What makes one search engine better than another?

Search engine that reveals similar artists? Can't think of the name...

• In a PC World magazine from a few years ago (don't ask me what year or issue), there was a link to a free website. It was listed in one of their Best of the Web features. It's a search engine where you type in a band or artist name, and then it makes a flowchart of other artists who are ranked 'similar' to that artist, stylistically. I'm not sure how the rankings are done - perhaps by vote? Anyway, the flowchart gets populated by bubbles that represent each artist, with a bubble's size showing how popular the artist is. The location of the artists - i.e. closer together, further apart - demonstrates how stylistically similar they are. This one is really hard to Google for. But if anyone can find it or knows what I'm talking about, please share!

• Answer:

  I'm glad to have been able to help you identify the website you were looking for. The site used to be called Musicplasma, but its scope has been expanded beyond music, now including movies. The new site is Liveplasma, and it is a fascinating tool indeed. Liveplasma Discovery Engine http://liveplasma.com/ Here's an article about Musicplasma: MusicPlasma Helps You Visualize Your Musical Outlook http://www.masternewmedia.org/2004/01/27/musicplasma_helps_you_visualize_your.htm If you enjoy Liveplasma, you may want to check out the visual search engine called Kartoo, which has a somewhat similar style. When search results appear, they are displayed graphically. I am partial to Google over Kartoo, but it is always good to have a variety of choices! Kartoo http://www.kartoo.com Best regards, pinkfreud