If you have a fever, headache and runny nose, you might go to Google and type the words “flu symptoms” to see whether you’ve come down with influenza. Google, the Internet search engine, has created a new tool that will help track illness, a development that could put in place early warning and control measures for flu outbreaks.

The tool developed by Google.org, the company’s philanthropic department, uses search terms that are commonly entered into the Internet to work out possible flu clusters.

“This is an example where Google can use the incredible systems that we have to come up with an interesting, predictive result,” said Eric E. Schmidt, Google’s chief executive.

“Flu trends” is based on the idea that people who feel sick will probably turn to the Internet for information by searching for terms such as muscle aches, thermometer and chest congestion etc.

“One thing we found last year when we validated this model is it tended to predict surveillance data. The data are really, really timely,” said Dr Lyn Finelli, chief of influenza surveillance at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US.

It tracks their ebb and flow, broken down by regions and states that can be notified to a central data control unit as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US.

“They (model) were able to tell us on a day-to-day basis the relative direction of flu activity for a given area. They were about a week ahead of us. They could be used… as early warning signal for flu activity,” Finelli, was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph newspaper on Wenesday.

According to the British daily, early tests suggest that the service may be able to detect regional outbreaks of the flu a week to 10 days before they are normally reported by the CDC. The company said it will keep user information confidential.

“What’s exciting about Flu Trends is that it lets anybody — epidemiologists, health officials, moms with sick children — learn about the current flu activity level in their own state based on data that’s coming in this week,” said Jeremy Ginsberg, the lead engineer who developed the site.

The tool, which launched Tuesday, operates on the idea that there’s likely to be a flu outbreak in states where flu-related search terms are currently popular.

“We really are excited about the future of using different technologies, including technology like this, in trying to figure out if there’s better ways to do surveillance for outbreaks of influenza or any other diseases in the United States,” he said. “In theory at least, this idea can be used for any disease and any health problem.”

Researchers found a tight correlation between the relative popularity of flu-related search terms and CDC’s surveillance data, Ginsberg said.

“Sacrificing accuracy may not necessarily carry a big penalty if you’re able to predict increasing flu incidence as well as the other systems, and do it more rapidly,” he said.

Still, there are limitations, Bresee said. The tool may miss cases of influenza spreading among elderly people, because they are less likely to use the Internet than younger people, Stafford said. He also noted that many people who search for flu-related terms have viral infections that are not actually influenza.

Google has also taken into account that people sometimes look for flu-related terms in response to certain news headlines and do not actually have the flu, Ginsberg said. The tool looks for terms that, for example, reflect searches by a person who has chest congestion or wants to buy a thermometer, he said.

Flu Trends may also help doctors make diagnoses, Ginsberg said.

“I would be very hesitant to diagnose influenza at this point in the year, but if the tool tells me influenza in California is really increasing dramatically, I might be more likely or willing to diagnose,” Stafford said.

Influenza is responsible for more than 500,000 deaths worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization.

Flu Trends cannot be used to identify individual users, the company statement said. The search engine relies on aggregated counts, made anonymous, of how often certain search terms occur each week. But every computer connected to the Internet has its own internet protocol address, or IP address, which reveals its location to Google.

Software engineers and public health experts at Google.org, the company’s philanthropic arm, collaborated on the project, Ginsberg said. The search engine giant turned 10 years old this year.

The overall flu activity in the U.S. is low, although a few states — such as Hawaii, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Delaware and Maine — have “moderate” activity, according to Google’s map, based on data current through Monday.

“There’s no question that testing for virus in blood is the only way to get the most information, but having this sort of information earlier does make sense,” Stafford said.

Go Here To see the updated Flu symptoms in Google trends

Myth: Women hate gadget gifts. Truth: We know (from experience, believe it or not) that isn’t true. While the old adage about never giving a woman a gift that plugs in is generally good advice, it’s more rooted in men thoughtlessly giving presents they like than the often-erroneous assumption that gals and gadgets don’t mix. All you need to do is pair some thought with your tech toy, and you just might reach her On switch.

But where to start? That’s where we come in. Guys, we’ve got 10 Valentine’s Gifts for your sweetheart — from tech fashion to MP3 players made for romance — to help you navigate your way through this delicate obstacle course. Yes, buying gadgets for women can be done successfully. Click Continue to see us prove it.

10. FireJewel Necklace: Well-Lighted Place

This little bangle has been personally tested by your humble narrator here at DVICE. The FireJewel is an elegant necklace with a Swarovski crystal at its core, but it gets really special when you see that exceptionally bright LED lighting up within its cube-shaped confines. It scatters light all over the décolletage of your beloved, drawing attention when (and where) she wants to get noticed. Take it from us, even gals who don’t care much for gadgets liked this one a whole lot more than expected. Its tiny battery stays discreetly out of sight while the delighted wearer dazzles all those within her line of sight. Take our word for it — it’s $37 well-spent.

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9. Dynamic Life Shirts: Proximity Effect

This is just too cute. You both wear these $25 8-Bit Dynamic Life shirts, and the closer you get to each other, the more hearts light up on your chest. Its default state has two hearts a-glowing, displaying that special place she has in your heart even when you’re far away. Get within hugging distance, and the removable animated decals go nuts with all six hearts a-blazin’. There’s even a special $12 transmitter for those solitary lonely hearts, and the shirt glows brighter as you get closer to the strategically-placed transmitter. Slip it inside that fancy new car of yours, or maybe place it in the middle of your Star Wars LEGO collection, and your shirt will instantly and visibly display your heart-felt affection.

