Olympic Spirit

Google has been celebrating the 2010 Olympic Games with a series of Logos on its pages throughout the world. These Logos have been positioned on the screen against a full screen backdrop of mountains, supposed to be the mountains around Vancouver. These logos have featured the Olympic Torch before the games, a Luger probably honoring Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia, a snow boarder, and couples figure skating for Valentine’s Day. These images have some great qualities like the abstract tress in some of them and the great color scheme capturing the essence of the winter games, however I do not like that they are full screen and framed. Google has never done that before to my knowledge and I feel that take it from being a great logo to being a banner that doesn’t fit with Google’s simplistically modern design.

Carnival

Today Google Brazil celebrates the start of Carnival with a beautifully colorful logo featuring bright confetti streaming through the air in the shape of “Google.” I assume my readers know about the tradition of organized debauchery of Carnival before the start of lent from movies like Moonraker. But here are some fun facts from Wikipedia:
1) 80% of the beer in Brazil drunken over a year is consumed during carnival
2) 70% of the countries tourists come during carnival
3) The government distributes 600K condoms and launches an ad campaign to stem the spread of AIDs during carnival

Chinese Paper Cutting

Google China begins its celebration of the upcoming New Year with a Doodle showing Chinese Paper Cutting or Jianzhi. Paper cutting began in China with their invention of paper in China during the Han Dynasty and has since been used to celebrate Chinese festivals, particularly the New Year. In traditional Chinese families, paper cutting was an important skill for women to learn before they could be considered for marriage. Paper cutouts are hung on the doors and windows of houses in the days before the New Year and often have Chinese characters or lines of poetry on them. Furthermore they are red to symbolize the festive atmosphere of the holiday. This logo spectacularly captures that festive spirit with its radiant coloring and elegance.

Natsume Soseki's Birthday

Today Google Japan celebrates the birth of Natsume Soseki (9 February 1867 – 9 December 1916), the most esteemed writer from the Meiji Era. He was a scholar of English Literature and studied for several years in the United Kingdom before becoming a professor of literature at Tokyo Imperial University. Some of his most well known works were the novels Kokoro, Botchan, and I Am a Cat, which discuss the relationship between Japan and the Western Society. For 20 years between 1984 and 2004 he was featured on the 1000 yen note. The Google Logo does a great job of playing on the title of his book, “I Am a Cat,” but I feel that the smooth Google letters create too much contrast against what appear to be hand illustrated figures. But I love the use of the paw prints.

Sami National Day

Today Google in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway celebrates Sami National Day, commemorating the meeting of the first Sami transnational congress in 1917. The Sami people are an indigenous ethnic group in the northern Scandinavian peninsula whose numbers range between 80 and 130 Thousand. The Sami are best known for their cultural practice of reindeer herding, a practice which only they can legally do in the Nordic countries, but have traditionally live a wilderness lifestyle of fishing and trapping. The Sami Language is part of Uralic languages, which span parts of Russia, Scandinavia, and Hungary. Sami National Day began being celebrated in 1993, after it was passed by the 15th Sami Conference. During this day the Sami Flag is flown though out the region, including in many national offices, while the Sami People unite and sing the Song of the Sami People. This Google Logo shows a traditional hat called a Four Winds hat, along with other cultural textiles, which provide a very pretty image.

Belated Posts: Chekov and Easter Island

I am sorry that I have been really busy and unable to devote the proper amount of time to developing these posts recently but I shall try to catch up the best that I can:

Anton Chekhov

On January 29th, Google Russia remembered the birthday of Anton Chekhov (January 29 1860 – July 15th 1904). Chekhov was one of the greatest Russian writers, whose best known works are the plays The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard and developing the stream of consciousness style. He was also a doctor and is quoted as saying, “Medicine is my lawful wife and literature is my mistress.”1 Russia celebrated the 150th birthday of this national hero with several cultural events across the country, including a visit by President Medvedev to Taganrog, where Chekov was born2.

Tapati Rapa Nui Festival

On January 31st, Google Chile celebrated the Tapati Rapa Nui festival which takes place on Easter Island during late January and early February. This festival celebrates the passing of the Ley Pascua in 1963 which gave suffrage to the islanders. The celebration takes place in a carnival atmosphere with many dances, parades, and sporting games taking place over the whole islands. I think that this logo was beautifully as “Google” is spelled out in Rongorongo, an ancient proto-writing system found on the island.

Norman Rockwell

Today Google universally celebrates the birth of Norman Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978), an American illustrator most known for his work for The Saturday Evening Post. His art was focused primarily on images of everyday America, such as the one found in the Google Logo, “Little Spooners” which appeared in the April 24, 1926 edition of the Post. He was very productive throughout his career, illustrating books, periodicals, Boy Scouts’ Calendars, while also painting extensively. While Rockwell’s art had great popular appeal, it was dismissed by many critics for lack of content and sentimentality. While I shall not take a stand on the quality of Rockwell’s art, I do question why Google has put it up on all its pages throughout the world for I don’t think is influence was that extensive.

