The Mother of Year-End Lists (for news junkies, anyway)

Each December, Google releases data they have collected on user searches to come up with a complete picture of news, fads, entertainment, and politics from the previous year. The collection of information is called

zeit·geist | Pronunciation: 'tsIt-"gIst, 'zIt | Function: noun | Etymology: German, from Zeit (time) + Geist (spirit) | Date: 1884 | Meaning: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

There's also an interactive Zeitgeist which allows users to see how ridiculous 2004 was broken down by month, complete with pictures and a geographic display of searches.