Last night I had a nightmare that this would be my last Question ever on GA.

It may or not be prophetic but, if the nightmare does come true, I
would like to say a Great Big Thank You to everyone who has made the
last few years so enlightening and entertaining.

I shall miss you all.

Now for the question:

Have you ever visited www.statesecrets.co.uk?

It's well worth a look!

All the Very Best

Bryan

Hi Bryan!

I am glad that I will be the one who will answer you very last
question here at Google Answers.

I haven't seen the site until now. I just clicked the link and got a
great read. It was superb conspiracy stuff. Hope I can get hold of the
book someday.

My own country has some pretty neat conspiracy stuff too. This is the
story of President Marcos and the Yamashita Treasure. Have a great
read too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamashita's_gold

Nice knowing you Bryan.

Easterangel

Very Many Thanks ...

You really are an Angel and not just at Easter ...

Every Day and Nightime, too.

And that was one great Link - I had never heard of this before, if
there had been a book listed I would have bought it.

I do hope you keep in touch.

All the Best

Bryan

I can't say I didn't have a Clough...  ; )

Best regards to you, Bryan...

sublime1-ga

I certainly have visited it before (otherwise what sort of researcher
would I call myself?).
I wish to say that it has been a pleasure to answer your questions
over the past 4 years and for all your interesting comments that you
have made. They often made me smile, grin, laugh out loud, but
sometimes there was a groan if it was a bad pun.

I wish you and your family the very best for the future.

By the way, give my regards to kemlo.

Phil.

I think here is a book about it but I haven't read it though:
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Gold-Tomas-Cyran/dp/1412061970/sr=8-3/qid=1164790855/ref=sr_1_3/103-4806568-9694214?ie=UTF8&s=books

Thanks Bryan and not just for another generous tip! But much more for
sticking with us all these years. Yes hope we can get in touch.

Easterangel.

When you disappeared about a year ago, I got rather concerned and did
a bit of digging - it just had to be you !

Oh my, the ads on top -- "nightmare", "prophecy" or "genuine income"
are truly fitting.

Bye all!

the tone of the answer and some of the comments leads me to believe
that this is an inside joke in on which i am not, but in case it is
indeed true:

1. i'm sorry, i cannot allow this.
2. if i can't stop it, goodbye and good luck.

-cab

barneca-ga,
I'm afraid it's true.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

Well this is all very sad, but I guess the writing was on the wall
when Answers disappeared from the menu. One has to wonder what is the
motivation behind this, after all Answers certainly fitted in with
Gargoyle?s intellectual image. I suppose, and forgive me for sounding
cynical; it just didn?t make the boys enough money. I would suggest
that maybe we could all email the boys but oooppps here comes that
cynicism again.

As a long time lunchtime reader I shall sorely miss this service.
Thank you to the users who piqued my interest by asking such
interesting questions. Thank you to the researchers who answered with
such consummate skill. Thank you to the commenters  who added their
thoughts.

Bye Brian, Pink, Easter, Sublime, Answerfinder and the other great 496

DGP

Yikes! I love this forum. The questions have been more than
informative... they have been entertainment. The cast of GARs,
questioners & commentors have brought innumerable insights and some
terrific humour. Where do we all go from here? Ooops that's a question
and I'll pay my fee and post it.

So long, and thanks for all the fish. :-(

well.

my mood was black enough when i thought PB was just saying he was
leaving.  but now...  what's the word for the color darker than black?

a perfectly good day, shot to hell.

-cab

Thanks for all your questions over the years, Brian.

In case you didn't realise it, you have been by far the most prolific
customer of Google Answers:

Web Owls Blog - The top Google Answers customers
http://web-owls.com/2006/07/06/the-top-google-answers-customers/

My lunchtime's will never be the same again.  
What a shame! 
Goodbye and good luck to all.  Maybe this question will change "the boys" minds.

I'll be over at the MUCH more low brow Yahoo Answers...still as
Canadianhelper...drop by sometime.

Maybe it won't be your last question if we all sign my petition...

www.petitiononline.com/ganswers

Keep Google Answers Alive!

This is soooo very sad :-(

<sob>

Steph53

David Huxley - 17 signatures so far.  Good Luck.

Goodbye to Google Answers! I can't believe it.  

Goodbye to Bryan! I can't believe it!

This is truly a sad day.  I also feel very badly for the researchers
who depended on Google Answers for income, especially Pinkfreud.

