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How clever are you? Ask Google

Are your Google searches trying to tell you something?

An anonymous bit of brilliance doing the rounds on the interweb highlights the different suggestions thrown up by Google searches, depending on your language. For example:

Type in "How 2" and Google asks if you're wondering "How 2 kiss" or "How 2 get pregnant".

Typing "How might one" into the box, on the other hand, and Google politely suggests that your interests might lie in a more refined direction.

"How might one attempt to measure the effectiveness of a promotion" perhaps, or "how might one account for the rise of Andrew Jackson to victory in the election of 1828."

How indeed.

It's not just your hobbies that Google makes assumptions about. It judges the extent of your knowledge too:

Type "why" and Google assumes you're being kept up at night scratching your head over "why is the sky blue", "why did I get married" and "why do men have nipples".

But begin your search more verbosely with "for what reason" and Google tips its hat and begs to suggest that you might be conducting an enquiry into:

"For what reason are biological classification systems needed."

One will be playing closer attention to one's syntactic arrangements in future.

(Hat tip: Slate)

Today's Web Grab

You might enjoy:

• Jonathan Chait in The New Republic: The case against awards
• Robert Thomas in Gawker: I helped Richard Heane plan a balloon hoax
• Simon Rogers in Data Blog: The decade in data
• Jen Sorenson in Slowpoke Comics: The real reason Obama won the Nobel prize

Speaking of good blogs...

While researching yesterday's column I came across a blog I think Comment Central readers will enjoy a good deal.

For Max Atkinson, the speech guru, blogs on speaking and speakers.

And he blogs well. He is highly observant, noticing small things like David Cameron's tendency to talk to the left hand portion of the audience. His analysis is also politically independent.

Political professionals, in particular, could with profit make it a frequent stopping place. And you may find it interesting to scroll back through the posts in the conference weeks.

Return of the Star Chamber

Given that I’ve posted about this before, I’m pleased to note the return of Conservative Home’s Star Chamber.

Nadine Dorries's revenge

Hell hath no fury like a slandered MP with a keen eye for publicity.

It’s been about four month since Nadine Dorries, subject of some of Damian McBride’s loathsome emails, announced her intention to take legal action.

She seems to have spent the time plotting the most embarrassing way to serve the papers.

This morning, Guido Fawkes was to be spotted lurking outside the gates of the Finchely Catholic High School. He served the papers on McBride, while the later was on his way into work.

Soon after, Tory Bear knocked on the front door of Derek Draper, he being the recipient of McBride's emails.

He wasn’t in, but Tory Bear has posted this video of his encounter with Draper’s wife – Kate Garraway - on his blog.

So what now? Tim Montgomerie shows up at Number 10?

A manifesto for blogging?

Fraser Nelson has a new sparring partner. Ed Balls, objecting to a post written by Nelson earlier this morning, has phoned him demanding that he “take that post down” because it called him a liar.

Now, quite apart from the fact that our law enshrines the right of journalists to hold and publish opinions, Nelson’s defence, posted this afternoon, contains a powerful raison d’etre for blogging itself (or, at the very least, political blogging):

If you're reading this, Ed (and I suspect you will be) then we have a serious point to make. Five years ago, you could lie like this on the radio and get away with it. Space is tight in newspapers, no one would devote hundreds of words and graphs - as we did - to expose a lie for what is.

But the world has changed now. Blogging has brought new, hyper scrutiny. Blogs have infinite space, and people with endless energy, to expose political lying - no matter how small. Your claims can be instantly counter-checked, by anyone.

If you stretch the truth, you can be exposed - by anyone. And if you plan to base a whole election campaign on a lie, as you apparently intend to do, then you're in for a rude awakening.

I know who I'm putting my money on in this fight. And it's not the Schools Secretary.

Today's Web Grab

You might enjoy:

• James Crabtree in First Drafts: Interview: Mike Brearley on cricket and psychoanalysis
• David Kutz in Talking Points Memo: GOP Sex Scandal Matrix
• Alex Baker in Westminster Blog: The MPs pension wheeze
• Jonathan Rugman in World News Blog: After Granai, why should Afghans believe the US?
• Sarah Ebner in School Gate: Why you shouldn’t go to university

NightJack - unpicking the issues

NightJack. Where do I start?

