Founded by Google alum Anna Patterson, the new search engine Cuil (pronounced “cool”) promised to be more comprehensive and relevant than the big G — and with a sharp magaziney layout. But a week into the launch of cuil.com, there are a few gripes: How much energy should reasonably be put into understanding a search engine’s name? (Cuil is Gaelic for “knowledge,” says the company … though we get “fly, flea or gnat” with our online Gaelic dictionary.) And another thing: Cuil’s “Explore by Category” is supposed to yield a deeper, richer search … but it upturned some totally bizarre results.
We typed in …”Dragon Emperor”
* Because we wanted to: Go see the new “Mummy”
* And were directed to … Cantopop singers, Hong Kong singers
We typed in … “Fish pedicure”
* Because we wanted to: Evaluate the terror of a new beauty trend
* And were directed to … 2003 albums, drama films
We typed in … “Women’s College”
* Because we wanted to: Protect our sister from boys
* And were directed to … hospitals in Toronto, Basketball Hall of Fame
We typed in … “Boing Boing”
* Because we wanted to: Check out the tech blog
* And were directed to … science fiction critics, Playboy playmates
We typed in … “Cuil”
* Because we wanted to: See what was going on there
* And were directed to … Glens of Scotland, towns and villages in Sligo
