again to those rolling landscapes which fill the soul with freshness and vitality. The intent of the site is not to push people in there with reluctance, but to allow them to relax in their spirit while they move through these places with respect and in awe. Much literature emerged in the nineteeth century extolling the hills for such attributes, and I admire their tone for how it inspired travelers of their time. But now, it is time to investigate the Sandwiches with the modern eye, all the while heeding the call of the spirit from back in time as we go.