Drag, drag, drag. Scroll, scroll, scroll. Click-click, click-click. The little search engine trundled through the Internet. She was a happy little Web site for she had such a jolly set of topics to look up. Her links were filled with search results for the good students, business employees, and casual home users at the other end of the Internet. She processed along merrily.
Then all of a sudden she stopped. She simply could not reestablish her connection. She tried and she tried, but her line would not respond. What were all of those good students, business employees, and casual home users at the other end of the Internet going to do without the wonderful results to read and enjoy?
"Here is a banner ad," said the cursor who leapt to the top of the page. "Let us ask him to help us find some meaningful content." So all of the keywords and modifiers in the Search Query cried out together: "Please, Banner Ad, won’t you please take us to a Web page that satisfies our query? Our search engine is down, and the students, business employees, and casual home users on the other side of the Internet won’t have any of their results to read and enjoy unless you help us."
But the Banner Ad snorted: "I take you to content? I am a banner ad. My job is to bring in revenue to your measly little search engine by taking its users to online commerce sites that sell printer cartridges and vacation time-shares. I take you to meaningful content? Indeed not!"
How sad the little search engine and all of its keywords and modifiers felt! Then the cursor called out, "The Banner Ad is not the only link on the page. Here is another one; a great big fancy graphic with distracting and unnecessary animation. Let us ask him to help us."
The cursor zoomed to the frame on the left side of the page and clicked on the graphic image. "Please, oh please, Big Fancy Graphic with Distracting and Unnecessary Animation," cried the keywords and modifiers. "Won’t you please take us to a Web site that satisfies our query? Our search engine is down, and the students, business employees, and casual home users on the other side of the Internet won’t have any of their results to read and enjoy unless you help us."
But the Big Fancy Graphic with Distracting and Unnecessary Animation said: "How old are you? I can take you to my pages only if you are over 18. My link takes you to inappropriate adult material; pages that will get your students expelled, business employees fired, and home personal users in trouble with their spouses. I take you to content? Ha!" And the Big Fancy Graphic with Distracting and Unnecessary Animation spewed out a dozen new browser windows - each filled with inappropriate adult material - that the cursor frantically tried to close before being displayed.
The little search engine and all of its keywords and modifiers were very sad. "Cheer up," cried the cursor. "The Big Fancy Graphic with Distracting and Unnecessary Animation is not the only link on the page. Here is another graphic, peeking out from the bottom of the screen." This graphic depicted an eye and a thought bubble filled with a light bulb. None of the keywords or modifiers could figure out what it meant, but they were getting desperate.
"Oh, strange little graphic, will you please take us to a Web page that satisfies our query? Our search engine is down, and the students, business employees, and casual home users on the other side of the Internet won’t have any of their results to read and enjoy unless you help us."
"'Eye Think’ icon," said the strange little graphic. "Huh?" said all of the keywords and modifiers. "I am an icon representing an eye thinking," said the strange little graphic indignantly. "Whatever," said the cursor as he clicked on the strange little graphic. "We must retrieve content before the users switch to a different search engine and you are our last chance."
The little graphic looked up and saw the tears AND (frowns OR "sad faces") in the keywords and modifiers.
Then she said, "'Eye Think’ icon, 'Eye Think’ icon," and went out to get some meaningful content from the Internet. "'Eye Think’ icon, 'Eye Think’ icon, 'Eye Think’ icon." The logo at the upper right hand corner of the browser turned and turned. "'Eye Think’ icon." The progress bar at the bottom of the screen chugged. "Eye Think’ icon, Eye Think’ icon, Eye Think’ icon." Faster and faster the progress bar grew to the right.
Then, in a flash the logo at the upper right hand corner of the browser stopped, the progress bar had finished and the page changed. A message was displayed at the top of the page: Error 404 - Page not found.