It's been a busy year on Technology - and you've responded by reading stories in your millions. And we've just had a look at the statistics showing which are the most-read stories and most-viewed galleries on the site. Between them all they've racked up millions of clicks. We hope to delight you in 2010, but for now here are the top tens of 2009...
Stories
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1: In December, the Defence Research Projects Agency (they helped invent the internet, you know) hid some balloons in the US. Perhaps if they hadn't been weather balloons they would have been easier to hide. As it was, the result was summed up thus:
MIT team wins Darpa's treasure hunt in less than one day - 2: Don't let people tell you that there's no point in playing with electricity: you might discover a new fundamental force, in the manner of Hans Christian Ørsted (1777-1851).
- 3: The issue of who "controls" the internet is always contentious - an the US's retreat from its control of Icann was an important one in September, which we announced as US relinquishes control of the internet
- 4: And then there was the rumours in January 2009 of a Google initiative that would let you access your files from a special "Google PC" - clearly foreshadowing the Chrome OS that was announced later in the year. Is it a challenge to Microsoft? Certainly: Google plans to make PCs history
- 5: In November there was the question of whether Google is simply a conduit, or whether it has control of what seasrch results it offers. Of course it controls them - that's why you don't see tons of spam all the time - but what if you get an offensive picture and caption at the top of the search results? Seems that Google might act: Michelle Obama 'racist' picture that is topping Google Images removed
- 6: However there's much more to the internet than meets the eye. Have you been to The dark side of the internet?
- 7: And meanwhile there's the question of the satellite system maintained by the US government, which spends billions keeping it aloft so that your sat-nav will get you to the end of your journey. But as we showed in May, there's a problem: GPS system 'close to breakdown'
- 8: Meanwhile, we annually offer you the pick of the crop, which is always popular. How many of The 100 essential websites do you use?
- 9: And make sure you've booked your ticket if you're extremely rich: Virgin unveils Spaceship Two for tourists who want out-of-this-world experience
- 10: And, finally, in the top 10 is a story that looks at advertising methods and promotion in Online gaming: has Evony become the most despised game on the web?
But as well as the stories that we write, there are also the galleries - collections of captioned pictures.
- 1: Microsoft headed the list with the series of pictures from May - because of the then-forthcoming release of the new version of its operating system: Take a look at Windows 7
- 2: But Apple is never far behind, and as Steve Jobs took a medical break, a gallery from 2007 (before the widely publicised stories about his illness) which is perhaps not as serious as it could be: witness The seven ages of Steve Jobs
- 3: Meanwhile, another evergreen topic is the question of what's been invented this week that looks just like something out of the original series of Star Trek. (For some reason nobody cares about the later series' inventions. Holodecks can't hold a candle to a tricorder.) Hence Science fact: the technology predicted by Star Trek
- 4: But now, a semi-commercial break: in Tech-types strip for charity we showed some of the pictures for the charity calendar, with proceeds going to Wateraid.
- 5: And we're always keen to help fill your games shelves - if you got a Wii for Christmas, you might like to investigate the Top ten Wii games you may have missed
- 6: By October, Windows 7 was a reality and seemed to be going pretty well - which led us to wonder about how it had evolved over the years since Windows arrived. Hence: Waking up Windows 1985-2009
- 7: For those who have had sleepless nights in which they've been watching falling blocks rotate and form solid lines, we could only offer a little comfort - and no relief - with Tetris: the 25th anniversary
- 8: Frankly, we have to say that if you haven't heard of The lying-down game then you have to go and see the pictures to understand it. And if you have heard of it, are you sure you've seen our collection of pictures?
- 9: Games are always popular with Technology readers - and so we offer you the visual feast that is June's E3 Expo in pictures
- 10: For the heavy-footed petrolheads among you, what better than some sumptuous pictures of The world's first 1,000mph car?
