The Google Searches of Writers

On Your Shelf...

Keep your day jobs...

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Jun 14, 2015
Texas, USA
As I've mentioned before, I'm positive I'm on at least one government watch list because of my Google searches for my book research. With as many times I've looked up guns and bombs and the like, there's no way I'm not. That said, I've seen some fun responses to this topic on other social media so I though it'd be great to see some of the colony's searches. They don't have to be government-watch worthy, just fun searches you'd like to share!

I'll start:
No joke I did these within seconds of each other. "Can sniper bullets penetrate bulletproof glass?" and "Do FBI vehicles have bulletproof glass?"
Whoops. :)
 
We are all on government lists these days. If some future crime prevention team were formed in a Minority Report way, then I'd be targeted immediately, just from the searches I've run in researching my two psychological thrillers.

I've looked for stabbing techniques to the heart, making a bomb out of a small amount of fertiliser, ways of interfering with forensic analysis of a corpse, murderous cults through time and how mercenary soldiers are hired. Given that I'm a loner, (as most writers are), an outcast from society - then I'm all the more likely to be up to something nefarious!

True Story: In 1973 I was a nineteen year old library assistant, in my first full-time job getting some experience before attending library school to study for a professional qualification. I worked at a snooty branch library in Marylebone, part of the Westminster Library System. It really was the sort of place where lords and ladies came to borrow novels, and we had uniformed porters to carry their books out to a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce.

250px-Former_Metropolitan_Borough_of_St_Marylebone_HQ.jpg


I was quite rebellious, even back then, so kicked against the traces a bit. The library building had several floors, with administrative offices at the top. Amazingly, these weren't locked, and a friend and I raided them in our tea-breaks at the weekend when no one was in there working. We accessed our personal files, and I was stunned to see mine, for a full background check had been made on me which came with inked government stamps that I'd passed a certain stage of security clearance. The really creepy thing, that freaked me out, was there was a real page from a composition exercise book written in my eight year old hand in 1962 complete with crayon illustration. This had a recent psychological assessment report stapled to it! I have no idea how they'd obtained it.

I need to emphasise that I was a nobody, a drone who shelved and stamped books. I'd signed a confidentiality agreement as part of my contract, as one of the library departments was a medical library which had all sorts of sensitive information in ancient reference books, that readers had to show proof of their professional medical status to access. Also, my father was chief photographer for British Aerospace, who made Concorde and several missile systems for the armament industry. He definitely had a high security clearance, as he was privy to the development of weapons and multi-million pound air transport projects. I still couldn't understand how his job would affect my lowly employment.

This was the first example I had that governments are monitoring us all of the time. I bet that my file is quite thick by now! And I'm such a good boy...(honest).
 
As I've mentioned before, I'm positive I'm on at least one government watch list because of my Google searches for my book research. With as many times I've looked up guns and bombs and the like, there's no way I'm not. That said, I've seen some fun responses to this topic on other social media so I though it'd be great to see some of the colony's searches. They don't have to be government-watch worthy, just fun searches you'd like to share!

I'll start:
No joke I did these within seconds of each other. "Can sniper bullets penetrate bulletproof glass?" and "Do FBI vehicles have bulletproof glass?"
Whoops. :)

I use open ended questions or searches. In your case I would google just 'FBI vehicles' and get to see what comes up. Questions like that are just 'yes' and 'no'. Like @Stephen Drake am interested in if those questions deliver answers.

My recent searches are 'tensile strength of alloys'. So exciting!!
 
Personally, no. I don't normally search for random things for my books. The most recent are only crystals and herbs. My husband is another matter. As a conspiracy theorist, he does search for 'Area 51', 'Roswell', 'Bermuda Triangle' and other such topics. He's had FBI warnings on his pc a few times. One day a SWAT team will rapel through our windows.
 
I spent a few years working under security clearances that required me to go through "positive vetting" and "developed vetting". Getting DV clearance for anybody is ridiculously expensive, and involves day-long interviews for yourself, your friends, your ex girlfriends, family etc. They go through your personal life / sex life / financial affairs, not to mention office flings / foreign visits / pen pals . I bet it's an awful lot more complicated in these days of social media.

That said, I spent a lot of time working in Westminster in buildings that had no front door and no windows, and where the people driving us about had rifles under their coats.

Ah, happy days.
 
I haven't done anything like that...at least, I don't think so. I am curious, though, as to what you found, @Nicole Wilson . I would say that the answer to both is "yes", but I'm not sure.

The answers were "depends on the type of bullet and strength of the bulletproof glass" and "yep". That was a fun scene to add into my first book. :D

I use open ended questions or searches. In your case I would google just 'FBI vehicles' and get to see what comes up. Questions like that are just 'yes' and 'no'. Like @Stephen Drake am interested in if those questions deliver answers.
Yes, I do get answers for these questions. Searching for "FBI vehicles" might be helpful when I'm very first researching my book before I've started writing, but it's too broad for small, logistical questions. It would take me too much time to sift through all of the various results to get my answer just to make sure my scene works. I've found Google very helpful in the niche questions.
 
Having lived in Iraq under a dictatorship regime it wasn't hard for the ba'ath party to track people who aren't 'one of them'. My mother was targeted many times and harassed at her work place - she used to have to move jobs to avoid detection for a little while before 'they' would pressure her to join the regime - think Nazi regime if it helps you understand their tactics.

