Searching

[Marca]

Although a Search for something on the site always yields lots of interest, is there an option to search for a particular item (e.g. a story or book title)? I always like to try and find if Mike has commented on something before posting a new Q&A thread, or when reading something by him, but if you search using 'Search for any terms or use query as entered', it brings up lots of unrelated items.

To give an example, if I wanted to use Search to look up the story Black Sword's Brothers and find only comments from Mike about it, can it be done easily? Apologies if this is blindingly simple and I've missed it to date... :oops:

[Whiskers]

Dear all,

The search facilities here suck. So let's not talk about them. Let's talk about Google instead.

One can go to Google and do a search for things here at MWM. Enter the words found in quotes along this tutorial at Google in the search field:

Black Sword's Brothers

And get about 8,600 irrellevant hits. Perhaps looking for the complete phrase only will be helpful:

"Black Sword's Brothers"

Now we get 40 relevant hits that don't match our criteria of quotation by Michael Moorcock. Now we will make a very strict query:

+ "Black Sword's Brothers" + "Michael Moorcock"

The above + symbol means "must be present". This yields 32 hits. You could go a step further and rule out certain words

+ "Black Sword's Brothers" + "Michael Moorcock" -bibliography

Please note the - symbol nudged up against the b in bibliography. We exclude it on the hunch that there won't be any quotations in a bibliography. Our hits drop to 18. That's pretty dense. But you've decided that you know Mike has said something at multiverse.org. What then?

site:www.multiverse.org + "Black Sword's Brothers" + "Michael Moorcock"

Note that I dropped the -bibliography. We have dropped to 9, very relevant hits. You be the judge as to whether or not that is true. Everything I demonstrated above will make you a more productive Google user. Guv, that's how I found those NW Cover archives. I suspect some of you will immeadiately begin to enjoy the outcome of these examples.

Cheers!

[Ant]

Great tip, Berry.

Be a Google power user! Read this book!



Ciao,
Ant

[Whiskers]

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/h/2871 :lol:

PET HACK
Cat Heimlich Manoeuver
How do you give a choking cat the Heimlich maneouver without, well, crushing its ribs?

Contributed by: TY111
[03/02/05 | Discuss (0) | Link to this hack]

Lift the gagging (hacking) cat gently and support its chest with one hand, and (again very gently) grasp the hind legs. Spead you legs and while supporting the cat mainly by the chest hold, using the hind leg hold primarily for steering, swing the cat back and forth between your legs like the clapper of a bell. The obstruction should just pop right out. NB: The cat will probably be very dizzy afterwards, so help it to its pillow.

[Marca]

Thanks for the tips Berry, will try them next time. Shame there isn't a more convenient search on the site though...

[Whiskers]

We could never get something to match Google.

[Governor of Rowe Island]

Guv, that's how I found those NW Cover archives.

Woah! Threw me there, Berry, talking to me half way down a new thread.

I have found this article to be of help

http://searchenginewatch.com/facts/article.php/2156021

And it contains some links to further, more advanced options.

[Whiskers]

Oh. It's all one big ever iterating and always continuous conversation for me...

[Governor of Rowe Island]

I know what you mean. An ever-expanding ever-repeating tape-loop!

[Whiskers]

Well, there is some variation, or the conversation wouldn't be worth, well, continuing.

[Whiskers]

Guv, that's how I found those NW Cover archives.

Woah! Threw me there, Berry, talking to me half way down a new thread.

It just occurred to me that I might be a bit narcissistic. I'm going around expecting all the members here to be waiting with bated breath for my next response to their posts. :lol: Berry thinks to self:

If only I could tell them that I actually am waiting for replies to my posts, reloading the thread, again and again and again...

:lol:

[Governor of Rowe Island]

Sorry, Berry. If only I'd known! I'd have replied earlier. :)

[Marca]

On the subject of searching, I've just realized there's a very useful Search facility in the Image Gallery. Put in a title or something, and it will bring up all the related images. Has it always been there..?

[Whiskers]

yes

[Marca]

That's me being Mr Observant as usual then. I go to my parents house sometimes and say 'that looks nice, when did you do/get that'. And they say... 'ages ago' :roll: