I've never liked the idea of asking Google personal questions. By "personal questions," I don't mean questions about Google, I mean questions about me. Like "Why did my toenail fall off?" Sure, search terms are fine, but questions? As if Google were my doctor or therapist or wise grandmother? It always felt too weird. But recently I've been enlisting Google's sage advice more often, albeit not in full question form, and I'm finding that most of the answers are coming from Yahoo. Yahoo Answers, to be exact. Yahoo Answers is basically akin to standing on the street and asking random strangers to answer questions they may or may not know anything about. One person asks, and the whole world can respond. Here are some recent searches I've done that have turned up a range of Yahoo Answers:
gas burner left on all day? (call 911, open all the windows, don't touch any electronics, turn on fans to blow away "gas pockets")
grape skins indigestion? (allergic, you ate too many, call your doctor, too much fiber, mold, yeast, pesticides, anthrax...)
garlic sprouting can i use? (no, yes, bad for you, good for you, tastes bitter/nutty/mild/delicious/horrible)
Thus, out of democracy springs truth, or at least a few good guesses.
Comments