What the Search Engines Have Found Out About All of Us

Google has released its map of the national brain and appetites for 2008, and it turns out that many, many people across America have been asking the Internet "what is love?" and "how to kiss." And to tighten the focus, Google has also provided a list of search queries made by people sitting at computers in New York City. It turns out that New Yorkers are looking for something a bit different. On the surface, these kinds of lists are supposed to reveal what Google calls the zeitgeist of 2008, though it's not much of a surprise that people were interested in Sarah Palin and Barack Obama. But they also provide hints of the level of personal details that people are now turning over to search engines and related businesses without much awareness.