Tip of the Week: 10 Google Easter Eggs - Because the Internet Isn’t Distracting Enough

In a recent poll by WSJ/NBC comparing tech companies to US presidential candidates, Google came out on top with 67 percent of respondents having a positive opinion of the company. Compare this to Apple’s 54 percent, and 43 percent going to the highest-rated candidate. Perhaps Apple and the politicians can take a cue from Google and make use of Easter eggs, because who doesn’t love Easter eggs?

Of course, we’re not talking about the colored eggs hidden in the yard every spring. No, we’re referring to the fun surprises Google has added to their search engine. By entering a specific search query into Google.com, you’ll encounter a Google Easter egg. Over the years, Google’s hidden a few dozen Easter eggs. Here’s how to access Macro Systems’s 10 favorite eggs!

Type “Atari breakout” and click Images
This will turn all of the searchable images into a playable game of the classic video game Super Breakout. Be sure to turn on your speakers to enjoy the nostalgic sound effects.

Type “Askew”
This clever Easter egg will tilt your search results just enough to be noticeable. Don’t worry, after you leave the page your screen will be back to normal.

Type “Festivus”
“Festivus for the rest of us!” Festivus is a made up holiday originating from the television show Seinfeld. By searching for “Festivus,” you’ll find out exactly what the holiday is all about, while being treated to a traditional Festivus pole located on the left side of your screen.

Type “Google in 1998”
Computer users with fond memories of the 90s will appreciate this one. This Easter egg will provide you with a fascinating glimpse of what Google looked like--almost 20 years ago!

Type “Zerg rush”
Players of the popular video game StarCraft and “n00bs” alike will appreciate this egg. Essentially, this search causes Google’s letters to attack the search results, and the only way you can stop them is to frantically click each one until they disappear. However, characteristic of the game’s Zerg rush, doing so will only cause more Zerg-like letters to appear, until you’re overwhelmed and your precious search results are destroyed. Also, notice the handy-dandy score counter on the right side.

Type “flip a coin,” or “roll a die”
Google will display an animated die or coin that will provide a random result with each search. If you don’t have an actual coin or die on you, this is a great alternative.

Type “[actor’s name] Bacon Number”
The Bacon number here relates to the classic game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” not the sweet meat. In the game, you’re supposed to figure out how many films separate an actor from another movie with Kevin Bacon in it. Although, we think that automating the game like this kind of takes the fun out of it.

Type “fun facts”
Feeling curious? This egg will provide you with a random fact card. As a bonus, this is an easy way to play a game of trivia with your friends.

Type “The answer to the ultimate question of life the universe and everything” (no punctuation)
Fans of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will of course know the answer to this.

Type “Google Pacman”
In yet another nod to video games, Google made a playable game of Pac-Man as a doodle in 2010 to celebrate the game’s 30th anniversary--a doodle responsible for costing the US economy $120 million in lost productivity, or 5 million wasted work hours, upon its release. Thankfully, Google decided to keep the game up. Good news for bored office workers, not so much for the economy.

These are our top 10 favorite Google Easter eggs, there are actually many more to be found. Can you think of one or two eggs that we didn’t go over? Share them with us in the comments!

Bonus egg: “Do a barrel roll!”