Random info that could be useful...

2A

The world's heaviest pumpkin...
The heaviest pumpkin world record has been broken by Ron Wallace with his record-breaking pumpkin weighing in at a tremendous weight of 1,502 lbs on October 9, 2006 at the 13th Annual Giant Pumpkin Grower’s Championship in Rhoad Island.

The conversion weight of this pumpkin is as follows
1,502lb, lbs = 681.295 739 74 kilograms

THAT’S ONE HEAVY PUMPKIN!

http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2006/oct/09/worlds_heaviest_pumpkin_weighed/

http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_common.htm


Contacting Grant Hackett
From researching on the internet for a solid half an hour I have come to the conclusion that easiest way to contact Grant Hackett would be to go to or phone the Miami Swimming Club at Pizzy Park on the Gold Coast and ask the reception area to leave a message for Grant or ask for his managers details.


The length of a Giraffe’s Tongue
The length of a Giraffe’s Tongue can get up to an impressive length of 18 inches, although when it is feeding the modified atlas joint of the giraffe’s head allows it to reach even further!

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/Behavior/Spring2002/Kawwass/giraffe.htm


Define the word ‘ontology’ in your own words, what does it really mean?
Ontology can be seen as a controlled form of vocabulary that describes objects and the relations between them. Ontology describes the relations between the two objects in a formal way. When ‘ontology’ is used in a specified domain of interest it uses a grammar for using the vocabulary terms to express something meaningful. This is done to create queries and assertions. For a knowledge sharing ontological commitments are used as agreements to use vocabulary in a consistent way.


http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=define%3AOntology&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryAU


What was David Cronenberg’s first feature film?
David Cronenberg’s first feature film was called ‘Transfer’ which was made in 1966.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061114/


When was the original ‘Hackers Manifesto’ written?
The original Hackers Manifesto was written on January 8, 1986 which was written by ‘The Mentor’.

http://freeweb.supereva.com/crackworld/manifestoe.htm?p


Why do all phone numbers in Hollywood films start with 555?
All phone numbers in Hollywood films start with because it is the number of choice in entertainment.

http://www.agsd.ca/sedley/stump/stump.htm#Why%20do%20movie%20phone%20numbers%20always%20start%20with%20555


What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?
It was found that the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes is by the Ferry.

http://www.greecetravel.com/crete/

What song was on top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?
The song that was on top of the charts this week in 1965 was Do the Clam by Elvis Presley.

http://www.ask.com

Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
The band that Stephen Stockwell is on keyboards and vocals is called The Black Assassins.

http://blackassassins.net/

2B

What is a search engine?
Internet search engines maintain databases of all websites and use programs to collect information. Once the information has been collected it is then indexed by the search engine.

How do search engines rank the information they find on the internet?
Search engines undergo a process to rank websites which is called a process of analysis consisting of two critical aspects. It looks for unique content, pertinent keywords in the body and link popularity. The other significant algorithms that assist in determining the ranking includes; the architecture of the site, visibility of your content, underlying code and how natural your site appears to the engines.

Who or what makes one page more useful than another one so that it is put at the top of your search results?
The search engine Google uses the “PageRank” system to sort the importance of the different web pages. PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individuals page value. Google interprets a link from page A to page B as two separate votes. It also looks at more that just the number of votes, or links a page receives, it analyses the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves “important” weigh more heavily and therefore are rated above pages that may just have a medium or small importance.


What are some of your favourite search engines? Why do you like one more than others?
Some of my favourite search engines include the following:
- www.google.com
- www.yahoo.com
- www.ask.com
- www.dictionary.reference.com

My two favourite search engines include Google and Ask.com because they always come up with the relevant information that I am looking for in the quickest way possible and always contain the most important/useful information.


Can you find some current news stories about search engines?
News Agency Sues Google, Testing Fair Use: French News Agency AFP's Lawsuit Against Google Tests Fair Use in the Internet Age”. "In a case that could set limits on Internet search engines, the French news agency AFP is suing Google Inc. for pulling together photos and story excerpts from thousands of news Web sites." ... "Agence France-Presse said the "Google News" service infringes on AFP's copyrights by reproducing information from the Web sites of subscribers of the Paris-based news wholesaler."

"Agence France Presse Sues Over Google News." ... "Agence France Presse has sued Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , alleging the Web search leader includes AFP's photos, news headlines and stories on its news site without permission”. "The French news service is seeking damages of at least $17.5 million and an order barring Google News from displaying AFP photographs, news headlines or story leads, according to the suit filed on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia."