Kernel Mustard

I just ran across this article talking about how amateurish Google’s front page looks. My favorite quote:

Renowned Flash Developer Joshua Davis has mocked a site up that maps real physical information to the virtual space of the Internet. It might be a tad too cluttered for Google’s liking but displays some key points and throws it all out on the table for a much needed Google redesign brainstorming session.

The day Google hires a renowned Flash developer to re-do their home page is the day I start a search engine.

What a joke.

Some enterprising young entrepreneur out there can take this one and run with it.

I want confidence-based, adaptive spell checking. I want my spell checker to see when I type the word ewe instead of we and underline it in pink or something (instead of the default red) that means something like I doubt that you really meant to use this word. Yes, ewe is a valid English word, but it was the result of a stuttering middle finger. And I have never e-mailed about sheep, to my knowledge, so it’s probably not what I meant to say.

Furthermore, I want it to adapt to my history. Look in my sent items folder, and other folders of my choosing, and see what words I type a lot. If the word isn’t on the list, underline it in pink automatically. If it’s lowly ranked on the list, underline it in lighter pink. I dunno; play with the colors, but you get the idea. Let me right-click it and change the confidence level, for this document/message or permanently (maybe I have a sheep shearing hobby or something).

I know this is a more intensive spell checking routine, but it can’t be any worse than Word’s grammar checker in terms of CPU time, and the grammar checker is very nearly useless anyway. Let’s re-purpose the cycles!