Am I the last to learn of Ms Dewey?

Yesterday, I was talking about alternatives to Google.

I found it ironic that Microsoft's most popular search alternative—promoted as artificial intelligence—is Adobe Flash-based, considering how hard they're pushing Silverlight.

If you haven't done so—and you are not in a hurry for your search results—check out Ms. Dewey.

Ms. Dewey is a viral marketing campaign started by Microsoft in October 2006. The interface features a modern-looking cityscape as a backdrop with the character on the left side, while the search results appear on the right. The cityscape backdrop changes depending on the time of day.

Developed by graphic designers McCann-Erickson in San Francisco, Ms. Dewey appears to be an interactive search assistant who audibly comments on searched keywords in her own style and performing random actions when idle, including working with props from behind her desk.

Actress Janina Gavankar plays the role of the Ms. Dewey character. Her most notable role prior to becoming a search engine was playing a news reporter in Barbershop 2.