Google celebrates ‘Unexplained Phenomenon’, but why?
Either Google is currently working on something big or someone at the company is suffering from mental exhaustion and doesn’t know what they are doing any more. The new logo on the Google Search homepage links to Unexplained Phenomenon and is exactly that in itself – an unexplained phenomenon. For now.
The vast majority of us use Google for some reason or other on a daily basis. The Google Search engine is by far the leading search tool, with only Yahoo and Bing providing any real competition. Which means that anything and everything Google does is noticed and analyzed.
Google regularly changes the logo on its homepage to reflect a news event or anniversary of an important moment in history. When you scroll over the logo it explains more and clicking on the logo takes you to the Google Search page for that particular event.
But the most recent logo change is somewhat strange. It shows a typical UFO seeming to steal the second O in Google. Scrolling over the logo brings no explanation and clicking on the logo takes you to the Google Search page for Unexplained Phenomena. Which was once filled with results about UFO abductions and strange goings-on but is now populated by articles discussing the Google logo.
The only clue as to what this might all mean is a rather cryptic but easily solved tweet on Google’s Twitter page. It reads “1.12.12 25.15.21.18 15 1.18.5 2.5.12.15.14.7 20.15 21.19″ and is followed by a Twitpic link to the Google logo in question.
The numbers translate into “All your O are belong to us” when A=1, B=2 etc. This is a play on the “All your base are belong to us” Internet meme which did the rounds a few years ago. Although why Google decided to bring it back with this slight change at this time remains a mystery. Or an unexplained phenomena if you please.
There is the suggestion this is a reference to the U.K. release of District 9, although Google promoting a film in this way would be a first and very unlikely. Others suggest it is in commemoration of the 44th anniversary of UFO sightings in Exeter, NH, which again would seem unlikely. Others have even more theories but these are even more out there and unlikely.
My guess is that this is some kind of viral marketing campaign designed to get people talking. It could be purely for Google Search or it could be for a different product yet to launch that Google is trying build buzz for. The truth is likely to be revealed at some point but for now it’s left for us all to sit and wonder. Which means the viral marketing is doing its job.
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September 6th, 2009
it is very pathetic to see people dwelling their precious time and energy in analyzing why google put that logo… what difference does it make….
ar’nt there many pressing problems that humanity is facing including on the individual level which are common to all of us…..
it is rather disturbing to read this article
September 6th, 2009
I’m sorry to say this but it’s the little things in life that make it fun. As an example I’m sitting at work bored witless and yes these articles makes the time go past faster than ever.
Lighten up and enjoy the fact that people still have an interesting appeal to things than rather focusing on your clear current negativity Hareesh.
The people in life that are happy and smile are the ones that make others feel better about them self’s, and in that same line even with them going threw hard times. It makes it easier for them.
September 6th, 2009
Probably it is someone at Google who are pissed that they were going have to work on Labor Day (U.S. Holiday Monday Sept 7 ) and it is their way of “getting back at the man”.
November 25th, 2009
could it have anything to do with murdoch’s plan to charge for news — now they have to kind of separate domains or something? I mean I have no clue and i am talking probably nonsense.
“all your base are belong to us?” hm