This morning I've been testing Google's new search sandbox, which I covered late last night after the furor over Facebook's FriendFeed purchase and new search service launch abated.
In that piece, I wondered whether Google opted to launch the sandbox, which you can access here, because of Facebook's moves.
Matt Cutts, one of the Google engineers behind the new search infrastructure, said this was not the case in a Q&A on his personal blog last night:
He said the new infrastructure has been in the works for months, adding: "I think the best way for Google to do well in search is to continue what we've done for the last decade or so: focus relentlessly on pushing our search quality forward."
I'm positive the search was in the news for months, but I also believe announcing this at 4:14 PDT on a Monday afternoon is not the way you announce a major rewrite of your bread-and-butter business -- unless you want to attract some of the attention rivals are getting over their search improvements.
I'm not going to let that ruin some potentially fun search testing, but I also took to heart Cutts' comment that there won't be user interface or design changes:
This update is primarily under the hood: we're rewriting the foundation of some of our infrastructure. But some of the search results do change, so we wanted to open up a preview so that power searchers and web developers could give us feedback.
So I didn't get my hopes up to see anything special. I first searched for Twitter. In the current search engine, I saw:
Here's what it looked like in the sandbox:
There practically no difference. Unlike the current search, there was no sponsored link from Microsoft's Bing search engine at the top of the results. I also couldn't comment or promote items in the sandbox. I could get used to the lack of advertising!
I then tried searching for Wikipedia. Here is where I saw some differences. First, the original search stuck a bit:
Then I searched Wikipedia in the sandbox. Not only was the retrieval time one second faster, but there was foreign language results! Fascinating (to me, anyway), though I'm no Webmaster or power searcher.
However, the foreign language results replaced the hot topics on Wikipedia, such as Michael Jackson.
Google Operating System noted the sandbox doesn't deal well with proxies and redirects, "so you'll see many weird results."
I could sit here for hours testing the nuances, but time doesn't permit. So, I'd like to open up the floor to crowdsource the Caffeine searches.
I encourage readers to test different searches in the sandbox and compare them to the same searches in the current version of Google search, then tell me what you think.
Also, feel free to provide Google feedback by clicking at the "Dissatisfied? Help us improve" link at the bottom of the page. Be sure to include "caffeine" in your reply to Google.
Finally, don't try this on mobile phones because it won't compute. Cutts said he has not hooked up a mobile version or an international version
Utah Health Insurance Exchange Ready to Launch
Along with back to school shopping, Utahns will be able to shop for health insurance online beginning August 19, 2009. The Utah Health Exchange is a website where Utah residents and business owners can shop, compare, and buy health insurance plans.
Utah’s new health insurance exchange is only the second of its kind in the United States. Massachusetts was the first to institute this type of approach to affordable health insurance.
Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., signed the Utah Health Exchange into law in March. The health insurance model was created by HB188, and it is one of four health reform bills in Utah designed to improve affordability, help the state progress toward cost containment, and make health care more accessible to nearly 300,000 people.
According to the Utah Health Exchange website, the Exchange “will connect consumers to information they need to make an informed choice, and in many cases, allow them to execute that choice electronically.”
The three main functions of the Utah Health Exchange are to provide consumers with:
* Helpful information about their health care and financing of that care
* A convenient way to compare and choose a health insurance policy that meets their families’ needs
* A standardized electronic application and enrollment process
For employers, the HB188 provides them with an option of depositing money into their workers’ health savings accounts rather than just paying part of their premium. This allows consumers to purchase any health insurance plan that they want.
On August 19, the Utah Health Exchange will begin enrolling up to 150 small employer groups (those who employ 2 to 50 workers) who plan to offer this new option to their workers. According to the Exchange’s website, this new model offers relief to employers who will no longer need to bear the full burden of running a health insurance plan for their workers.
The message that the Vantage Credit Union published on its website.
