Privy

Google seems to recently have added a new feature called SearchWiki, that allows users to re-order the search results for their own future reference. This reordering however will remain only for the same logged in user and not influence the search results of other users.

Now, what prompted Google to bring out such a feature? The answer lies at this url.

Yes, Wikia is the same organization behind the much popular Wikipedia (which is increasingly becoming more reliable, rather handy, than Google search itself). Wikia had promised an open source search engine sometime back and this service was launched quietly.

Wikia search as such is quite a pain as of now with respect to results and it looks like it wants more feed today than what it can milk. But, Google as always is in an advantageous position, because even competition contributes to its revenues. Did you wonder why wikia shows Ads by Google?

multigle search

Heard of blackle? The Black Google! Now we have one more multigle.

Blackle was brought out will the intension of saving power by providing a black background to Google search. The idea is that a black pixel on the monitor screen consumes less power compared to a white pixel. However, this was true only on CRT monitors and not on say the LCD monitors. Infact, it consumed more power. So Blackle is not of much use on laptops.

Now, multigle seems to have a solution for laptops. The idea is simple. Reduce the brightness of your computer screen and you will save a lot of power. The site itself does not do anything, but claims to have been designed to be viewed, without strain on the eyes, on a dull screen. The site will only encourage the user to lower the screen brightness.

However, the effect of this is not restricted to the site alone. Once the user uses multigle to search (results provided by Google) and realizes to decrease the monitor intensity, she will eventually browser out from the site, but the effect of saving power is still present or rather multiplied (xplied as they say)  across web sites and even outside the browser.

Now, whether people actually decrease the intensity, I find the site to be quite beautiful and simple like the plain old Google. You could browse the site at http://www.multigle.com.

Update: More information can be found at http://xply.multigle.com/why and http://xply.multigle.com/how.