The algorithm could be of great interest to Twitter, which could charge a premium for ads linked to popular topics, but it also represents a new approach to statistical analysis that could, in theory, apply to any quantity that varies over time: the duration of a bus ride, ticket sales for films, maybe even stock prices.
Judges should pay more attention to this analysis, since they base their generous fee awards upon the theory that firms like Robbins Geller need a rich multiple to continue the valuable work of suing corporations.