Commentary - pcgazette.com

Commentary
pcgazette.com

Internet search for one's own name produces mixed results, some fun and some unnerving

By JIM SCHUH
of The Gazette
"You'll be amazed!" aptly describes what's likely to happen when you go to an Internet search engine, type your own name and start the search. You may find something about yourself or something you've written, and even if you've never been published, you're likely to find something by someone who shares your name. While it can be fun to see what turns up, it also can be unnerving to locate what others find when they type in your name.

I typed "Jim Schuh" in the Google search engine blank, and three of the first 10 items that popped up were references to things I'd written. The first was a column from last year about leaving Interstate highways and driving on lesser-used two-lane highways if you really want to enjoy scenery.

The second item referenced a three-part piece I did on broadcast call letters in 1999. And the eighth item on the page was one that corrected and added to a column I'd written about broadcast history in the Stevens Point area. Bob Wundrock was kind, calling his addition to my piece, "a clarification." He wrote that rather than going on the air in the 1930s, WLBL, the public station at Auburndale, first began to broadcast in 1923. At one time, the station's studios were at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. My belated thanks to him for his correction.

The remaining seven entries on what Google said were the first 10 of about 13,000 items dealt with other Schuhs. One mentioned Jim Schuh, the interactive manager at Kimberly-Clark Corp., and another had to do with Dennis Schuh, and carried the headline, "Dennis Schuh derelict prosecutor?" That piqued my interest, so I opened the item to find a grievance from a disgruntled animal owner that Mr. Schuh, a district attorney, failed to prosecute a man who shot the complainant's cat.

I found my name again twice on page 2 - once in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story about newspapers in Portage County, and again in an article in the UW-Stevens Point newsletter, "Sundial," discussing the founding of the adult retirement learning group, LIFE.

An old listing on page four lists me as vice-chairman of the Portage County chapter of the American Red Cross, and as a member of the Village of Plover Technology Committee, which I think disbanded a year or two ago. So some things are outdated, and probably will remain on the Internet long after you're on the wrong side of the grass.

I was certain that searching Google for Schuh would include something in German, and I was not disappointed. "Schuh" means "shoe" in German. I clicked an entry on the third page that read, "Der Schuh des Manitu Harry Potter und die Kammer de Star Wars." Up came the German "Amazon.com" site. Since the last time I last utilized my German translating skills was about 20 years ago when I deciphered a letter to a friend from a German historical society, I was fortunate to spot a translation button, so I clicked it. Here's what popped up: "Orders in the InterNet to buy particularly favorably, inexpensive and cheaply and forwarding expenses-free supply leave. The shoe one International Telecommunication Union of the Harry Potter and the chamber de Star Wars: Episode I - Dunthe Lilo & Stitch Ice Age star gate command Sg-1 consequence 5 Harry Potter and the stone the star gates command Sg-1 consequence 5 gentleman of the rings - the companions Shrek - the daring hero." Obviously, the translator left a great deal to be desired. I should mention that there were many more German language listings on the "Schuh" site in Google.

More searching revealed my name on the current local Red Cross site - this time I'm listed (correctly) as chairman. On the fifth Google page was another reference to my connection with the LIFE program. The Portage County Business Council site on page 7 listed an award I received in 1997, and page 9 led to Tim Cuprisin's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel column mentioning that I'd be receiving an award from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.

But the funny one was on page 14, leading to a "Slam Room" on which someone who didn't like my rantings about how lousy much of local radio had become, commented, "Jim Schuh is a doorknob." The author forgot to include his name.

Last week, I received an email from Jon Enslin of UW Whitewater who came upon a column I'd written four years ago about how highways got their numerical designations. He was kind enough to explain the genesis of Wisconsin's highway numbers, going back to 1918. He also provided the Internet address - http://tinyurl.com/fqvs - showing a map with the old highway designations. If you go to that site and enlarge it, you'll find Highway 10 running north and south roughly where I-39 is today, and Highway 18 east and west from Appleton to Marshfield. We still call part of that road east of Stevens Point "Old Highway 18" today.

A couple of parting thoughts: Be careful what you sign your name to, and be prepared for surprise (and not always kind) messages from strangers.

You may reach Jim Schuh at The Gazette, or by e-mail at jpschuh@yahoo.com.



	Internet search for one's own name produces mixed results, some fun and some unnerving By JIM SCHUH of The Gazette "You'll be amazed!" aptly describes what's likely to happen when you go to an Internet search engine, type your own name and start the search. You may find something about yourself or something you've written, and even if you've never been published, you're likely to find something by someone who shares your name. While it can be fun to see what turns up, it also can be unnerving to locate what others find when they type in your name. I typed "Jim Schuh" in the Google search engine blank, and three of the first 10 items that popped up were references to things I'd written. The first was a column from last year about leaving Interstate highways and driving on lesser-used two-lane highways if you really want to enjoy scenery. The second item referenced a three-part piece I did on broadcast call letters in 1999. And the eighth item on the page was one that corrected and added to a column I'd written about broadcast history in the Stevens Point area. Bob Wundrock was kind, calling his addition to my piece, "a clarification." He wrote that rather than going on the air in the 1930s, WLBL, the public station at Auburndale, first began to broadcast in 1923. At one time, the station's studios were at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. My belated thanks to him for his correction. The remaining seven entries on what Google said were the first 10 of about 13,000 items dealt with other Schuhs. One mentioned Jim Schuh, the interactive manager at Kimberly-Clark Corp., and another had to do with Dennis Schuh, and carried the headline, "Dennis Schuh derelict prosecutor?" That piqued my interest, so I opened the item to find a grievance from a disgruntled animal owner that Mr. Schuh, a district attorney, failed to prosecute a man who shot the complainant's cat. I found my name again twice on page 2 - once in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story about newspapers in Portage County, and again in an article in the UW-Stevens Point newsletter, "Sundial," discussing the founding of the adult retirement learning group, LIFE. An old listing on page four lists me as vice-chairman of the Portage County chapter of the American Red Cross, and as a member of the Village of Plover Technology Committee, which I think disbanded a year or two ago. So some things are outdated, and probably will remain on the Internet long after you're on the wrong side of the grass. I was certain that searching Google for Schuh would include something in German, and I was not disappointed. "Schuh" means "shoe" in German. I clicked an entry on the third page that read, "Der Schuh des Manitu Harry Potter und die Kammer de Star Wars." Up came the German "Amazon.com" site. Since the last time I last utilized my German translating skills was about 20 years ago when I deciphered a letter to a friend from a German historical society, I was fortunate to spot a translation button, so I clicked it. Here's what popped up: "Orders in the InterNet to buy particularly favorably, inexpensive and cheaply and forwarding expenses-free supply leave. The shoe one International Telecommunication Union of the Harry Potter and the chamber de Star Wars: Episode I - Dunthe Lilo & Stitch Ice Age star gate command Sg-1 consequence 5 Harry Potter and the stone the star gates command Sg-1 consequence 5 gentleman of the rings - the companions Shrek - the daring hero." Obviously, the translator left a great deal to be desired. I should mention that there were many more German language listings on the "Schuh" site in Google. More searching revealed my name on the current local Red Cross site - this time I'm listed (correctly) as chairman. On the fifth Google page was another reference to my connection with the LIFE program. The Portage County Business Council site on page 7 listed an award I received in 1997, and page 9 led to Tim Cuprisin's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel column mentioning that I'd be receiving an award from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. But the funny one was on page 14, leading to a "Slam Room" on which someone who didn't like my rantings about how lousy much of local radio had become, commented, "Jim Schuh is a doorknob." The author forgot to include his name. Last week, I received an email from Jon Enslin of UW Whitewater who came upon a column I'd written four years ago about how highways got their numerical designations. He was kind enough to explain the genesis of Wisconsin's highway numbers, going back to 1918. He also provided the Internet address - http://tinyurl.com/fqvs - showing a map with the old highway designations. If you go to that site and enlarge it, you'll find Highway 10 running north and south roughly where I-39 is today, and Highway 18 east and west from Appleton to Marshfield. We still call part of that road east of Stevens Point "Old Highway 18" today. A couple of parting thoughts: Be careful what you sign your name to, and be prepared for surprise (and not always kind) messages from strangers. You may reach Jim Schuh at The Gazette, or by e-mail at jpschuh@yahoo.com.