10 Search Engines to Explore the Invisible Web
No, it’s not Spiderman’s latest web slinging tool but something that’s more real world. Like the World Wide Web.
The Invisible Web refers to the part of the WWW that’s not indexed by the search engines. Most of us think that that search powerhouses like Google and Bing are like the Great Oracle…they see everything. Unfortunately, they can’t because they aren’t divine at all; they are just web spiders who index pages by following one hyperlink after the other.
But there are some places where a spider cannot enter. Take library databases which need a password for access. Or even pages that belong to private networks of organizations. Dynamically generated web pages in response to a query are often left un-indexed by search engine spiders.
Search engine technology has progressed by leaps and bounds. Today, we have real time search and the capability to index Flash based and PDF content. Even then, there remain large swathes of the web which a general search engine cannot penetrate. The term, Deep Net, Deep Web or Invisible Web lingers on.
To get a more precise idea of the nature of this ‘Dark Continent’ involving the invisible and web search engines, read what Wikipedia has to say about the Deep Web. The figures are attention grabbers – the size of the open web is 167 terabytes. The Invisible Web is estimated at 91,000 terabytes. Check this out – the Library of Congress, in 1997, was figured to have close to 3,000 terabytes!
How do we get to this mother load of information?
That’s what this post is all about. Let’s get to know a few resources which will be our deep diving vessel for the Invisible Web. Some of these are invisible web search engines with specifically indexed information.
Infomine
Infomine has been built by a pool of libraries in the United States. Some of them are University of California, Wake Forest University, California State University, and the University of Detroit. Infomine ‘mines’ information from databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards, mailing lists, online library card catalogs, articles, directories of researchers, and many other resources.
You can search by subject category and further tweak your search using the search options. Infomine is not only a standalone search engine for the Deep Web but also a staging point for a lot of other reference information. Check out its Other Search Tools and General Reference links at the bottom.
The WWW Virtual Library
This is considered to be the oldest catalog on the web and was started by started by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the web. So, isn’t it strange that it finds a place in the list of Invisible Web resources? Maybe, but the WWW Virtual Library lists quite a lot of relevant resources on quite a lot of subjects. You can go vertically into the categories or use the search bar. The screenshot shows the alphabetical arrangement of subjects covered at the site.
Intute
Intute is UK centric, but it has some of the most esteemed universities of the region providing the resources for study and research. You can browse by subject or do a keyword search for academic topics like agriculture to veterinary medicine. The online service has subject specialists who review and index other websites that cater to the topics for study and research.
Intute also provides free of cost over 60 free online tutorials to learn effective internet research skills. Tutorials are step by step guides and are arranged around specific subjects.
Complete Planet
Complete Planet calls itself the ‘front door to the Deep Web’. This free and well designed directory resource makes it easy to access the mass of dynamic databases that are cloaked from a general purpose search. The databases indexed by Complete Planet number around 70,000 and range from Agriculture to Weather. Also thrown in are databases like Food & Drink and Military.
For a really effective Deep Web search, try out the Advanced Search options where among other things, you can set a date range.
Infoplease
Infoplease is an information portal with a host of features. Using the site, you can tap into a good number of encyclopedias, almanacs, an atlas, and biographies. Infoplease also has a few nice offshoots like Factmonster.com for kids and Biosearch, a search engine just for biographies.
DeepPeep
DeepPeep aims to enter the Invisible Web through forms that query databases and web services for information. Typed queries open up dynamic but short lived results which cannot be indexed by normal search engines. By indexing databases, DeepPeep hopes to track 45,000 forms across 7 domains.
The domains covered by DeepPeep (Beta) are Auto, Airfare, Biology, Book, Hotel, Job, and Rental. Being a beta service, there are occasional glitches as some results don’t load in the browser.
IncyWincy
IncyWincy is an Invisible Web search engine and it behaves as a meta-search engine by tapping into other search engines and filtering the results. It searches the web, directory, forms, and images. With a free registration, you can track search results with alerts.
