Computer Related > Broken Google custom range? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Crankcase Replies: 26
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 09:27 
 Broken Google custom range? - Crankcase
Could someone do me a favour?

Stick the word "France" into Google. Then choose search tools, and change "Any Time" to "Custom Range". Are you able to make it show any results at all between 1890 and 1915 for France, or indeed any other search term?

Mine today says "no results", which is clearly silly - I use custom date ranges all the time for searching archives for all sorts of things back that far and beyond, and "France" would normally yield acres of results.

I don't know whether Google is currently broken or I've got something somewhere blocking it in some manner.

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 Thu 17 Apr 14 09:35 
 Broken Google custom range? - Focusless
Just got one result - "Cineplex Home Video/World International Network Video by ..."

1970 - 1980 got quite a few results though.
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 09:46 
 Broken Google custom range? - Crankcase
Thank you. Having just done it again, I now get one result - not yours, Focusless - from 1970, which clearly isn't in the right date range.

I reckon it's stuffed but being fixed, I hope.

Amazing how much you get used to it. I was very sad when they pulled the News Archive project, although you can still get some results through the main search. The Google Newspapers thing isn't being developed either, and isn't a brilliant interface.

And Bing doesn't seem to have archive material at all, or if it does, I don't know how find it.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Thu 17 Apr 14 at 09:47
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 09:54 
 Broken Google custom range? - Focusless
In the Google search filters help it does say:
"Publish date: Limit results according to when they were published on the Web."

implying you'd be unlikely to find anything before 1990, never mind 1900. But I can't find anything that says this behaviour has changed from what you were expecting.

support.google.com/websearch/answer/142143?hl=en
Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 17 Apr 14 at 09:55
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 10:03 
 Broken Google custom range? - Crankcase
Nor can I, but thanks for looking.

In the meantime I just tried the same search again and now my one result has vanished again, leaving me nothing. It's something weird that looks like it isn't under my control then, so I'm going to use other things (like the wonderful Gallica website and/or app on the iPad/iPhone just in case anyone cares) for today's research and hope it sorts itself in due course.

Last edited by: Crankcase on Thu 17 Apr 14 at 10:04
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 10:35 
 Broken Google custom range? - Zero
As the internet wasnt invented before 1960, there would be no entries loaded up between 1890 and 1910
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 10:39 
 Broken Google custom range? - Focusless
See my previous post - if it worked before, implies a behaviour change.
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 10:43 
 Broken Google custom range? - Zero
Ok whatever - have it your way.
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 10:48 
 Broken Google custom range? - Focusless
Eh? 'My way', as you put it, is the same as 'your way' (unless I misunderstood), but was also trying to understand why it appears to have been different before.
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 11:06 
 Broken Google custom range? - Crankcase
Indeed. It's almost as if the current behaviour is "the date at which Google put it on the net" as opposed to "the date at which the article was written", which is how it was forever until, let's see about a week or two ago was when I last used it I suppose.

I see on 24th March Google "did something techy" to search, which might or might not have a bearing. I'm sure it will sort, or it's back to real books and catalogues for me!

Last edited by: Crankcase on Thu 17 Apr 14 at 11:07
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 12:49 
 Broken Google custom range? - No FM2R
I don't use the date range much, but as it happens I did use it about 3 weeks ago when I was seeking something specific.

At that time it used the page published/amended date, not the date to which the article or document referred.
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 12:53 
 Broken Google custom range? - No FM2R
>>I see on 24th March Google "did something techy" to search

www.restontechwiz.com/new-changes-keeping-google-places-relevant-date

So seemingly unrelated.
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 Thu 17 Apr 14 14:28 
 Broken Google custom range? - Crankcase
Hmm. At least as of last November it was behaving as I remember - (lifted quote)

Quote

"When you use the custom date range, Google isn't listing results based on the date they were indexed. Google is using an estimated publication date.

Google tries to estimate the the publication date based on meta-data and other features of the page such as dates in the content, title and URL. The date Google first indexed the page is just one of the things that Google can use to estimate the publication date."

Endquote

So this might imply it's not at present (or worse, no longer) looking at the content to get the dates, just at the indexing date. I can feel my lower lip beginning to tremble.

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 Thu 17 Apr 14 14:39 
 Broken Google custom range? - Focusless
Just in case anyone else is interested:
moz.com/community/q/is-it-possible-that-google-may-have-erroneous-indexing-dates

I guess Google were persuaded it was a bug (or at least not what people wanted) and 'fixed' it, unless it really is just broken at the moment.
Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 17 Apr 14 at 14:41
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 Sat 19 Apr 14 21:41 
 Broken Google custom range? - Crankcase
The silly bees. They seem to have shoved it over into google books. If you search there then you get an option to display books or "any document" and you can choose 19th century or whatever. And up come letters and magazine articles and so forth.

