Google Hacks 2Nd Edition [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Hack 10. Look Up Definitions

Do you find yourself smiling knowingly when
your boss mentions that well-known business principle that
you've never heard of? Overwhelmed with
"geek speak"? Chances are
Google's heard it mentionedand possibly even
definedsomewhere before .

Most specialized vocabularies remain, for the most
part, fairly static; words don't suddenly change
their meaning all that often. Not so with technical and
computer-related jargon. It seems like every 12 seconds someone comes
up with a new buzzword or term relating to computers or the Internet,
and then 12 minutes later it becomes obsolete or means something
completely differentoften more than one thing at a time. Maybe
it's not that bad. It just feels that way.

Google can help you in two ways, by helping you look up words and by
helping you figure out what words you don't know but
need to know.

1.22.1. Google Definitions

Before you
assume
you're going to be in for a lot of Googling, try the
define search syntax mentioned in the
"Quick Links" section earlier in
this chapter. Simply prepend the definition you're
after with the special syntax keyword define, like
so:

define google
define julienne
define 42 Google tells us that these are defined as "most
important spidering search engine,"
"cut a vegetable into long thin
matchsticks," and "being two more
than forty," thanks to to Juice New
Media's Search Engine Glossary, The Youth Online
Club, and WordNet at Princeton, respectively.

Click the associated "Definition in
context" link to visit the page from which the
definition was drawn.

Click the "Web definitions for..."
link or prefix the word you're defining with
define: (note the addition of a colon) in the
first place, and you'll net a full page of
definitions drawn from all manner of places. For instance,
define:TLA finds turns up oodles of definitions
(all about the same, mind you), as shown in Figure 1-24.

The define word syntax is still subject to spelling suggestions, so you don't have to worry too much about misspelling. The define:word form, however, doesn't perform a web search at all and so will return no results or spelling suggestions whatsoever if it finds no definitions to offer you.

If all that didn't turn up anything useful, move on
to Google Web Search proper.

1.22.2. Slang

We have distinctive speech patterns that are shaped by our
educations, our families, and our location. Further, we may use
another set of words based on our occupation. When a teenager says
something is "phat,"
that's slang a
specialized vocabulary used by a particular group. When a copywriter
scribbles "stet" on an ad,
that's not slang, but it's still
specialized vocabulary or jargon used by a certain groupin
this case, the advertising industry.

Being aware of these specialty words can make all the difference when
it comes to searching. Adding specialized words to your search
querywhether slang or industry jargoncan really change
the slant of your search results.

Slang gives you one more way to break up your search engine results
into geographically distinct areas. There's some
geographical blurriness when you use slang to narrow your search
engine results, but it's amazing how well it works.
For example, search Google for football. Now
search for football bloke.
Totally different results set, isn't it? Now search
for football bloke
bonce. Now you're into soccer
narratives.

Of course, this is not to say that everyone in England automatically
uses the word "bloke" any more than
everyone in the southern U.S. automatically uses the word
"y'all." But
adding well-chosen bits of slang (which will take some
experimentation) will give a whole different tenor to your search
results and may point you in unexpected directions. You can find
slang from the following resources:

The Probert EncyclopediaSlang (http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/slang)
This site is browseable by first letter or searchable by keyword.
(Note that the keyword search covers the entire Probert
Encyclopedia ;
slang results are near the bottom.) Slang is from all over
the world. It's often cross-linked, especially drug
slang. As with most slang dictionaries, this site contains material
that might offend.

A Dictionary of Slang (http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/)

This site focuses on slang heard in the United Kingdom, which means
slang from other places as well. It's browseable by
letter or via a search engine. Words from outside the U.K. are marked
with their place of origin in brackets. Definitions also indicate
typical usage: humorous, vulgar, derogatory, etc.

Surfing for Slang (http://www.spraakservice.net/slangportal)

Of course, each area in the world has its own slang. This site has a
good meta-list of English and Scandinavian slang resources.

Start out by searching Google for your query without the
slang.
Check the results and decide where they're falling
short. Are they not specific enough? Are they not located in the
right geographical area? Are they not covering the right
demographicteenagers, for example?

Introduce one slang word at a time. For example, for a search for
"football," add the word
"bonce" and check the results. If
they're not narrowed down enough, add the word
"bloke." Add one word at a time
until you get the results that you want. Using slang is an inexact
science, so you'll have to do some experimenting.

Here are some things to be careful of when using slang in your
searches:

Try many different slang words.

Don't use slang words that are generally considered
offensive, except as a last resort. Your results will be skewed.

Be careful when using teenage slang, which changes constantly.

Try searching for slang when using Google Groups. Slang crops up
often in conversation.

Minimize your searches for slang when searching for more formal
sources, such as newspaper stories.

Don't use slang phrases if you can help it; in my
experience, slang changes too much to be consistently searchable.
Stick to established words.

1.22.3. Industrial Slang

Specialized vocabularies are those used in particular subject areas
and industries. The medical and legal fields are good examples of
specialized vocabularies, although there are many
others. When you need to tip your search to the more technical, the more
specialized, and the more in-depth, think of a specialized
vocabulary. For example, do a Google search for
heartburn. Now do a search for
heartburn GERD. Now do a search
for heartburn GERD
"gastric acid".
You'll see each of them is very different.

