Googlewhacking Embraces Complexity

We have a new leader in the race for the ultimate Googlewhack (a game promulgated by Gary Unblinking Stock). And he’s only 15. Sam Dionne has come up with “linux hayrack”:

linux: 47,300,000
hayrack: 3,110
Total Marks mark: 147,103,000,000

That’s seems like it’s not enough to beat Matt’s “linux anemonefish”:

linux: 48,300,000
anemonefish: 3,130
Total Marks mark: 151,179,000,000

But Sam reports a score of 157.6 billion and I’d believe him even if he weren’t my nephew. The fact is that Google seems to vary in its count of a word depending on what color socks you’re wearing. When Mark, Sam’s father, looked up “linux” a couple of days ago, Google reported 45,300,000. Within a few minutes, I checked and it was reporting 50,500,000. Matt and Sam cite different counts for “linux.” As a result, we have no choice but to resort to a Linux Constant and declare Sam the current leader … although with a score several billion lower than yesterday’s leader. Such is life in the digital fast lane.

Mark Dionne challenges our blithely writing off zero-hit Googlewhacking as a challenge for simpletons and unelected national leaders:

I’m not convinced that zero hits is easy with common words. Can you give a competitive example, over 1 billion?

Sam got 6 billion with “directory yestermorning”

I pass the challenge on to you. (However, I get two hits for “directory yestermorning,” one of which is outrageously pornographic…and, no, these pages show up even if you turn on Google’s anti-porn SafeSearch filter.)

Categories: Uncategorized dw