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5 fun things you should try on Google!

Kaushambi — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:25:56 +0000

We are quite used to all the innovative Google Doodles, the hidden Easter eggs, the April Fool coded jokes and the in-search calculator that Google has been using to lighten up boring days in the office and bring a smile on the faces of a million users. For the uninitiated, virtual Easter Eggs are sound bites, graphics, videos, text or any other unusual features used as hidden in-jokes on any software or on the internet.

Here are a few fun Google tricks that you MUST try out!

Google Gravity

Would you like to see your Google world become all topsy-turvy? All you have to do is check out Google Gravity for a dose of looking at the world with a crooked eye – literally!

Simply enter ‘Google Gravity’ in the Google search bar. Enter ‘I’m feeling lucky’ and watch Google fall down.

Google Pacman

Did you know that Google Pacman Doodle was blamed for the loss of productive work hours and dollars running into millions? Launched in 2010 to mark Pacman’s 30^th birthday, Google saw almost double an increase in the search hours and the time spent by users across the globe on its site.

It you want to play Google Pacman with two players, click on ‘Insert coin’ on the permanent Google Pacman page. You can use the arrow keys as one control set as the characters W, S, A and D as the other. Happy Pac-manning!

Google Askew

After trying out Askew, you’ll probably hit yourself in the head thinking why you fell into the trap of trying it out in the first place! But sometimes stupid things are fun too. Type ‘Askew’ in your Google search bar and watch your page turn diagonal. It’s a perfect joke you could pre-place on the screen of that irritable colleague of yours to spoil his/her morning.

Google Out-Worldly Languages

Did you always think Google Translate was a squeaky clean service that helped users to translate phrases from one language to the other? Well, there’s a little more quirkiness to it than you thought.

Go to the Google language tools page and closely look through the options you’ve got under ‘Google Interface in your language’. Can’t find anything different?

Look closer and you’ll see language options of Elmer Fudd, Pirate, Bork Bork Bork, Klingon and Hacker in the list of languages. Have a good laugh with ‘Images’ reading as ‘engravin’s’ in the Pirate language and ‘About Google’ reading as ‘Ell Ebuoot Google-a’ in the Swedish muppet chef’s cool lingo Bork. bork.

Do a Barrel Roll

For joy that lasts perfectly for a period of 5 seconds, you must do a barrel roll on Google. Type in the same phrase [Do a barrel Roll] in your Google search bar and watch the Google homepage do a hoola hoop.

Probably more amusing for the lesser internet savvy, it ruffled enough feathers when it was released. It became the talk of the blogosphere as it displayed the qualities of CSS3, a feature of modern internet browsers. By the way, ‘do a barrel roll’ is a phrase which means 360 degree spin.

View a host of other Google Easter Eggs that Google has now removed.

This is what I love about Google – They have lots of fun elements in the way they operate! What say?

Weekly Wrap-up: Airline Woes, FB Paypal App, Indian Deal Sites, Chromebooks, Online Ad Rates & more…

Arun Prabhudesai — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:46:12 +0000

Here is a wrap-up of some of the buzzing posts of last week published on Trak.in & TGF.

On Children’s Day last week, Google Homepage was adorned by a Doodle created by a Indian student, who won the Doodle for Google contest themed “India’s gift to the world”!

Twitter is just not limited to sharing of messages or expressing your thoughts in 140 characters, but a serious platform where brands really make a difference to themselves.

Last week has been abuzz with news of Kingfisher’s tough times and for Airline Industry in general. But woes of these Indian Airline operators are not a case of food poisoning, but bad eating habits!

India has a big expat community and it is very evident from the fact that Indian news websites have been consistently witnessing surge in International Traffic – majority of these readers are Indians who have settled abroad, but like to keep abreast with what is going on back home!

If you spend time on internet even in-frequently, you should know how you should stay safe online and how you should protect your privacy [Google Good to Know].

