Shmoogle (2005)
Shmoogle was created to explore how the notion of chaos could be translated to the internet.
It has become a powerful statement on the current epistemological processes that shape our most basic decisions.
Shmoogle is a random search engine. The user types in a query, the Shmoogle engine fetches all of Google's results for that query and presents them in random order.
Sample: Shmoogle search for "Art"
For Shmoogle, all results are equal; they're all displayed on a single scroll-down page. Each result shows its original Google ranking. Shmoogle is also non-deterministic; Repeating the same query will produce the same results but in a different random order.
By randomly ordering the results, the user gets back the right to vote. The user decides which is more important and which is less. Presenting all results on a single page encourages the user to browse through more results than she would typically do on a regular search engine, thus giving her an instant survey of available information.
If Google is a search engine, Shmoogle is a research engine.
Shmoogle has been widely presented and debated in conferences and workshops across Europe, the US, and Israel. It has been featured in magazines, daily newspapers, and countless blogs.