Searching for AIDS: Google strikes again [Hardin MD Notes]

[Eric Rumsey]

The "dumb computer" behind most search engines is nowhere more in evidence 
than when doing a search for an ambiguous word such as AIDS. Any reasonably 
aware human being realizes that a search for "aids" is likely looking for 
the disease AIDS. But to a search engine, all occurrences of the word are 
given equal weight. So can a search engine be smart enough to "know" that a 
search for "aids" is almost certain to be looking for the disease? Until 
recently, probably not. But new developments are bringing improvements.

For more see:
Searching for AIDS: Google strikes again
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/notes6.html


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Eric Rumsey, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
University of Iowa, Iowa City IA 52242
<eric-rumsey at uiowa.edu>
319-335-9875 (voice), 319-335-9897 (fax)
Hardin Meta Directory of Internet Health Sources - Kudos -
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/news.html