Only stumbled over that, not seen any kind of announcement. Maybe it's always been that way.

Oh well, happy I can still get what I want from Google, even in a different way.

For now. Wouldn't trust them to keep anything, and that includes gmail.
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 Sat 19 Apr 14 22:03 
 Broken Google custom range? - Zero
you could of course always go back to pre google way of doing your searches?
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 Sat 19 Apr 14 22:20 
 Broken Google custom range? - Crankcase
>> you could of course always go back to pre google way of doing your searches?

That would severely curtail it. I'm grateful for what can be done with Google, but very prepared for the whole thing vanishing.
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 Sat 19 Apr 14 22:07 
 Broken Google custom range? - No FM2R
>>Wouldn't trust them to keep anything, and that includes gmail.

Damn right.

They have a plan and a path towards the future that they envisage. You need to hope that whatever service of theirs you use is part of that strategy.
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 Sat 19 Apr 14 22:18 
 Broken Google custom range? - Zero
>> >>Wouldn't trust them to keep anything, and that includes gmail.
>>
>> Damn right.
>>
>> They have a plan and a path towards the future that they envisage. You need
>> to hope that whatever service of theirs you use is part of that strategy.

They exist to make money, and they do that by providing services that people want, and doing it better than anyone else. They could very easily be usurped by someone else.

But its amazing really someone comes along and provides one with more instant access to more data and information than one has ever had before at no cost, and suddenly people start whining about it.

Ungrateful gits.
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 Sat 19 Apr 14 22:23 
 Broken Google custom range? - Crankcase
I tell you what, zero. You can be quite...strange...really.

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      2  
 Sat 19 Apr 14 22:26 
 Broken Google custom range? - No FM2R
You've been a pointlessly argumentative git, far above your normal talented performance, for about 2 weeks now.

Got your willy caught in a drawer?
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      2  
 Sat 19 Apr 14 22:32 
 Broken Google custom range? - Zero
Me argumentative?

This site more or less now consists of people almost constantly whining and whinging about anything everything and everyone. Everyones got an axe to grind about stuff they never had before. This thread is typical.

And you have the ruddy cheek to complain about me being positive about stuff?

Now tell me, what exactly did I say that was not true? Is it not true that google exist to make money? is it not true that they have provided you with more access to more stuff faster than you have ever had before? Is it not true that you are now whinging about it?
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 19 Apr 14 at 22:33
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      1  
 Sat 19 Apr 14 22:51 
 Broken Google custom range? - No FM2R
>>Me argumentative?

Just for the sake of clarity, are you arguing about whether or not you are argumentative?


>> Is it not true that you are now whinging about it?

Fighting through the negatives, I think that is not true because I am not whinging about it.

I merely said that they will continue to offer serviced and approaches that are part of their future goals. Implying that if the service is not in that vision, then you are likely to lose it.

Do you disagree?

Equally I wouldn't have thought that the following was "whinging"...

"I'm grateful for what can be done with Google, but very prepared for the whole thing vanishing. "
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      1  
 Sat 19 Apr 14 22:52 
 Broken Google custom range? - No FM2R
I'm sure I don't need to say it but for the avoidance of doubt the frowny face was *not* from me.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sat 19 Apr 14 at 22:54
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      1  
 Sun 20 Apr 14 06:55 
 Broken Google custom range? - Crankcase
>> I'm sure I don't need to say it but for the avoidance of doubt the
>> frowny face was *not* from me.


Interestingly, since I can't imagine anyone else is reading this thread much, it wasn't from me either. I don't do scowlies ever, only green thumbs for posts that amuse or entertain or move me. There are lots of those scattered about, as of course this is a great site full of interesting people telling other strangers about interesting things in their lives, or asking questions that lead to great discussions.

If of course you were for some reason having a bad couple of weeks and were feeling a bit embittered about something or other, you might well misread stuff, misinterpret stuff or miss nuances. Well, that's ok too, because life is like that sometimes. In Dog like phrase, "like wow, man. Peace."

And of course, Happy Easter.

Last edited by: Crankcase on Sun 20 Apr 14 at 06:58
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      1  
 Sat 19 Apr 14 23:08 
 Broken Google custom range? - Zero
Its what I call "drainhole gazing" rather than walking along thinking how good life is, its head down searching for the crap in drain holes.

Its is part of the endemic issue with site - everyone is almost constantly looking at the negatives.


"Wow google is so good that someone must surely take it away from me"



Its all hugely depressing.
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      1  
 Sat 19 Apr 14 23:15 
 Broken Google custom range? - No FM2R
>>everyone is almost constantly looking at the negatives.

I don't necessarily disagree with your point, but generally you are being crabbier than a crabby thing on a crabby day having a particularly crabby moment about something which makes it crabby.
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