Monday 28 May 2012

A Human GoogleWhack - Is there one?

Some time ago Dave Gorman coined the term "googlewhack" which as a two word google search that returned a single find/answer. He then wrote a book, made a TV series and built a website about following up on these unusual items.

In another train of thought, I considered my name to be relatively unusual (though not unique!) and I suspect my parents did too when they christened me. I ocassionally google my name as in this modern world it is useful to know what others my find should they google you and remain surprised at how many people there are with the same name. Indeed in my field of work and locale there are probably four or five.

Now this has pluses and minuses. On the downside you could be tainted by the behaviours and internet record of others while on the upside you can, at times, get lost in the crowd too.

So I had a thought. Is there a person whose name is so unique that the only person thrown up on a google search using that name is them? Now the test would not be quite so elegant as the google search is likely to return multiple references, but if they all related to one person......now wouldn't that be interesting and unusual.

Just think, a single search would tell you all there is that has been indexed on the internet about that person!!!!

There would have to be some rules such as no contrived names that have been legally created. Instead I think two components of family name, by birth or marriage and we could accept double barrelled names, and given name, either as christened or as commonly known professionally. The search would need to be in parenthesis to ensure

Do you think that there is such a name or list of names?

Postscript: I have now found two such names!

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