DeepWebTech
DeepWebTech gives you five search engines (and browser plugins) for specific topics. The search engines cover science, medicine, and business. Using these topic specific search engines, you can query the underlying databases in the Deep Web.
Scirus
Scirus has a pure scientific focus. It is a far reaching research engine that can scour journals, scientists’ homepages, courseware, pre-print server material, patents and institutional intranets.
TechXtra
TechXtra concentrates on engineering, mathematics and computing. It gives you industry news, job announcements, technical reports, technical data, full text eprints, teaching and learning resources along with articles and relevant website information.
Just like general web search, searching the Invisible Web is also about looking for the needle in the haystack. Only here, the haystack is much bigger. The Invisible Web is definitely not for the casual searcher. It is a deep but not dark because if you know what you are searching for, enlightenment is a few keywords away.
Do you venture into the Invisible Web? Which is your preferred search tool?
How to Mass-Invite Without Annoying
Ah, summer: barbecues, outdoor concerts and lazy nights drinking Bud Light Lime in front of Terry’s vintage metal fan, singing old Monkees jams into its whirring blades so as to get that “auto-tune” effect.
It’s the season of the packed social calendar, and unless you’re the lazy one who never plans anything, that means you’ll occasionally need to organize a get-together — most likely online.
Gone are the days of phone trees and handwritten cards — now it’s all about pixels and pings. But never fear, we’re here to help you choose the ideal social networking tool for rounding up your sun-dazed comrades (without getting buried in their overflowing inboxes or annoying the hell out of them).
You’re on your own for the beer runs, though.
Best for: Get-togethers that only involve one social group.
A simple e-mail allows you to plan a private event with fewer chances of it getting lost in the social-networking shuffle. Plus, when guests all know each other, they can hit reply-all and add witty commentary to the party planning — and everybody loves another opportunity to be a bossy smartass.
A few things to keep in mind: Don’t BCC all invitees — it’s dodgy and creates awkward scenarios (”Can I mention this thing to Samson? Or was homeboy left off the list after that incident with the tequila and Lori’s cat?”) Just alphabetize your invite list, as you surely have at least one paranoid friend who thinks the order of invitees is a proxy of friendship capital.
As soon as someone says she can’t make it, delete her from your next reply-all message, lest she be subjected to 400 e-mails about who’s wearing what.
Best for: House parties, performances and other less intimate events.
When inviting a larger pack to an event (everyone from high school, the barista down the street, that guy … you know, that guy … whatshisname), Facebook is the least intrusive option. You’re reaching out to people who have already agreed to be part of your social circle, and if they don’t want invites littering their e-mail inboxes, they can turn that notification option off.
Plus, the site’s event-making function offers lots of extras: a clickable map, a printable guest list, the ability to send a message to some or all invitees and a wall on which revelers can employ copious exclamation points to express their mirth at being invited.
The polite demand for an RSVP prompts people to get back to you, and the ability to send reminders means your invite won’t disappear into the internet ether (or, worse, in little Longaberger baskets by sad homeowners’ doors). Just don’t forget to personally invite your three weird friends who refuse to use the site. Luddites.
Paperless post
Best for: Fancy affairs in which people drink wine out of glasses instead of plastic cups, and the music is an accompaniment rather than an assault.
While Facebook and the like are fine for keggers and whatever event you and your brilliant (it’s like Twitter but totally not) start-up are shilling, nicer affairs call for more, well, class and personalization.
PaperlessPost.com is great for cocktail parties and shindigs of that ilk: You can send out digital cards on fancy stationary, thusly saving postage and face. Because believe it or not, martini glass-emblazoned invitations (complete with pink bubble letters) from Evite.com weren’t OK even back in 2004, when glassy-eyed Trixies used them to organize vapid, “Sex and the City-inspired” nights on the town.
Mass texts
Best for: Inviting a small group of close friends to something awesome that’s happening in the near future (concert, dinner, impromptu naked rooftop party).
