While not the future promised to me in my youth 2010 was a solid year (It would have been way cooler with a flying car).
My intent was to write a few posts about trends and events in 2010 to close out the year, but as I mentioned, I got sick. So, you get one instead (Which might be for the best).
Google Zeitgeist
Zeitgeist is German for “spirt of the times.”
Every year since 2007, Google releases aggregated statistics on search term popularity for the year. And every year I sink at least an hour into fishing through the statistics because I find it truly intriguing. It’s interesting to see the kinds of things that large quantities of people search.
It’s also amazing to see how large Facebook has grown.
If you compare the amount of search traffic for two hugely popular terms such as the “iPad” & “Justin Bieber,” you can see that these two terms are fairly comprable.
Now when you compare, “iPad” & “Facebook” you can see how Facebook dwarfs just about everything occupying our collective imaginations.
Compared with Facebook, the largest consumable goods and celebrities are insignificant. I find it equally scary and amazing.
Explore the stats on Google Zeitgeist 2010
EFF Victories
Someone needs to fight to maintain our freedoms and civil liberties on the Internet. Fortunately the EFF stepped up to the proverbial plate. This year they fought and won some significant legal battles on our behalf. They made a cute, 8bit video to promote their victories. The art direction indicates that they know exactly who their primary audience is.
Electronic Frontier Foundation Website
I hope 2011 brings you health, happiness, and a greater expansion of Internet civil liberties.
The Geek Whisperer 