Google Does Math!

I don't remember how I found this out, but sometime last week I stumbled upon the fact that Google does math! I have not tested it thoroughly, I only fiddled with it for 5-10 minutes, but it seems that this only works if you type the math problem in the little search box in the upper-right corner of your browser (and of course you must have Google selected as the search engine). I guess this is best explained using an example. If you type in "2 + 2" (without the quotes), it will pop up with suggestions, like normal, but the first suggestion will be "= 4". You could also write it as "2 plus 2". You cannot, however, write out the numbers in word form, like "two plus two". Only numbers work. This works with subtraction, multiplication ( * ), and division ( / ) too. It even works with exponents ( ^ ) and roots (the symbol for roots would be ^ as well, except you would use fraction powers. square root of 4 would be 4^(1/2) ). All these work in word form as well. It also does sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, arcsine, etc. I have not found a way to make it do derivatives and integrals, so I don't think those work.
Anyway, this has made me wonder why Google decided to add a calculator to their search engine. What is the point? Maybe just because they could. Maybe to bug the people who figure it out, like me.
Since this post is about Google, I feel obligated to talk about googol. A googol is an actual number, 10 raised to the 100th power. That is, a one with one hundred zeros after it:

100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A googolplex is even bigger. It is a one with one googol of zeros after it. I can't even imagine trying to write that out. So, I don't know if Google got its name from the googol, but it probably did, since Google searches googols of websites to find the ones you want.

A Long Silence

Well, it's been a very long time since my last blog post. I have no good excuse for not writing, except that I got lazy and life got busy and I just forgot about it. But as you can see, I remembered my blog today, and I decided to post again. My goal is to start writing new posts fairly regularly, but we'll see what happens. Anyway, time to get to the topic of this post: people. Specifically, people at the college I attend, but I think this can apply to the general public of the United States.
About a week ago, I was walking across campus to my dorm, having just finished my last class of the day. As I walked, I observed all the students whom I passed. I began to see them differently, not just seeing their outward appearance, but seeing the emotions that were likely hidden underneath. What I saw was a lot of lonely and hurting people. I immediately thought of the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby, which talks about "all the lonely people". And I thought about how what everyone is looking for is God, even though they don't know it. They are lonely and hurting because they continue to try to find meaning in the things this world has to offer. I've tried that too, and I realized that the world will always leave you thirsting for more. Only God can quench your thirst. Though, after you get a taste for God, you end up needing more and more of Him, which is a good thing.
So, something I challenge myself, and anyone who reads this, to do, is to be brave and smile at people as you pass them in life. Make eye contact, show them that someone notices them. Also, if you see someone who seems in need, in any aspect, don't just pass them by, help them. We are so consumed with ourselves in the US, and all that does is hurt everyone in the long run. I think it's time to change what it means to be a typical American. Just a smile can go a long way.

p.s.

This whole thing has inspired a short story, which I hope to have done by the end of October, if not sooner. When it is done, I'll probably post at least part of it here.