If a tree falls in the woods does Google cache it?

[NotRob]

(damn smiles!!! keep in mind that for some of what I wrote there is a space in between the "filetype:" and the "pdf" or "xls" that follows it.

I spend far too much time researching things in the course of my studies and I've developed a close bond with Google. Sure there're alot of thing you can do with all the services they offer but here are a few of my favorite:

These aren't google hacks, but instead ways to find things that are out there that you might find interesting.

"index of" inurl:".gov" "inurl:"ftp." filetype: pdf
---This will search for all PDF files on Open Directories on government FTP sites.
-----If you add "confidential" to that search string you can find some interesting things like the following for example:


---Index of Declassified Documents Released to the National Archives ...


Again, these aren't google hacks, but rather ways to find information that is already out there and (almost everytime) accessible through some other means. But playing around with search strings can result in interesting information for those who like to find statistical info and random databases.

Like this Excel file with census data

I found that after digging through this page that I found by replacing the "filetype: pdf" with "filetype: xls" above:

http://blueprod.ssd.census.gov/population/

---------------------------------------------------------------

Who wants PDF eBooks on programming, networking, electronics and software?

Found this:
rickity-click

This site has plenty of the same as the last one plus a few interesting others:
rickity-click
----Note the one titled: "Brain Study - Speech Recognition using Neural Networks"

---------------------------------------------------------------

Other tips and tricks:
Learn the Google search functions

The proverbial "goldmines" of the internet would be pages with information that should be restricted from access, but someone forgot to do so, as well as pages with information that was never meant to be accessible to the general public b/c no one thought anyone would care for it. By this I mean something like what these examples may provide:

intitle:"Index of" admin
---Direcory listing contains administrative files or directories

intitle:"Index of" master.passwd
---you can guess


Play around with stuff like this and if you find anything worthwhile post about it!

[NotRob]

How to find things and info on the FCC website

Finding interesting bits of information isn't just limited to Google. If its an electronic item that has an FCC ID you can find plenty of info on the FCC's website. To start go to:

https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/GenericSearch.cfm

--This is the page from which you can find the specs on some items instead of their other search tools that will get you documentation and legal stuff

The first item is the "Grantee Code:" which, as it explains, is the first three digits of any FCC ID. This code is unique to every company that is filing for the FCC ID and will always (generally) have the same Grantee Code. To find all items that have an FCC ID by that company just do a search for the Grantee Code alone. This'll sometimes give you the specs on products that haven't been formally introduced to the public yet, like next-gen cell phones and junk.

The Grantee Code for Nintendo, for example, is BKE

The search function seems to be down right now, but I've used it about a month ago without any issues.

I first found out from here:

http://gizmodo.com/347821/how-to-discover-secret-gadgets-through-the-fcc

[AndyPants]

You just made me want to stay home all next week and sit in front of my computer digesting infoz

Cool stuff, thanks for the links and info.

[Ditch]

what can you find about extra terrestrials or ufo's? should we call you notrob, or Fox Moulder? lol