Read this slowly so it sticks: Group texts are an unacceptable way to invite casual acquaintances to anything.
Really, there’s nothing quite as obnoxious as hearing the ding of a new text, whipping out your phone, and seeing that some musician you gave your number to three months ago wants you (and his 43 closest friends) to know that he’s got a gig at Crash Mansion tonight, or that some random kid from college is acting in a one-woman show about an identity crisis she suffered after “My So-Called Life” was canceled.
Leave the textual spam to dial-a-psychics, your cell phone carrier and your Aunt Minna (you know, the one who sends the entire family those lovely snaps of her seven cats).
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How to Keep Safe on the Road
Travelers put their cars to almost every use imaginable: as a place to eat meals, hide things, take shelter from the elements and even live (on a trip to Pamplona several years ago, the smallest guy in our traveling party slept in the trunk).
Since your car can be almost your home away from home while traveling, you will want to take some precautions to protect it and the things inside it. Ideally, you wouldn’t leave anything valuable at all in your car, but the reality of travel is that your car is going to serve as much like a safe deposit box or luggage storage closet as transportation — especially during the day when you’re between hotels. Read on for nine tips to help you protect your car and everything in it while traveling.
1. Load and hide your stuff before you reach your destination
By the time you pull into a hotel lot, valet queue, parking garage or any parking spot, everything you plan to leave in the car should already be well stowed and hidden. To pull into your spot, and then take your most valuable items and pack them in the trunk, is to broadcast to anyone within view exactly where to focus their attentions if they want to rip you off. The best approach is to put your things in the trunk or other safe compartment before you even get in the car at the beginning of your trip.
2. Unload your stuff away from your parking spaces as well
Similarly, if you are planning to return to the same parking area, you will want to take your stuff out of the car away from the lot if possible. If you open the trunk and take out all the good stuff each time you return to your car, eventually someone will notice. Best case is to be able to pull over somewhere safe away from either your home base or destination, and get your stuff then.
3. Choose your parking space wisely
When I lived in Manhattan, I found that a shift of a few feet in where you left your car overnight could make the difference between your car being safe and your car being robbed. On one street in particular, there was a fire hydrant in the middle of the block, and all cars on one side of the No Parking Fire Zone were safe, and most cars on the other side were robbed, every night. It had everything to do with sightlines; the spots beyond the fire hydrant could not be seen by folks in the foyers or lobbies of any of the local buildings. Out of sight, out of safety.
Here are my recommendations for your best parking spots when traveling:
*In airport lots, I recommend parking in view of the exit toll booths or parking office if possible, or just as well within view of a shuttle pickup location or kiosk. The increased foot traffic and eyeball count will discourage potential thieves. Well-lit areas are next best; most airport lots have surveillance cameras in place, so making it easier for an attendant to see your car on a grainy camera will help.
*Park “trunk out.” If you are storing items in your trunk, you will want to point the trunk out into the lot aisle, where more people can see anyone trying to break in. Don’t give thieves the opportunity to use your car as cover while ripping you off.
*When parking on the street, try to park within sight of a busy store or hotel entrance, under a street lamp, near a busy corner or out in the open away from things that might provide shelter to a thief (like thick or low-hanging trees). The busier the street, the better.
4. When in doubt, use a parking garage
Parking on the street is the most vulnerable place to be, so if you are uncomfortable with your street parking options, by all means use a parking garage instead. Although you are safer in a parking garage, that does not mean that you are invulnerable; certainly enough travelers get ripped off by garage personnel everywhere. Remove or lock up any really juicy items — GPS units, accessories for your cell phone or MP3 player, a loose E-ZPass apparatus — in order to remove temptation. All of the same precautions above apply; no matter where you park, make it as difficult and uninspiring to potential thieves as possible.
5. Self park when you can
Most attendant or valet parking garages are safe on the whole — but if you make it too easy, the temptation to steal can be too great for a person working at or near minimum wages.
