A bizarre internet phenomenon in China, via the NYTimes:
The Chinese term for human-flesh search engine has been around since 2001, when it was used to describe a search that was human-powered rather than computer-driven. The kitten-killer case and subsequent hunts changed all that… the Chinese public’s primary understanding of the term is no longer so benign. The popular meaning is now not just a search by humans but also a search for humans, initially performed online but intended to cause real-world consequences.
