Google Mistook Jackson Searches For Net Attack 256
Slatterz writes "Web giant Google has admitted it thought the sudden spike in searches for Michael Jackson on Thursday was a massive, coordinated internet attack, leading it to post an error page on Google News. The company's director of product management, RJ Pittman, explained that search volume began to increase around 2pm PDT on Thursday and 'skyrocketed' by 3pm, finally stabilising at around 8pm. According to Pittman, last week also saw one of the largest mobile search spikes ever seen, with 5 of the top 20 searches about Jackson. Google wasn't the only site caught out by the extraordinary events. The Los Angeles Times web site also crashed soon after it broke the news of Jackson's death."
They didn't read Google News? (Score:5, Funny)
If Google had read Google News, they would have known about MJs death. But Google didn't and thought they were being attacked...which led them to shutdown their news site...which would have told them about MJ.
What if this had happened in Soviet Russia?
Re:They didn't read Google News? (Score:5, Funny)
Michael Jackson would've attacked YOU with "google news" queries!
It was actually the work of... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:They didn't read Google News? (Score:3, Funny)
What if this had happened in Soviet Russia?
it'd be google.ru instead of google.com
Re:It was actually the work of... (Score:5, Funny)
Clearly the boogie is to blame.
Welcome to Last Week (Score:5, Funny)
He's not dead! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:They didn't read Google News? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Old news (Score:5, Funny)
Even Fox News had the information on Friday.
Slashdot: Slower Than Fox News.
Re:Twitter is fragile (Score:2, Funny)
Ruby on rails, which is like MJ on drugs - i.e. DEAD.
Re:Am I the only one (Score:3, Funny)
I guess so. Did your parents lock you in a cave as a kid or something?
He's a 7 digit, my friend. MJ hasn't made any new truly popular music for a long time, so GP has only seen the mutilated face, the pedophilia, and the baby-dangling.
KABOOM! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I wonder (Score:1, Funny)
I'm regularly watching for news of nukes flying so I know when I can start looting and lock myself in waiting for the zombie attack!
Re:Some websites went down... not Google (Score:1, Funny)
Yeah, and shit will really hit the fan when someone dies who has actually contributed more to humanity than some catchy tunes, groovy moves and questionable fashion style.
Re:I wonder (Score:5, Funny)
The "attack" was just millions saying "I have no life, you insensitive clod!"
Google should have returned a custom error page for Michael Jackson searches - either Error 301: Moved Permanently, or Error 410: Gone would have been fine, accompanied by a "Resource Expired: Beat It!" message.
Re:I wonder (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, most people were probably surprised that he lasted as long as he did. With body parts falling off or changing colour, he was obviously WAY past his "best before" date.
That he died of a heart attack is just so ... mundane ... you'd expect it to be something like an angry parent or slipping off a balcony or a hyperbaric chamber malfunction or something involving Bubbles, a rope, and a closet.
Re:Good for google. (Score:5, Funny)
Do you really want to admit that? Wouldn't it be better to claim you were searching for, I don't know, porn or something?
Re:Good for google. (Score:5, Funny)
Do you really want to admit that? Wouldn't it be better to claim you were searching for, I don't know, porn or something?
Getting the Michael Jackson captcha while searching for porn?
I don't even want to know what those search terms entailed... but I assume the FBI picked them up, too.
Re:Welcome to Last Week (Score:5, Funny)
from Consumerist:
You have to wonder if before going to sleep last night, pitchman Billy Mays thought of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon, and said to himself one last time, "but wait, there's more!"
Re:I wonder (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I wonder (Score:3, Funny)
Imagine if you suddenly heard the Pope was dead. Or Kim Jong Il. Or Bill Gates. Some are good, some are bad, the only connection is that they're huge public figures known throughout the world.
Which are bad?
Fake 'DoS Attack' Attack! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I wonder (Score:5, Funny)
What does everyone have against Hawaii? They have naked women and flowers. And they already got the short end of the stick in 41.
Why not nuke Kansas or Ohio? THat'll improve the IQ and educational system while only killing 2 men and a donkey.
Re:I wonder (Score:5, Funny)
It's as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.