In many ways it is laudable that bloggers and blog readers wish to come to the defence of one of their own. I find it hard to condemn someone for showing human sympathy for NightJack

It is also a fascinating example of group norms. Hurray for all bloggers! Boo to the dead tree press! Now, what did you say the issue was, again?

Laudable but ridiculous.

NightJack's identity was not just theoretically a matter of public interest. It was actually a matter of public interest.

Here was a police officer who, it seemed, was breaching numerous police discipline rules. He was - it very much appeared - putting case details on the web. As a result he had won a major literary prize and was publishing a book.

How can anyone seriously argue that his identity was no one else's business? How preposterous.

If The Times had been publishing a series of articles from NightJack as a police source and a blogger had found out who it was, every blogger in the land would have praised the revelation. You know that I am right. You know it.

As a newspaper we do get stories from anonymous source and we print them, keeping the name to ourselves. And others, rival publications online and in print, try and find out who the source was.

That attempt is a perfectly reasonable enterprise. And, if successful, publication shouldn't be prevented by the courts.

So which principle is it that everyone is defending in the NightJack case?

That police officers and public servants should be allowed to put details of their work into the public domain and win prizes and sell books, without fear of exposure? Surely not.

That newspapers may have the right to investigate the identity of the officer, but shouldn't print it because it is not nice? Surely not.

That the courts should prevent journalists from publishing the fruits of their inquiries? Surely not.

I think the principle is that if bloggers and the mainstream media disagree, the bloggers must be correct. And that is a silly principle.

Twenty Firsts Meme

My answers to Iain Dale:

First Job: I was a paper boy when I was 13. Carrying heavy things, even newspapers, did not turn out to be my vocation.

First Real Job: Staff writer for Network computer magazine. It was a monthly mag for users of "distributed data processing systems". We only had one PC though, so I had to use an electric typewriter.

First Role in Politics: The sort of mascot for the Labour candidate for Hendon South in 1979. I remember following her to a council estate as she canvassed with a loud hailer. She promised voters "more power for the trade unions". Even as a kid I could see that was ridiculous. "Are you sure that's what they want," I asked her, a little surprised. She gravely assured me that she was quite certain. I think experience of the left between 1979 and 1981 is the essential Conservative education.

First Car: My Mum's old Toyota. I blew up the engine.

First Record: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

First Football Match: I was taken to a Spurs v Arsenal game at White Hart Lane when I was 6. I ended up supporting Chelsea.

 First Concert: When I was 13 my brother came home having purchased a ticket for 20p to go to the Rolling Stones at Earls Court that evening. Amazingly he decided I should have it and equally amazingly my parents let me go on my own.

First Country Visited: I was taken to the States when I was 2.

First TV Appearance: I honestly can't remember. I did a load as Chairman of the Young Social Democrats when I was 21. It must be one of those.

First Political Speech: Proposing to the Student Union of the LSE that it drop its illiberal "No platform for sexists and racists". We won and I am still proud of that now.

First Girlfriend/Boyfriend: None of your business. She is, as the Mafia would put it (but Damian McBride wouldn't), non-combatant.

First Encounter with a Famous Person: I got Sid James's autograph when he opened Colour Fruits in Brent Street. 

First Brush With Death: A lorry shed its load (to use the traffic news cliché) when I was on my way to the paper round in Hendon Central. It bounced towards me, covered me in oil but stopped just before it crushed me to death.

First House/Flat Owned: An upstairs flat I shared with a friend in Hendon. The guy downstairs was either deaf or he liked The Beatles

First Film Seen at a Cinema: I think it was Swiss Family Robinson. I remember losing my sandal under the seat in front and not getting it back until the end. I still do that sort of thing.

First Time on the Radio: I went on Radio Piccadilly to do a phone-in. Nobody called.

 First Politician I Met: I met the ASLEF leader Ray Buckton when he came to my school to give a talk.

First Book I Remember Reading: Winnie the Pooh and I still love it

First Visit to the London Palladium: Saw Tommy Cooper for Martin Levene's birthday party. Martin Levene had great birthday parties.

First Election: 1979, but I was on the wrong side.

Tagged: Stephen Pollard, Oliver Kamm, Sarah Ebner, James Forsyth, Andrew Sullivan

Following Ben Brogan

Ben Brogan has moved from the Mail to the Telegraph and taken his blog with him. I am a big fan, so I welcome him back and look forward to his posts.

You can find his new blog here.