This is incredible: Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here’s How to Use It. I knew some of these but not all, e.g. verbatim mode “returns results for exactly what you typed, stripped of personalization and synonym-swapping.” https://cardcatalogforlife.substack.com/p/google-has-a-secret-reference-desk
Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here's How to Use It.

40 Google features to find exactly what you need, the alternative search engines that do things Google won't, and the reference desk framework underneath all of it.

Card Catalog
@kottke Almost all my Google searches include -youtube because I only want words and maybe a diagram.
@roadskater @kottke And does that still work? In my experience including a minus sign seems to mean "oh she wants to know everything about this thing"
@irina @kottke -youtube still works for me. I used to also use the site:gov input a lot searching for no-copyright gov't graphics, but haven't had the need for that in a few years now.