Identity theft, phishing scams, telephone scams, lottery scams and internet scams are growing concerns. Please know that Vantage Credit Union will never solicit your credit union account number(s), credit or debit card number(s), Personal Identification Number (PIN), Social Security Number, etc., via phone or e-mail.
If you receive a phone call or e-mail requesting this information, please do not give it out. Rather, call Vantage Credit Union to report the incident and ensure your account remains safe.
A new text message phishing scam targeting members and non-members was identified this morning. The message points people to a false website. Vantage is currently working to shut down the false site. If you receive this message on your cell phone, DO NOT RESPOND. Instead, delete the message immediately. If you responded to the message, contact Vantage Credit Union immediately at 314.298.0055 or 800.522.6009. Thank you.
TEHRAN, Iran Demonstrators on Monday defied a government decree that had declared their rallies illegal and began to gather at Tehran University for a third day of protests.
Supporters of Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi protest on Sunday.
"They are chanting slogans -- 'Death to the dictator' " -- said a witness who CNN will not identify for safety reasons.
"We are here. We will not leave the scene until our presence is known."
Earlier Monday, Iran's government had rejected a request by opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi to hold a nationwide march to protest the results of the country's presidential election, Iranian media reported. Gallery: Emotions run high after election »
The country's government-funded Press TV was among several media outlets Monday that quoted the Interior Ministry as saying it had declared such a march illegal.
But Moussavi's supporters, in messages on social-networking sites, indicated the rallies would continue with or without the blessing of the administration.
Tens of thousands of people around the world championed them on social-networking Web sites and urged friends to wear green in solidarity.
Official results from Friday's elections had President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad winning with more than 62 percent of the vote. Watch report on latest violence in Iran »
TEHRAN, Iran -- He was surrounded and pleading for them to stop but six men with clubs, batons and metal rods kept battering a young Iranian man with ruthless force. The swing that keeps replaying in my head was the black baton that smashed the man in the skull behind his left ear.
An eyewitness says the hatred is palpable on both sides in the streets of Tehran.
Seconds earlier the man had dared to stand up to the baton wielding men because they had shoved a 14-year-old girl. For his chivalry he got one of the most savage beatings I have ever seen at the hands of four Iranian riot policemen and members of the Baseej, Iran's plain clothed volunteer militia.
"To hell with Iran," he said as he sat beaten and battered along the sidewalk. "This is not my government. This is not my country."
A grown man who watched the beating burst into tears.
This was a glimpse of the ugly aftermath of Iran's presidential elections, which sparked outrage among supporters of candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi.
Moussavi's backers are calling President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's landslide victory a sham. They're demanding the vote be annulled. The government's response has been a ruthless and violent crackdown.
For eight chaotic hours I saw the two sides clash throughout the streets of Tehran. These were Iranians versus Iranians, but the two sides were worlds apart in appearance, ideology and brute force.
Moussavi's supporters were mostly young 20-something men and women. They were college students, young professionals with degrees demanding social freedom, a better way of life, and better relations with the West.
Two teenage girls carrying bricks had French manicured fingernails and designer sunglasses. The protesters threw objects, burned trash bins, honked their horns and chanted "death to the dictator!"
They were loud, until they heard the roar of the motorcycles.
The motorcycles belonged to two groups of Ahmadinejad supporters: Iran's riot police and the Baseej.
The riot police looked like modern gladiators, muscular and menacing with camouflaged uniforms, black boots, black bulletproof vests and black shielded helmets. They rode in pairs. One drove while the other wielded a club or a baton. They swarmed crowds of rowdy protesters in packs of about 20, beating anyone who got in their way.
On several occasions I saw female Moussavi supporters plead with their male counterparts not to run away. But they almost always did. They were clearly intimidated by the brutal show of force.
