A couple of days ago I was reading an article in the New Yorker where the author used the word “recursion.” I wasn’t quite sure what it meant (seems I remember something about two mirrors facing each other?) so I did what I always do: I Googled it. At the top of the search page Google asked, “Did you mean: recursion” as it always does when it thinks you have misspelled the word or phrase for which you are looking. Since I am such a bad speller, I did not think too much about it, so I clicked on the link for recursion. At the top of the new search page, Google once again asked, “Did you mean: recursion” – “huh,” I thought. I clicked it again and, you guessed it – the same thing. Slowly, I got the joke, made all the funnier as it is clearly a little mischievousness on the part of Google programmers. I liked it so much I even tried my own version of the same joke here. Of course I began to wonder how many more of these little jokes were out there. A quick Googling of “Google Easter Eggs”  reveals that there are all sorts of them sprinkled around throughout all of Google’s services. Just a few of them are outlined below – use Google to find your own.

Google Calculator
Thanks to Google Calculator, you can use the Google search box for serious number crunching–anything from converting currency to solving advanced math equations. But things don’t always add up the way you think they will with Google Calculator. Try searching for “answer to life the universe and everything,” “number of horns on a unicorn,” or “once in a blue moon” for unexpected computations.

Google Ninja
While using Google Reader, use the arrow keys and type “up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A”  and a little ninja appears on the left of the screen. This is of course a play on the cheat code that worked on early Nintendo video games produced by the Japanese entertainment company Konami.

I’m Feewing Wucky
Google has created a number of “special” versions of its search pages, including one for Klingons, one for pirates, and even one for elmer fudd. The one for the Swedish Chef supposedly gets over a million searches a day…

I’m Feeling Lucky
OK, these are not technically Google Easter Eggs, but there are tons of folks that have gamed Google SEO in such a way as to get the search engine to point to their websites when you type in a particular search string and then hit “I’m Feeling Lucky.”The best ones even spoof Google’s search page to make it look like a real result.  One of my favorite examples can be found by typing “where is Chuck Norris?” and then hitting “I’m Feeling Lucky.” “French Military Victories” is pretty funny too. Juvenile, I know. But still funny.

Street View

Finally – there are countless funny things to be found on Google Maps Street View, but one of the clearest “easter eggs” can be found right out in front of Google’s Mountain View Headquarters. As much as Google tries to scrub out any street view shenanigans and obscure the faces of individuals caught as the camera passes by, this must not count around their campus headquarters. Check out the view along Amphitheater Way – those Google employees sure love their bikes. And hey, there’s Peg Man!