Why Are We Here? Does Google Know?

Today's infographic at Fast Company (where I clearly get all my blog post ideas) is about What Do You Suggest, a web site that beautifully and interactively allows visitors to explore the Google Suggest data.

why-are-we-here.gif
[Why are we here what's life all about, on WhatDoYouSuggest.net.]

I've been a little obsessed with Google Suggest for months, and now I may be obsessed with this site instead. What I love about What Do You Suggest is the additional information about the fraction of people who include each of the next words in their search — that information is sorely missing from the automatic suggestions that pop up when you're entering text in your web browser's search bar. My faith in humanity was a little bit restored to see that "why are we here" outranks "why are black people so loud," which was my most palm-to-forehead discovery of late. Though, I suppose, queries to the Internet about the meaning of life have their own set of problems. 

Then again, maybe they're just Monty Python fans.


About this site

    Katie Peek is a science writer and astronomer who is figuring out how to give voice to information and data. This web site is a log of her voyage.