2 find this again

Give up Facebook? No thanks.

DC... sorry mate, didn't understand your comment.

at this point i have to say im proud to have you as MOD doc, you post articles and research for yourself even if i dont agree all the time i think, that you are one of the smart people here that know what they r talking about and what they are doing without just repeating what you have been told.  
This should be a compliment.So thanks at this point for the informations and news postet by you and of course for the outstanding will to help others.

I also use google and i thought it was intended to give you the first ten to 20 results for a search according how you use it.
I normaly google with + / and so on to get better results but after reading this its funny what stuff pops up.
But i think this method has also to do with the fact that we have become lazy over the years best example for me is the both side USB stick , so they just give us what we want in the end a more uncomplicated search specified on how we browse for things ( if i have understood it correct ).

Thanks, Rolo.... appreciate your comment. I'm actually glad, whether people agree with me or don't. Kind of you to say this. 

your welcome

If you're looking for google search results with out the personalization and ads, try Scroogle Scraper.

Talk about direct interference. I thought that was illegal, interfering with a person's ability to choose what they see. What it amounts to is blatant manipulation of the internet for personal gain. The gain being the 'Give them what they think they want, not what they need' people or should I say...thieves! Damn shit for brains ain't worth powder enough to blow 'em to hell.

Thanks CG1 - I just replaced Google with Scroogle. Yeah.

I always use Scroogle now.  I have a much more realistic viewpoint of Google these days after learning about other dubious things they've done (such as sniffing on unprotected networks when doing the Google Maps, and the infamous, at least on these forums Doodle 4 Google of whose early form seemed to be aimed at correlating other information about a US child along with the last 4 digits of a Social Security Number, which are the only ones which are random).  I will still use some of their services at this point in time, but I don't really trust them anymore.  Especially with so much information on all sorts of things which they are gathering.

Best regards,
Steven.

Here's some of what I taught myself from using search engines:

• Graphic Design
• Computer Repair/Troubleshooting
• HTML scripting
• Flash Actionscripting
• Basic 3D Modeling
• Fixing My Washing Machine
• Fixing My Car

Additionally, a lot of graphics resources and the like I used for my job came from the internet and I have done research on the internet for the past several years. Getting harder (and almost impossible) to do most of it now because of what the Doc posted here (and more).

I used to do deep searches and spend up to two or three days sifting results for some projects.  A lot of the reults were trivial but as you sifted, you redefined your search terms--it was a real art.  My wife and friends would ask how I could find things they couldn't and it was because I was practiced at how to do it.

Because the search results were "raw" I would find not only what I was looking for but learn hundreds of things in the process finding things I didn't expect or know of.  Often that would be more helpful than the original search I began with. 

That is all gone now.  I routinely pull up searches on Google that produce two pages of results and don't even come close to what I want and the results are often "topical" from current events or news and not at all what I am looking for.

Google should have a switch to allow for a purely raw search where the user defines the search parameters fully.

In the bigger picture, we all end up sifting an ever narrowing set of information that more and more is given to us by someone else and becomes less and less unique.

I've taken to scrubbing my pc of tracking data routinely, using two machines for different tasks and using proxy net clients to search and the "here's what you want" services still kick in almost instantly.  Scroogle is looking to be the norm now for me.

Good job Doc.

If it was only Google, it'd be one thing, but SO many sites do it...automatically that it's hopeless. Unless legislation (that is enforced) is passed. 

CG1 - Thanks for the Scroogle link. Appreciate that. 

Sinperium and StevenAus - Thanks.  

Where there's life, there's hope!   Yeah I know that it sounds trite, but life can certainly surprise us.  You don't have to be pessimistic to not be disappointed too often.   Being somewhat disappointed some of the time is fine, or greatly disappointed occassionally, but life can surprise us in positive ways sometimes.

Best regards,
Steven.

These days I've gotten into the habit of deleting all saved data every single time I close my browser. I set it up in both FF and IE8 to do it automatically. I also have an option in my security suite to clear all browser cache and all other system temp data when I shut down my computer and I enable that as well. Also I disable all of the form completion data logging (other than passwords).

I also do not accept third party cookies at all.

The only thing I allow to persist between browsing sessions are saved passwords. That's really all you need to be able to quickly get back to sites that you commonly frequent. Saving all that other stuff really doesn't buy you anything.

And here is where I stopped reading, and the writer loses all credibility. It could've been Michael Moore, Glenn Beck, or Dr. Seuss who said it, it's a terrible transition.

Having ads and websites pandered to you has been around in quite awhile, and is probably as old as AOL itself. Firefox deletes my internet content, as well as makes most of my web browser incognito. If I was especially paranoid that Google was going to learn how much I like video game websites and send me idiotic ads (what idiot every bought something from an ad directly off of google or similar?) I could just use one of the many proxy services around. And the type of people who rave over Facebook and enjoy all of it's features, aren't the type of people who care about internet privacy. Or if they are, and they're not intelligent enough to keep off of facebook, then they don't understand the issue.

My browser automatically deletes all cookies, the history, etc. when I close it. I don't store passwords, or any important info on websites. I love the internet, but I don't trust it......