Cool Technology Tip

Last month, I discovered one of the coolest technology tips I’ve heard in awhile. We were on our way to Baudette and were planning a stop for dinner in Grand Rapids. For those of you not from around here, Baudette is right next to the end of the earth and Grand Rapids is a little over half way between our house and Baudette. Once you head north out of Grand Rapids there is a drastic change in the scenery. Instead of lots of houses, with a few trees scattered around, you find lots of trees with a few houses stuck in between. But, I digress.

So, we were going to stop for dinner in Grand Rapids and I didn’t really want to go to a typical fast food joint. Our son, Adam, who was riding with us, says “Hey, why don’t you just call Google to find a restaurant?” Wait a minute, isn’t Google a website? How do you call a website? I don’t own one of those fancy phones with internet access.

It turns out there is an 800 number to get information from Google and it’s totally free. I was skeptical at first. I mean, how could this service be free? My cell phone company charges me $1.79 for information calls, why would Google do it for free? Not only that, but once they determine the business you’d like to reach, they’ll connect you, or give you more information. Again, totally free! I actually waited to get our mobile phone bill just to be sure I was giving you accurate information.

The only catch I can see is that this service can only be used to locate a business. If you need to find a friend’s number you’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way by calling 411. Of course, the old-fashioned way was actually free, too, but that’s all changed; so I guess technically, it’s the new way with the old number.

Should you want to try this Google service, call 800-466-4411. You’ll get an automated system that works with voice recognition. In other words, you’ll want to tell the kids sitting in the back seat to be quiet or you may soon find yourself connected to Chuck E. Cheese by mistake.

Oh, and dinner at the Sawmill Inn in Grand Rapids was excellent. We’d recommend the “Chicken a la Ritz.”