the end of the fourth estate?

I can't say that I buy it. But I do agree that we need to consider the implications for privacy and democracy.
YouTube - EPIC 2015

411 is so 1990

Google now offers 411, but it's better. The voice-activated service is free and means you don't have to write down the number — they will connect you or SMS you the info.

Google Voice Local Search (1-800-GOOG-411)

Google Voice Local Search is Google’s experimental service to make local-business search accessible over the phone.

Using this service, you can:

• Search for a local business by name or category. (Say "Giovanni's Pizzeria" or just "pizza".)
• Get connected to the business, free of charge.
• Get the details by SMS if you’re using a mobile phone. (Just say "text message".)

It's free. Google doesn’t charge you a thing for the call or for connecting you to the business. Regular phone charges may apply, based on your telephone service provider.

getting there

from: new york, NY to: paris, france

Go to Google.com, click on 'maps,' then click on 'get directions.' Type in 'New York, NY' as your starting point and 'Paris, France' as your destination. Once it computes your directions scroll down to No. 23

1. Head southwest on Broadway toward Warren St 0.2 mi 1 min
2. Turn left at Park Row 0.1 mi 1 min
3. Slight right at Frankfort St 0.3 mi 1 min
4. Turn left at Pearl St 56 ft
5. Turn right onto the F.D.R. Dr N ramp 0.4 mi 1 min
6. Merge onto FDR Dr N 7.7 mi 12 mins
7. Take exit 17 on the left for Triboro Bridge/Grand Central Pkwy toward I-278/Bruckner Expy 0.4 mi 2 mins
8. Merge onto Triborough Bridge Partial toll road 0.4 mi 1 min
9. Merge onto I-278 E via the ramp to I-87 N/Bronx/Upstate N Y/New England 0.6 mi 1 min
10. Take exit 47 to merge onto Bruckner Expy/I-278 E toward New Haven 1.9 mi 2 mins
11. Take the I-278 E exit toward New Haven 0.3 mi
12. Merge onto Bruckner Expy 5.0 mi 6 mins
13. Continue on I-95 N Partial toll road Entering Connecticut 62.1 mi 1 hour 12 mins
...
14.Take exit 48 on the left to merge onto I-91 N toward Hartford 36.8 mi 37 mins
...
15. Take exit 29 for US-5 N/CT-15 toward I-84/E Hartford/Boston 0.4 mi
16. Merge onto CT-15 N 1.7 mi 2 mins
17. Merge onto I-84 E Partial toll road Entering Massachusetts 40.7 mi 38 mins
...
18.Take the exit onto I-90 E/Mass Pike/Massachusetts Turnpike toward N.H.-Maine/Boston Partial toll road 56.0 mi 56 mins
...
19.Take exit 24 A-B-C on the left toward I-93 N/Concord NH/S Station/I-93 S/Quincy 0.4 mi 1 min
20. Merge onto Atlantic Ave 0.8 mi 3 mins
21. Turn right at Central St 0.1 mi
22. Turn right at Long Wharf 0.1 mi
23. Swim across the Atlantic Ocean 3,462 mi 29 days 0 hours
...
24. Slight right at E05 0.5 mi 2 mins
25. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto E05/Pont Vauban 0.1 mi
26. Turn right at E05 Partial toll road 17.3 mi 22 mins
...
27. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto A131/E05 heading to A131/Rouen/Paris/Evreux Partial toll road 9.1 mi 8 mins
28. Take the exit onto A13/E05/L'Autoroute de Normandie Partial toll road
20.3 mi 17 mins
...
29.Take the exit onto A13/E05/L'Autoroute de Normandie Partial toll road
56.5 mi 47 mins
...
30.Take the exit on the left onto A14 toward Nanterre/La Défense Partial toll road
12.5 mi 16 mins
...
31. Slight right at N13 1.4 mi 3 mins
32. Turn right at Avenue de Neuilly/N13 269 ft
33. At the traffic circle, take the 4th exit onto Avenue de la Grande Armée 0.7 mi
3 mins
34. At Place Charles de Gaulle, take the 5th exit onto Avenue des Champs-Elysées 1.3 mi 3 mins
35. Slight right at Voie Georges Pompidou 1.4 mi 3 mins
36. Slight left to stay on Voie Georges Pompidou 440 ft
37. Slight right at Quai de la Mégisserie 377 ft
38. Continue on Quai de Gesvres 0.2 mi 1 min
39. Turn left at Place de l'Hôtel de Ville

patterns, trends, and surprises

zeit·geist | Pronunciation: 'tsIt-"gIst, 'zIt | Function: noun | Etymology: German, from Zeit (time) + Geist (spirit) | Date: 1884 | Meaning: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era.

I'm often fascinated by these kinds of metadata-gathering efforts. Google's 2006 year-end zeitgeist report is no exception.

• Some things were surprising and yet another affirmation that I'm bucking the pop-culture trend (I've never seen American idol, Project runway, or Dancing with the Stars and I feel no need to change that particular fact).
• Others were sobering (cancer is the third most popular search term in the Google News section).
  
• And some just made me laugh (check out all the references to Borat).

Google Press Center: Zeitgeist
A year’s worth of search speaks to our collective consciousness, and 2006 is no exception. To compile these year-end lists and graphs, we compared frequent queries this year against 2005 to see what sorts of things were top of mind. Click on all the tabs to learn something new — or confirm that you too reflect the spirit of the times. Except where noted, all of these search terms are global for Google.com.

Very interesting. But what would be really cool is the ability to generate our own comparisons ... next year, perhaps?


P.S. You don't have to wait until the end of the year for the zeitgeist. Check it out by country and by month at the Google Zeitgeist Center.