6. Assume in most cases thieves want to steal your car outright
It turns out that most thieves will try to steal a car outright rather than break into a car; if there is anything valuable inside, they can take it and dump the vehicle, and certainly there is a market for hot cars as well. For this reason, parking your car in a well-lit place where there is likely to be some foot traffic is always a good idea. Similarly, visual cues that might deter a thief can be critical — even if they are just for show. Things like a steering wheel lock or a blinking alarm system light will inspire thieves to move on to the next vehicle, even if you don’t have the alarm activated.
7. A neat car is less likely to get robbed
A car that is filled with jackets or beach towels that appear to be covering items of value, or that has wires sticking out here and there suggesting that electronic devices may also be stowed, are much more likely to attract interest. If a potential thief sees nothing but car upholstery, he or she is less likely to be curious about what might be hidden in the car.
8. Check for your valuables as soon as you return to your car
Notwithstanding our second rule above, if you have any suspicions, you will want to make sure nothing was stolen before you pull out. If your car does get ripped off, you want to figure it out at or near the location it was robbed, in case you have to file a complaint. When surveying your vehicle, keep in mind that thieves know what to take — often items you won’t notice until you are long gone. For example, a common tactic is to take a camera out of a camera bag, but leave the bag behind; it looks like it was undisturbed so you won’t figure it out for hours or days.
9. Rent wisely
When renting a car, keep the following tips in mind:
* Rent models that are not easily exposed or broken into, and that have a trunk big enough to store anything you need secured. A hip and tiny convertible sounds like a great idea, but it could not be harder to hide stuff, and easier to break into.
*The more modest and nondescript the rental model, the less likely to attract attention it is.
*Don’t leave your rental contract in the car, as this document has just about all the information you will need if the car is stolen — and also all the information a thief will need to evade detection if he or she is stopped for any reason before you report the vehicle as stolen.
Remember that as a traveler or tourist, you are a mark. (For example, a Florida law requiring rental cars to display a special sticker was recently repealed after it became clear that criminals were targeting tourists in rental vehicles.) Making the time and effort to take a few precautions with your vehicular home away from home can help ensure that you and all your stuff return home intact.
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Broadband Access and Technology Adoption
Broadband access and technology adoption are critically important to economic development. It is a necessity if Michigan is to compete in our high-tech new world but many areas of Michigan still lack this lifeline to our information-driven economy. In May, the MPSC, in conjunction with Connected Nation, released a set of interactive maps showing that more than 95% of Michigan households have access to broadband services.
Thanks to an actual public/private partnership, we now know that Michigan’s broadband providers have done a remarkable job of investing in advanced networks.
Local Students Receive National Telecommunications Scholarships
Abbey Kelto, a senior at Munising High School and Janele Linna, a senior at Ontonagon Area High School, were each awarded $1,000 academic scholarships by the Fund for Rural Education and Development (FRED). Sponsored by Hiawatha Telephone Company (HTC) and Ontonagon County Telephone Company (OCTC), the award is given based on merit and demonstrated commitment to rural life. FRED selected 63 students from rural areas throughout the US and received more than 200 exceptional applications sponsored by rural independent telephone companies and cooperatives.
FRED, a national charitable foundation located in Washington, DC, was founded in 1989 by the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO). The FRED Scholarship Program is made possible through the generosity of more than 500 small, independent telephone companies operating in rural areas across the United States and Canada. HTC and OCTC are both members of OPASTCO and supporters of FRED.
“Abbey and Janele were selected among an outstanding group of young people to represent ‘the best of the best’,” stated FRED Foundation Director, Melissa Korzuch. “The primary interest of the foundation is to assist students with high potential for success and a strong desire to return to a rural community upon graduation. We were overwhelmed by the remarkable credentials of the applicants. Each of this year’s FRED Scholars is very intelligent and exceedingly active in their community. We hope every FRED Scholar will someday return to their hometowns to contribute to the community that clearly gave them an admirable, productive start in life.”
