I'm tracking the sudden disappearance of Google X, a search interface that mimicked the Mac OS X dock. It was briefly available on Google Labs before being pulled, leaving behind 404 errors and community speculation.
I explore five stories behind the Google name, focusing on the likelihood that it was a misspelling of "Googol." This error proved fortunate as google.com was available for registration while the correct spelling was not.
I found the Google labs glossary and various API-based applications particularly useful. While I tried to secure a Google API key, their servers were overloaded, so I'm waiting to explore those development tools further.
I’ve checked out the launch of Google Co-op, which enables deep content search and sharing, and Google Trends, a tool for analyzing search volume patterns over time, much like a customizable Google Zeitgeist.
I explore a resource for searching Google searches, a meta-search technique to discover specialized Google tools. It helps find niche search services and hidden features within the Google ecosystem that standard web queries might miss.
I examine the launch of Google Music Search and the Home Page API, noting how Google is positioning itself as a Web 2.0 host alongside Blogger and Google Base, effectively bypassing conventional web hosting models.