The dynamic “autocomplete” feature that Google now features is certainly a clever (if somewhat pointless) demonstration of its on-the-fly data mining capabilities, but the results that it instantly proffers as you’re typing can indeed be curious…
Type in “is stephen harper” for example. Really, are that many people actually wondering if the Prime Minister of Canada is gay? Probably not. So why then is this question dished up as the third most likely search result, other than that his name may be attached to a lot of discussions about the topic of gay rights, etc.? Ditto with Jack Layton, btw; only in his case the query (no pun intended) is ranked even higher. Funnily enough, when you run Michael Ignatieff through the same exercise, you’re mainly prompted with questions about him possibly being American or Jewish…
The third autocomplete I got for <> in google was “separated from his wife” Thats an odd story because she is more involved in promoting her husband’s policies than any other recent Prime Minister’s spouse I can think of. Hopefully the rumour is as true as the third autocomplete I got which was “bald”
… fourth autocomplete I got which was “bald”
It never occurred to me that Stephen Harper might be bald. Granted, that helmet hair thing he’s got going is kind of weird, but I never doubted its veracity.
By the way, the fourth autocomplete I get on “Is Stephen Harper” is “a conservative”? Now there’s a good question, especially these days!
I doubt he is bald and I hope he is not separated from his wife. (Might not have been clear from my previous comment)
# 7 is stephen harper a liberal?
# 8 is stephen harper a freemason?
lol
Who are the crackpots wondering these things?
Seriously, there are so many deranged people on the Internets… it’s frightening to think that these same people that are filled with so many vile, hateful, nutty, conspiratorial thoughts are every day walking around our streets.
I say that not so much in reference to the searches made in connection with Harper, but just having been exposed to a lot of highly toxic YouTube comments over the course of the day.