- Readers share about the queries they have asked the search engine, from the curious to the mundane
- This week’s question: What is the worst excuse for something you have ever heard?
What would we do without Google to answer all of our random questions? Photo: ShutterstockThis week’s question: What is the worst excuse you have ever heard?
To take part, drop us a line via this form or email us at [email protected] by 11.59pm on March 27. Tell us your name, age and school.
Here’s what our readers recently looked up online ...
Alva Cheng Pui-yau, 12, Pui Kiu College: Recently, I slept after watching the movie Cinderella. At 3am, I suddenly woke up and wondered: “Why did Cinderella’s shoe fall off if it fit perfectly?” It seemed very random, but I couldn’t think of an answer. The shoe would have been bigger than Cinderella’s foot if it fell off. Hence, it would not have fit her when the prince told her to try it on. Finally, I gave up trying to guess and looked it up online. Apparently, her shoe was made from pure magic and designed to fit only Cinderella. Also, her shoe was made from glass, which ensured that it would have fallen on purpose to allow the prince to find her in the end, leading to the “happily ever after”. I certainly didn’t expect this fairy tale to be so scientific.
Karen Cheung Hiu-kwan, 15, SKH Tsang Shiu Tim Secondary School: My last search on Google was “Do animals dream like humans?” Since I had a dream the other day about becoming a zombie, I wondered if animals dream like humans. I was inquisitive about this, so I looked it up. Surprisingly, I found that several animals, including dogs, cats, and elephants, have dreams. When researchers at the University of Chicago studied the brains of zebra finches, they found that when birds fall asleep, they appear to be singing in their dreams based on the order of neural firing. This may mean that zebra finches practise singing in their sleep. This information got me really intrigued and fascinated.
Kam Sin, 17, TWGHs Li Ka Shing College: My most recent search on Google is poe.com. I aimed to use AI to explain a mathematics assignment to my cousin. However, it did not give me the correct data. I cannot understand how it could show the answer to six divided by two as four.
Claire Siu Yiqiao, 13, King Ling College: “Does the hole in the whale’s head spurt water?” was my most recent Google search. I was doing homework, and the topic was endangered animals. I suddenly thought about a cartoon I saw that said whales could use the hole in their head to spurt water. However, Google showed that it is a blowhole that expels air. I was very astonished and intrigued after I read this information.
Josephine Ng Hoi-ching, 13, Pooi To Middle School: Food, of course. I am a total foodie, and I live to eat. On the internet, many bloggers provide information on the best restaurants. I also like to share experiences about restaurants I like with other foodies.
Linus Chan Ho-fong, 13, King Ling College: My latest Google search was on how to deal with stress. My school had recently assigned a lot of work to us, and I felt buried under all the stress. One useful tip I got online was to see the work I did as an individual achievement and to be proud of myself whenever I finished an assignment for school.
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Crystal Xu Jing, 15, Pope Paul VI College: I tried to find the answer to why I cry easily. My tears start falling uncontrollably whenever I go through a slight mood swing. While talking to someone, if I am angry or aggrieved, I cry, and my voice starts trembling. This issue has bothered me for a long time, so I turned to Google for some answers.
Hazel Ho Hei-shuen, 13, Henrietta Secondary School: My most recent search on my iPad’s Google search engine is WhatsApp during school. I didn’t use WhatsApp during class, but I needed to link my WhatsApp account to my iPad for my tutorial classes. My tutor often sends me the material for the class on WhatsApp. I can then retrieve the files she sends me and use them in class.
Lee Lok-ting, 12, Maryknoll Fathers’ School: I usually watch YouTube videos when I am online. I enjoy watching YouTube a lot because I can relax and be entertained through the platform. Watching one to two YouTube videos to refresh yourself from homework and revision is good. You can also gain much knowledge through YouTube, such as life skills and language.
Candy Lui Yik-ting, 16, Fung Kai Liu Man Shek Tong Secondary School: I last searched for a recipe to make a birthday cake. My mum’s birthday is coming up, and I am not keen on buying a gift for her. I want to make something with my hands, which I think will be meaningful. However, I do not know how to make cakes, which is why I searched for the recipe.