Australia Day and Indian Republic Day

Google commemorates Australia Day by hosting another Doodle 4 Google challenge for the kids of Australia, which posed the prompt: “My Wish for Australia”. Australia Day remembers the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788, during which the British claimed sovereignty over eastern Australia. This day is opposed by many of the indigenous Australians who often call it Invasion Day1. The winning doodle by Jessie Du called Australia Forever points out both the environmental and culture concerns which Australia faces as explained in her statement:

“Our native animals make our great country unique and should they become extinct or threatened this would be appalling to everyone. The night sky studded with stars signifies that we must stop polluting the air so we can see the beautiful, gleaming stars. The flag represents peace with countries.”

It is interesting to note that Google removed the Aboriginal Flag from the edition of the logo that they posted on Google Australia. This is because of copyright issues with Harold Thomas, the designer of the flag2. It is sad that pure politics could mar a child's moment in the spotlight. This is the original which is found on the Doodle 4 Google page:

For more entries please visit the Doodle 4 Google website.

Today Google also celebrates Republic Day in India, which marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1950, when it officially severed all political ties with the United Kingdom. Previously in 1947, India had gained independence from the UK but was still a Dominion and used the law code outline by the Government of India Act of 1935 3. This day is celebrated with many of the common national traditions associated with independence day celebrations, most notably a large parade in New Delhi with regiments from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Google logo illustrates this parade with a traditional flyover where the jets spay the colors of the Indian flag across the sky in a very festive formation which spells out “Google.”

100th Anniversary of Django Reinhard’s Birth

I guess I missed this logo, which Google displayed in France and Belgium, during my absence. Jean “Django” Reinhardt was a Gypsy jazz guitarist who cofounded the Quintette du Hot Club de France. For a complete rundown visit his wiki.

Laba Festival

I am sorry for my absence, but I was away from the Internets for a few days but hopefully we did not miss too much. One that occurred over this time was the celebration of the Laba Festival in China on the 22nd. The Laba Festival occurs on the 8th day in the 12th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Before the spread of Buddhism this festival celebrated the new harvest, but since then it has come to celebrate the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha1. This logo pictures the traditional food which is eaten on this day, Laba Congee. Congee is a breakfast or desert food that is essentially a rice porridge which is common throughout East Asia2. An elaborate congee dish may contain cream, lamb, grains, dates, nuts, raisins, seeds, and haw jelly. Another tradition associated with the festival is the soaking of Laba garlic, which is soaked in vinegar for 20 days starting with the festival for use with Chinese dumplings. This logo has a very traditional oriental feel to it, which I feel brings out the tradition of the festival. Furthermore I really like the way the bowl’s congee forms the Google “G”.

Grandparents's Day

In Poland and Bulgaria, January 21 honors grandmothers and the following day, January 22, honors grandfathers. These two days are celebrate primarily by young families with events in primary and secondary schools throughout the country 1. The Google Logo commemorating this holiday shows two grandparents taking their grandchildren out for a walk in a park. This very cartoony illustration filled with pastels and bright colors, gives off the warmth that is associated with a quite day spent hang out with your grandma and grandpa. I find it kind of amusing how they portray the grandfather, on one hand he appears very spry and full of energy but on the other hand he carries a cane.

Tamborrada De San Sebastian

Today Google Spain celebrates the Tamborrada de San Sebastian, which is held in the city of San Sebastian on January 20, the feast day of Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of Spain. This festival lasts all day beginning at midnight, when the mayor of the city raises the flag of San Sebastian. Throughout the day adults and children dress as 18th and 19th century soldiers and cooks and march around the city beating drums. In the evening adults dine in sociedades gastronomicas, where they could their own elaborate meals primarily of seafood. This festival has uncertain beginnings but two common stories are that it began as a mockery of the French soldiers during the Napoleonic occupation or that it began in 1720 when a baker was walking to the well during a drought while singing. This singing purportedly caused the entire city to erupt into sung, as if they were in a musical, and miraculously the water started flowing. The Google logo depicts a cook with a drum marching in jubilation as the as what appears to be the sun rises in the background. This logo has a very warm and cheery feeling to it, which effectively communicates the atmosphere of the festival.

MLK Day

Yesterday, Google US honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his 81st birthday. I presume that the reader is well aware of the history of Dr. King and all that he did for civil rights for all people and the goals that he had which transformed a general, thus I direct any further reader inquiry to Wikipedia. The Google logo probably pictures the historic Selma March in a style reminiscent of an old photograph from 1965 when the march took place.

