search engine

Celebrity searches may bring up dangerous results, but that won't stop curious fans from hunting down stories and pics of their favorites online. Bing recently released its list of the top search trends of 2010, and taking the crown for most searches is one hot cell phone hacker: Kim Kardashian.

Although there were some major searchable milestones this year, like Antennagate, the World Cup, and the release of Sex and the City 2, just to name a few, it seems that a bikini-clad Kardashian can take them all down with just a few Twitpics. Want to see who and what else topped Bing's search topics in 2010? Check out the list after the break.

When I'm searching for general information on a topic, I start one of two places: Google, or Wikipedia. However, a newly discovered way to search for general information on a topic could end up being a bit of a time waster! The Bus Ride is a search engine of sorts that takes you on a guided path of varied sites related to your search query. For example, a search on "San Francisco" started with a stop at the YouTube page for Scott McKenzie's hit song of the same name, next, a travel guide for the city, then a news story, and so on.

But that's not all, of course — find out what else you can do on your Bus Ride after the break.

Although searching a certain celebrity may infect your computer with spyware, did you know that by searching the words "Bearshare" and "screensaver," it's pretty darn likely you'll click on a link that will infect your computer with harmful viruses?

According to a new McAfee study, 46 percent of search links for the word Bearshare (a video and audio file sharing website) will lead you to malicious sites that are just waiting for you to click so they can attack your computer with malware and dirty viruses. And, if you ever go looking for a cool screensaver (why would you when you have this one right here), beware — 43 percent of those search results are dangerous links.

This isn't something I think about often, but makes sense: some people worry that Google and other immediate, accessible, Internet-based research tools will eventually make us lazy and, well, stupid. Think about it: if you have a question, can't quite remember something, or just need to find more information, whatever you need is only a few clicks away.

According to a study from Pew Internet Research, Google will not make us stupid. The study polled 895 technology stakeholders and critics on a variety of topics, including whether or not we're too dependent on the search engine. Most experts polled agreed that Google not only doesn't hurt us, it makes us more creative and deepens connections with other people.

Another interesting fact from the article: opinions were split over whether anonymity on the Internet would be possible in ten years. Slightly more than half of those polled believed it would be possible, while 41 percent thought it would be "sharply curtailed."

• Your choice of search engine says a lot about you — Switched
• Was Apple considering a 3D virtual Apple Store? — Gizmodo
• Aperture 3 released with some iPhoto integration — Dvice
• Check out this totally cute TicToc mini MP3 player — Oh Gizmo!
• Tuesday DIY: swap a two-prong for a three-prong outlet — Unplggd

Another day, another huge Twitter announcement. And this time, it involves two of the biggest Internet companies around. Both Microsoft and Google announced today that both companies would start including Twitter posts in search results.

The feature is already live on Microsoft's Bing; Twitter posts appear based on key terms and tweets about hot topics. Click the "see more" link and you're redirected to a page containing recent tweets (that refresh automatically!) and a list of top links about the topic currently being shared on Twitter.

I think this news is exciting. While your reactions are split over getting news via Twitter, it's become a prime destination for finding up-to-the-minute content. We'll have to wait and see how Bing and Google plan to fully integrate Twitter feeds into search results pages, but if the past is any indicator, the incorporation of Twitter will be a huge win.