The Baseejis were just as ruthless. Those who didn't ride on motorcycles walked the streets in large packs carrying clubs. They didn't wear uniforms, so they could easily ambush protesters. They beat one protester so badly that he collapsed in the middle of an intersection and trembled uncontrollably. I saw one battered young man crawl into the lobby of an apartment building, curl up under the stairwell and sob. He had welts on his forehead and bruises up and down his arms.
"They hit me with everything," he said as he gasped for air. "They hit with clubs. They hit me with chains."
When the two sides weren't throwing objects at one another, they were hurling insults. I heard and felt the hatred on both sides.
During a Saturday afternoon news conference Ahmadinejad compared the violent crackdown against the protesters to a citation after a traffic ticket.
A few hours later thousands gathered in midtown Tehran to hear Ahmadinejad deliver a victory speech. The re-elected president said the elections belonged to Iran's people.
Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he would agree to peace with Palestinians.
The area under Palestinian control would have no army, would not control its airspace, and would not be allowed to bring in arms, Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu, who recently returned to the prime ministerial post he held 10 years ago, has previously not endorsed a two-state solution.
In his address, Netanyahu discussed the pain and loss through bloodshed on both sides of the conflict.
He said the root of the conflict lies in the refusal by the Palestinians to accept that the Jewish people have a homeland in Israel.
Netanyahu also called on Palestinian leaders to take immediate steps toward peace talks.
Rossi shows his delight after clinching a thrilling victory over Jorge Lorenzo in Barcelona on Sunday.
With Lorenzo starting on pole, the two riders dominated the race throughout before exchanging the lead several times on the final lap.
But Italian Rossi eventually sealed victory by just 0.095 seconds in front of 90,000 fans in Barcelona -- the 99th win of his remarkable career.
Casey Stoner finished third, meaning that he, Rossi and Lorenzo are now all level at the top of the championship standings on 106 points.
Stoner's Ducati managed to hold off the challenge from Repsol Honda's Andrea Dovizioso, who finished fourth, while Loris Capirossi came fifth.
Daniel Pedrosa, Colin Edwards, Randy De Puniet, Mika Kallio and Nicky Hayden completed the top 10 on Sunday.
"It was a great battle, the two Yamahas were flying on this track," Rossi told BBC Sport. "After some laps I knew I had to fight and it was a great fight to the end, I wasn't sure of the result until the end."
Stoner revealed afterwards that he had not been fully fit. "I've been slowly getting a little more sore and sick each day, and I was cramping after the warm-up," he said.
"I was really afraid about finishing the the race -- halfway through I just gave up, I had nothing left, and I decided to just run for the points."TEHRAN, Iran -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday dismissed violent protests against his election victory by comparing voters' anger to a "football match."
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hailed the election as an "example" for the entire world of the people's will.
"Some people are sentimental and become excited," he added. "As I said, I compared it to a soccer match. Their team has not won in the match."
"In the end, I don't think we'll have any serious challenges," he said. "Sentiments are high and sometimes they do some stuff on the streets, but in the end we had 40 million people participating and what is happening on the streets is like a football match."
In a news conference, Ahmadinejad portrayed his apparent win in Friday's election as a victory over foreign powers.
"The era of a few countries making decisions for the rest of the world has come to an end," he said. "Those who want to hamper the progress of the Iranian nation, the Iranian people will resist." Watch Ahmadinejad say that Iran in 'the most stable country in the world' »
Ahmadinejad, the hardline incumbent, defeated reformist rival Mir Hossein Moussavi, a former prime minister, in Friday's election, according to official results. Opposition supporters claimed ballot fraud.
Riot police fired tear gas and brandished batons to disperse about 100 stone-throwing protesters in central Tehran.
"There was this cat-and-mouse game between the rioters and the police," said Samson Desta, a CNN producer, who was hit by a police baton. "For the time being, it seems like police have things under control. But we spoke to a lot of students and they're saying, 'This is not going to go away. They may stop us now but we will come back and make sure our voices will be heard.' "
It was the second day of protests in Tehran. On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators -- shouting "Death to the dictatorship" and "We want freedom" -- burned police motorcycles, tossed rocks through store windows, and set trash cans on fire. 
