Search engines have gone way beyond a simple tool to find information. We might search for a website that we can't remember, a factoid for a report, or movie times for the local theater. More and more, we are turning to search engines for more involved queries, posing philosophical questions (why?) or at times searching for instruction (How to...?).

For the four weeks ending July 21, 2007, Hitwise amassed a list of over 130,000 unique "how to" queries.

Top 10 "How to" Searches in the U.S (4 weeks ending 7/21/07)
1. How to tie a tie
2. How to have sex
3. How to kiss
4. How to lose weight
5. How to write a resume
6. How to levitate
7. How to draw
8. How to get pregnant
9. How to make out

Since the beginning of 2007, our "how to" queries have risen over 17.5%, encompassing an impressive 2.96% of all searches in the U.S. When you look at these terms, one thing that becomes very clear is just how fractionalized our instructional dilemmas are.