Here is a quick look at previous week’s Funding & investment deals [7th Nov - 13th Nov 2011]

If you are small business owner or an entrepreneur just starting off and want to get your website up & running quickly, Free Online Website Builders is the way to go!

So many deal & discount websites have come up in past year or so, that one has lost count of it. But do they really have a sustainable long-term business?

Crowd-sourcing not only works, but if done properly, like Lufthansa did it recently – it helps in bringing the client community together !

Here is a good news for internet addicts, Google’s chromebook will soon be hitting the stores in India!

Although average online advertising rates in India have seen a surge in past couple of years, it is still ranked lowly 66th as compared to its global peers!

Blackberry has been on a downhill among consumer segment for a long time, however, recent reports suggest that they are loosing big-time even with their stronghold enterprise segment!

It’s a shame that only 7% of all Indian internet users have broadband, one of the lowest in the world!

India is growing fiercely and it is evident from the fact that 11 Indian cities make up in the list of 50 fastest growing cities in the world!

Paypal’s new Facebook App allows you to send money to your Facebook Friends completely free!

Are you bootstrapping your startup – Then you must read this!

And if you are teenager, who is interested in coding, you must enter Google Code-in contest. You may stand a chance to win a trip to Google’s US Headquarters!

BUZZING POSTS FROM THE GADGET FAN BLOG

Google features “Indian Musical Instruments” Doodle on homepage created by Indian student !

Arun Prabhudesai — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:43:01 +0000

Google has featured the “Indian Musical Instruments” Doodle on its homepage today on occasion of Indian Children’s Day!

This Doodle created by 7 year old Indian student, Varsha Gupta, was chosen as the winner amongst over 1.5 lakh entries received by Google for the Doodle4Google contest which is in its 3rd year now!

Winning Doodle – Indian Musical Instruments

The Doodle4Google contest, announced couple of months back, had the theme – “India’s Gift to the world”. Out of the 155,000 entries received for this contest, only 45 entries had been chosen (15 in each category) by panel of eminent judges from the art and media fraternity.

Online public voting was done to choose the winner, which, in the end went to Varsha Gupta, A Ryan International student from Delhi. Varsha Gupta’s doodle of the Google logo artfully depicts how India is a land of different cultures and music plays an important role in it. The doodle artfully represents many musical instruments that India has introduced to the to the world – Tabla, Sarod, Veena and Shehnai.

Apart from millions of eye balls and world-wide coverage, the winner got a technology starter package that includes a laptop, a year’s Internet connection and a Rs. 2,00,000 technology grant for her school.

Hearty Congratulations to Varsha Gupta and her school – And yes, A very Happy Children’s day to all the kids!

Do a Barrel Roll – Google Search’s Easter Egg!

Arun Prabhudesai — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:55:17 +0000

Its no secret that I am a big fan of Google and the way they go about launching & evolving their products – they have some bad ones (which are quite rare), but majority of them are quality products that bring about positive changes to how we lead our online lives.

Google Search is obviously the biggest example – and it is for a reason, why “searching on the web” is now increasingly being referred to as “Googling” or “Google it”. The quality of search they offer is leaps and bounds beyond any search engine that exists or probably will ever exist. The reason I say “ever” is, I have really not seen any other company consistently putting efforts in making a better search engine.

Also, Google is not content with just being the biggest and best search engine – They are pushing boundaries, consistently making changes to their algorithms, so that netizens are better served.

Along with improving their products consistently, they are also bringing in “fun quotient” to search. Google Doodle is one example, which not only fun, but also reminds of important events, people & occasions.

Yesterday, netizens seem to have discovered another “fun” element to Google Search – If you want to try it out – Do a Google search for the phrase “do a barrel roll” and you will the entire screen of search page rotate right in front of you. The Social Media sites have been abuzz with this meme since yesterday!

According to reports, Google engineers have planted this, kind of an “easter egg” to show off the capabilities of newly launched CSS3, which allow developers to create web pages that to rotate, skew, and otherwise deform parts of a page (or the whole page), and also animate those changes into an effect such as this ‘barrel roll.’

