FlyerTalk Forums - Google Tips

I was going through one of my mags the other day and discovered some pretty useful google tips....hopefully, a few may come in handy ^ ....I'm not a google "fan" but thought these can be helpful to speed things up...I think most of these tips also work in yahoo also....:D

Get the weather forecast any time
Typing "weather New York" gets you the five-day forecast complete with graphics.

What's it mean?
To see a definition for a word or phrase, simply type the word "define," then a space, and then the word or words you want to know in the Google search box: "define Quagmire."

Check the airports
To see delays and weather conditions at a U.S. airport, type its three letter code plus the word "airport."

Flight status
Check the status of a U.S. flight by typing the name of the airline followed by the flight number. For example, to see the status for United Airlines flight 134, search for "United 134."

Find your package
In the Google search box, enter the tracking number from the FedEx, UPS, or USPS package you just ordered or sent to see its progress.

Research with visuals
Try plugging search terms into Google Images rather than Search; the pictures could be more useful than the Web page results.

Travel the World
Use the World category to find content in other languages besides English, such as World/Français.

Improve the view (Google Maps)
Under Tools/Options, the 3D View tab adjusts graphics quality, resolution, and texture detail; pump these up if you have a fast notebook.

Check out the eye candy
Visit www.googleearthcoolplaces.com for tips on the best Google Earth spots, complete with links that send you straight there.

Beyond business listings
Include a city or ZIP code in your search and Google displays relevant results from that area at the top of your search results (such as "Outback Steakhouse 53704").

Get traffic reports
Head to traffic.poly9.com for clickable traffic results based on your ZIP code.

Find restaurants by type
For example, type "Indian 10011" for a list of Indian restaurants in downtown Manhattan.

Get directions
Type out a quick query, by place or ZIP code (such as 10023 to 11103), for instant driving directions.

Get the weather in style
Head to www.weatherbonk.com for live weather maps of your area using the Google Maps engine.

Fill in the blank with wild cards
Google will finish the sentence for you. Instead of asking "who invented the parachute?" enter "the parachute was invented by."

Just the facts, ma'am
Type a fact-based question or query (such as "population of Japan") into the Google search box. You'll see the answer at the top of your search results.

Consolidate your e-mail
In Settings, go to Accounts to receive mail from other accounts and send mail from different addresses.

Control spam
Use [email protected] when signing up for new sites. Any mail sent to username+service@gmail will come to your Inbox. Create a filter to send it straight to a labeled category and see if that service passed your e-mail address on to others.

Photo sharing, plugged
Share your pictures online with Picasa Web Albums (picasaweb.google.com), a free service that gives you 250MB of storage space.

Improve your uploaded video quality
(probably just good advice for any web video)
Use 640 x 480-pixel resolution, 30 frames per second, and a 4:3 ratio for best results.

Keep it among friends
Restrict access to your video by marking it as "unlisted." Unlisted videos are not accessible through Google Video search results. Instead, e-mail the link to your family and friends.

Spice up your blog or Web site
Find the video you want and click on the "Email-Blog-Post to MySpace" button and follow the instructions.

Watch videos on the go
Downlaod videos to your iPod or PSP using iTunes version 7.0. Visit the Google Video help center at video.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=8701 for details.

Google Book Search (books.google.com)

Download a classic novel or an obscure gem for free
Download, print, and save out-of-copyright titles like Aesop's fables or Shakespeare's Hamlet. Select the Full View radio button and click Download.

Add Book Search to your Web site
The search box lets users search books of every type and genre directly from your Web pages. Visit services.google.com/inquiry/books_email?hl=en.