the buzz log

The Buzz puts stock in the opinions of others, especially when it comes to gadgets. A good assessment, whether from a user or a professional, helps protect against hucksterism and hype. With the hysteria of holiday shopping behind us, look-ups on low-downs have concentrated primarily on cell phones, smart or otherwise.

However, two infomercial products have infiltrated the top 20 "review" searches: putty on steroids (No. 8) and more notably Kinoki Detox Foot Pads (No. 3), a white gauze that adheres to the soles of your feet and allegedly yanks everything from toxins to repressed playground memories from your system. Kinoki has hotfooted into the top 10,000 searches overall, its prestigious rise thanks to dubious queries such as "kinoki foot pads scam." Lucky for consumers, objects as seen on TV can be scrutinized on the Web. Then again, if it works, someone should send Amy Winehouse a bushel.

Give a once-over on what else people have been investigating in the past week: