I never really liked my math and statistics classes in University; they were always way to abstract. But when it comes to finding and analyzing trends at work or play, I always have fun with it.

For the past 4 years, every December, I have eagerly waited for Google to release their Zeitgeist numbers. Throughout the year, I follow the major stories, but comparing them against one another, and seeing how they rank up against other events is very interesting.

So, if you've just come back to civilization after being stranded on an island for the past 11 months, this should be one of your sources catch up with the rest of the world - although a lot of the data has a North American bias.

On a side note, it is one of very few Google pages, that have good design and colours.