The next time you think of installing that “toolbar”, think of this.

It’s amazing how the internet can make anything become a spectacle. Hotel Bed Jumping HQ is a good example. (Via)

Have you seen Google Trends yet? If not, take a look.

“With Google Trends, you can compare the world’s interest in your favorite topics. Enter up to five topics and see how often they’ve been searched for on Google over time. Google Trends also displays how frequently your topics have appeared in Google News stories, and which geographic regions have searched for them most often.”

See my results below for “football.”

The Search Volume graph measures “how many searches have been done for the terms you enter relative to the total number of searches done on Google over time,” the News Reference Volume Graph “shows you the number of times your topic appeared in Google News stories,” but my favorite of the graphs is the one that appears at the bottom and ranks the top 10 cities, regions, and languages for the primary search term. The majority of users will find this last graph the most interesting (and easy to understand).

Wired published an article titled Why I Love Apple by Leander Kahney which perfectly contrasts with a common type of Apple user I recently described. Leander hits the nail on the head when he says “Apple delights with its focus on the user experience.” I couldn’t agree more and believe this is the fundamental difference between the typical Apple product and that of its competitors. And, I think this is why it frustrates me when Apple users express the Apple = Wi-fi= Internet syndrome. They’ve missed the point. They believe they possess superior technology. However, the fundamental difference isn’t the technology. The key, delighting difference between Apple and many others is the obsessive attention to detail which they so often display in their products and software. It isn’t a matter of technology. It’s a matter of craftsmanship.

It’s nothing new to say that Apple does an amazing job marketing their products.

However, I ran into another Apple zealot today and just had to comment. I own Windows and OSX computers. To be fair, I am more familiar with Windows than I am with OSX, but I like both. However, many Apple users love Apple only and forever. They express a zeal rivaling that of many religious zealots. And when asked “why?” they usually respond by citing a feature that is common to all modern computers. They love the wireless connectivity; they love that they can import pictures from their digital camera or that they can upload things to the internet. As far as they know Airport = Internet = Web = LAN = Apple. They are sure that any and all of these have been created by Apple and are only truly functional on an Apple. They are certain that every other computer on the market is lagging decades behind in technology and that it fundamentally doesn’t work. Most importantly, they take every possible opportunity they can to extol the excellencies of their superior technology.

Well done Apple.