New Google Presentations Feature

More information here.

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Does Prime Rib Predict the Polls?

As 2007 comes to a close and the 2008 presidential election rapidly approaches, Americans are beginning to gear up for another crazy campaign season. For those who find CNN sponsored Gallup polls and media reports dry and sometimes hard to follow, restaurant blog Urbanspoon has developed a creative new method for predicting election results, one that taps into the power of consumer tastes and Google Trends.

The inventive new prediction system, called the “Steak/Sushi Index,” measures voting trends in cities based on the number of sushi restaurants found in the area compared to the number of steak restaurants in the same radius. 

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Free Web Charting? What’s the Catch?

Joining the seemingly never-ending stream of free Google tools for Web developers, allow me to present the Google Chart API…

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A Few More Reasons to Worship Google

As an advertising and PR student at the University of Minnesota, one of my required classes is “Information for Mass Communication.” While I’ve learned a lot about the information that’s out there and where to find it, there’s one source in particular that continues to come up in lecture, whether we’re talking about tracking, searching, or… anything really.  Hint: Where does one first automatically go to find any sort of information about any possible subject?  Google, of course. 

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Google: I Love Thee, I Love Thee Not…

Much of my day here at Sundog is spent doing research. I dig deep into the virtual world of homepages, blogs, and social networks for information on everything from the demographics of major cities to comparisons of different Javascript libraries. In order to be successful in my quest for top-notch information, I certainly need a high-powered search engine that satisfies my cravings, er…my research needs. I’ve always thought this search engine was Google—the king of blue links and quick results. Based on a recent user satisfaction survey, however, it looks like I may want to reconsider.

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