The other night in the office, we were tasked to rush something as part of a programme for staff. There were vague instructions set upon us to complete our task using unfamiliar system and terminology. The most specific instructions were to use our best psychic abilities (sorry, boss, couldn’t help myself here) to complete the tasks set for us to complete. No problem, I can do that.
As I started working, I got pinged left and right with private messages like, “what is the current dollar to peso exchange rate?” Some were more mundane like, “I know I found it in some obscure site but I can’t seem to remember the title.” Then there was the odd ball question on how to convert a unit of measurement from metric to english. Again, no problem but I did a double take and thought to myself, how did I suddenly become the office currency expert? Or maybe I was asleep and dreaming it all. Did I suddenly become Mr. Know-it-all? Doubtful. I pray to the god, just like everyone else.
So I took a little time out (I was sitting in my chair far too long already, anyway) and walked to my peers one by one and showed them how to pray with efficiency and effectiveness. First was the question of currency exchange. In the god’s prayer box (search box/bar), type in Amount Cur in Cur. Like 50 usd in php for what $50 is equivalent to in Philippine Pesos. For the areas, do the same… 30 acres in hectares, 12 feet in meters or 12 ft in m to make it shorter. The results genuinely surprised them all with the general reaction set to, “ooooh… it can do that?” It made me smile. And I admit, made my day.
So a sermon sounding instructional lecture spout forth from my lips: yes, you can use google as a calculator, currency converter, etc. Yes, you can also do site specific, targeted, searches. You can search for almost anything. After all, isn’t google a god? Just be sure to pray correctly in the most dignified of manner.
The feeling of being, so far, the only priest of the church of google (with a black belt) in the office was nice. Though it can get tiring if there are too many requests coming in so I have decided to share the two files I’ve downloaded ages ago in learning to pray. The prayer books or the bible for the church. They are now available for download from here. Links below. Click and enjoy. If you want to share your experiences, the comment boxes are still open.
Downloads: Google Cheat Sheet 1 and 2
What They Said