The most authoritative site on the web....

[brooksmoses]

Google's searches now allow wildcards. If you enter * *, you get the most general possible search, given that a single * returns nothing.

Now, in theory, what this should give is everything on the internet, in order of raw PageRank. At the top of the list, according to the theory, will be the most popular, most highly-regarded, most authoritative sites in existence.

Currently, the most authoritative site in existence is the MBTA Subway schedule.

Comments

[pariyal.livejournal.com]

When I tried I got the MBTA fourth; first and second are Wikipedia, third is the Keio University Health Center of all places. I wonder if results are different for different continents or something (anybody in Australia, Africa or Asia who can comment?)

[brooksmoses]

The particular order does seem to change frequently -- now, for me, it's Wikipedia, MBTA, Keio, and PBS. (And the MBTA site is "projects underway" rather than "subway schedules". Big Dig, anyone?)

[sraun]

My understanding is that Google has several never-quite-identical databases - they aren't doing real-time data replication. You get a random server, which hits a random database, which may or may not return identical hits to someone else. This looks like it may be one of the few cases where you can actually tell the difference!

[bungo.livejournal.com]

At Fri Sep 30 09:05:40 UTC 2005 in Berlin, Germany:
http://www.google.de/search?hl=en&q=*+*&btnG=Google+Search
just gave me Wikipedia:Copyrights, Wikipedia:Stub, Keio, and MBTA.
So the same as you.

[sraun]

It's more random than that - see my reply to brooksmoses

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

New Zealander here. Wikipedia first, MBTA second, Keio University Health Centre third, PBS fourth.

Data may be subject to change.