Thursday 8 June 2006

Powerful but not Invincible

My husband overestimates the Power of Google. “Do you remember *Uncle* Shag?” he enquired. “You never met him, he sent us a carving knife set for a wedding present and he died not long after. Then, his daughter wrote to let me know when her mother died too.”

Well, I remember the name, hard to forget really.

“I’d like to get in touch with the daughter again, can you look her up?”
“What’s her name, where does she live?”
“I don’t know, I thought you could Google Uncle Shag.”
“Has he some reason to be immortalised on the internet? What was his first name, anyway?”
“I don’t know, what’s Shag short for?”
I played it straight.
“It’s not short for anything, it’s a nickname. Anyway, even if you knew, how would that lead me to his married daughter, when you don’t know anything about her?”

Well, I did my best. He knew Shag’s father’s name, but unfortunately it was William Wallace. You Google William Wallace and see where it gets you. I looked up the place where he used to work, but it doesn’t exist any more. I tried the 1901 census, and got sidetracked into looking up our families instead.

He says he will search his memory for a few more clues.

4 comments:

Pat said...

That is asking a lot I agree but mostly I'm delighted with Google.

Z said...

He is a trusting soul and he thinks the internet, under my twinkling fingers, can do anything!

DC said...

I'd have thought googling 'shag' would be quiet dangerous.

Z said...

Too right, I didn't risk it, as I have a pure-minded and easily shocked husband.