Digression 6.1: Google Experiment

My google experiment is not as succesful as I expected, but mostly because I dont quite understand how Google really works. I would have thought that once a page was catalogued, it would clearly not be removed from the cache. Well, as noted below, after 24 hours my blog was no longer referenced and then it magically reappeared again, only to dissapear again. So here is a list of the number of references for Phragmipedium kovachii and how they have evolved in time, as well as whether my blog (D.E.) is present or not. By now I am so intrigued by the results that I will continue the experiment and report periodically. Interestingly enough the Yahoo search engine has also dropped to only 8 references from 13:

08/16                  33 references D.E. present

08/17                  33 references D.E. not present

08/17 PM             28 references D.E. present

08/18                  28 references D.E. not present

08/19                  22 references D.E. not present

Would love any suggestions on possible explanations.

Digression 6.1: Google Experiment

My google experiment is not as succesful as I expected, but mostly because I dont quite understand how Google really works. I would have thought that once a page was catalogued, it would clearly not be removed from the cache. Well, as noted below, after 24 hours my blog was no longer referenced and then it magically reappeared again, only to dissapear again. So here is a list of the number of references for Phragmipedium kovachii and how they have evolved in time, as well as whether my blog (D.E.) is present or not. By now I am so intrigued by the results that I will continue the experiment and report periodically. Interestingly enough the Yahoo search engine has also dropped to only 8 references from 13:

08/16                  33 references D.E. present

08/17                  33 references D.E. not present

08/17 PM             28 references D.E. present

08/18                  28 references D.E. not present

08/19                  22 references D.E. not present

Would love any suggestions on possible explanations.

Digression 6: Blogging and Google: Is it good, fast or both?

When I wrote Digressions 5 and 5.1, I was aiming it as a general comment on our planet and an interesting bit of information on orchids and species to those that know little about the topic. Today, I noticed that I had a surprising number of referrals early in the day and when I looked at the referers I was also surprised to find that they were mostly (80%) coming from google, but no other search engine. Thus, I decided to perform an experiment to try to answer the question of whether google is simply good, fast in time or simply both. I will repeat the experiment at a later date to test whether time is the important variable or not. I did two searches and the results are posted below. First I searched for my blog, simply searching for The Devil’s Excrement (D.E) in a variety of search engines. Then I searched for the term Phragmipedium kovachii (P.K.) and recorded how many times that searched engine found it and whether my blog was recorded or not.

Clearly, Google is much superior. I understand Yahoo uses Google, but it is clearly programmed differently. The question to me is then whether Google is better or faster. It appears to be both, as the discovery of the orchid Phragmipedium Kovachii has been around longer than my site (12 days) or my posts on the discovery (4 days), while the report of the discovery of the orchids is almost two months old (June 18^th.). A separate explanation might be that Google has some sort of special cataloguing for blogs that simply distorts my conclusions. I will revisit the searches in one month or so to try to clarify these issues.

Obviously by now my own experiment has affected my numbers, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle at work in experimental blogging, cool!!!!!

Digression 6: Blogging and Google: Is it good, fast or both?

When I wrote Digressions 5 and 5.1, I was aiming it as a general comment on our planet and an interesting bit of information on orchids and species to those that know little about the topic. Today, I noticed that I had a surprising number of referrals early in the day and when I looked at the referers I was also surprised to find that they were mostly (80%) coming from google, but no other search engine. Thus, I decided to perform an experiment to try to answer the question of whether google is simply good, fast in time or simply both. I will repeat the experiment at a later date to test whether time is the important variable or not. I did two searches and the results are posted below. First I searched for my blog, simply searching for The Devil’s Excrement (D.E) in a variety of search engines. Then I searched for the term Phragmipedium kovachii (P.K.) and recorded how many times that searched engine found it and whether my blog was recorded or not.

Clearly, Google is much superior. I understand Yahoo uses Google, but it is clearly programmed differently. The question to me is then whether Google is better or faster. It appears to be both, as the discovery of the orchid Phragmipedium Kovachii has been around longer than my site (12 days) or my posts on the discovery (4 days), while the report of the discovery of the orchids is almost two months old (June 18^th.). A separate explanation might be that Google has some sort of special cataloguing for blogs that simply distorts my conclusions. I will revisit the searches in one month or so to try to clarify these issues.

Obviously by now my own experiment has affected my numbers, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle at work in experimental blogging, cool!!!!!

Digression 6: Blogging and Google: Is it good, fast or both?

When I wrote Digressions 5 and 5.1, I was aiming it as a general comment on our planet and an interesting bit of information on orchids and species to those that know little about the topic. Today, I noticed that I had a surprising number of referrals early in the day and when I looked at the referers I was also surprised to find that they were mostly (80%) coming from google, but no other search engine. Thus, I decided to perform an experiment to try to answer the question of whether google is simply good, fast in time or simply both. I will repeat the experiment at a later date to test whether time is the important variable or not. I did two searches and the results are posted below. First I searched for my blog, simply searching for The Devil’s Excrement (D.E) in a variety of search engines. Then I searched for the term Phragmipedium kovachii (P.K.) and recorded how many times that searched engine found it and whether my blog was recorded or not.

