Vivisimo - A "lively," "clever" search engine

For most of the net surfers, Google has become synonymous with search. Undoubtedly, Google has been a pioneer among all search engines and revolutionized the way searching is done.

But how about using a different search engine? I noticed one of my ex-colleagues (who is a big shot in advertising) using a search engine called “Vivisimo” and felt like exploring it further.

I found Vivisimo quite good as it gives results in an organized format known as “clusters”. Perhaps this is the reason, Vivisimo calls itself a “Clustering Engine”.

The most impressive feature of Vivisimo is that it gives you clustered results. I typed in my name `Murali Duggineni’ and clicked search. It gave me the number of times my name was mentioned on the web (in the form of total results) as well the various sections where it was mentioned (in the form of clustered results). I found this feature very useful. Because if I’m looking for a specific section (say the guest books where I have posted my comments) or the motivating quotes I have submitted to certain sites, I can do so by simply clicking on the section concerned in the clustered results.

Most of the people who search for information have no patience to go beyond the first 20 links though the keyword they have searched for can give them hundreds of thousands of results. Overload of information can be very painful as it could make the task of finding the relevant information similar to searching for a needle in the haystack. If you want a few, yet powerful results from millions of web pages, www.vivisimo.com can be nice choice to experiment with. Vivisimo collects all the pages of relevance from major search engines neatly clusters them into useful, understandable subcategories. This helps you pick up the information from any of the clusters without checking every link where the keyword has been featured.

To quote the founders (research scientists at the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University), ’’If the Internet is a giant bookstore in which all the books are piled randomly on the floor, then Vivisimo is like a super fast librarian who can instantly arrange the titles on shelves in a way that makes sense.’’ (reference: CNN)

Try Vivisimo with a keyword of your choice and see how it works.

If you are intrigued by what Vivisimo means, here’s the answer: Vivisimo gets its name from the Spanish word for “very lively” and “clever”.

The name sounds quite befitting, as Vivisimo has differentiated itself in a nice, clever way!

Steamed Dosa at "Chutney's"

Being a Hyderabadi, I have been to most of the eateries in the city. One such place I would love to frequent is Chutneys, located near the Nagarjuna Circle in Panjagutta. I tried `Steamed Dosa’ here. And believe me, it's not often we get access to such a rare delicacy.

From the menu, I learnt that a leading film star has given the recipe for this dosa. The menu also features that the Steamed Dosa is cooked in Japanese style without using any oil. While one side of the dosa is fluffy, porus, soft and steamed, the other side is crispy, crunchy. The dosa is served with a palatable selection of four different chutneys and sambar.

The chutneys and sambar are non-spicy and complement the quality of Steamed Dosa. The copper glasses, and banana leaves in which the food is served make it more enjoyable. The wooden interiors are well done and the ambience is quite homely. The service is prompt and courteous.

If you are someone who abstains from oily foods and try something different, go ahead and indulge yourself with this rare catch. Such is the popularity of the Steamed Dosa at Chutney’s that you find gourmets dropping in to relish it even at the lunch and dinner times.

Usually, one dosa is sufficient per person. The first time I ordered steamed dosa, my jaw dropped when I saw that it costs Rs 40. But after having it, I felt it’s worth every Paisa of it.