Bryan, thanks for making me laugh all these years.  I feel I've come
to know you through the years and I have certainly visited that
wonderful website.  Perhaps we will all cross paths again, if not,
thanks for the memories.


Rob Bitunjac
Bowler-ga

I have to think that Google has made a very big mistake by redrawing
this service! This service is the definition of what the internet is
about and by withdrawing this service Google appears to have shown it
corporate side and appears to have lost the message and community
sprit that the internet represents!

Bryan!  I will miss you but, after December 31st I'll at least be able
to finally email you!

I shall miss GA, the many great contributors such as yourself, and the
many fine Researchers I've been privileged to call my colleagues for
the past 4.5 years.

Until 1/1/2007!

Best regards,
journalist-ga

There is a petition ( the link is on another question here regarding
GA closing )that everyone can sign. I'm # 65.

It probably won't affect the closing of this site....but everyone
should sign it anyway.

Steph53 ( # 65 on the petition )

Dear Bryan,

I was not your First, and now it appears that I cannot be your Last. 

Sigh.

It was a lovely dream, and I am glad to have been able to share it.

Your friend,
Pink

I too will miss this service. I have used it, and have read it
extensively.  The quality of the answers has been extremely high,
without the "noise" found on (say) yahoo answers (lower case on
purpose).

Bryan,

All of us Researchers are very sad, as Google Answers has been a great
source of information, learning, and social interaction for us, as it
has been for the Customers.

Your wit and insight added greatly to the creature that is Google
Answers, and you will be missed as well.

Best regards,

Ace
aceresearcher-ga

This is a very sad day.
I always visited this site every day to see what was going on, to
profit by the useful advice given and look at the amusing comments.
Life will not be the same.

"Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are."
  - Bertolt Brecht

from today's "Quote of the Day" (http://www.quotationspage.com/qotd.html)

It's all so infuriating.

Go to the New York Times' website and read "GOOGLE IS SHUTTING DOWN ANSWER SERVICE.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/technology/29cnd-google.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=ecba9a92a6627709&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Reading THAT is even more infuriating!

I've never really felt that GA had real support from the powers that
be.  Even when their own customers tried to help promote the service.

A few years ago several GAR's did an amazing job on one of my
questions.  I used the results in a national cable TV documentary and
called and wrote to Google to tell them I wanted to plug them in the
credits and how did they want the service to be listed:  Google
Answers or Answers.Google or something else.

They couldn't be bothered to get back to me, even though I left
several messages by phone and by e-mail saying I was on deadline.   I
mean, we're talking their publicity dept. here -- where was the
professional courtesy?

They finally answered way after the piece was on the air.  I'd already
given up on them and went ahead  and credited each researcher by
"handle" and was happy to do it.  But I  thought then and I think now
that Google's regard for this service weird.   They simultaneously
claimed  they wanted GA to be successful while sabotauging it every
step of the way.

I'll miss the whole kaboodle.....researchers and commenters.   And
I'll miss commenting!
Yikes.  I just thought of that.  We've  all loved reading what
everyone had to say -- but
now we'll be deprived of our own wit 'n wisdom, too!

A salute to one and all . . .

Thanks cryptica for your support all through these years and now for
feeling our pain.

God Bless.

Bryan, I'm one of the few who never answered a question of yours (my
not being one of the most prolific GARs might have something to do
with it), but I did enjoy much of your humor in your posts. Will I
have the chance to do so in the future? It seems not, but, who know?
Someone told me once "I don't know if life is long, but it's
definitely wide". For now, please stay tuned y'all, at
http://web-owls.com/about/

Hmm... now there are 238 signatures on: www.petitiononline.com/ganswers

While I've never considered it remotely possible that the service
could be financially viable, I reckon that it is good 'extra service'
which fits with Google's portfolio of marketing - making revenue as a
by product of providing a service.

Although there might be 800 registered users, I would be very
surprized if it had /not/ been browsed by a heck of a lot of people.

Here's a last goodbye from another Canadian who's enjoyed this service
very much. Thanks for all the great and funny moments, from pink,
cynthia, pbp, easter, kemlo, shoaib, sublime, steph, eiffel, etc etc
etc..

Good luck to you all!

Richardmtl

I haven't been around much lately, but I always planned on coming back
to answer questions again.  I'm very sad to see GA go. Hopefully I
will see you all around on the web.

Googlenut

There are now close to 700 signatures on that petition.... keep signing ;)