On one occasion my father along with my mother ventured out on an innocent fishing trip. He drove far and lost his way. It soon became clear that the location they found themselves in was in the vicinity of a government palace. A couple of guards stopped them with their guns/rifles whatever - I'm not sure of armoury specifics - they demanded ID from my father. My father being the highly intelligent engineer that he is turned the situation around knowing that any other option would be fatal. Instead of showing them his ID he responded 'Who are you? Who's your officer in command? Tell me your name.' Risky tactic which resulted in the two guards shaking in their boots. Only top generals would talk like that. That's how Iraq was run. On fear. The cowards let me parents go. All they wanted to do was go fishing!

I've had encounters with tanks threatening our group as well as rifles directed at us amongst many other threats. These experiences begin to make you realise how precious life is. It has taught me that I am mortal. Sometimes I forget this living in security and luxury thinking I will always be safe.
 
Considering I did this kind of analysis for a few years, I'm intrigued. :D

As for my searches, most are typically nerdy science facts (since I write space a lot), but if I start writing more mystery, I suspect the subject matter of my searches will become suspect rather quickly...

Am designing a new game and writing my new book to complement the game where we start exploring the 'morphing' of Elemons into Molemons :D

The strength factor here is demonstrated through the game for kids to learn about reinforcing material.
 
I laughed so hard at your post @Nicole Wilson! I wonder if you could get away with it by saying you're an author, just in case they turned up at your door that is. Hmm, that's one to search, "Can you get away with researching murder by saying you're a writer?"

One search comes to mind for me and that's when I was searching for poisons that couldn't be detected in food and drink. Most of my searches are usually about history and places I think.
 
I laughed so hard at your post @Nicole Wilson! I wonder if you could get away with it by saying you're an author, just in case they turned up at your door that is. Hmm, that's one to search, "Can you get away with researching murder by saying you're a writer?"

One search comes to mind for me and that's when I was searching for poisons that couldn't be detected in food and drink. Most of my searches are usually about history and places I think.
I own a book titled "The book of poisons".... sitting right next to "police procedurals" and "The Shooter's Bible". LOL. Shame I ordered them all online. That's been added to the file right next to my book on serial killers.
 
As I've mentioned before, I'm positive I'm on at least one government watch list because of my Google searches for my book research. With as many times I've looked up guns and bombs and the like, there's no way I'm not. That said, I've seen some fun responses to this topic on other social media so I though it'd be great to see some of the colony's searches. They don't have to be government-watch worthy, just fun searches you'd like to share!

I'll start:
No joke I did these within seconds of each other. "Can sniper bullets penetrate bulletproof glass?" and "Do FBI vehicles have bulletproof glass?"
Whoops. :)
Working on the zombie book set in the 80s, frequent and repeated searches were things like:

"street price of a kilo of cocaine"
"major drug cartels of Miami"
"SPAS-12 ammunition"
"Directions to Little Havana"
"CIA Special Operations Group"

So that's me flagged by Homeland.
 
We are all on government lists these days. If some future crime prevention team were formed in a Minority Report way, then I'd be targeted immediately, just from the searches I've run in researching my two psychological thrillers.

I've looked for stabbing techniques to the heart, making a bomb out of a small amount of fertiliser, ways of interfering with forensic analysis of a corpse, murderous cults through time and how mercenary soldiers are hired. Given that I'm a loner, (as most writers are), an outcast from society - then I'm all the more likely to be up to something nefarious!

True Story: In 1973 I was a nineteen year old library assistant, in my first full-time job getting some experience before attending library school to study for a professional qualification. I worked at a snooty branch library in Marylebone, part of the Westminster Library System. It really was the sort of place where lords and ladies came to borrow novels, and we had uniformed porters to carry their books out to a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce.

250px-Former_Metropolitan_Borough_of_St_Marylebone_HQ.jpg


I was quite rebellious, even back then, so kicked against the traces a bit. The library building had several floors, with administrative offices at the top. Amazingly, these weren't locked, and a friend and I raided them in our tea-breaks at the weekend when no one was in there working. We accessed our personal files, and I was stunned to see mine, for a full background check had been made on me which came with inked government stamps that I'd passed a certain stage of security clearance. The really creepy thing, that freaked me out, was there was a real page from a composition exercise book written in my eight year old hand in 1962 complete with crayon illustration. This had a recent psychological assessment report stapled to it! I have no idea how they'd obtained it.

I need to emphasise that I was a nobody, a drone who shelved and stamped books. I'd signed a confidentiality agreement as part of my contract, as one of the library departments was a medical library which had all sorts of sensitive information in ancient reference books, that readers had to show proof of their professional medical status to access. Also, my father was chief photographer for British Aerospace, who made Concorde and several missile systems for the armament industry. He definitely had a high security clearance, as he was privy to the development of weapons and multi-million pound air transport projects. I still couldn't understand how his job would affect my lowly employment.

This was the first example I had that governments are monitoring us all of the time. I bet that my file is quite thick by now! And I'm such a good boy...(honest).

WEIRD!
 
Except water. Isn't that weird? The thing is going so fast, it just falls apart in the water.

During the Vietnam conflict, there were rumors that if you fired an M-16 during a monsoon the slug would disintegrate. Had something to do with the muzzle velocity and friction of raindrops. Don't know if it's true or not. I knew water can drastically slow a bullet. Firearms under water is never a good idea.
 
During the Vietnam conflict, there were rumors that if you fired an M-16 during a monsoon the slug would disintegrate. Had something to do with the muzzle velocity and friction of raindrops. Don't know if it's true or not. I knew water can drastically slow a bullet. Firearms under water is never a good idea.
Given the M-16 of the Vietnam era — probably...o_O
Can't believe they gave you those things, and expected you to go fight with it. Might as well have thrown it at Charlie.
 
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