Google Much More Than You Might Think

For many of us the term “Google” has become a part of our regular vocabulary. Anytime we need some information we “Google” it.  In fact the term has morphed to include any search function. When was the last time you “Binged” or “Yahooed” something?  For sure the folks at Google are delighted that their brand has become synonymous with searching for information. You may be surprised that the search function of Google is really only the tip of the iceberg.

In August Google’s parent company got a new name. According to the big wigs at the company it is more reflective of the diversity in services offered.  The name is “Alphabet.”  While one would think that the smart, creative people at Google could have been a bit more creative, Alphabet does offer 25 more letters for new service names if they grow tired of the “G.”

Most people using Google don’t get beyond the search box.  If you do you will find some amazing tools and toys and most of them are free to use.  A good place to start is to adopt Google Chrome as your web browser. Once you do that it is easy to navigate to the other features.

One of my favorites is the Translate application.  You can type a word, phrase, or paragraph in one language and ask Google to translate it into another.  The translation is not perfect but it is getting better all the time.  You would not want to use it for a legal document but it does help you get the sense of what someone has written in an unfamiliar language.

Perhaps the tool that amazes me most is the Image search.  You can paste a picture of a person or place into the search box and it will seek out pictures on the internet that most closely match it. Here again the technology is still developing but it gets better and better each time I use it.

Google Earth also never cease to amaze me.  With its world-spanning satellite images, Google Earth is an encyclopedia, globe, terrain map, and world atlas all in one.

Of course there are several esoteric services that most of us will never use. “Google Scholar” searches papers, learned journals and research findings of the world’s most respected scientists.  “Patent Search” is self-explanatory.

So when you have a few minutes take the time to peel back the many layers of Google (or Alphabet.) You might find something you never knew was there.