Apple dominates Google's list of "Fastest Rising Technology" searches of 2011 from the United States. (Credit: Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET)
Google's annual Zeitgeist roundup of the hottest trends in search from 2011 is out, and when it comes to tech, Apple dominates the list.
In Google's top 10 list of fastest-rising technology searches for the United States, the top six are all Apple-related, led by "iCloud," "Osx Lion" and "Ipad 2." "Steve Jobs" also makes the list at No. 8.
Google fared a little better on its own overall global top 10 list, with "Google+" snagging the No. 2 spot. In a major milestone in the history of collective global humiliation, the top search slot for 2011 goes to "Rebecca Black." Apple also occupies three places on the overall list, with "iPhone 5" at No. 6; "Steve Jobs" at No. 9; and "iPad 2" at No. 10.
Google's list of fastest-rising gadgets for the year is a little more representative of the overall market, with Kindle Fire grabbing the search gold in that category. The iPhone 4S was the second-fastest-rising term, and the iPad 2 fills the seventh place. "Sidekick 4g," "HP Touchpad," "HTC Inspire," "Palm Pre 3," and the "HTC Thunderbolt" are some of the other devices that people spent plenty of time coveting via Google in 2011.
It's important to note that these "fastest rising" terms are based on comparing year-over-year data and seeing which terms increased their buzz the most from 2010. So since the Kindle Fire didn't exist in 2010, it had a bit of an advantage over terms like "iPad 2," which was already in the lexicon even before the Fire came onto the scene.
Finally, in Google's top 10 list of cell phone searches--overall, not using the fastest-rising methodology--the query "iPhone" sits on a pretty tall throne above all others. But it isn't completely an Apple world. Serving as a reminder that we can't all afford a top-of-the-line smartphone is the No. 5 entry on the list--prepaid budget carrier "Tracfone."
Eric Mack
Crave freelancer Eric Mack is a writer and radio producer based high in the Rocky Mountains in a "one bar" service area (for both drinks and 3G). He's published e-books on Android and Alaska, and is a contributing editor for Crowdsourcing.org and A New Domain. He also contributes to NPR, Gizmag, and Edmunds Inside Line. Eric is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. E-mail Eric.
Physicists work out how to generate a backward pulling force from a forward propagating beam
A photon has a small momentum which it can impart to anything it hits, as Arthur Compton and Peter Lebedev discovered at the beginning of the last century. We now know that photons can be used to push anything from electrons to solar sails.
Today, Jun Chen from Fudan University in China and a few pals demonstrate the counterintuitive result that photons can pull things too. In other words, they've worked out how to generate a backward pulling force from a forward propagating beam.
Chen and buddies say this is possible when the system meets two conditions. First, it works only for beams in which the momentum in the direction of propagation is small, as is the case for beams that merely glance off an object. Second, the photons must simultaneously excite several multipoles within the particle, which scatter the beam.
If the scattering angle is just right, the total momentum in the direction of propagation can be negative, meaning the particle is pulled back towards the source and the light becomes a tractor beam.
This must not be confused with various "optical tweezer" type mechanisms in which particles trapped in a beam follow the intensity gradient of the light. In this case, the particles always reach some point of equilibrium where the intensity reaches a maximum.
Chen and co's new force works when there is no gradient. Given the chance, their tractor beam will pull a particle all the way back to the source.
That's a handy additional tool in the nanomanipulator's box of tricks. "This may open up new avenues for optical micromanipulation, of which typical examples include transporting a particle backward over a long distance and particle sorting," say Chen and co.
This is a theory paper so there's one piece of the puzzle left to fit. All they have to do now is demonstrate that their tractor beam works.
Employers may not take too kindly to the current generation of employees who see a great need for work-life balance.
THE Human Resources manager looked up from the stack of papers in front of him and asked the young applicant why there was a gap from the time of his graduation and his work application. She took a few seconds to think before she gave a slight shrug and replied that she needed time and wasn’t sure of the jobs she wanted to apply for.
Then to justify her answer, she said that her mother financially supported her during that period.
The manager then asked her if she had any questions about the company since she had stated in her resume that she was looking “to grow her career and find the right company”.
An interviewer would be more impressed when a young applicant talks about her commitment towards her job instead of explaining the need for work-life balance.
She queried if it would be a nine-to-five job and added that she would not be able to work on weekends as she had church commitments.
I must say that she should not have responded in that manner as it was not appropriate.
This highlights the lack of drive and determination of the individual and raises doubts about the applicant’s commitment towards the job.
“Gap year” is a trendy term tossed around, and one commonly associated with the privilege of an affluent graduate. Indeed it means taking that fully financially supported time off for soul- or career-searching.
On the other hand, if the applicant had said she had taken the year off to gain working experience in the field she was planning to enter and to be sure that it was what she wanted, it would paint an entirely different picture.
In the present job market, employers are looking to hire people with more than just paper qualifications. Usually those who can afford to take a gap year to gain working experience and to determine their career path, would have an edge.
However, it has to be communicated in a manner that does not connote that a person has no direction or is not trying hard enough to look for a job and therefore making an excuse.
The other “demand” that interviewees tend to naively convey is work-life balance. This has to be earned and should not be considered a right of any new employee. In life, one needs to strike a balance.
Too much of one thing means less of another. Success is about hard work.
It is impossible to find an individual who has achieved success in the corporate world, or any other field by working regular hours, enjoying a five-day week and taking the contractual 14 or 21 days off to see the world.
Work-life balance should be considered a juggling act of the mind, and not the physical hours of work. In developed countries, there is great emphasis on work-life balance, so much so that some executives believe it is their right to demand that they work no more than eight hours a day, and yet be able to lead the lifestyle of many wealthy people.
I have been told by young travellers around the world about how they could afford to go on their journeys as there were apparently no limits to the number of credit cards they could obtain! However, recent surveys have also highlighted the number of bankrupts who were below the age of 30!
Having a work-life balance is not something that is totally unacceptable, but if I were in my 20’s and speaking to a prospective employer, I would keep my other priorities that are not work-related expressedly silent at the job interview. Employers are fair but like all human beings, they would like to believe that it is the job that is your most important priority at that point of time.
To me, work-life balance is not about equally distributing your time between work and personal life. It means being able to find the time to relax and do the things you love without compromising your work responsibilities.
I would also highlight to my employer of my objectives and goals for work life and social life and show how they complement each other. Find that balance and tailor your career for success.
Paul Kam is a lawyer by training. He has worked with private and public sector leaders and has designed and led several transformation, alignment and strategic change initiatives. With his understanding of market conditions in various industries, he is passionate about shifting and aligning mindsets and behaviours of leaders and employees. He is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Management and is also a certified team profiler and a life and wealth coach.