There were conflicting reports on whether his rival, Moussavi, had been placed under house arrest.
Some reports indicated that he had been detained. Others said he was at home, conducting meetings, but was free to come and go as long as he informed authorities. Guards were stationed outside his house, but it was not immediately clear whether they worked for him or the government.
In other parts of Tehran, the streets were eerily calm with some residents worried that violence may escalate when Ahmadinejad supporters come out for the victory celebration.
"We are all worried about that," said Yashar Khazdouzian, a student. "People against people is the worst kind of riots in Iran." Eighty-five percent of the country's 46 million eligible voters went to the polls Friday -- an unprecedented turnout, Iran's Interior Ministry said.
When the ballots were counted, the government declared Ahmadinejad the winner -- with 62.63 percent of the vote. Moussavi, the man many analysts had expected to win, received 33.75 percent.
Moussavi disputed the results, blaming "untrustworthy monitors." Independent election observers were banned from polling places.
"The results announced for the 10th presidential elections are astonishing," he said in a statement. "People who stood in long lines and knew well who they voted for were utterly surprised by the magicians working at the television and radio broadcasting."
Angered by the returns, Moussavi's supporters took to the streets Saturday. With handkerchiefs and surgical masks shielding them from the pungency of tear gas, they clashed openly with police in a rare challenge to the regime.
Foreign reporters were blocked from covering the demonstration. And the government reportedly shut down access to networking sites, such as Twitter, making it difficult for information to seep out to the outside world.
Iranian authorities closed Al-Arabiya's Tehran bureau for a week without offering a reason, the Arabic network announced on its Web site Sunday in Arabic and English. Two female reporters were attacked outside Moussavi's headquarters on Friday, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Immediate reaction around the world was guarded, with the United States and Canada voicing concern over claims of vote irregularities.
"In light of Tehran's ongoing policy, and even more so after Ahmadinejad's re-election, the international community must continue to act uncompromisingly to prevent the nuclearization of Iran, and to halt its activity in support of terror organizations and undermining stability in the Middle East," said Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Ahmadinejad hailed the vote, saying it was a "great ordeal" but one that pointed "the way to the future."
"The people of Iran inspired hope for all nations and created a source of pride in the nation and disappointed all the ill wishers," Ahmadinejad said in his television address. "This election was held at a juncture of history."
Many analysts had expected Moussavi, a former prime minister regarded as a reformist, to defeat Ahmadinejad.
Moussavi is credited with successfully navigating the Iranian economy during a bloody eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s. He also enjoyed tremendous support among the nation's youth. Iran's population has a median age of 27.
But Ahmadinejad -- despite being blamed for Iran's economic turmoil over the past four years -- maintains staunch support in rural areas.
No matter who won, the ultimate power in Iran still resides with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei lauded the results and urged Iranians to support the re-elected president.
The system was set up after Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 when the ruling monarchy was overthrown and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was forced into exile.PERUGIA, Italy. American student Amanda Knox, accused of killing her housemate two years ago, testified in her murder trial Saturday that she was intimidated by Italian police during questioning.
American college student Amanda Knox, 21, testifies Friday at her murder trial in Perugia, Italy.
Knox, 21, is charged in the death of British student Meredith Kercher, who was her housemate in Perugia, a university town north of Rome.
Kercher, 20, died in what prosecutors say was a "drug-fueled sex game" after suffering a sexual assault. She was found half-naked, with a stab wound to her neck, in her bed November 2, 2007.
Saturday was the second day of testimony for Knox, who is from Seattle, Washington.
The public prosecutor, her defense lawyer, the attorney for her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, and the judge asked her about what happened the night of Kercher's death and the following day.
Both Knox and Sollecito, 25, are charged with murder and sexual assault.
