Everyone is searching . . .

I run Google Analytics on the Something Surprising blog and it tells me a bit about how my visitors found me.  Strangely enough, I even believe some of it (although not quite all).  It is more like a weather vane than a weather forecast, but a great service, and free, and informative.

Sometimes it is entertaining to see what search terms had been used in Google to get to Something Surprising.  Here are a few of them.

First - some slightly surprising ones - but bear in mind that I specialise in surprising things, so it should not be too surprising:

• what is the motto of the french navy? -- I gave a humorous answer here
• quite a night at the erawan -- Yes, I really covered that too
• smell the rectum of a whale in the most expensive of perfumes -- and this one
• bin laden homeopathy -- Yes, this one too.
• was william lane craig ever defeated? -- Oh yes!  Definitely!  But he would never admit it.
• lake with hole in the middle - here, and, frankly, quite a scary picture
• absurd irrational things -- Hmmm.  I generally prefer rational.  But . . . speaking of absurd and irrational

Some of the search terms are indeed absurd and irrational, and you might wonder how anyone could put all these words together in any single place:

• apollo 18 rock spiders
• dinosaur and unicorn receive a text message
• devonian hogmanay
• how can i convince myself that homeopathy works -- Hint:  It doesn't.

Some of them are theistic or simply naive (and ignorant)

• do unbelievers know right from wrong? -- How many guesses do you think you might need?
• can you convert an atheist -- Into what?
• are Christians on to something -- Yes, nearly their third millennium of waiting for the second coming.
• real reason dinosaurs became extinct noah arc -- No I think there was a different reason.
• why did god create science -- Perhaps so that it could confuse the believers?
• what do unbelievers see -- Erm?  Which way are they looking?

A few of them are more like statements of opinion than search terms:

• "jesus fish eating darwin fish" with the flying spaghetti monster in turn attacking the "jesus fish".
• muhammad is a narcissist, a pedophile, a mass murderer, a terrorist, a misogynist, a lecher, a cult leader, a madman a rapist, a torturer, an assassin and a looter." former muslim ali sina offered $50,000 to anyone who could prove otherwise based on islamic texts. the reward has gone unclaimed -- Who could possibly disagree?

And a few are slightly disappointing - I try not to be demotivational but have obviously failed.

• demotivational pictures natural beauty
• demotivational woman strong independant until things get a little bit di
• offensive jesus demotivational

But I just loved these

• why astrological predictions fail at times -- As if they succeed at other times?
• flat world ocean elephants turtles
• giant texas sinkhole keeps growing
• goldilocks and the three bears learning outcome
• how to make a fake fish tank
• have the russians been on the moon -- What? All of them?
  
• impossible discoveries
• uses of unstable isotopes: peaceful uses
• zombie compound fortification -- I think I can be sure I never touched on this topic

What fun!