# I Pitt the WEB and It's non info.... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 31, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458 "2014-07-31T01:38:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/1 "2014-07-31T01:38:15Z")
The web can and should to be an encyclopedia at your finger tips. An impressive amount of knowledge from both the resourceful and articulate to the …umm ok wateva they said. My problem is that, any real question I have pondered and seeked leaves me lacking in info about any of it. :mad: I should make a top 10 list of shit the web refuses to give up the ghost for. 1: Anything Specific to do with “My current occupation/job” 2: Anything specific to do with “What I’m doing at the moment, need help”. 3: Anything specific to do with “How to do something I haven’t done before, the easy/right way” 4: Anything Specific to do with “Any Science that I have a stupid question about” 4: … :smack: ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/2 "2014-07-31T01:41:30Z")
4: How to count to five… ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/3 "2014-07-31T01:48:32Z")
I couldn’t think of anything else…but I will eventually. Next time I think of it, im posting it. I’m going to leave that in just to annoy…them. -.- ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/4 "2014-07-31T01:59:19Z")
**Wikipedia** and **How Stuff Works** apparently never blipped your web radar…? Not to worry. We are working our buns off right now to build a new web that will be perfectly suited to your needs. We’ll be in touch when it’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/5 "2014-07-31T07:24:55Z")
It sounds like the real problem might be the way you form your searches. There’s a huge amount of useful information on the internet. I bet if you give us a specific example where the web has failed you in any of your categories, we can probably show you a way of framing the search so as to find what you need. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/6 "2014-07-31T11:00:12Z")
> [@Jamicat](#): > > I Pitt the WEB > [@friedo](#): > > 4: How to count to five… Not to mention how to properly use capitalization and to spell. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/7 "2014-07-31T11:27:12Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It sounds like the real problem might be the way you form your searches. Yep. Fairly often I find someone exasperated over searching, unable to find anything useful. I offer assistance, use better search terms, and it’s a slam dunk success. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/8 "2014-07-31T11:41:09Z")
I used to have these problems sometimes, but Google search has improved to the point that I usually find what I need just by typing the question I have in my mind right into the Google search window. Can you give a specific example of something you want to know and can’t seem to find? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/9 "2014-07-31T12:56:02Z")
> **[Reference, Facts, News - Free and Family-friendly Resources - Refdesk.com](https://www.refdesk.com/)** > > Refdesk is a free and family friendly web site indexing and reviewing quality, credible, and current Internet reference resources. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/10 "2014-07-31T13:48:01Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Yep. Fairly often I find someone exasperated over searching, unable to find anything useful. I offer assistance, use better search terms, and it’s a slam dunk success. A co-worker was trying to find information on a particular subject for personal reasons. Since it lined with my field, he came by and asked if I could help him out, saying he’d looked for the information, but to no avail. Since he had said he’d searched before, I didn’t use the traditional methods, instead utilizing obscure / unlikely avenues, including contacting former professors. A few hours had passed and didn’t have any luck. On a whim, I decided to go use the “obvious” resource - one he’d said he’d used. Within 3 minutes, I had the information he requested. When he did his search, he entered the information, minus a comma - something necessary for the search engine to know that he was searching for a last & first name. So yeah, this is another vote for “you may be entering the information incorrectly.” ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/11 "2014-07-31T13:58:20Z")
OP, can you give us a specific example of a question you can’t find an answer for? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/12 "2014-07-31T15:30:23Z")
I’m pretty sure the OP was accidentally posted through a wormhole from 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/13 "2014-07-31T16:16:55Z")
Well, 1996 was after the\* Stargate \*film, but before _SG-1_ launched, so I guess that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/14 "2014-07-31T16:18:10Z")
> [@andros](#): > > I’m pretty sure the OP was accidentally posted through a wormhole from 1996. Yeah, HotBot is fairly unreliable. Everyone knows Webcrawler is far superior. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/15 "2014-07-31T16:29:58Z")
I asked Jeeves, and he just stared at me blankly! ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/16 "2014-07-31T16:34:43Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > I asked Jeeves, and he just stared at me blankly! It’s still loading. You must be using a 4800 bps modem. Or perhaps someone called or picked up the phone while you were on-line. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/17 "2014-07-31T16:47:42Z")
You have to use google like an uninformed (or dumb) person would because those are the people asking the questions. Too often I find people using very specific search terms and assuming too much about the answer to their problem, when a normal person with no clue how to proceed would ask “why is my screen flickering when I play bioshock?” or “how do I attach my lens to my nikon camera?” not, “60hz refresh rate resulting in bioshock judder effect” or “nikon lens grips not catching on rim guard” The first will get you a bunch of useful results. The second might get you something, but more often than not it’s a boatload of nothin’, because the people that already know about refresh rates and other technical stuff usually already solved the problem without asking anybody else. Gotta love the threads that result in “fixed the problem myself, thanks anyway guys!” without actually stating how they fixed the problem, though. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/18 "2014-07-31T16:58:19Z")
> [@Macca26](#): > > Gotta love the threads that result in “fixed the problem myself, thanks anyway guys!” without actually stating how they fixed the problem, though. Probably in a no spoilers thread. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/19 "2014-07-31T18:50:44Z")
I seem to encounter a similar problem whenever I have a computer problem. I’ll search for a solution and the responses seem to always come up in this order: 1. Other people with same problem 2. People intrigued by the problem, but with no solution 3. Suggestions to completely delete and reinstall the offending program 4. Complicated solution that involves downloading another program and/or editing the registry 5. A ridiculously easy solution It would be nice if my searches led me straight to the last step. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458/20 "2014-08-01T01:13:44Z")
A short list of some of my searches… How to cut 17-4 on a lathe/mill? How to cut D-2 on a lathe /mill and keep the tool sharp? What to do with Okra after the seeds turn brown? Can I eat the seeds, like beans? What is the ratio for arrow root/water in soup? (Chinese egg drop) What do they do with Wave guides?..matter of fact “What the FUCK ARE THEY DOING WITH WAVE GUIDES”? Who is buying this shit? I can dig deep to find some stuff…I rarely get a real conformation on specific stuff. Go ahead and say Im a moron…my questions are valid and real none the less. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pitt-the-web-and-its-non-info/694458.md?page=2)