The daily Google Zeitgeist
On Monday, Google launched a new module for Google Trends called "Hot Trends" that analyzes queries done in the USA. The tool is updated several times daily so we can get a sense, albeit not real time, of what is happening right now on Google Search.
Hot Trends, a list of the current top-100 fastest-rising search trends, will be refreshed several times daily, using data from millions of Google Web searches conducted up to an hour before each update, the company said.
I don't know how useful the tool actually is, but I do know it's fun to play with, at least for a few hours. Unfortunately, it will probably fall under the "cool, but I'll never use it" category for me -- like the actual "Google Trends" product.
Why would I say that? Well, for one thing, it's off the beaten path and so it requires effort to use. Why not include some of this information directly in the search results (through a sparkline with the ability to drill down)?