We live in a golden age of information... Diogènes, the seeker-of-truth. Painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1860). P/C Wikimedia. ... and an e...

How does one…  Gemini's view of how the CRISPR process works to edit DNA in vivo. … understand the really big, complex, fascinating topics? ...

I'm sure this has happened to you...  ... you vaguely remember something that you read, possibly from years ago.  You can mostly remember i...

The last couple of posts...  ... have been about learning what ELSE your AI system can do.  We talked about file conversions you didn't know...

Knowing what your tools can do...  ... is an important bit of knowledge if you're going to be using sophisticated tools. Taking a cue from y...

When you use a tool,  ... you usually know what it can do. A knife cuts, a hammer drives in nails, a pen draws a line.   Of course, tools ...

What do you believe about the data? In the previous post I wrote about mental models of systems—that is, how you believe an information retr...

A mental model... Hamster-powered search (P/C Gemini) .. is just the collection of what you know about some thing: what that thing is, the w...

Sometimes accidents lead to the best unanticipated benefits

As you know, I’m a researcher…  … and in my day-to-day work I spend around 5 - 8 hours / day doing online research.   As a consequence, I ...

The most important thing to know about image search...  P/C Gemini. Prompt: [usually it works, but sometimes it gets it wrong] ... is that ...

Search by image can literally...    Part of a choir book page from Venice, mid-1300s. P/C Dan.  ... help you understand your world.  Here's ...

As we've pointed out...  P/C Gemini [cartoon of young woman looking at mushroom images] ... the only constant in our online world is change...

You might have been reading…  Human scientist with AI support. (P/C Generated by Gemini Nanobanana with a long prompt.) …about all of the n...

The Legacy of Thomas Midgley, Jr.

It's easy to complain... P/C  DS Studio at Pexels.com   ... about the quality of AI-powered search tools.  (I've done my fair share!) But wh...

A new label in Google Search will help people identify webpages that are highly cited sources of information.

The only constant is change "the only constant is change" as a math-y expression, where  k represents a constant, which is equated the del...

I've been busy...  Spanish hogfish (in front), followed closely by a Trumpetfish. Why?   ...not just with work, but with another dive vacat...

Every few weeks...  The wreck of the M/V Oduna on a remote beach on the southeast side of Unimak Island, Alaska. P/C US Dep. Interior ... t...

Bespoke means custom...  Bepoke tailoring means one that fits you perfectly.. P/C Wikimedia . ... as in a "bespoke" suit--one that's made sp...

Finding the right grain size is important...    Mechanical sieves filter out grains at the correct sizes. ... especially when you're trying ...

This should have been easy...  ... but it wasn't.  If you've been around the SearchResearch Rancho for a while, your first instinct would h...

I was out for a walk yesterday...  ... and took this photo.  As you know, I love stained glass, and this was an especially beautiful exampl...

The Art of Long-Term AI Triangulation Surveyor triangulating on a construction site (1920s) P/C USC and California Historical Society In the...

It's been an interesting few weeks.    Surprise! I found my stone twin hiding in an architectural sculpture at Yale.  I was there in Februa...

Reading tools have been around...  A scholar at work. Not a self-portrait, but a nice example of how I see myself at work. A bit of architec...

This month I'm teaching...  Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall at Yale ... at Yale University in New Haven, CT... that paragon of Collegiat...

Everything you need to know about the "Sensemaking and AI 2026: Uses, Behaviors, Design, and Recommendations " Workshop at CHI 2026 in Barcelona (Spain).

I have two really big interests these days...  ... sensemaking... (that is, how people search for and discover how to make sense of a comp...

The SearchResearch world really is different now...  Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania (P/C Wikimedia) In a beautiful, unpolluted portion ...

Even though it's beautiful...  Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania (P/C Wikimedia) ... troubles lie beneath the surface.   The mighty Susqueha...

Thank heavens for friends.   After yesterday's post, a friend emailed me to ask "why didn't you use the advanced  models of the LLMs?"  Fai...

It's the day of the year when we look back...  ... at what we've done and review all of the accomplishments (and potentially any issues tha...

Let's return to the tea...  As you recall from our previous episodes, we found a way to use AI to scan an image looking for the names of di...

What do you do with too much tea?  [a massive amount of tea pour from a large flowery cup]  P/C Gemini Answer: Spill it, obviously.   I was ...

Ever lose a book on your shelves?  I spent an hour tearing my personal library apart in a desperate search.  Ever happen to you? You know, ...

Search by image is powerful...  Remarkable desserts. What are they?  .... but you need to know what it can do (reliably) and what it can't ...

Recognizing images is an impressive AI feat.  But...  Remarkable desserts. What are they?  .... it's true that the state of the art of imag...

A few friends...  Gemini's conception of [hyperrealistic image of scholar doing deep research]. Not sure it's hyperrealistic, but definitely...

I absolutely adore...  P.G. Wodehouse.  P/C Wikimedia ... the writings of P. G. Wodehouse.  Whenever I need a lift in the old spirits, I pl...

I've noticed a subtle shift.   The longer I write this blog, SearchResearch, the more changes I see.  Content on the web changes, the tools...

It's difficult to understand...  Rocky Mountain locust. P/C  Wikimedia ... how variable the appearance of an animal might be.  In this cas...

It's difficult to understand...  Rocky Mountain locust. P/C Wikimedia ... how variable the appearance of an animal might be.   Sure, people ...

Greenhouses...   ... come in two types--decorative (the ones with beautiful orchids and flowers for visitors to see) and functional ones (...

I've seen lots of these odd constructions...  ... from the air.   They're greenhouses; a common sight as you fly over agricultural lands.   ...