Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
We’re all familiar with 80-20 problems, where the last 20% of the solution is 80% of the work. Search is a 90-10 problem. Today, we have a 90% solution: I could answer all of my unanswered Saturday questions, not ideally or easily, but I could get it done with today’s search tool. (If you’re curious, the answers are below.) However, that remaining 10% of the problem really represents 90% (in fact, more than 90%) of the work. Coming up with elegant, fitting and relevant solutions to meet the challenges of mobility, modes, media, personalization, location, socialization, and language will take decades. Search is a science that will develop and advance over hundreds of years.
that remaining 10% of the problem really represents 90% (in fact, more than 90%) of the work
Then she clearly got it wrong - they only got 10% done then (if that), so it may well be 90-10 problem, only the other way around and the way they present it makes it look like as if they solved 90% of the problem. Stalin would have been proud of such stats usage.
I'm curious if they see more problems refining their last 10% of if they see the SEO bad guys from taking over their current 90% - which one is a bigger issue for them.
One far-fetched idea: how about a wearable device that does searches in the background based on the words it picks up from conversations, and then flashes relevant facts?
Somehow I don't think that even Google's data centers could handle constant searching from every human on the planet.
So what's our straightforward definition of the ideal search engine? Your best friend with instant access to all the world’s facts and a photographic memory of everything you’ve seen and know.
Most people tend to dislike the know-it-alls and don't usually pick them as their BFF. I liked the Ask Jeeves symbolism better. That was a search engine that knew its place.
Statistics are like bikinis, what they reveal is interesting but what they hide is critical. ;-)
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One far-fetched idea: how about a wearable device that does searches in the background based on the words it picks up from conversations, and then flashes relevant facts?Somehow I don't think that even Google's data centers could handle constant searching from every human on the planet.
