Microsoft's Search: Up, Up, And Kaboom?

When I think of the word “trajectory,” I think of an object arching through the air.  More specifically, I think of some sort of grenade or missile that explodes on impact.  So I had to raise an eyebrow when Microsoft’s Kevin Johnson said the company’s search business is “on a positive trajectory.”

But, hey, at least it’s on the upward part of the journey.  And in some circumstances, “exploding” is a desirable result - a person’s popularity can explode, for example, and so, presumably, can a search engine’s.  I’ve got to figure that’s the sort of thing Johnson meant, as opposed to the idea that Microsoft would become a fiery bringer of death.

The nonviolent interpretation also meshes well with the rest of Johnson’s comment to