Jay Brogan, President of HTC, and Dorothy Sharkey, General Manager at OCTC, wrote letters of recommendation on behalf of Ms. Kelto and Ms. Linna so that their applications could be accepted and reviewed.
FRED and its advocates strive to promote education and development in rural areas. FRED also works to publicize the fact that more than 500 small, independent telephone companies in the U.S. and Canada are providing state-of-the-art telecommunications technologies and service to their customers. These small telephone companies, including HTC and OCTC, are valuable assets to their rural communities. HTC, OCTC and the FRED Foundation are helping to create educational opportunities for rural America’s greatest resource, their younger generations.
In addition to the above scholarship sponsorships Hiawatha Telephone Company awarded five $750 scholarships. Recipients and their schools are listed below:
Burt Township School:
Jenica Hassenzahl – plans to attend Grand Valley State University
Munising High School:
Amanda Chaperon – plans to attend Lake Superior State University with “Communications” being her intended area of study
Katelyn Nieman – plans to attend Andrews University with “Elementary Education, Math” being her intended area of study
Whitefish Township Community Schools:
Ashley Browe plans to attend Aquinas College where she will pursue a degree in Elementary Education
Kaley Sluyter plans to attend Baker College where she will pursue a degree in the medical field
Best wishes to all graduates in whatever directions your future educational or career ambitions may take you.
View Your Bill Online. Help to Preserve the UP.
NEW – View Your Bill Online. Help to Preserve the UP.
Now you can help create a cleaner, greener environment by signing up for “myAccount” online paperless billing and payment option.
Becoming a “myAccount” user is super easy. Simply visit myjamadots.com, choose your local telephone service provider, and click on the “myAccount” online billing badge found on the left side of the screen to register for your personal “myAccount” online bill presentation and analysis tool account. Or click on the address block and logo for your particular local telephone service provider below to be taken to that company’s website:
An example of the “myAccount” badge is shown in the green box to the left. First time visitors will need to register by clicking on register here and following the online prompts and instructions. Once you have completed registration and successfully logged in click on Modify Account and select the ? I no longer wish to receive a bill through the mail option. Click on the Submit Changes button to complete your account modification. Each month you can expect to receive an automatic e-mail stating your bill is ready to view and pay.
“myAccount” customers will be able to immediately view, analyze, graph and pay their bill online via monthly recurring auto bank deduction option. Other features of “myAccount” include:
1. View a Summary of your bill
Includes:
1. Current amount due
2. Last payment amount
3. Date posted
4. Current payment method used by you for submitting payment (i.e. – pay via Postal Mail (includes pay in person) or Bank Deduction – Automatic (ACH).
1. Make a payment refers to ACH payment setup and options. We currently do not accept online payments via credit or debit cards.
2. Full page presentation just as you would receive in the mail.
1. View Bill
1. May chose specific invoice period
1. Message Detail
1. Allows you to see detailed call activity logs.
2. Click on the blue phone number and view publicly available address and directory information.
3. You may also chart, graph, customize and download call logs/records in this section so that you can better analyze and trend your calling habits.
2. Balance History
1. Payment history for the last 12-months. Includes balance and payment data.
3. Modify Account
1. Personal account details, email account, password payment method and paper or paperless billing options can be updated/changed here.
We are pleased to be able to begin providing this online service to our customers. Please feel free to trial the site by following the above registration and login directions. You are not obligated to go paperless when registering for your account. If you prefer to use the “myAccount” online bill presentation service only as a means to analyze and track your telephone spending habits you may do so. Again, no obligation is required to discontinue receiving a paper bill in the mail.
If 25% percent of our customers signed up to receive their monthly statement and make their payment via ACH options, together we could reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by preventing 13,845 pounds of CO2 equivalents from entering the atmosphere each year. (source: payitgreen.org)
Note: More information related to ACH payment set up and options are available by contacting your local office.
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