If you too lazy to actually experience this “barrel roll”, check out this YouTube video that demonstrates it aptly!

Yes, their have been “easter eggs” released earlier by Google, but they are increasingly getting more fun. And if you are on IE you are out of luck. Try it on either Chrome or Firefox and you experience it.

So what do you think of this Google “Do a Barrel Roll” trick? Hopefully, there are more of these hidden somewhere…

Doodle4Google Contest: Pick your winners!

Arun Prabhudesai — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:28:19 +0000

Here is your chance to pick your favourite Doodle that may grace the Google Homepage. The Doodle4Google contest that was announced few weeks back has now entered the voting phase and winners will be decided through votes given by you!

This Doodle4Google contest was the biggest yet that attracted over 1,55,000 entries from students all over India, which also saw more than 350 schools participate in the event.

From the 155,000 entries only 45 entries have been chosen (15 in each category) by . You can cast 1 vote in each of panel of eminent judges from the art and media fraternity

Final winner for the Doodle4Google competition will be announced on 9th November 2011 in New Delhi and the winning doodle will go live on the Google India homepage to mark Children’s Day on 14th November.

Vote here: www.google.co.in/doodle4google
Voting open only till 4th November 2011.

Not only will the winner be getting huge coverage, but will also receive a technology starter kit that includes a laptop, a year’s internet connection and Rs. 2,00,000 for the school that the winning doodler represents!

Let us know which ones do you like?

Third Doodle 4 Google Contest announced with theme “India’s gift to the world”!

Arun Prabhudesai — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:39:41 +0000

I have always been in awe with the amount of buzz Google Doodle’s generate. Offcourse, they appear on probably the most visited page on the Internet, but such high levels of interest is due to fact that Google Doodle’s are more than just being artistic. They are no more just designs or doodles, but much more – I am sure many of you have already spent countless minutes moving your mouse of Guitar Doodle or than playing the Pacman Game – All with Google logo intricately been placed inside it.

Here is a fact about Google Doodle that you may not know – Google Doodles are the creation of 32-year-old Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang. Dennis began celebrating and marking worldwide events and holidays with doodles in 2000.

Now, coming back to the contest, if you want to be part of the Google Doodle history – Ask your kids, or nephews or nieces to participate in the third Doodle4Google contest which was announced by Google.

Last year’s theme was “My Dream for India”, which was won by Akshay Raj of Aloysius High School, Mangalore, India. He had become kind of mini – celebrity with following Google Doodle that he sketched.

Third Doodle 4 Google Contest – India’s gift to the world

Participation

The ‘Doodle 4 Google – India’s gift to the world’ competition is open to all students (from 1st standard to 10th standard) attending a school in India.

Groups Division

Group 1: 1st, 2nd and 3rd standards
Group 2: 4th, 5th, and 6th standards
Group 3: 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th standards

How to participate in contest

You must first register yourself
Review and download the doodle material
Follow the instructions on designing your doodle
After you’re done submit your doodle
Remember to add a title and a supporting statement for your doodle before you submit it
Don’t forget to read and understand the Terms & Conditions.

Key Dates

Doodle Submission Deadline:
15th September 2011
Finalists Announced:
15th October 2011
Online Public Vote (India votes for their favourite doodles)
October 24th 2011 – November 4th 2011
Awards Ceremony and National Winner Announced
Early November 2011

Doodle4Google Contest Prices

Along with getting Doodle featured on the Google homepage, the winner of the Doodle4Google contest will also receive a technology starter kit. The kit includes a laptop, a year’s internet connection and Rs. 2,00,000 for the school that the star doodler represents!

The closing date is just 2 days away, so go ahead and register yourself and give yourself a chance to become part of the history!