Istanbul 2010

Today Google Turkey honored Istanbul for being named one of the European Capitals of Culture for 2010, along with Essen, Germany, and Pecs, Hungary. The European Capital of Culture program was started under the name European City of Culture in 1983 and named its first capital, Athens, in 1985. While this week has been marked by celebration in Istanbul many people feel that Istanbul might not be ready for this honor, underscoring the general tension that has existed between Turkey and Europe based on their fundamental cultural, economic, and governmental differences as Turkey seeks inclusion in the EU. Furthermore, the restoration process of the Capital has been hampered by many political snags as experts have been shut out of the planning process1. This logo wonderfully illustrates the Bosphorus Strait that runs through the city, the gateway between the Black sea and the Sea of Marara which leads to the Mediterranean. The Bosphorus Bridge is pictured, which is the 4th largest suspension bridge in the world. Also featured is the absolutely beautiful Maiden’s Tower which was built on a small islet in the strait which was originally built in 408 BC to monitor ship traffic. Overall this is a great Google logo that communicates the beauty of this historic city. The offical Istanbul 2010 website can be found at this link

Kites and Inventions

Google China

Today Google commemorates the four great Chinese invention from their golden ages of ingenuity, paper making, the compass, gun powder (a cannon), and movable type. I am sure all you are well verse in the usages and influence of these inventions so there is no need to dive into that nature of the doodle. The color scheme chosen by Google I feel emphasizes the organic, earthy nature of Chinese invention, which creates a disparity from the new flashy inventions of this millennium. I feel that it might have been better if Google sought to emphasize Chinese progress and growth in this logo by linking the inventive nature of ancient China with modern progress. I have to also wonder what prompted this logo and if it is related to Google’s threatened pull out of China over censorship violations.

Google India

The Google logo celebrating the Indian kite festival of Makar Sankranti is an absolutely beautiful abstraction using soaring kites to form the elegant curves of the letters of “Google.” This logo is very colorful yet simple as it communicates the joys of life through its spectacular imagery. I am sitting here in the Midwest surrounded by a gloomy frost, but I feel so excited seeing this logo. The Makar Sankranti takes place as the Sun transitions from the Dhanu rashi (Zodia) to the Makara rashi on the 14th of January; however this date has varied over the past 1000 years (originally 31 December) because of slight changes in the earth’s orientation. Several different Indian religions have different cultural beliefs and traditions associated with this day, which can be explored more in this link. This day is celebrated throughout India for several days as people swim in the Ganga Sagar or pray to the Sun God (Surya). In western India, kite flying has become common as an offering as they reach to the beloved Sun. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia on the importance of the Sun and Makar Sankranti to Hindus:

Makar Sankranti is the day when the Sun God begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for Hindus stands for Pratyaksha Brahman - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one, non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one and all tirelessly. Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the proverbial wheel of time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, is directed to the Sun God to bless them with intelligence and wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an embodiment of knowledge and wisdom. Lord Krishna reveals in the Gita that this manifested divinity was his first disciple, and we all know it to be indeed a worthy one too.

If I Were Japanese This Would Be My Day

Today Google Japan celebrates Coming of Age Day, a national holiday in which all people turning 20 participate in a formal ceremony to mark their age of majority and then according to Wikipedia go out drinking. In this ceremony, women wear the traditional furisode, a type of kimono pictured in the logo, and men either wear traditional Japanese or Western dress. This holiday was originally celebrated on January 15th starting in 1948, but then beginning in 2000 was moved to the second Monday of January in accordance with the Happy Monday System which put many national holidays on Mondays so that people could have three days weekends. As far as the logo is concerned I really like the color scheme that Google choose with many bright pastels that accent the celebration. Furthermore, the Google “oo” is very craftily made out of “20.” This logo’s bright colors and festive dress must inspire a bit of warmth and happiness in the current chill of winter.

A Great Writer You Have Never Heard Of

Today Google Czech Republic and Slovakia celebrates the birthday of one of the great Czech writers, Karel Capek (1890-1938), whose impact stretches well beyond the printed word. His science fiction pioneered social commentary on totalitarianism and dystopia, which would later be taken up in the works of Bradbury, Huxley, and Orwell. He was also the first author to use the word robot from robota (serf labor) which he says was coined by his brother and fellow writer Josef Capek. When Czechoslovakia was taken over by the Nazis , Capek refused to flee and was labeled public enemy number 2. He died on Christmas Day 1938 from pneumonia while his brother died later in the war in a Concentration Camp. I personally had never heard of this great writer before Google’s celebration of his life and am very happy that Google honored him by remembering and spreading his legacy.

Isaac Newton's Birthday

Today Google celebrates the birthday of one of the greatest minds in the history of humanity with the now mythical story of the discovery of gravity. Google tells this story through a great animation where the apple falls from a tree as the user navigates the search page. My only complaint with this logo is that it departs from the typical stylization that Google uses and instead shows photorealistic apples. In general though I am really pleased that Google chose to celebrate this great scientist.

Happy New Year [HRE]

Google commemorates the start of a new decade with an excellent doodle that displays a typical celebration which occurred tonight all over the world. The clock tower, a weird mix of Big Ben and East Asian architecture, stylizes the Google “l”, while its faces create the “01” in the 2010. Furthermore, the blue moon shining bright over the world makes the final “0” in 2010. Colorful fireworks then fill the image with jubilance for the coming decade. So long oughts or whatever this decade was called, let’s change the this world in the tens inspired by Google’s optimism and idealism.