Knox tried to explain Saturday why she gave conflicting answers to police when they interrogated her on November 6. She said it was a combination of police pressure, their suggestions, and her confused and frightened state of mind.
"When I would say that I was with Raffaele, they would say, 'You are a liar,' and they repeated this," she said, testifying in fluent Italian.
"You will go to prison for 30 years. ... You must remember," Knox recalled the police as saying.
Knox said the police were standing behind her and officers were going in and out of the interrogation room. A policewoman next to her was constantly pressing her to give them a name, and an interpreter on her right said people under trauma tend to forget things, she said.
"I was confused. ... I had so much fear," Knox said. She testified that she thought, "Hell, perhaps they're right and I have forgotten."
Knox repeated Saturday that police slapped her on the back of her head while questioning her. As she spoke, she hit her head a few times with her right hand and gestured broadly.
Knox testified Friday that she was not at the women's villa the night Kercher died, which authorities believe was the evening of November 1. She said she was at Sollecito's house. Watch Knox take the stand »
Knox testified Friday that the couple had dinner, watched a movie, smoked marijuana, had sex and went to bed on the night of November 1. She said she returned to her and Kercher's villa the next morning to take a shower.
That's when she said she noticed "strange things" such as the front door being left open, dried blood in the bathroom sink and on a bath mat, feces in the toilet, and the door to Kercher's room locked.Watch Knox in court »
When Knox returned to Sollecito's house, she said, he suggested they call police in case the house had been burglarized. Police then found Kercher's body.
All cameras were barred from the courtroom Saturday because the public prosecutor said he wanted to avoid "sensationalism." Cameras were allowed at the beginning of the session Friday but then ordered out.
Knox's father, Curt, defended his daughter Saturday.
"What we've seen over the past five months is a character assassination, and now, hopefully .... a different point of view of who she is is coming out," he told reporters.
People are beginning to see that "she is not this dark angel she's been portrayed as," he added.
"Amanda did a great job" on the stand, Curt Knox said. "She was very articulate in her answers. She answered all of the questions truthfully. She was not quivering in her voice. She was looking the judge in the eyes."
Her attorney, Carlo della Vedova, described his client as "very confident."
"She has repeated exactly what happened that night, on the fifth and sixth, when she was arrested. She gave all the information that was requested" during her testimony, he said.
The trial is to resume next Friday, but Knox isn't expected to testify again.
TEHRAN, Iran As street protests and voter skepticism rose over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election victory, the incumbent leader hailed the vote, saying it was a "great ordeal" but one that pointed "the way to the future."
Moussavi supporters run past a burning bus in Tehran on Saturday.
"The people of Iran inspired hope for all nations and created a source of pride in the nation and disappointed all the ill wishers," Ahmadinejad said in a nationwide TV address Saturday night. "This election was held at a juncture of history."
The government said on Saturday that Ahmadinejad won Friday's presidential election with 62.63 percent of the vote and Mir Hossein Moussavi received 33.75 percent of the vote.
But while he extolled the result and the huge turnout, Moussavi and supporters in the Tehran streets are crying foul as street clashes have erupted in the aftermath of the polls. Reaction emerged across the world, as countries such as the United States and Canada voiced concern over claims of voter irregularities.
The ongoing street protests have been viewed as remarkable in a country where anti-government sentiment is not looked upon kindly by those in power. In the aftermath of the vote, street protesters and riot police engaged in running battles, with stones thrown, garbage cans set on fire and people shouting "death to the dictatorship."
People leaned out of windows and balconies to watch the throngs of protesters march, many of whom were Moussavi supporters and conducted largely noisy but peaceful demonstrations.
Later in the evening, an agitated and angry crowd emerged in Tehran's Moseni Square, with people breaking into shops, starting fires and tearing down signs. Two sides of people faced off against each other in the square, throwing rocks and bottles and shouting angrily
Things ancient heritage of Dutch colonial period found in Bekasi.
