7 Cool Google Tips

Although you may use Google every day, you might be missing out on some of the tricks to strengthen your search muscles. Try these Google tips:

1. What Time is It?

Want to know the time anywhere in the world? Enter a search for:

time:London or time London

You can, of course, type any other place name instead of London; your search is not case sensitive.

2. What's the Weather Outside?

To see the weather for many U.S. and worldwide cities, type "weather" followed by the city and state, U.S. zip code, or city and country. Some examples (capitalization and punctuation not required):

weather:maui hawaii
weather Lahaina, HI
weather 96761

3. Quick Math

If your calculator isn't handy, use Google's built-in calculator function. Simply enter the calculation you want completed into the Google search box. For example, 2468*35.79, which works with or without spaces around the mathematical operators. Much more complex calculations work too.

4. Easy Search for Public Data

To see trends for population and unemployment rates of U.S. states and counties, type "population" or "unemployment rate" followed by a state or county. You can then click through to a page that lets you compare different locations. For example:

population CA or unemployment rate Nevada

5. Unit Conversion

Not sure how many kilos are equal to a weight in pounds? Confused by centimeters vs. inches? You can use Google to convert between many different units of measurement of height, weight, and volume among many others. Just enter the conversion you want into the Google search box and it will calculate the conversion for you. Some examples to try:

50 pounds in kilos (50 lbs in kilos also works)
100 meters in feet

6. Currency Conversion

Determining currency value is also easy in Google with the built-in currency converter. Simply enter the conversion you want into the search box such as:

75 euros in us dollars
50 canadian dollars in usd

7. Flight Status

Waiting for someone's flight to arrive? To see flight status for arriving and departing U.S. flights, enter the name of the airline and the flight number into the Google search box. You can also see delays at a specific airport by typing in the name of the city or three-letter airport code followed by the word "airport". Some examples of this tip are:

frontier airlines 449
chicago airport
DFW airport

In addition to providing quick access to billions of web pages, now you know new ways Google can help you expand your knowledge.

© Dawn Bjork Buzbee, MCT, The Software Pro^®

Dawn Bjork Buzbee is The Software Pro^® and a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) as well as a certified Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Master Instructor, certified Microsoft Applications Specialist (MCAS) Instructor, and a certified Microsoft Office expert. Dawn shares smart and easy ways to effectively use software through her work as a software speaker, trainer, consultant, and author of 6 books.

This article and more can be reprinted at no charge in your publications and website with copyright and attribution.
>>Learn more about how easy it is to share these valuable tips, tricks, and techniques.

More Smart & Easy Software Tips, Tricks & Techniques for You

<<Back to Articles
 

© Copyright 1995-2012 The Software Pro^® & Dawn Bjork Buzbee - All Rights Reserved
(303) 699-6868 § Dawn@SoftwarePro.com § 11675 Bent Oaks Street, Suite 200; Parker, Colorado 80138 USA § www.SoftwarePro.com
Geek Speak Becomes People Friendly™
Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) § Certified Microsoft Office 2010 Specialist (MOS 2010) Master Instructor
Certified Microsoft Office 2007 Specialist (MOS 2007) Master Instructor § Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) Instructor
Certified Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Master Instructor § Certified Microsoft Office Expert § Certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE)
The Software Pro^® is a registered trademark
Terms & Conditions       Privacy Policy