Weekly Wrapup: No Tax Return, NIC Hacked, India’s rich, Google Doodle & more…

Arun Prabhudesai — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:13:22 +0000

Here is wrap-up of our last week’s buzzing posts…

We have been having some great article on online gaming over past few weeks and here is another one – How to create engagement in Gaming through immersion – Go with the flow !

India’s mobile revolution is great, Over 800 million Indian’s now carry a cell phone – But there is a big drawback to this growth. The effects of Mobile Handset & tower radiation on people!

This is one presentation you MUST see if you are a startup or an entrepreneur – How to make a successful Business pitch. Nothing beats the advice given…

This is big news, as it affects millions of Indian citizens – Government has now formally announced that Indians who earn less than 5 lakh per annum, do not need to file yearly tax returns (obviously with some caveats) – Instead Form 16 can be used as same!

This is a shame – Government website of NIC (National Informatics Center) has been hacked in support of the on-going anti-corruption movement. It took all of 3 minutes for the perpetrators to get in and deface it!

In India, there still remains a lot of gender bias – But there are some unexpected advantages if you are a women in Business in India.

When it comes to Consumer Complaints, Telecom sector tops and the company against whom maximum complaints are filed is – Bharti Airtel!

There is an iPhone app which has sent Indian security agencies in a tizzy, and there is not anything much they can do about it !

If you one of the people who hold US Dollars in your accounts, you will be watching this game closely – USD Vs INR currency exchange rate!

So what do you think Indian Billionaire’s do with their money? Here is a look at how the rich spend & invest their money!

Google Doodle published last week was probably one of the most talked about as it showed Google Logo as a live guitar which users could play online !

Many high end consumers have taken to Tablet PCs, but will it find its place in Enterprise market segment? Only time will tell !

If you are startup or an entrepreneur looking to organize mega-events, you should check out Goodbuzz.org – Effective Marketing platform for speedy event promotions!

Here is another example of Political Campaigning via Social Media.

If you are a small IT services company you surely should read this!

Buzzing posts at The Gadget Fan Blog

Google Doodle Awesomeness – Play Guitar Now!

Arun Prabhudesai — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 04:20:53 +0000

We are big fans of Google Doodle here at trak.in – I think it is one of the most talked about features of Google. They do it and make people remember the significant events / icons / festivals.

Today’s Google Doodle has taken doodling to a new level – Previously there had been animations, games and many other appealing designs. But today’s Google Doodle, is different – It is a image of guitar with strings that play when you move your mouse over it !

It is a fitting tribute in the memory of Les Paul (Lester William Paul), who invented the original solid body guitar, which has made generations rock & roll to guitar tunes!

No, don’t move your mouse on the image above, go to google.com and move some strings there – Its time you learn playing some guitar folks !

Google Doodle dedicated to Alam Ara – First Indian movie with Sound!

Arun Prabhudesai — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:46:54 +0000

Google does some wonderful things, and one that I am a big fan of, are their Google Doodles. The pictorial Doodle’s that are mostly dedications to significant events of the past or some form of current celebrations.

Today’s Google Doodle was a real surprise to me, as I did not expect Google to celebrate an event which probably, even lot of Indians have forgotten about.

Today’s Google Doodle is dedicated to Alam Ara, the first Indian movie to come out with sound. Today is the 80th anniversary of Alam Ara !

And surprisingly, this Google Doodle does not only show up on Google’s Indian search engine (Google.co.in), but also on global homepage as well (Google.com).

I am sure most readers would not know much of Alam Ara (yeah, I did not know about it too..) so, here is more on Alam Ara from Wikipedia:

Alam Ara {Hindi: ??????} (The Light of the World; 1931), directed by Ardeshir Irani, was the first Indian sound film

Irani recognized the importance that sound would have on the cinema, and raced to complete Alam Ara before several other contemporary sound films. Alam Ara debuted at the Majestic Cinema in Mumbai (then Bombay) on March 14, 1931. The first Indian talkie was so popular that "police aid had to be summoned to control the crowds."

Thanks Google for your Doodles !

See our coverage of earlier Google Doodles