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Web Search Spotlight10

Three ways to find an image online

Friday May 24, 2013

advanced image search If you've ever searched for an image, you've probably been at least a little frustrated with the quality of your results. I know I have! However, many search engines have rolled out some pretty useful advanced image search options. Let's look at three of them:

Google. Google has a great advanced image search option. Search for an image, click on the "Images" tab link, and you'll be taken to a page of image results. In the top left-hand corner, you'll see a link for "Options". Click on that, and you'll be able to specify what size of an image you're looking for right down to the last pixel, the type of image you're looking for, and the dominant colors you're looking for.

Yahoo. Yahoo's image search is also available from the tab link options. A search for "puppy" brings back tons of cute nubbins, with options suggested such as "cute puppy" (is there any other kind?) and "golden retriever puppy". Advanced image search is available by clicking on the "More Filters" link. Now, you can sort image results by size, color, type, and reuse permissions.

Bing. Bing, while relatively new, brings a pretty impressive advanced image search option to the table. Click on the "Images" tab, type in a query, and you'll see a page full of your results. The filters you want are to the left-hand side: size, layout, color, style, and people, an interesting search filter that winnows out images based on just face, head and shoulders, or more.

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Here's one simple way to avoid junk mail: a fake email address

Thursday May 23, 2013

disposable email address

When does a disposable email address come in handy? Mostly, they're good for when you need to give an email address to a website and you'd like to avoid further emails (aka, spam). Basically, they are useful for protecting your privacy on the Web (for more on protecting yourself online, read How to Guard Your Web Privacy). Here are four sites that offer free, disposable email addresses:

  • Guerilla Mail: Get a temporary random email address generated by GuerillaMail, or set up your own personalized email address (i.e, john@guerrillamailblock.com). The service expires after sixty minutes; you can read and reply to emails sent to this address at the GuerillaMail website.
  • MyTrashMail: Create an account (no sign up required), forward emails to your private account, and protect yourself from spam emails.
  • Mailinator: No registration, no sign-ups, just send your mail to a temporary account.
  • 10 Minute Mail: For quick email needs, like a confirmation email so you can subscribe to something, this is perfect - only ten minutes worth of email time, but just right for those kind of situations.

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image courtesy sxc.hu

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How to decipher those online error messages

Wednesday May 22, 2013

questionEver try to get to a Web site and see one of those cryptic error messages; you know the ones that alert you that something has gone awry, but don't really give you any actionable information? I've written up seven of the most common Web server error messages that you'll encounter on the Web, along with ideas for getting around those messages and getting to the site you want. Here we go:

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How to tweak your Google image searches

Tuesday May 21, 2013

google advanced image searchGoogle's image search is one of the best sources for finding an image online. Learn more about this service and read Advanced Image Search with Google. You'll learn:

  • Basic image search
  • Advanced image search
  • How to view and filter your search results
  • How to keep your image searches safe

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