Posts About ‘Google’

London Underground Turns 150, Google Doodles It

Many people will as we speak or this morning have been getting on the London Underground again. On their way to work, from work even, or on their way to friends. It seems like the London Underground has been there forever. And that makes sense: today the London celebrates its 150th birthday. And Google decided to honour the underground.

Most people getting on the underground won’t need a map for that, others do. And the map for the London Underground is famous, it has even been used in art. Google now creates another small piece of art: a London Underground Map, mapping the Google logo in their Google Doodle on Google.co.uk. (more…)

Global Search Engine Headlines 2012

I know, I know – over the last week there has been a steady flow of 2012 reviews and 2013 predictions , but as I’ve already spoken about in an earlier post, looking at the behaviour, developments and decisions made by the global search engines can give us useful insights into what they are focusing on, and therefore where we can (and should) focus our own international search efforts. After all, search engines significantly more data on global user behaviour than the rest of us.

So that I’m not writing this until 2014, I’ve only picked a couple of areas and I’m specifically looking at Google, Baidu and Yandex (*other search engines are available). (more…)

FTC Exonerates Google in Search Bias Investigation

Yesterday, after an investigation lasting nearly two years, the Federal Trade Commission in the United States has concluded that Google’s search results are fair and unbiased.

In a statement that could have been written by Google’s own PR department, FTC director Jon Liebowitz said that Google is “one of America’s great companies” and that the changes the search engine makes to its algorithms are primarily to “improve the user experience.” (more…)

New Year’s Day 2013 Google Logo

Good Morning and Happy New Year everyone!

Today on the homepage of Google, like every year on the first since 1999, a doodle to start the new year that lies before us. The logo that you see today is following up the party logo that was placed yesterday for New Year’s Eve. In the logo from yesterday Google highlighted a few logos made in 2012 by putting them all in a living room.

I’ve made a graphic to highlight all the logos used in the doodle yesterday. For example at the right you can see the Star Trek Enterprise referring to the interactive doodle placed early September. Another logo used is the one for Earth Day from April last year and at the bottom right you can see the synthesizer invented by Robert Moog (also in the top 10 doodles of 2012).

All names used in the doodle combined it makes a really special and interesting party. (more…)

2012 in Review with Google

It’s the last day of the year. Wow this year has really been a quick one! But lots of it happened. In two and a half minutes Google Zeitgeist gives you an overview of 2012. Which leaves us with just the words:

HAVE A GREAT NEW YEARS EVE AND A FANTASTIC 2013 !

Top 10 Google Doodles 2012

This year Google made a lot of doodles who were placed globally or just on local homepages of the search engine. In total Google made more than 300 doodles and among these they are some really beautiful, funny and original creations. Below a top 10 of the best doodles the Doodler team created this year. (more…)

2012: The Year The World Fell Out Of Love With Google

2012 has been a hallmark year for Google. I believe that this is the year the public realised that Google is just another corporation.

For years Google was perceived as the benevolent search giant of the internet. The Mountain View based company enjoyed a public image as a sort of pre-self-aware Skynet: technologically advanced but ultimately harmless and there to serve the best interests of the world.

Google helped foster this public image through its free tools, the “don’t be evil” motto (quietly dropped in recent years), and the company’s vocal support of internet freedom. But that image has been tarnished, especially in 2012. (more…)

All Google Easter Eggs from 2012

For some years now engineers from Google have been hiding Easter eggs in several products, but until this year there were not a lot. We are currently looking at some of them on our Google+ Page (find the overview here). It really kicked off last year with the ‘Let it snow’ Easter egg, which unfortunately isn’t working anymore, and later ‘Do a barrel roll’, this one is still working at the moment. This year Google has hidden many Easter Eggs in the search engine and some other products , below is the collection of all the Easter eggs from Google from this year. If you have any other Easter eggs that I overlooked please let me know in the comments or on Twitter or Google+! (more…)

State of Search News Update: What happened in week 51

A lot is happening in the world of search and social and as you know State of Search is not a news-reporting site but a site that interprets the news and looks at why something is happening and what that means to you. That doesn’t mean however we are not interested in the news. In this post we will bring the top stories of what happened last week with links to articles around the web. So you will know what you’ve missed. (more…)

Friday Talk: Leaders in Big Data: a Google Tech Talk

One of the terms of 2012 has most definitely been ‘big data’. And it will continue to be important in 2013 as well. One of the major ‘big data’ leaders is Google. In a Google Tech Talk in October this topic is discussed with amongst others Google’s Chief Economist Hal Varian.

Does Google Believe the Maya Calendar? A Doodle Tells Us

It’s on everyones mind: the world might end tomorrow (December 21st). That is if you believe the myth of the Maya Calendar who predicted a ‘new beginning’ on December 21st 2012.

Now there are many reasons to doubt this theory and many will ignore it, but it is a topic which is going around a lot on Social Media at the moment. (more…)

Grimm’s Fairy Tales Google Logo with Little Red Cap (Little Red Riding Hood)

On Thursday Google honours The Brothers Grimm with a little fairytale on the homepage of the search engine that you will probably know. The animated doodle is about the folk tale Little Red Riding Hood or simply Little Red Cap. The story was first published by Charles Perrault but later the Brothers Grimm made a more friendly and positive version of the tale. Main difference that in the version of Perrault in the end the young girl dies, in the version of the two brothers Little Red Cap survives and lives happily ever after . The story is told by Google in 21 different tiles. (more…)