March 31, 2013

Google Easter Easter Eggs 2013


Tomorrow is April 1st, with many waiting for an April Fools prank and Easter eggs. Google, who always has something for the special occasion, has made 7 Easter Eggs for April Fools, so far. The first one is found on YouTube.

YouTube shutting down on April 1st

This may be one of my favourite Google gags I have seen so far. YouTube jokingly announced that the site will be shutting down tomorrow (April 1st) and that its eight year competition to find the best video ever is coming to an end. The video features several YouTube stars from over the years, such as Antoine Dodson (Hide Yo Kids), David Devore Jr (Dentist Kid), Judson Laipply (Evolution of Dance) and many others. Judging for the best video is said to take ten years and YouTube will relaunch on 2023 solely to announce the winner of the contest. There is also a live stream where all the nominees will be announced starting tomorrow.

There are 792 people watching a countdown...

Google "Nose"

Here is another funny one showcasing one of Google's "new" technology: Google Nose. Google claims it is "the new scentsation in search" (haha get the pun?) The name implies what it's supposed to do: smell based search. If you do a Google search, you may notice something in the top bar labeled "Nose beta". The Knowledge Graph on the side also replaces the "People also searched panel" with a "People also sniffed" panel.


Here is Google's video explaining the technology


Treasure Hunt

Of course Google never misses out on a chance to add jokes to their Maps. This April Fools day, go on a treasure hunt on Google Maps. Google has introduced a treasure hunt mode that you can find here. This is part of a game where Google is asking users to help find treasure buried by William "Captain" Kidd.

Google+ Photos +Emotion

The Google+ team also got involved with their announcement of "Your photos + Emotion tool which allows you to add emotions to your uploaded images. Why would you need this? "Because when it comes to expressing yourself, nothing beats the richness and elegance of a few properly placed colons, parentheses, letters, and hyphens."

They even add glasses, nice touch.

Gmail Blue

Gmail has introduced a new way to experience Gmail, Blue. They wanted to revolutionize the way we Gmail,  Blue. The question was lingering in Google's mind, "How do we completely redesign and recreate something, while keeping it exactly the same?" The answer is Gmail Blue. When you want to compose, it composes, in Blue. When you want to type out an email, the font is blue, without changing a thing. If you want to italicize, bold, or underline, it's in blue. Everything you do in Gmail is now blue. Google has experimented with other colours like orange and brown, but brown was a disaster. Check out Google's video introducing Gmail Blue.


Google Levity Algorithm

Google has introduced a new solution to intraoffice communication as well as getting people to show up to your meetings. The Google Levity Algorithm renames your events and Email titles to attract more people to come, or read the email. For example, HR memo becomes "The New Hotness". The Levity Algorithm also puts you in touch with professionals who can help out the finishing touches on your presentation for eye catching results.

Google SCHMICK

Google is now able to give your house a make over on street view with SCHMICK (Simple Complete House Makeover Internet Conversion Kit) You can pimp your pad by adding fresh buffalo, doric columns and a pergola, and Christmas lights without the huge electricity bill.
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Martin Tam is an editor and the Director of Video Production at [blank]’s Universe. He is also a technology enthusiast that particularly enjoys computers and photography. He enjoys breaking things and sleeping in his spare time.