Neat new (useless) feature on the MSN page

This might go better in a comment about web redesign in general, but I don't want to get into that just yet. I have a special mass of vitriol to give to that particular discussion.

I just had a flareup of Modern Living Syndrome:

• Go here
• On the very very top of the frame, click on the "Instant X" link (as I write this, it's "Instant Conversion: Miles in a 10k?"
• It will bring up a search for "10 km to miles" using MSN's search engine
  
• What appears is a bewildering array of search results, none of which appears to address the number of miles in "a" 10k

Now, when you speak about "a" 10k, you're referring to a footrace, right? Probably?? Here are my search results:

• Santorini, Greece - ... in Greece in 1,650 B.C. was one of the largest ( VEI=6 ) in the last 10,000 years . About 7 cubic miles (30 cubic km) of rhyodacite magma was erupted. The plinian column during the initial phase of the ...
• Recent Earthquakes - Map for 120-39 - ... Other Sites that Host these Maps Real-time Shaking Maps Other Maps: Recent earthquakes with fault and topographic information Click on an earthquake on the above map for more information. Did you feel it ...
  
• RunTex, The Runner's Store - Actual: 1500 Meters 1 mile 3000 Meters 2 miles 3 miles 5 Km 8 Km 5 miles 10 Km 15 Km 10 miles 20 Km Half Marathon 25 Km 30 Km Marathon 50 Km New Distance Hours Mins Secs Pace (min) Pace (sec) Predicted: 1500 Meters 1 ...
  
• Event Timing and Management: Race Headquarters - Race Headquarters is an event timing company based in Port Coquitlam BC Race Headquarters Race ... We are a Coquitlam based company, that specializes in event timing and results ...
  

Yes. Some of those have something to do with racing. Not one of them tells you how many miles are in a 10k. On the second page of search results, I see this:

• 27th Living History Farms 10 Km - 6.214 miles - Urbandale, Iowa Nov. 19, 2005 40 degrees and Cloudy Results by Cal Murdock Quick Summary Age Groups Overall 10K Coed Teams 1 Mile Use the Find option of your Web ...

Ok, so I might be able to assume that 10 km = 6.214 miles. Now, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't call this "instant", nor would I call it a "conversion". It happened to do a search which, on the 11th result, happened to contain someone's manual calculation in the header of the web page.

If you click through to any of the first 4 links, there's not one place where the conversion is performed for you. The RunTex link provides a calculator, which you have to fill in yourself, before you can get the answer.

Here's why I love Google, and why I think they're going to be valuable in the fight against MLS.

Click here

Now that's an instant answer. Microsoft has just sold me on using Google more, and they've given me the syntax to be able to do it right. Thanks, M$!

Another example:

• "Instant Answer: Where is Torino?" - Now this gives you a dictionary definition: "Turin (Italian Torino), city, northwestern Italy, capital of Turin Province and of Piedmont Region (Piemonte), at the confluence of the Po and Dora ... - but I clicked several times on this link, and that instant answer didn't always show up. Now see what Google gives you.

Astounding.

"Instant" means instant. Google understands that.

Ok, MLS moment over. Glad to get that out of my system.
MM