So sometimes I end up bored and playing with one of the many Google webtoys (tools?). I recently decided (that might not be the right word for it, but alright) to conduct some scientific tests to ascertain which of the world’s cities are the most ninja-ish. I then decided that in the name of healthy competition, I should run the same tests on those wily characters, the pirates. Also, one thing to keep in mind: Ninjas are constantly moving and so are the results of these searches. The rankings change from day to day and sometimes minute to minute, so if you really want to know where is the most ninja-friendly, write in and we’ll help you conduct your own tests.

Also, these tests use a ratio of the search term to the total Google searches from that place, so it won’t always be the biggest cities that head up the ranking.

Prepare to be amazed. Here are the top ten cities to be on the ninja search (using Google Trends, that is):

1. Seattle, WA
2. Los Angeles, CA
3. Helsinki, Finland
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Sydney, Australia
6. San Francisco, CA
7. Toronto, Canada
8. Houston, TX
9. Montreal, Canada
10. New York, NY

Wow, now that is sad! NYC is only #10 and Boston can’t even make the list! I might have to relocate to Helsinki. Let’s see how pirates fare around the world:

1. Goteborg, Sweden
2. Stockholm, Sweden
3. Oslo, Norway
4. Helsinki, Finland
5. Portland, OR
6. Montreal, Canada
7. Tampa, FL
8. Paris, France
9. Manchester, United Kingdom
10. Seattle, WA

I can’t say I’m surprised. I’ve always known deep down that pirates were very Euro. I didn’t know Australia was so ninja-ish though.

In the head-to-head competition, pirates are definitely more sought after, but there’s a couple good reasons for that. Firstly, in an attempt to sully the reputations of those who like their media free, the world has dubbed people who share information, music and so on, "pirates." Said pirates most often reside on the net. I feel bad for these good folks who just like to share (didn’t mama say that was a good thing?) and end up sounding like scurvy skip-skap-scallywags. Secondly, though, and most importantly, us ninjas stay far off the radar. But then you all obviously know that already. Be well, my ninjas, and don’t let the pirates shank you!