Data have been pressing on my mind quite a bit lately (yes, "have" not "has"), as I have become immersed in data at work for much of this year. I recently had a dream in which I saw my garage in smithereens on the ground and remarked, "that will take a lot of SQL statements to rebuild." (SQL is the language used to write database code). But a more fun example of data obsession is looking at the map produced by Google Analytics.

Google Analytics is a new service that web masters can install on their website to get advanced tracking and data about the use of their sites. The data has always been there, but Google has made it extremely easy to use and see. I installed this software just last week, and have been simply amazed at their map of the cities in which my site is being visited. The most amazing part is this: Karachi, Pakistan, has been home to more viewers than any other city in the world. In the past week, you can also see visitors from all over Europe; from Turkey, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates; from China, Japan, Phillipines, and Singapore; from Australia and New Zealand; from Chile, Argentina, and Mexico; and of course the U.S. and Canada. I'm a little surprised there's no one from Africa. Click on the image above to open a larger version.