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)

From Lists of Note, 27 June 2012: The great Nora Ephron passed away yesterday, aged 71, following a battle with leukemia that began in 2006. She had many strings to her bow, but most notably wrote the screenplays to some of the best loved films ever to grace the big screen, many of which she also directed and produced. She wrote the following lists — of things she won't and will miss — in 2010 and used them to close her book, I Remember Nothing.

(Source: I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections; Image: Nora Ephron, via.)

What I Won't Miss

Dry skin Bad dinners like the one we went to last night E-mail Technology in general My closet Washing my hair Bras Funerals Illness everywhere Polls that show that 32 percent of the American people believe in creationism Polls Fox TV The collapse of the dollar Bar mitzvahs Mammograms Dead flowers The sound of the vacuum cleaner Bills E-mail. I know I already said it, but I want to emphasize it. Small print Panels on Women in Film Taking off makeup every night

What I Will Miss

My kids Nick Spring Fall Waffles The concept of waffles Bacon A walk in the park The idea of a walk in the park The park Shakespeare in the Park The bed Reading in bed Fireworks Laughs The view out the window Twinkle lights Butter Dinner at home just the two of us Dinner with friends Dinner with friends in cities where none of us lives Paris Next year in Istanbul Pride and Prejudice The Christmas tree Thanksgiving dinner One for the table The dogwood Taking a bath Coming over the bridge to Manhattan Pie