Use Sherlock to Find Information and Perform Tasks

Task #86

Difficulty Level 1

The Internet is a great tool, but sometimes it is not so good at giving you specific information quickly. Searching for the simplest information can sometimes feel like an exercise in futility. To help you out, Apple created Sherlock. Sherlock attempts to harness some of the more common needs of the Internet for you, presents them in a convenient format, and expedites your search for information considerably.

Whereas the Internet tends to “think globally,” Sherlock narrows your search and may be best described as “acting locally.” Sherlock excels at tasks such as finding schedules for your local movie theater, looking up phone numbers for the pizza place down the street, or looking up the meaning of a word.

Sherlock comes with a number of useful utilities, but it can do so much more. Sherlock uses a plug-in format that permits third-party users to extend the functionality of Sherlock. This has led to a proliferation of Sherlock plug-ins that help you do everything from troubleshooting your Macintosh to shopping online.

Apply It

Many useful Sherlock plug-ins are available on the Internet. You will find plug-ins for searching commercial sites, government sites, and Mac sites. You can track packages, find sheet music for your favorite tunes, and read tutorials. Sherlock can do it all. For examples, check out the Web site Sherlock Plug-ins for Power Users (http://pwrsearchr.users1.50megs.com/sherlock/pg1.html). This Web site makes a good jumping-off point for seeing what Sherlock plug-ins are available.

Customize It!

If you would like to move a Sherlock plug-in icon in the toolbar, press and hold z while you drag the icon to its new location in the toolbar.