• pro-Google So, let’s say you wanted to find out if there was any bias from what search engines spit out at you. For example, a recent study not done by Google, said that Bing searches would promote Microsoft-related results twice as many times that Google would promote Google.
• pro-Bing Don’t get too comfortable with those facts, though. A different study, performed by a paid Microsoft consultant, showed claims that Google put itself first most of the time. Do you already know who to trust? Or are you feeling lucky? source

• So we get hauled in front of the Congress for developing a product that’s free, that serves a billion people. Okay? I mean, I don’t know how to say it any clearer. I mean, it’s fine. It’s their job. But it’s not like we raised prices. We could lower prices from free to…lower than free? You see what I’m saying?
• Google Chairman Eric Schmidt • Proving to be a bit cagey in an interview after taking questions at a Senate hearing a week ago. Google is facing antitrust questions that they’re abusing their power in the search market, and Schmidt claims that there’s a disconnect at play between Washington and the tech culture of Silicon Valley. “The press is so young, they don’t understand the history here,” he said. “We’re still a small component of what a whole bunch of other companies have done, and certainly most other industries. So I reject all such charges.” Think he’s right about all this? source

• I did not want to do it. The girl intruded into my private life. She had no right. … I confronted her. She was frightened, we argued and she wanted to get away. I grabbed her by the neck and I hit her.
• Joran van deer Sloot (reportedly) • In the confession to the murder in Peru in which he is the main suspect. How did Flores intrude into his life? She looked up his name on the Internet. The guy has a pretty rough Google profile, doesn’t he? As a result of the confession, by the way, search teams have been organized in Aruba just in case this guy has any further things to say about the Natalee Holloway case. source

• A few days ago, Twitter changed its trending topic formula. In one sense, it’s really good, because it means that Justin Bieber isn’t just hogging the top spot for a month for no reason (thank God), but in a lot of ways it’s also less useful as a result. Why? Because there’s no filter. Something tells us that simply replacing an American pop star with “Bonamana,” the name of a South Korean boy band’s new album, was really what they intended. Our solution? Filter by country, guys. Thanks. source

• Google is going to have a problem because Google is only known for search. It is only half our business; it’s 99.9% of their business. They’ve got to find other things to do.
• Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz • Talking smack to the king of the hill today. Google does tons of other stuff, though! They have e-mail (just like Yahoo), a news site (just like Yahoo), a maps app (just like Yahoo), a photo site (just like Yahoo), a social networking site (just like Yahoo) and, unlike Yahoo, a hand in the mobile sphere. And, unlike Yahoo, they don’t have the rep of getting bogged down by all of the extracurricular activities, or (more importantly) of being a place where “startups go to die,” as TechCrunch recently put it. So, while Google is in need of other revenue streams, Yahoo may not be the right company to give them crap. source

• one Apple sits on the steering committee of the task force that raided Jason Chen’s house.
• two Jason Chen, as you might imagine, owns a lot of computers; here’s what got taken away.
• three It’s still inconclusive as to whether the search warrant was legal. Some say yes; some no.

• Google owns the “long tail” results. MS is just trying to accept its niche. Why did Microsoft reboot its entire search engine last year? Simple. They realized it was focusing on the wrong thing, good results for obvious searches, when the real money was to be made in more obscure results. “On any given a month,” said Microsoft Bing manager Yusuf Mehdi, “one-third of queries that show up on Bing, it’s the first time we’ve ever seen that query. A huge chunk of those, we’ll never see again.” As a result, Bing has a different focus, one that involves partnerships with startups and depth on intelligent queries. source

• We believe this new approach of providing uncensored search in simplified Chinese from Google.com.hk  is a sensible solution to the challenges we’ve faced—it’s entirely legal and will meaningfully increase access to information for people in China.
• Google Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer David Drummond • Regarding the company’s final decision on handling the China problem. There’s a very good chance that China will censor the search engine on the mainland after this, but you can at least say they tried very hard to have it both ways. This is a win for human rights. Unfortunately, it may not be a win that does Chinese citizens a whole lot of good. Is it better to be unable to give uncensored information, or willfully censor by the rules of a country that is willing to make people drive long distances just to check e-mail? source

• 50% more ad clicks from Google searches source

NOTE: This little tip comes from Chikita, a site we use and recommend for ads. We’ll say that for sake of disclosure or something. There’s something to be said about blogger transparency.