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Google Wave Goodbye to 2009 with Lucky Countdown
Google is up to its old tricks again, confounding users with a hidden “easter egg” countdown in its “I’m Feeling Lucky” search results.
Google consumers in English speaking countries who use Google’s search engine and hit the “I’m Feeling Lucky” box with no text in the search terms will be presented with a blue countdown on screen. No statement has been issued from the company explaining the countdown, leaving fervent imaginations to explore the possibilities of Google’s countdown.
Theories from Apocalypse to zombie invasion have been touted as the reason for the Google countdown.
At the time of writing on Tuesday 15 December, the countdown shows 1,430,282 seconds. Some 16.5 days from now, the countdown will end. That conveniently puts the countdown around new year time – a bit of an anti-climax, particularly in comparison to zombie invasions.
However, some commentators have speculated that different language portals have the same countdown timer; and as Australia will be celebrating new year at a different time to America, the universal timer counts for something more significant than simply 1 January 2010.
Still other theories believe Google might be using the event as a viral marketing ploy to create buzz for a new product set to be released in the new year. The online advertising has certainly cost Google nothing, and yet interest has been piqued by consumers interested to know what the countdown is all about.
Google’s new smartphone is a possible candidate for a product to push come the end of the countdown, as is Chrome which has been receiving a huge marketing boost recently. But in all likelihood, the easter egg is nothing more Google engineers having a bit of fun around the festive season. As Matthew Moore wrote for The Daily Telegraph: “Initial speculation that the search giant had advance warning of the end of the world appears wide of the mark.”
Google News posted by Lily Townsend on 15 December 2009
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Comments
New Years
It's a countdown to new years. Changing the time zone on your PC will result in a different value on the countdown.
Comment posted by Anonymous on 15/12/2009 12:34:00
New Years
1430000 secs / 60 = 23, 833 mins / 60 = 397 hrs / 24 = 16.5 days = January 1 2010 (roughly speaking).
Comment posted by Anonymous on 15/12/2009 19:11:29
New Years
But why suddenly introduce a New Year countdown. It's not like it's a Google tradition or anything.
I support the zombie invasion theory. Google must be training dead people to take over the world so that everyone uses Google as their primary and only search engine and everyone uses Chrome as their internet browser.
We need super heroes, now! Firefox? Bing? Yahoo!? Anybody?
Comment posted by Anonymous on 15/12/2009 22:53:06
