What keywords do internet users google the most?  Here is a list of commonly searched keywords by country*:

"sex" - Egypt, India, Turkey
"gay" - Chile, Mexico, Colombia
"Hitler" and "Nazi" - Chile, Australia, United Kingdom
"Jihad" - Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan
"Terrorism" - Pakistan, Philippines, Australia
"Hangover" - Ireland, United Kingdom, United States
"Burrito" - United States, Argentina, Canada
"Iraq" - United States, Australia, Canada
"Taliban" - Pakistan, Australia, Canada
"Tom Cruise" - Canada, United States, Australia
"Britney Spears" - Mexico, Venezuela, Canada
"Homosexual" - Phililppines, Chile, Venezuela
"Love" - Phililppines, Australia, United States
"Botox" - Australia, United States, United Kingdom
"Viagra" - Italy, United Kingdom, Germany
"Car bomb" - Australia, United States, Canada
"Marijuana" - Canada, United States, Australia

(*The countries are listed from first to third.)  Link.  [via MonkeyFilter]

Scott Aaronson spoke at Google Cambridge a month ago on the topic of quantum computers, the limits imposed by physics, and search. His position is that there are probably fundamental physical limits to the problem of search, much like the limits to cpu speed or hard drive density. In fact, the latter provide a really nice illustration:

In particular, one of the few things physicists think they know about quantum gravity — one of the few things both the string theorists and their critics largely agree on — is that, at the so-called “Planck scale” of about 10^-33 centimeters or 10^-43 seconds, our usual notions of space and time are going to break down. As one manifestation of this, if you tried to build a clock that ticked more than about 10⁴³ times per second, that clock would use so much energy that it would collapse to a black hole. Ditto for a computer that performed more than about 10⁴³ operations per second, or for a hard disk that stored more than about 10⁶⁹ bits per square meter of surface area. (Together with the finiteness of the speed of light and the exponential expansion of the universe, this implies that, contrary to what you might have thought, there is a fundamental physical limit on how much disk space Gmail will ever be able to offer its subscribers…)

--more after the break--

Gmail: A Behind the Scenes Video is a collaborative video in which the folks over at Google asked its users to help them imagine how an email message travels around the world.  You can read more about the project over at the Official Gmail Blog.

Jason and I are expecting our second baby boy and have not yet come up with a name for the little guy.  I know there are a few names that we DO NOT like --  "Metallica", "4real", "Urhines Kendall Icy Eight Special K", and "Google".

Elias and Carol Kai named their baby boy "Oliver Google Kai".  It's not a surprise that the father is a Search Engine Marketing Specialist.

[via Neatorama]

Picasa is a new web application brought to us by Google which lets you upload images to a locations on a map.  This would be a perfect way to journal about your travels and maybe suggest cool sites to friends and family.

[via meshly]

Robert Sollis emailed Google a detailed message regarding an inaccuracy he found on Google Maps and received this automated message:

Thank you for writing.  This is an automated response to let you know that we've received your feedback regarding Google Maps.  While we're unable to respond to each note individually, please know that we use all the feedback we receive to improve Maps.

If you have other concerns, and you're unable to find answers to your questions in the Google Maps Help Center, please feel free to respond to this note with additional details.  It's important to keep in mind that we'll only be able to respond to your inquiry if we can provide additional information that's not currently available on our Help Center.

We appreciate your taking the time to write.

Regards,
The Google Team

In reply, Sollis complained to Google that he already sent all the "additional details" necessary in his previous email and decided that he would take matters into his own hands.  And what reply did he receive from Google?  The same automatic response as above. 

Click here to see the complete correspondence and what Sollis did to resolve his problem on his own.  Priceless.

[via digg]

Tall Eye is a Google Maps mashup where you can plot your location, choose the direction you are going to walk, and the map will show you what you will pass while on your walk around the world.

[via The Presurfer]

Biomedical researchers take a virtual look at the spread of the avian flu virus through Google Earth. 

With Keyhole Markup Language on Google Earth scientists were able to trace the course of the disease over the past decade.

The Google Earth project animates the spread of avian flu virus. In addition the data contains information on all known strains of the evolving flu virus plus all its host organisms. So far avian flu has not proven highly contagious among humans with fewer than 300 known cases worldwide. However, medical research is watching the virus's spread and evolution.

To view the virus virtually, you will need to download Google Earth and then copy this link into your browser.

[via meshly]

This sign from the North Shore Assembly of God cracks me up.  I don't know...  Whenever I use Google I get some pretty good results.   [via digg]

Here's more Google sign humor from St. Giles Presbyterian Church.

Previously:
Church sign generator (LwL)

When you scan the globe using Google Earth you will notice a large portion of Central Africa outlined in orange.  Zoom in closer and you will see the words "Crisis in Darfur". 

Google has teamed up with United State Holocaust Memorial Museum in hopes people around the world will be able to visualize the vast devastation and genocide occuring in the Darfur region.

"It's our hope that by combining this up-to-date satellite imagery with authoritative data and evidence from the ground in Google Earth we can make it harder for people to stand idly by when genocide happens,' " said Lawrence Swiader, the museum's chief information officer.

The Holocaust museum has also begun using Google Earth on their site to map Holocaust locations in Europe during WWII.

Previously:
'Dying for Darfur' Online Game, Ayiti: the Cost of Life