Here are some simple Google tricks that will save you a lot of valuable time.
We know Google as a search engine that knows everything and finds everything. Among other things, it also offers various tricks or tools that honestly make our work easier. In this way, we can get a lot of information without unnecessary clicking on various websites. We've found some tools that are sure to save you valuable time and are sure to be fun!
Simple Google tricks
Calculators and unit converters
Calculations are also one of the basic capabilities of the browser. No more searching around the house for a calculator, Google's calculator is advanced enough for many tasks. The browser will be able to calculate the simply typed invoice, otherwise we write "calculator", which takes us to a full, professional calculator. Through the function "type calculator” we can calculate the percentage of a certain amount, which comes in handy when quickly calculating discounts on products. Mathematicians will also be able to calculate complex sine and cosine curves.
As mentioned, Google will also convert units of measurement. Since the world can't agree on which measurement units to use, we sometimes need to know how to convert pots of flour in a recipe to grams, or what the oven temperature is in Celsius. The formula goes something like this "(the quantity of the first value and its unit) this (unit, into which we want to convert).” An example can be seen in the picture below. Of course, we can convert between many different units: area (square mile to square kilometer), data rate (gigabyte to kilobyte), speed (miles per hour to kilometers per hour), energy (joule to kilocalorie), mass (ounce to gram) , frequency (hertz to kilohertz), pressure (pascal to bar), length (foot to meter), time minutes to seconds), volume (cup to grams),...
We must not forget about currency conversion either"240 usd to euro", if we plan to travel abroad or order from abroad online, and the amount is not shown in euros.
Search for flights, travel times and accommodation
Almost everyone knows that we can turn to Google Maps for navigation. Information about the planes that fly from the desired city to the selected vacation destination is also useful. Search string "ljubljana to roma” tells us which airlines are flying, how long the flight will take and how much the ticket will roughly cost us. Google even recommends one of the neighboring airports if it offers cheaper tickets.
Next, of course, is the search for accommodation. Everyone has their favorite website for finding free rooms. But Google will analyze the offers from different sites for us and thus enable us to find the one that suits us best. When we write "Ljubljana hotels", a map of offers and their price and basic information is drawn for us.
If we like to participate in social events, we write in the string, for example, "ljubljana events” and let's see what interesting things will happen in the city in the next few days.
Finding the exact color code
This tool will be most useful for graphic designers. When determining a suitable color, the code will be printed below in different notations. We simply paste this code into the program in which we are editing.
Search for translations
It often happens that while reading a foreign article, we come across a word that we do not fully understand. As we know, Google also provides its own translator. For a quick translation, simply type "thinking and English” and we already have a translation.
Time, weather and sunrise/sunset times for a specific location
When the sun will rise and when it will set, we used to look at the sowing calendar, but now Google itself tells us. Let's just write it down the name of the place and add the word "sunrise" or "sunset“.
We don't even have to wait for the evening reports and weather forecast, as we simply write them down in the search string the name of the place and add the word "weather“.
A figure or a man?
Google also allows us to draw random numbers (search under “spinner") or coin toss (search under "heads or tails“).
Find your phone
In a last resort, when we can't find our phone or it's been stolen, Google offers us a powerful tool with which we can do many things. In the search string, write "find my phone". We can order the phone to ring or check where it is at the moment. We can even turn off the device remotely or delete all data on it. Since the service works through a Google account, the phone must be connected to the Internet, and we must have Location turned on to locate it.
When are the holidays?
We know that the holiday is coming, but we don't know the exact date. Once upon a time, we would eagerly look through calendars again, but today we just write down "Lunar New Year 2020" or "Easter 2020” … and the exact date will be written to us.
More detailed search for news or photos
News updates at lightning speed, so a 2-day-old story may be out of date today. Narrowing the selection of displayed results also helps us when we only know, for example, about the place where something happened. To avoid unnecessary search results, we can define search parameters. The most useful parameter is time. When searching for a video, for example, we can determine its length and quality without even clicking on it beforehand. It's the same with photos.
Time limited search
Photo search also has quite a few filters. We can filter them by size, time of publication, even by color (let's say we only want black and white photos). Another interesting feature is that we can upload our own image or copy the URL address of an image, and Google will search for similar photos based on the analysis of our image.
Breathing exercises
Yes, Google can also teach us how to calm down. If we type "Breathing exercise”, this takes us to the breathing exercises interface, where we are greeted with a one-minute exercise with instructions on when to inhale and when to exhale.
Screenshots of websites
This feature is useful for websites that are no longer operational and therefore will not open, but Google has kept a snapshot of them. In this way, we can see what was happening on the website the last time it was visited by the Google robot. A snapshot of the page can also be found on the working pages. At the URL address in the search results, click on the small arrow and then "Video“.
Search for a specific website
The names of the articles are sometimes similar, so the search suggests dozens of other results that we don't want. In the search string, write for example "site:citymagazine.si applications” and below the results will be only links to the City Magazine website, where we wrote about applications.
Search results from a specific country
We are back to the recipes. Let's say we are looking for a recipe for good pasta and we know that the Italians know how to prepare the best. So we will look for recipes that have been published on Italian websites. We do this by writing in the search "pasta carbonara recipe site:.it". ".it" is because this is the domain of Italian websites.
Search for a specific string of words
Let's say we're looking for a recipe for šmorn with apples. Well, we can easily pass this exact string into the search field, just by putting it in quotes: “Schmorn with apples". Google will only find web pages that use exactly such a set of words in exactly such a sequence.
Measuring tool
Sometimes it is necessary to ensure that it is horizontal during masonry or furniture installation. We usually use a spirit level for this, which tells us if something is horizontal and at a right angle. If we don't have this tool, we can use Google, which measures the right angle based on the sensors in the smartphone. We only have to write "bubble level“.
Metronome
We don't even need a regular metronome anymore, because Google offers us its own. The search under the word " takes us to the lattermetronomes“.
Games for boredom
On Google, we can also find a series of well-known and popular games with which we can pass the time. We need to search between arrays”Zerg Rush“, “Google Pacman“, “Solitaire“, “Minesweeper“, “Snake" and "Tic Tac Toe". If we search for the string "Atari Breakdown", we have to search between the pictures. An insight into the early days of Google and how it looked in, say, 1998 is also interesting. You only need to search for "Google and 1998“.
