Tech Review

Why are you searching for this man?

There's no better insight into humanity than the internet. Unlike mediums where an elite produce things they think you'll like and then verify their predictions through ratings, elections, or sales: On the internet, people create and/or initiate contact with whatever they desire. For the sake of anthropology, then, let's look at the Technorati "top searches" from tonight:

1. chua soi lek
2. zed shaw
3. ron paul
4. chua
5. rails is a ghetto
6. laure manaudou
7. noelia
8. memek
9. authority
10. orkut

The easiest way to get searched on Technorati is to make a sex tape. It helps if you're attractive, but even rolly-polly bureaucrats like Malaysian health minister Chua Soi Lek can become internet sensations. He has two or three spots on the top ten list including the first one. Other sex-tape stars on the list include Noelia and Laure Manaudou with amateur porn stars Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson having made the list in recent weeks. Just a couple of days ago, surfers searched furiously for Mademoiselle France, Valerie Begue, after some pool pictures surfaced.

Follow up:

(gratuitous pageant video)

I don't think Ron Paul's made a sex video, but I am certain that Paul supporters would insist that his was the best; enthusiasm trumps polls on the internet.

I've searched "Memek" three times. I still don't know what it is. I figured it was a video, but none of my youtube searches came back with consistent results. I saw rock bands, various naughty stuff (I was doing important research), and a couple of singers including one of typical Euro-pop quality but unbloggable on Asymmetric (Go ahead, I'll wait 'till you get back.). This one is the least dumb:

People also search for nerdy internet stuff. Orkut is another Facebook-type thing. Yeah! Just what we need: Another way to ignore friends we can actually shake hands with.

And then there's a guy named Zed Shaw who does something on the internet, but who's mad and wants to fight.

Your guess is as good as mine on "authority."

Conclusions:

1. Sex does sell or, at least, generate clicks.
2. Either women don't use the internet or they don't like to watch sex tapes of men.
2. The most heavily searched-for term in Technorati history would be a sex video between Ron Paul's IT guy and an Malaysian swimming star.