This section is from the "55 Ways to Have Fun With Google" book, by Philipp Lenssen. Also available from Amazon: 55 Ways to Have Fun With Google
You can use Google to search for people's opinions on everything imaginable. For example, you can enter "I wish I had a ..." into Google and see what people complete this sentence with. I call this method a Googlepoll, and it gives you instant answers to how people are feeling, what they are wishing to achieve, and what obstacles they face. Plus, it's fun.
Following are some of the most interesting Googlepolls – remember you can do your own as well, and all you need is a search engine.
I wish I had ...
a goat
a wife
a red Dress
a cave
a name
a million
a Mac
a Coke
a belief system
a big butt
a nickel for every-time a dollar is spent
a camera, or a digital camera
a wishing well
a bumper sticker
a cat, or a dog
a tri-corder
a PlayStation 2
a friend tonight
a penpal
a dolphin for a boss
a river to skate
a Gonani church i Hawaii
a Boston accent
a brain
Oh poor thing, ...
she needed help but didn't know who to ask
it mustn't had a very good life
it must be schizophrenia
it's so hard for kids to understand
it is sad that this will be the last we see of each other
it must be post-partum depression
it's horrible when your cat is being bullied
it is soooooo sad
it's too hot to be sick
it sucks when you can't relax even at home
it's wet
If only I could ...
be an earthworm
take you in my arms and say, I won't go
read, or write
play it
cash in a little bit
count that high (I'd
count all the stars on high and then my
friends, I think
I'd count all the apples in a pie)
find somebody who'll give me a helping hand
time travel back and "police" patrons with my authority and flashlight at the Avalon Theater in Detroit where I was an usherette
make you see how much you mean to me
speak to you, the way you speak to me
show Al-Qaeda this picture
find my marbles
be certain that no one is going hungry
lie to me
clone myself so I could keep blogging while I tend to regular business
Before I die, I want to ...
know what the "scroll lock" key is for
be the richest man in history
leave sweet memories behind
swim among the reefs in Cozumel and breathe in the colors, the beauty of the flora and fauna
raft through the Grand Canyon
honor my country and protest this barbaric act by singing "God Save the Queen" to all you men
be happy and make someone happy
stay in the ice hotel in Lapland
live again
see the world that lies behind the strangeness of your eyes
run a fantasy RPG with a Philippine setting
give away all my money
be able to own my home, one that I'm proud of, that's located away from lots of people
feel fully satiated with life – self-satisfied!
have a show at MOMA
do something to make the world a better place
establish and strengthen the principles of progress and civilization in my country
meat Marilyn Manson
speak to my God once more as a living man
hit 500 home runs
celebrate me!
see affordable travel to the moon
If I had more time, I would ...
travel around the world
have written a shorter letter, or a shorter story
have called, or e-mailed the author for clarification
provide more details and probably end up with a 20-page paper
go to the gym, anything that keeps you fit and strong
further defend my argument
go to the party
have many, many ideas doodled out on paper that I would love to try to incorporate into fonts
develop my ideas of socialism and the good life
go into greater detail on many important topics
certainly stop at one of the cafe-ouzeries in the back streets for some grilled octopus
have taken the train back
have been more ready for Nationals and Olympic Trials like I wanted to be
realize my mistake
update it much more frequently and put more work into it
learn to ski
have liked to see South Mountain Park as well
explore my expression through painting and photography
Superman looks like ...
a joke
a baby
he was drawn by John Byrne
a loser
he's about to face a firing squad
a dork
he's up to no good
a human (so Brando lost that argument)
a wrathful angel
Tom Cruise
an extra from the OC or something
Frankenstein in Bizarro World
in slow motion (when he changes)
a typical Hong Kong teenager – dyed hair, outrageous clothing and an attitude
And now I'll eat ...
my hat
these bagpipes
lunch on the way back
something (and then lay down in my cleaned and tidy room)
freshly rinsed grapes
just about anything except chicken and bones
only rice for three months
your brains
What scared me most was ...
the clear knowledge I couldn't talk myself out of this situation
the possibility of letting people down – especially me
what was behind the words
the way he looked
not so much things flying around, but the feeling you got in certain areas
the violent oscillation of the wings due to the turbulence
that supposedly at least 10 people signed up for the $3242 Wall Street Workshop right there on the spot!
that I fear communities across America will allow themselves to be torn apart by terror
the idea that these creatures could make you hurt your family
having to tell my parents
at no point did any faculty member discuss how we felt about the Presidential race
being able to hear the imps and zombies breathing
Then I realized that ...
it was just my alarm clock going off in real life
there was no way for me to call her now
we don't need "a wiki"
I may very well end up on that list one day
I had a will, a God (Allah)-given gift: to follow the will of God (Allah).
I'd want to cast a bunch of unknowns and then be responsible for the next wave of superstars
not only was the boat not sinking, but also I had a mask on board
I have no computer to test the stuff (the PC on my desk has IDT C6 on it)
suicide wasn't the answer
there was an underlying theme to everything I have been interested in
I was hooked, even addicted – not to the glamour, etc., of the field, not to the woo-woo psychic persona, but to the thrill of succeeding in experiments – addicted to the thrill of surmounting the impossible
My teacher told me to ...
hold on to the sense "I am" tenaciously and not to swerve from it even a moment
remind her that I had to leave at 1 pm for a dentist appointment
listen to the cars approaching in order to know whether they had stopped or kept going
hold the Japanese flag to celebrate the International diversity of our class
take a big breath before going underwater
walk the nurse
the Columbus Myth that children are taught
pull down the corners of my mouth for stronger low notes
be a good person
disregard time limits, to take care of my parents and all the injured and homeless people, to help the citizens I am sworn to protect
The best day in my life was ...
when I graduated from basic combat training (boot camp)
when I got shot
the day we met, or the day I met my boyfriend, or the day we got married
when I fired you
the day when I first sat at the computer and opened my very own e-mail
when I resigned from being chairman of the board of the universe
going to the Britney Spears concert
when I brought my son home from the hospital
a Saturday not long ago when I first saw my true love Steve in Fort Valley
when I hired you
when I got my dog
October 27, 2004... Georgia vs Russia 2,5 – 1,5!
March 22, 2004 when Limp Bizkit visited Poland
when I was born
What I don't understand is ...
Why do hard working folks spend so much money on a throw-away product and panic when they run out of it?
Why he still was refused the entrance in Russia after the perestroika
Why they had to play this drama just to issue a DOS command
Why can't I be in love with the girl I'm married to?
Why anyone would ever want to randomly play a collection of 4000 tracks at all
Why you chose to do something that can cause you to have a child and then find out you are pregnant?
Why this convergence is happening so quickly
Why do people drive this way
Why pull needed security forces from rescue missions to guard businesses and goods?
Why 710?
Why the wars? Why the fighting? If each side agreed to respect the other?
Why would someone post a photo to the deletemes?
Why didn't they build the thing to Central Puxi in the first place?
Why... aren't the major corporations' heads and stockholders, who are behind all the "progress" – destruction of rainforests, also human?
Why wouldn't the prolife crowd be absolutely thrilled with this pill?
Why would you want a head of hair?
Why do profs assign papers due the same week?
 
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