I’ve been looking at alternatives to Google Search. You should too. Lately, things are getting weird at Google. In short, I think they’ve lost direction. Google’s original thing was simple: fast, accurate search results without a bunch of clutter. That’s changed. Google is increasingly pushing itself into the social media business. I’m not sure exactly when the course correction started but the battleship is most certainly steaming in that direction now with the emergence of Google+ and the “added benefit” of Searching Your World.

Nevertheless, it seems increasingly clear to me that I don’t want to keep giving my information over to the Google masters. Looking at the original three reasons to use Google search (accuracy, clean interface, and speed), it occurs to me that Google search results are no longer as accurate as they give preference to their own services over others. Moreover, Google search results are no longer as clutter-free as they once were.

Then there is privacy. Lots of people are unhappy with Google’s latest revisions to the privacy policy, which makes clear they are sharing your data across all of their services, like it or not. This really doesn’t shock me. I’ve always known that in the Google business model, advertising agencies are the “customer” and I am the “product.” This is why I could never embrace Gmail despite its many benefits. Regardless, this adds a fourth component to choosing the best search engine that didn’t exist when Google was a plucky start-up, privacy. While my search results are pretty milk-toast, I don’t like the idea of someone using them to sell me milk and toast. Google indexes everything.

Adding privacy to the mix, my new criteria for a browser are, in order of priority: 1. accuracy, 2. privacy, 3. Clean UI, and 4. Speed. I list speed last because it is relative. I want something fast but it doesn’t have to be the fastest. So long as I don’t have to check my watch waiting for results I am fine. So where does this leave me with Google? On the outs.

Enter the Duck

I took Ben Brooks’s advice and started using DuckDuckGo a few weeks ago. It reminds me of Google 10 years ago. The search page is really clean and the results are very accurate. I’m guessing it is slower that Google’s search but it isn’t noticeable. Moreover, DuckDuckGo has the kind of security policy that I can curl up with and get comfy.

DuckDuckGo does not collect or share personal information. That is our privacy policy in a nutshell.

So I’ve been running it two weeks and I don’t miss Google. It displays search results on a clean page, they feel just as accurate as a Google search would without the spam and Google+ bias, it is fast enough, and they don’t track a damn thing. Winner.

Adding DuckDuckGo to My Life

Since Apple has not added DuckDuckGo as a possible default search engine for Mac OS X or iOS, you need to do a little bit of legwork.

For the Mac, you can use Glims to update Safari’s in-app search bar. Since I do >90% of my searches with LaunchBar, I created a custom search template. To create one, display your LaunchBar index (from the Index menu) and select Search Templates. Then tap the Add button and add a new search template for DuckDuckGo pointing at http://www.duckduckgo.com/*

Next time you fire up LaunchBar, type duck, hit the spacebar, and go.

For iOS, I just added the search page to my bookmark bar as Duck. This syncs between my devices using the iCloud bookmark syncing feature and performing a new search just requires me to tap the word. There is also an iOS apps if you prefer.

After using Google search for so long, I was surprised at how easy it was to dump it and how little I miss it. Give DuckDuckGo a try.

Mac Power Users Episode 71, Harry McCracken’s iPad is live. Harry is a really smart guy who wrote this article about how he rolls with his iPad. Harry told us the whole story. Get the episode over at 5by5. Also, don’t forget to subscribe in iTunes.

Déjà Vu is your visual memory. Use the app by taking pictures of things you would like to remember. For example, products you see in a magazine, recipes you read in a cooking book, wine labels in a restaurant, Newspaper article, DVDs, CDs or event flyers. Each picture is a visual memo. A regular camera app doesn’t distinguish those photos of stuff from “regular” photos. Déjà Vu helps people organize and structure their visual memos in an easy and effective way. It does this by a tailored interface for tagging and categorization and integration of image recognition technology.

Features

• Quick shot camera (allows faster picture taking)
• Image recognition integrated
• Syncs with cloud account
• Easy search (find your visual memos by keywords and tags)
• Map location (locate your visual memos on a map)
• Available on iPhone and Web

Free for up to 30 visual memos/month. Learn more at Kooaba.

I just spent four days basking in Apple geekiness. That’s right, I survived another Macworld trip. For those who missed out, shame on you. Nevertheless, here is my recap.

The Conference

This year IDG drastically reduced the cost of a conference pass with introduction of iFan pass. If you bought early enough, it was just $75 ($125 at the show). The iFan got you into all of the Tech Talks.

As a result, there were a lot more people in the conference sessions, and that was great. The conference level and the sessions were full of people. As a speaker, I loved it. Several attendees told me this was the first time they’d gone to the conference and they were getting lots out of it. In summary, the reduced price conference pass seems a huge win for everyone. (The picture below shows the 40 tips crowd.)

The Show Floor

The show floor was the usual assortment of software, hardware, and plastic iCases. I was happy to see several of my favorite vendors (Omni Group, Smile, BusyCal) along with several new iOS and Mac developers. This is the second Macworld since the iPad was released and the changes are not subtle. There are a lot of iOS related developers and accessories. The event is most certainly evolving and while there were Mac app developers present, there were more iOS vendors. This really isn’t a surprise. Macworld changed its name to Macworld | iWorld as the community adjusts to reflect Apple’s current products.

It is easy to complain about the case vendors but they have been at Macworld since the iPod was a hit and, frankly, they help keeps the lights on. The one blemish on the show from my point of view is the increasing number of “booth babes”. Walking in the Expo hall, the first thing I saw was a girl in a skin tight outfit with a QR code on her ass. It is just lame on so many levels. I’m not sure what can be done to discourage this behavior. I can only say anything I’m involved with will not be focussing attention on companies and products that advertise that way.

Traffic on the floor was busy every time I was there. I was surprised how busy the floor remained even Saturday afternoon as the show came to a close. I don’t know what the final numbers were but I suspect they were higher than last year.

The Social Part

There is little surprise that the social end of Macworld is alive and well. Parties and gatherings took place every night. I attended several and they remain the love-fest of Apple enthusiasts that they’ve always been. It is these shared meals, parties, and conversations that make it worth the trip. Every year I reconnect with old friends and make several new ones. This year was no different.

Much of the success I’ve enjoyed from MacSparky grows from friendships I’ve made in Moscone Center. As Steve Stanger aptly explained to me, “Once you’ve attended Macworld, you can’t possibly imagine a future Macworld without being there.” I’ve already reserved the dates for next year. (January 31-February 2, 2013).

As evidenced by the complete failure to post over the last few days, I’m really enjoying Macworld (again). If you are at the event today and want to learn a few OmniFocus tricks, stop by the Omni Booth at 11 a.m. Make sure to say hello afterward.

Nuts.

Remember when all of us Mac users worried that the computer we loved was about to become extinct? I think Apple is okay now. While everyone is going to start wondering which companies Apple will buy, don’t forget that they will continue to leverage this cash to buy components cheaper and vex their competitors.

If you are going to be in San Francisco this week, mark this page.

That Katie Floyd has got. it. together.

Mac Power Users Episode 70, Automator with Ben Waldie, is live. Next to Apple employee, Sal Saghoian, Ben is probably the smartest guy out there to talk about Mac automation. The challenge of this episode was to explain how it all works with no screen to show off Ben’s tricks. I think we did a pretty good job. Even if you’ve never heard of Automator, this episode is worth a listen. Get the episode over at 5by5. Also, don’t forget to subscribe in iTunes.