Google published its annual Zeitgeist survey a couple of weeks ago, which tracks the year’s most popular searches in different countries. It breaks them down by category—people, movies, shopping, etc.—and for most countries, one of the categories is “How to…?” We took the top result for each country that had this category and translated them where necessary. (In a couple of cases, we weeded out spurious results caused by quirks of language.) There’s some interesting variation. The most pressing challenges for many nationalities are kissing or slimming, but the Japanese are evidently obsessed with making their cellphones last longer, Colombians with cupcakes, and Russians with not being quite so mean to each other.

Most popular Google searches beginning “How to…”

Argentina: how to update Facebook Australia: how to love Brazil: how to remove Facebook Canada: how to rock Chile: how to make a family tree Colombia: how to make cupcakes Czech Republic: how to lose weight Denmark: how to kiss Finland: how to get a fever [for the purposes of sick leave] France: how to lose weight Hungary: how to kiss Ireland: how to draw Israel: how to make money Italy: how to have sex Japan: how to save [battery] power Kenya: how to abort Mexico: how to vote Netherlands: how to survive New Zealand: how to screenshot Nigeria: how to love Norway: how to write Poland: how to delete Facebook Portugal: how to lose weight Romanian: how to kiss Russian: how to become nicer Senegal: how to address an envelope Singapore: how to rock Slovakia: how to pick up babes [i.e., women] South Africa: how to kiss Spain: how to install WhatsApp Sweden: how to make out [i.e., kiss] Ukrainian: how to lose weight United Kingdom: how to draw United States: how to love

Good luck with all that. I like the Russian one. The Italian one? Must be true.

(via)

1. Go to Google Translate 2. Change language so it's from German TO German 3. Paste this: pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk 4. Click "listen"

Google beatbox!

(via)

WHO WANTS A REWIND? Paste this instead: zwkkzwkkzwkkzwkk. pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk (thanks Dan!)

Felix adds:

zk = suspended cymbal bschk = snare pv = brush bk = bass tk = flam1 vk = roll tap kt = flam2 kttp = flam tap krp = hi hat tap pv = short roll th = better hi hat thp, ds = instant rimshot.

Any more for any more?

When designing applications, Google breaks down users into three different categories: repetitive now, bored now and urgent now.

The "repetitive now" user is someone checking for the same piece of information over and over again, like checking the same stock quotes or weather. Google uses cookies to help cater to mobile users who check and recheck the same data points.

The "bored now" are users who have time on their hands. People on trains or waiting in airports or sitting in cafes. Mobile users in this behavior group look a lot more like casual Web surfers, but mobile phones don't offer the robust user input of a desktop, so the applications have to be tailored.

The "urgent now" is a request to find something specific fast, like the location of a bakery or directions to the airport. Since a lot of these questions are location-aware, Google tries to build location into the mobile versions of these queries.

The same is true of writing (especially for web). The best applications, and indeed the best magazines/papers/blogs/whatever all have something in them that appeals to all three types.