Google Trends

I just discovered Google Trends where you can see graphs of the popularity of search terms. This site should only be visited by trivia loving geeks with time to waste. It seems I fall into this category.

The joy of these is not just to spot trends, but also patterns. This one for snow is entirely predictable but rather pretty. My favourite summer drink, Pimms, peaks in the summer, but the height of the peak varies according to the weather - colder summer, less hits.

You can find lots of economic trivia. Both Tesco and Waitrose (UK supermarket chains) have rising search numbers; both show peaks before Christmas, but Waitrose spikes much higher. Unsurprisingly, recession has jumped out of flat-lined nowhere to violent peaks and fluctuations in 2008.