Clearly, Google is much superior. I understand Yahoo uses Google, but it is clearly programmed differently. The question to me is then whether Google is better or faster. It appears to be both, as the discovery of the orchid Phragmipedium Kovachii has been around longer than my site (12 days) or my posts on the discovery (4 days), while the report of the discovery of the orchids is almost two months old (June 18^th.). A separate explanation might be that Google has some sort of special cataloguing for blogs that simply distorts my conclusions. I will revisit the searches in one month or so to try to clarify these issues.

Obviously by now my own experiment has affected my numbers, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle at work in experimental blogging, cool!!!!!

Digression 5.1: A new Orchid Species

Well, things are more complicated than they appeared from the NYT article according to this article from the Miami Herald, people are ready to make a quick profit. Unfortunately it appears the plant does not propagate very well, somebody is already doing it!!! There is also controversy about scientific claims….how juicy. Friends tell me that what is more impressive about the discovery is how purple the flowers are and the fact that they are twice as big as other species. Neat!!

Digression 5.1: A new Orchid Species

Well, things are more complicated than they appeared from the NYT article according to this article from the Miami Herald, people are ready to make a quick profit. Unfortunately it appears the plant does not propagate very well, somebody is already doing it!!! There is also controversy about scientific claims….how juicy. Friends tell me that what is more impressive about the discovery is how purple the flowers are and the fact that they are twice as big as other species. Neat!!

Digression 5.1: A new Orchid Species

Well, things are more complicated than they appeared from the NYT article according to this article from the Miami Herald, people are ready to make a quick profit. Unfortunately it appears the plant does not propagate very well, somebody is already doing it!!! There is also controversy about scientific claims….how juicy. Friends tell me that what is more impressive about the discovery is how purple the flowers are and the fact that they are twice as big as other species. Neat!!

Banana Republics 101 part IV. Act III: Let’s have elections, and elections and uups, one more election.

As the year begins Victor decides that a new Constitution means new elections even for himself. Four weeks later, his former allies and co-conspirators including the Head of Intelligence, break with Victor claiming the revolution is straying from its path and corruption is rampant. Three days before the election, the Government appointed Electoral commission has to postpone the elections simply, because they are not ready. Elections are divided in two parts, one in July (President, Assembly, Governors and Mayors), and the next one in October (City Councils). Victor wins again with 60.3% of the vote, Pancho is a distant second with 37.5%, Victor is static, says he will rule for decades. His party controls 113 seats out of 165 in the Assembly. To celebrate his victory Victor decides to take a trip and visit his friends around the world. He drives around with buddy Saddam Hussein, becoming the first Head of State to visit Iraq since the Gulf War; kisses ally Gadaffi in Libya and hugs Prince Abdullah in Saudi Arabia. The second part of the elections are postponed once again when he returns. Buddy Fidel Castro visits Victor who signs an agreement to finance, at bargain rates, the sale of 53,000 barrels of oil a day to Cuba. In a surprising gesture of emotion Victor kisses Fidel (No comment). Victor’s party wins the December elections. He asks, once again, for extraordinary powers to legislate by decree.  The Supreme Court says Victor’s term will be reset to the new election giving him an extra year and half in power. It would be his best year, downhill from then on….

Banana Republics 101 part IV. Act III: Let’s have elections, and elections and uups, one more election.

As the year begins Victor decides that a new Constitution means new elections even for himself. Four weeks later, his former allies and co-conspirators including the Head of Intelligence, break with Victor claiming the revolution is straying from its path and corruption is rampant. Three days before the election, the Government appointed Electoral commission has to postpone the elections simply, because they are not ready. Elections are divided in two parts, one in July (President, Assembly, Governors and Mayors), and the next one in October (City Councils). Victor wins again with 60.3% of the vote, Pancho is a distant second with 37.5%, Victor is static, says he will rule for decades. His party controls 113 seats out of 165 in the Assembly. To celebrate his victory Victor decides to take a trip and visit his friends around the world. He drives around with buddy Saddam Hussein, becoming the first Head of State to visit Iraq since the Gulf War; kisses ally Gadaffi in Libya and hugs Prince Abdullah in Saudi Arabia. The second part of the elections are postponed once again when he returns. Buddy Fidel Castro visits Victor who signs an agreement to finance, at bargain rates, the sale of 53,000 barrels of oil a day to Cuba. In a surprising gesture of emotion Victor kisses Fidel (No comment). Victor’s party wins the December elections. He asks, once again, for extraordinary powers to legislate by decree.  The Supreme Court says Victor’s term will be reset to the new election giving him an extra year and half in power. It would be his best year, downhill from then on….