Google’s Special Features

Google is more than a search engine; it’s got a bunch of handy built-in tools accessible merely by using certain keywords in a regular Google search. Don’t most people know about these? If not, there’s a list of them here. Applications and websites exist to do the same things as these shortcuts but I prefer Google’s because they’re “self-contained” in any browser with internet access. My top-three most-used are these.

1. Dictionary Definitions
   
   Example: define: lenticular
   
   I use this feature constantly at work because unlike my Mac at home, there’s no dictionary application I like on my Dell. (If you even think of suggesting Word’s built-in dictionary/thesaurus, I will punch you in the neck.) If you use this feature without the colon, you only get the first definition if there’s a list of them; I prefer using the colon to get (typically) a bunch of definitions from various sources.
2. Weather
   
   Example: weather cleveland
   
   Much more efficient than slogging through a variety of screens at weather.com. Gives you the current weather, condition, wind and humidity, as well as the highs/lows for the current day and the following three days, plus graphical representations of the condition.
3. Unit Conversion
   
   Example: 3.60 cm in inches
   
   I used this one just a bit ago to determine the face-size of a watch I was considering buying. (It’s 1.41732283 inches, in case you were curious.) Many units are represented, so you can even do cooking conversions: 8 tablespoons in cups. And I appreciate that Google can convert numerals from Arabic to Roman: try 2008 in roman.