What’s it for?
And who uses it?
And why is it so prominently placed, like it 's as important as the real search button?Am I missing out on something, or is it really as stupid as I think?
in short : Huh?
It eliminates a click and/or extra typing. I can type in “straightdope” and zoom via hyperspace to the dope’s main page without having to type in “straight dope”, hit the search button and then scan through the list of links before deciding which on takes me to the straight dope home page.
Of course, it’s only time saving if you’re sure that the page you’re seeking will be the first hit based on your search terms.
Forgive them. They make up for it with this today.
“I’m Feeling Lucky” gives you the first result that Google returns. If you know that “Straight Dope Message Board” will give you this site, then instead of typing ENTER after your search terms, you can type TAB-TAB-SPACE (picks the “lucky” button and clicks it) which will send you straight to the SDMB without taking your hands off the keyboard. Two keystrokes when your hands are already there, vs. scrolling and clicking through search results.
I rarely use it when I’m searching for something I don’t know, but if you trust Google, I suppose you could do things like
“Can I substitute regular flour for cake flour?” and
“When did man first visit the Marianas Trench, and for how long?”
Five hundred pounds of salt, I believe.
There was an interview on CNN or Fox a few years back with the CTO of Google. The interviewer typed “google” in the search bar, then pressed “Feeling Lucky”. Of course, it took her right back to google, so she asked why the Lucky button didn’t do anything. The CTO was trying to explain it (the interviewer was pretty dim, and wasn’t getting it at all), and probably for the first time ever in history used the phrase “idempotent function” on TV.
It can come up with unexpected results, however.
I just tried “AA” Most American folks would associate AA with Alcoholics Anonymous. aa.com takes you to American Airlines, but “I’m feeling lucky” takes you to http://www.theaa.com/ - a British roadside assistance company.
How much was that FCC fine? :eek: