Need to track a package, get the status of a flight, do a little math, or find out if the ground really was just shaking beneath your feet?
Believe it or not, you can do all that and more straight from the Google search box—and in most cases, you’ll get the details you need the instant you tap the Search button.

Read on for 10 clever, time-saving Google searches, from converting currency and units of measurement to looking up definitions and—no kidding—tracking the latest earthquakes.

1. Track a package

Expecting a package? If it’s being shipped by FedEx, UPS, or the U.S. Postal Service, you can just plug the tracking number into the Google Search box.
When you click the Search button, you’ll get a link that’ll take directly to tracking results on the shipper’s web site.

Need to know the current value of the Japanese yen? Just ask Google.

2. Convert currency

So, how many Japanese yen to a U.S. dollar today? Easy.
Just type “1 USD in yen” (or something similar) into the Google Search box to get an instant conversion, including a history of the currency’s relative strength and a form for performing new conversions on the fly.

3. Get local movie showtimes

Want to go to the movies? Find out what’s playing—and when—by typing “movies” and a ZIP code into the Google search box.
Have a specific movie in mind? Type its name into the Google box and (again) add a ZIP code.
Hint: If you skip the ZIP code when looking up local movie times, Google will make a rough guestimate of your location.

4. Look up a definition

Ah, “vagary.” Cool word. What does it mean, again?
Type “define vagary” into the Google search box and you’ll get the full definition, a phonetic spelling, and synonyms. You can even hear the word spoken by clicking the speaker icon.

You can get the status of just about any flight with a simple Google query.

5. Track a flight

Need to know whether your flight’s delayed—or when another flight is slated to land?
Type the airline and flight number into the search box (“united 458″) and you’ll get a status report, a terminal and a gate number.

6. Convert units of measurement

How many kilometers in a mile … didn’t we learn that in high school?
If you’re still not sure, just type “1 mile to km” or “how many kilometers in a mile?” into the search box, and the answer will appear in a measurement converter.

7. Get the weather

Find out how beautiful the weather is in, say, Hawaii by typing “weather maui” or “weather honolulu” into the Google search box.
You’ll get the current temperature, a 7-day forecast, and even hourly details on rain and wind.

Six times seven? Forty-two—or so Google tells me.

8. Do the math

You don’t need a calculator on your desk if you’ve got Google in a browser tab.
Type in “6*7″ (or “what’s six times seven?”), “132/3,” or “square root 100″ and you’ll get an answer the moment you click the Search button, along with a web calculator for solving more equations.

9. Check the time

Can’t remember whether Chicago is in the Eastern or Central time zone?
Type “time chicago” in the Google Search box to get the current time in the Windy City, along with details on which time zone it’s in (Central, in case you’re wondering).

10. Confirm a quake

Whoa! Did you feel that? If you think you just felt an earthquake—or if you know you felt one—type “earthquake” into the Google search box.
The first listing will be for the US Geological Survey, and just beneath you’ll see a list of most recent temblors on the planet, complete with magnitudes and map links to the various epicenters.
10 time-saving Google searches you need to try

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So, how many photos, updates, web pages, and other online items have you “liked” on Facebook? A few dozens? Hundreds? Maybe even (gulp) thousands?

Not only can you review all your past “likes,” you can also change their individual privacy settings or hide them from your Facebook timeline.
And if you want to “unlike” an old “like,” you can do that, too.
(In case you’re wondering, “unliking” something in your Activity Log merely removes a previous “like”; there’s still no actual “unlike” button.)
Here’s how…

• Visit your timeline on Facebook (just click your name at the top of any Facebook page), click the Activity Log button (it’s the one beneath your jumbo-sized “cover” photo), then click the “Likes” link in the left-hand column.


Not only can you review your past Facebook “likes,” you can hide or even “unlike” them.
• In a moment or so, you should see a list of all your various “likes,” starting with the most recent. To quickly jump down to an earlier month or year, click the column of dates to the right of your “likes” list.
• Next to each of your likes, you’ll see a pair of icons. The first icon represents the privacy setting for the “like” in question: a little globe for “public,” a pair of silhouettes for “friends,” a gear for “custom,” and a padlock for “only me.” To change the privacy setting, click the icon and select a new option.
• The second icon looks like a small pencil. Click the icon to either “allow” or hide a “like” from your timeline—or, if you wish, to “unlike” an old “like” altogether.
• All done? If so, you can simply dive back into your Facebook feeds; no need to click a “Save changes” button.

 How to view everything you’ve ever “liked”

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