July 31, 2007
Smart, Beautiful, and Searched
Just about every adolescent boy who watched "The Wonder Years" was in love with Winnie Cooper. She was played by Danica McKeller and, after the show stopped, the actress fell out of the public eye. Now, Ms. McKeller is back in the Buzz thanks to her new book entitled "Math Doesn't Suck."
With the book poised to hit shelves in a few days, searches on Danica spiked an amazing 1,672%. "Math Doesn't Suck" wants to show middle schoolers that it's cool to be smart. Not exactly a new sentiment, but with more and more girls looking up to women like Paris and Lindsay, Danica's book is a welcome weapon in the fight against idiocy.
Alas, while Danica may be most proud of her mind, searchers are far more interested in her body. Queries on "danica mckeller pics" and "danica mckellar stuff magazine" both posted triple digit gains in Search. Meanwhile, interest in the book itself remains relatively modest. Harry Potter's spot on the best seller list looks to be safe for now.
Filed under Buzz by Yahoo! Buzz Index: Buzz Log
Few events feed the imagination like Discovery Channel's Shark Week. Earlier this summer, beach bums splashed into the surf without a second thought. Now, a shadow or sea lion might give them a moment's pause. While sharks may be feared, they still fascinate folks. We're seeing spikes on "shark week" (+318%), "discovery channel shark week 2007" (+283%), and just plain "sharks" (127%).
Starting off the 20th anniversary of Shark Week on Sunday night, "Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever" told the story of the crew of the USS Indianapolis. Their struggle to survive for four days after their ship was sunk by torpedoes in 1945 causes the shark-wary to shudder. Queries for "uss indianapolis shark attack," "worst shark attack in history," and "ocean of fear shark attack" jumped immediately after the show aired.
Which shark is most popular with searchers? The "bull shark" (+382%), which is the only shark that can spend leisure time in fresh water. Following behind are the "whale shark" (+122%), "great white shark" (+112%), "tiger shark" (+111%), and "hammerhead shark" (+53%).
There's still time to dive in to the feeding frenzy of shark shows this week. Remember, it's much safer to watch from the comfort of your living room.
Filed under Buzz by Yahoo! Buzz Index: Buzz Log

If buzz is any measure, some of us are already sitting in the front row writing 100 words about what we did last summer. Over the past week, back to school queries started creeping into the Search classroom, including "back to school" (+101%) and "back to school supplies" (+93%)—with nearly half of those lookups coming from kids under 17 years old.
Even parents got to thinking about teachers' dirty looks as they started scouring the web for "back to school sales" and "back to school clothes." Meanwhile, proactive teachers put Search to the test with queries for "back to school bulletin boards" (+430%) and "back to school bulletin board ideas" (+240%).
But, what's all the rush? So your shirt's stuck to your back and the mosquitos are eating you alive. If you think the summertime blues are bad, just wait until the first day of school (+69%).
Filed under Buzz by Yahoo! Buzz Index: Buzz Log