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13 Hacks to Improve Your Google Search

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Photo by Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty By Nina Strochlic September 15th 2013 4:45 am follow More Stories by Nina Strochlic Even the king of all search engines can be throttled up with a few simple tricks. From finding flights to discovering new music, here are 13 ways to hack Google. Ever since the Internet's dozens of Web crawlers (AltaVista, anyone?) were whittled down to a single alpha engine, pinpointing your online destination has been a relative breeze. But it turns out even Google can be juiced up with a few simple tricks. We were inspired by a thread on  Quora  sharing tips to make searches work better. They’re simple and infinitely useful. And when it comes to muddling through the ever-expanding sprawl of the Internet, you can never have too many tricks. Set Timers Type in “set timer for” followed by a number of minutes, or a specific hour you’d like an alert, and Google will graciously comply with an obnoxious beeping once the moment has arrived. Just make sur

Surf Better With These 9 Killer Google Chrome Extensions

By Brian Ries December 11th 2013 5:45 AM Google Chrome has a whole bunch of extensions meant to make browsing the Internet better, faster, and more secure. But which ones do you really need? Start with these nine. Released in September 2008, Google’s Chrome Internet browser has wasted no time in dominating the Web. It was swiftly adopted by users looking for a cleaner, more intuitive interface for visiting their favorite websites. By May 2012, Chrome had  surpassed  Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, claiming 310 million users and nearing 40 percent of all Internet browser users. Today, according to  W3Schools , a popular web developer information website, Chrome users make up 54.1 percent of all Internet users who visit a major browser (a list which also includes IE, Firefox, Safari, and Opera). It’s a rate that continues to grow. For most, it’s a simple user experience. You open your browser, check your email, maybe read The Daily Beast, check Facebook, and sign off. But fo

Surf Better With These 9 Killer Google Chrome Extensions

By Brian Ries December 11th 2013 5:45 AM Google Chrome has a whole bunch of extensions meant to make browsing the Internet better, faster, and more secure. But which ones do you really need? Start with these nine. Released in September 2008, Google’s Chrome Internet browser has wasted no time in dominating the Web. It was swiftly adopted by users looking for a cleaner, more intuitive interface for visiting their favorite websites. By May 2012, Chrome had surpassed  Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, claiming 310 million users and nearing 40 percent of all Internet browser users. Today, according to  W3Schools , a popular web developer information website, Chrome users make up 54.1 percent of all Internet users who visit a major browser (a list which also includes IE, Firefox, Safari, and Opera). It’s a rate that continues to grow. For most, it’s a simple user experience. You open your browser, check your email, maybe read The Daily Beast, check Facebook, and sign off. But for

Amazing Pantene Ad Defiantly Tackles How Women in the Workplace Are Labeled

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It's a mad world By  Roo Ciambriello December 9, 2013,  Pantene Philippines has launched a powerful campaign pointing out how identical behavior often earns men and women different labels in the workplace. In this spot by BBDO Guerrero in Manila, a lovely cover of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears plays while each scene displays a double-standard in a working environment. A man is the "boss" while a woman is "bossy." A man is "persuasive" while a woman is "pushy." He's "neat" but she's "vain." He's "smooth" but she's a "show-off." "Don't let labels hold you back. Be strong and shine," says the copy at the end. There's nary a shampoo bottle in sight, although glossy hair certainly features here. But the video delivers, and the #whipit campaign has inspired discussion on both the YouTube video and Facebook. • "Too bad they couldn't fi

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

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Read it: 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind' teaches perseverance The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon Dial, $16.99; ages 7-9 What it's about:  This is the inspiring true story of William Kamkwamba, a boy with big dreams who built a windmill from junkyard scraps in order to help feed his village. William always dreamt of magic -- the magic of Ghost Dancers and witch planes, but also of the magic that made radios play music and trucks rumble by the fields his family farmed. When famine hits their village, William is forced to drop out of school and eat only one meal a day. Undeterred, he studies science books from the library and learns how to unlock the magic of a windmill, a magic so strong that it will help him feed his people. Why read it:  Readers are introduced to the culture of Malawi and see what it is like to live in a country very different than their own. The main character is a boy full