Rick Roll, Poker Face, Mind Game: What's the Buzz
Our picks from the day's hottest searches.
- Rick Astley virus (breakout). An Aussie designer has inflicted the Rickroll on unlocked iPhones.
- Joe Cada (+1,021%). It's a numbers game: The youngest ever World Series of Poker winner, the 21 year old won $8.5 million. Now he can legally celebrate with a drink.
- Leukemia (+298). The cancer's getting a closer look after news of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's diagnosis. His rare chronic myeloid leukemia is "treatable."
- Artificial Christmas Trees (+130%). The spirit may be festive, but beware the environmental costs in faking.
- Mind Flex Game (+120%). The Mattel game that requires brainwaves to play debuted at CES in January, and went on sale October. Looks like a hot holiday item, price tag aside.
Filed under: Viral, Music, Poker, Trees, Christmas, Cancer, iPhone
Pickin', Peepin' and Pullin': Signs of Autumn
Fussy weather and slim wallets meant many people stayed close to the homestead this summer. Three autumn traditions, though, may tempt wanderlust in ways summer couldn’t: apple-picking, leaf-peeping, and pumpkin-pulling.
The good/bad news: The same wet East Coast weather that ended up sweetening apples and brightening foliage has also rotted pumpkin vines. Scary prospects are also in store for the gourd harvest because of Southeast and Midwest rains. So, the autumn scenery will be spectacular, the apples fat and juicy, but some Halloween households may have less Jack O’Lanterns and fewer Thanksgiving pies.
Then again, some of you may have a shot of snaking an orange prized possession if you act now. Checking out the Search activity on Yahoo!, the hunt for "pumpkin farms" has just taken off. People are more distracted by opportunities for “apple picking” (+3,553%) and “leaf peeping” (off the Search charts). Even better, “leaf vacuum” lookups are also off the charts. While your neighbor's busy raking, you can snag your booty.
Meanwhile, if you want to be at the autumn hot spots, check out the top-searched apple-picking and fall-foliage searches on Yahoo!.
| Top Apple Picking and Leaf-Peaping Destinations | |||
| Rank | Favorite Apple Pick-Up Spots | Favorite Fall Foliage Spots | |
| 1. | Apple Picking Massachusetts | New England Fall Foliage | |
| 2. | Apple Picking NY | Vermont Fall Foliage Report | |
| 3. | Apple Picking NJ | New Hampshire Fall Foliage | |
| 4. | Long Island Apple Picking | Maine Fall Foliage | |
| 5. | Michigan Apple Orchards | Colorado Fall Foliage Report | |
| 6. | Illinois Apple Picking | New York Fall Foliage | |
| 7. | Apple Picking in Maine | PA Fall Foliage | |
| 8. | Apple Picking in CT | Virginia Fall Foliage | |
| 9. | Apple Picking Indiana | Ohio Fall Foliage | |
| 10. | Apple Picking Wisconsin | Michigan Fall Foliage | |
Falling for Fall Colors
If you skipped a summer vacation, now's your chance to take in the "fall colors" (+46%). Some of the best places to view the foliage are in your home state or one nearby. So, grab a "fall colors map," your camera, and your car keys and find the "best places for fall colors."
Where to go for "fall colors in united states"? According to Road and Travel magazine, for the best places to see "fall colors 2008" (+ 50%), go to "wisconsin fall colors" and "michigan fall colors." Those states also rank among the top 10 searches for fall colors, along with "new england fall colors."
But here's a factoid that may surprise you: displaced West Coasters pining for a taste of that East Coast autumn need look no further than "best places for fall colors california." The golden- and red-hued trees can be seen in parks throughout the state, according to the California State Parks department. If you prefer to travel the rails, enjoy "fall colors by train" or a "fall colors train trip from chicago il."
Finally, for those deprived of viewing the changing leaves first hand, there's always "fall colors clothing" retail therapy.
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |

top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.