alt.hn

4/14/2026 at 4:05:02 AM

Google has a secret reference desk

 https://cardcatalogforlife.substack.com/p/google-has-a-secret-reference-desk

by maxutility

4/14/2026 at 7:37:09 AM

Nice article. But the warning can be stronger imho: Instead of: "Don’t assume your results are the same as anyone else’s."

"The results search you get from G*gle results are unique."

G*gle does not use the easy to use Lucene search syntax but has many 'magic' things, like:

Searching for high-quality Open Access content or solid technical answers on software challenges requires a rigorous scientific methodology, combined with creativity and extensive experience. Despite being a crucial competency, it is rarely taught in depth.

Even with the rise of LLMs, effectively navigating search results remains an unsolved problem.

by runningmike

4/14/2026 at 4:51:38 AM

All of that and only as an aside mentioning the best search engine for quality information: Google Scholar. Academics publish stuff about just about everything which is often open access and the search seems to include some blogs these days, not just formal journals.

by joveian

4/14/2026 at 4:39:20 AM

And again Stuttgart City Library. It has almost become the default image of a library.

by Tomte

4/14/2026 at 8:29:28 AM

I don't get the difference between "verbatim" and quotation marks between words

by Tacite

4/14/2026 at 7:01:38 AM

This reminds me of a problem we hit at work. Ended up going a different direction but same root issue.

by ardline