With some fields, finding specialized vocabulary resources will be a
snap. But with others, it's not that easy. As a
jumping-off point, try the
Glossarist site at http://www.glossarist.com, which is a
searchable subject index of about 6,000 different glossaries covering
dozens of different topics. There are also several other large online
resources covering certain specific vocabularies. These resources
include:

The On-Line Medical Dictionary (http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/)

This dictionary contains vocabulary relating to biochemistry, cell
biology, chemistry, medicine, molecular biology, physics, plant
biology, radiobiology, science, and technology, and currently has
over 46,000 listings.

You can browse the dictionary by letter or search it by word.
Sometimes you can search for a word that you know
(bruise) and find another term that might be more
common in medical terminology (contusion). You can
also browse the dictionary by subject. Bear in mind that this
dictionary is in the U.K. and some spellings may be slightly
different for American users (e.g.,
"tumour" versus
"tumor").

MedTerms.com (http://www.medterms.com/)
MedTerms.com has far fewer definitions
(around 15,000), but it also has extensive articles from MedicineNet.
If you're starting from absolute square one with
your research and you need some basic information and vocabulary to
get started, search MedicineNet for your term
(bruise works well) and then move to MedTerms.com
to search for specific words.

Law.com's legal dictionary (http://dictionary.law.com/lookup2.asp)
Law.com's legal
dictionary is excellent because you can search either words or
definitions; you can browse, too. For example, you can search
definitions for the word inheritance and get a
list of all the entries that contain the word
"inheritance." This is an easy way
to get to the words "muniment of
title" without knowing the path.

As with slang, add specialized vocabulary slowlyone word at a
timeand anticipate that it will narrow down your search
results very quickly. For example, take the word
"spudding," often used in
association with oil drilling. Searching for
spudding by itself finds only about 4,300 results
on Google. Adding Texas knocks it down to 581
results, and this is still a very general search! Add specialized
vocabulary very carefully or you'll narrow down your
search results to the point where you can't find
what you want.

1.22.4. Researching Terminology with Google

First things first: for heaven's sake, please
don't just plug the abbreviation into the query box!
For example, searching for XSLT will net you over
two million results. While combing through the sites that Google
turns up may eventually lead you to a definition,
there's simply more to life than that. Instead, add
"stands +for" to the query if
it's an abbreviation or acronym.
"XSLT stands
+for" returns around 194 results, and the third is
a tutorial glossary. If you're still getting too
many results ("XML stands +for" gives you almost
3,000 results) try adding beginners or
newbie to the query. "XML
stands +for" beginners brings in 227 results, the
third being "XML for beginners." If you're still not getting the results you want,
try "What is
X?" or
"X
+is short +for" or
X beginners FAQ, where
X is the acronym or term. These should be
regarded as second-tier methods, because most sites
don't tend to use phrases such as
"What is X?" on their pages,
"X is short for" is uncommon
language usage, and X might be so new (or so obscure) that it
doesn't yet have a FAQ entry. Then again, your
mileage may vary and it's worth a shot;
there's a lot of terminology out there.

If you have hardware- or software-specific terminologyas
opposed to hardware- or software-relatedtry the word or phrase
along with anything you might know about its usage. For example, as a
Perl module, DynaLoader is software-specific terminology. That much
known, simply give the two words a spin:

DynaLoader Perl If the results you're finding are too advanced,
assuming you already know what a DynaLoader is, start playing with
the words beginners, newbie,
and the like to bring you closer to information for beginners:

DynaLoader Perl Beginners If you still can't find the word in Google, there
are a few possible causes: perhaps it's slang
specific to your area, your coworkers are playing with your mind, you
heard it wrong (or there was a typo on the printout that you got), or
it's very, very new.

1.22.5. Where to Go When It's Not on Google

Despite your best efforts, you're not finding good
explanations of the terminology on Google. There are a few other
sites that might have what you're looking for:

Whatis (http://whatis.techtarget.com)

A searchable subject index of computer terminology, from software to
telecom. This is especially useful if you've got a
hardware- or software-specific word because the definitions are
divided up into categories. You can also browse alphabetically.
Annotations are good and are often cross-indexed.

Webopedia (http://www.pcwebopaedia.com/)

Searchable by keyword or browseable by category. This site also has a
list of the newest entries on the front page so that you can check
for new words.

Netlingo (http://www.netlingo.com/framesindexl)

This is more Internet oriented. This site shows up with a frame on
the left containing the words, with the definitions on the right. It
includes lots of cross-referencing and really old slang.

Tech Encyclopedia (http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/)

Features definitions and information on over 20,000 words. The top 10
terms searched for are listed so that you can see if everyone else is
as confused as you are. Though entries had before-the-listing and
after-the-listing lists of words, I saw only moderate
cross-referencing.

Geek terminology proliferates almost as quickly as web pages.
Don't worry too much about deliberately keeping
upit's just about impossible. Instead, use
Google as a "ready reference"
resource for definitions.