Before:
After:
Search Engine Roundtable reported earlier of a post over at the DigitalPoint forums where a user had reported seeing a 'minty green' Google rather than the normal blue one I get when I do a search.
Is Google serious about going green? Why 'minty green'? Could it be political? How do you figure out which users prefer?
All these questions are still be answered.
Jim says: "I'm outraged" >:(
A few days ago I posted the news (from Search Engine Roundtable) that some Google Fridges, sent out as freebies to advertisers in 2006, had begun to break.
It seems that all the bad press surrounding these breaking fridges (perhaps it was my Bloggle article?) has made Google do a "U-turn" and give out a second round of fridges.
Over at the Blogoscoped forums poster beussery reports:
In an interesting twist, Google it seems has sent out a new round of "Google Fridge" schwag! Anyone else received a shiny new cooler? Either way, we received ours today and appreciate the new fridge! :)
I put U-turn in quotes because it's not a U-turn at all. It just makes for a better story.
Update - Jim says: The Webmaster World forum reports yet another fridge delivered.
This image is from a cached version of Google Trends that you can find here. You can also view the particular trends page. You won't be able to find it just on google.com/trends because it seems that Google have removed it again.
This seems like it is getting a *little* bit out of hand now. Probably best to stop.
[Via Google Blogoscoped]
The Google Earth Blog (unofficial) reported a few days ago about a CRAZY man who turned his bike into a flight control joystick for the Google Earth flight simulator.
"He claims the pedals serve as the power control, and has built a couple other lever controls for what looks like aerolon (banking) controls."
This seems crazy but perhaps its a cunning way to see the world whilst keeping fit. Having said that, imagine how boring it would be flying over desert and sea (and ice and grass and hills).
In all honesty I have very little to say about this and in fact i'm struggling to find words to make this seem like a viable post. It's just a complete waste of time.
Google's success is a topic greatly discussed. Constant innovation, peculiar working environments, genius or right place at the right time? Google's original chef has revealed the answer. No more discussion necessary.
Sushi. And alcohol.
In Eat Yourself Smart, he argues that Sushi made Google’s engineers work better: “The fat found in fish helps make the cell membranes round the brain more elastic and more able to absorb nutrients easily.”
Everyone knows this fact, not least because it's how Jeeves (of Jeeves and Wooster/Ask Jeeves fame) came to be able to solve any predicament or find the answer to nearly every search query we could throw at him.
But not only sushi...
To introduce computer experts fresh out of university to early mornings, he developed breakfast specials, such as “French toast with coconut, macadamia and rum”. The rum, beer and barbecues provided perfect cover for converting the “googlers” to a diet that ensured they kept working after lunch, weaning them off pizzas and on to salads…..
[From the Sydney Morning Herald]
Disclaimer: If you are of a nervous disposition or an employee who feels aggrieved about their own current working conditions, I recommend you do not read this post.
Jane Wakefield is lucky. She recently got to visit the new Googleplex in Zurich and make a video about it. My opinion about the new Googleplex? "You cannot be serious". It's beyond crazy and more wacky than you could ever imagine. It makes Pat Sharpe's Fun House look like a library. It even has a library which looks like the best library you've ever seen in your whole life.
Quit reading and watch the video (from the BBC) already. Look out for the banana cars.
Would you know the difference between Lycos and Excite? Would you know when Google first got text ads? Would you know when the FTC issued guidelines on how sponsored links should be labeled? Would you know what FTC stands for?
Course not. But Google do.
That's because they are not just champions of search but just THE champions. More accurately they are champions of Search Engine Land's SMX Search Bowl.
You can read about it on Search Engine Land. Here's a quick summary.
"Last night was the first every SMX Search Bowl. Basically, the Search Engine Land team created fifty questions that were asked to the various teams. The teams consisted of two players from Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, Live Search and the SEM All Star team...Google won the contest by a landslide but the All Star SEM Team did come back from a negative score, which would have been embarrassing. If you want more pictures and even a video of a small portion of the event, make sure to check out the Search Engine Roundtable."
Questions I have about the event (feel free to speculate on the answers):
If you've ever lost a balloon or seen it float up in the air and away from the security of your hand, you'll most likely have felt the emptiness that goes with it. That feeling in your stomach that you've lost something worth so much. Think of the fun you could have had with the helium. That game of balloon tennis you were planning on playing. Or just the fact that you were hoping to brighten up your room.
Well it won't make you feel much better to know that somewhere a farmer is collecting $100 for that balloon. That's right...$100. That is of course if your balloon contains a small (micro) base station for providing connectivity to truckers and oil companies.
Gigoam reported today that Google are thinking of teaming up with Space Data Corp who send these balloons up 20 miles. They only last 24 hours and then they gracefully fall to earth after deploying a handy parachute they've been provided with. How nice.
"The Internet giant — which is now pushing into wireless services — has considered contracting with Space Data or even buying the firm, according to one person…Google believes balloons like these could radically change the economics of offering cellphone and Internet services in out-of-the-way areas, according to people familiar with its thinking."
The equipment in the balloons is said to be worth $1500 so if you find one, don't settle for the measly $100 they'll offer you. Who would have thought that 'balloon hunting' could be a viable profession?
Update: As has been pointed out, this story was first mentioned in the Wall Street Journal. I just didn't mention it because it was such a long winded and less interesting story.
Came across this amusing video just now. Two young men take a turn down the wrong street view...
The Google Earth blog (otherwise known as Google LatLong) has gone just as crazy as the rest of the Google world for Valentines Day with a post showcasing three heart related pictures from Google Earth.
"As you can imagine, the Google Earth team is always on the lookout for good views from the air. That's why we are so pleased to find, just in time for Valentine's Day, that the world seems to be filled with hearts! See for yourself by downloading this KML file and clicking the Play button: there are heart-shaped islands, heart-shaped pools - and for those of you who keep an eye out for "other-worldly" activity, there's even a crop heart. Just think of it as our virtual valentine to you!"
How kind.
Here's a round up of other Google related Valentine's Day news, and as you read, be thankful that this day happens just once a year...
There may be more but that's quite enough.
