Need some inspiration for how to use that Google Search Appliance your company got last fall?  If you're just using it search for documents and links, you're not using it to the full potential.  With Google's OneBox technology you can bring much more than just search results to the table.  In fact, Google has a video posted showing some of the awesome things you can do with your company's data and OneBox.

Not only that, but the Google Enterprise blog also has a post about a most interesting use of search technology:  license plate search.

I'm sure you're wondering what I mean by that.  Apparently, someone at Google has taken the company's list of employee license plates and made it searchable from within the intranet.  That way, if someone leaves their lights on or has to move their car, all the folks at Google have to do is type in "plate" followed by the license plate number.  OneBox then returns the name of the person who drives the car so they can be notified.

Maybe you don't have enough employees to warrant a license plate search.  But think of other uses for the service.  You could index all kinds of data.  Remember the guy who made the database of each employee's expertise so as to make it easy to find someone to help with different projects?  You could index desk numbers, birthdays… anything, really!

If only it were possible to have the Search Appliance find my keys…