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8. Practice, Practice: Kissing Love Tester

There are plenty of ways to test your love, but this Addject Kissing Love Tester takes it down to the electronic level. The fun part is trying it out, an act of pure experimentation where you each hold the heart in one hand and touch your lips together. If you’ve hit paydirt, the little heart will emit a warm glow and burst into a rousing chorus of “Love is in the Air.” If there’s nothing happening between you, you’ll hear a jarring buzzer sound. Not to worry — you’ll just have to perform the test again and again until you get it right.

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7. Fiber-Optic Halter: Moral Fiber

Check out this halter top with fiber optic light running all through it. The $150 shirt’s lighting can shine for 12 hours on a set of three AAA batteries, and it runs as cool as your lady is hot while she’s wearing it. The low-voltage light strands are barely visible by day, but get her in a dimly-lit atmosphere and watch her light up the night. You can’t fold these shirts, but after a smoky, sweaty night out on the town they are thankfully hand-washable. The tech is available in a variety of styles and colors, and there’s even a muscle shirt for guys.

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6. Unbreakable: Warming Heart

What better way to warm your loved-one’s heart than with this Warming Heart from the Museum of Modern Art? It’s made of fleece and stays hot for 45 minutes after a short trip to the microwave. It has purified organic wheat inside, retaining heat and keeping her warm, perfect for a chilly Valentine’s Day and days after when you may not always be there to keep those chills away. Best of all, she’ll associate you with warmth and love, thinking of you every time she heats up this fleece pillow. Not a bad deal for $16, and not a pesky plug in sight.

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5. Jib Jab Striptease Video

Here’s a gift that won’t cost you a thing, but you might want to back it up with some candy or at least a card: a special (but tame) Valentine’s Day striptease video from Jib Jab. You remember these clowns, don’t you, the ones who lampooned both Bush and Kerry with that viral video in the ‘04 campaign? This goof electro-magically keys your face on a guy stripping for his mate (whose face you also supply — be sure to include the right gal’s pic), something that you might be able to do in person, but this might go over better because it’s not even supposed to be sexy. Might be good for a chuckle or two, and ladies, you can be the star of your own striptease, too.

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4. Heart Guard: Black Rose Brooch

The nylon construction of this Citizen Citizen black rose brooch will shield your valentine from even the most violent forces. Designed by Tobias Wong, the bulletproof rose is intended to be a fashion statement and conversation piece. It can also be an expression of your protective instincts. Just be sure to explain the concept to her thoroughly lest she believe you have plans for getting a little too physical. Quite a heavy statement for the only the most off-the-wall paramour, its price reflects its unusual nature — all this high fashion will cost you a cool $175.

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3. Newman MP3 Players: Two Hearts Beat as One

Aw, look at this pair of little music players from Chinese manufacturer Newman. The two MP3 players can work perfectly apart, but put them together for the complete experience of … two MP3 players being near each other. Kinda like your relationship, no? Notice the two face silhouettes kissing each other as the two halves are brought together. Details are scarce, but the player supports MP3 and WMA audio formats, and their touching design operates by, you guessed it, touch-sensitive controls. You might want to keep this idea in mind for next year’s Valentine’s Day, because it’s not quite available stateside just yet.

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2. LED Lip Gloss: You Light Up My Lips

Here’s a Swarovski crystal-festooned gadget gift that uses LEDs for a practical purpose. No matter how dark and romantic it gets, your lovely lady will always be able to apply that luscious lip lacquer with this Go Light on My Lips LED-lit lip gloss in a clever container and applicator. The $38 bauble is available with a variety of lip gloss colors inside, including (gotta love these color names) chili spice, popping pink, red carpet, brown sugar baby, and invisible. And hey, that bright little light might come in handy for a number of things you might be doing in the dark.

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1. Beta Testing Chocolate? Tcho ‘Nuff

What would Valentine’s Day be without chocolate? Tcho Chocolate must be the first to be beta tasted. Its choco-team is headed up by Wired magazine co-founder Louis Rossetto, who decided to dismantle an entire chocolate factory located in a German castle and plop it down right in the middle of San Francisco. His Ghanian chocolate bars are now available for an initial beta taste test for $4 for a 50-gram bar. Taking a tech-minded approach to the making and marketing of chocolate, Rossetto’s minions monitor all the chocolate manufacturing with the latest techno-gear, and the company is working with farmers to gather only the best ingredients for these fair-traded confections. Try some, and you can go to the Tcho web site and tell ‘em what you think, just like a real beta tester.

Remember being eight-years-old and zooming in on an ant or a piece of dandruff on that plastic microscope that you received for your birthday? Well now you can relive those days of questioning and experimentation with the USB Microscope, which is the perfect device to wile away the hours at work.

This nifty USB gadget allows you zoom in (from 20x to 200x) on any object you happen to have on hand. It also comes with software allowing you to be a real boffin and record your findings as photos and videos onto your PC.

To use, just plug the USB connection into your PC and start examining just how gross your keyboard really is – no science degree required!

The USB Microscope is versatile enough to be held like a pen or can be fixed to a little desktop stand. It even features an internal white LED to illuminate objects to the max.

This gadget is really a sophisticated bit of sciencery and would come in handy for students, collectors, the generally inquisitive or those with a hangnail that they just can’t stop inspecting.