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Re: Google Doodles

Posted: Tue, Feb 05, 2019, 2:48 pm
by Linda O'Donnell
Today's Doodle on Google (https://www.google.com), a "shadow puppet" pig, celebrates Lunar New Year 2019, also known as the Chinese New Year.

Although the Chinese New Year celebrations are filled with superstition and have nothing to do with the Bible, I thought you might like to read the following background information from Google about this holiday:

"Today is the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, a major holiday celebrated throughout most of Asia and around the world. Also referred to as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, this holiday celebrates ancient traditions and ancestors and looks forward at the year ahead.

"This year marks the transition from the Year of the Dog to that of the Pig, the last animal in the cycle of 12 that represent each year in the shēngxiào, or Chinese zodiac. Pigs are considered a sign of prosperity in Asian culture, and those born in the year of the Pig are said to be sincere, good-natured, and honest.

"Today’s Doodle also celebrates the ancient tradition of shadow puppetry, which also has a special place in the festivities. This year, people all over the world can Celebrate Lunar New Year and the ancient storytelling art of shadow puppetry with Shadow Art. Users can form one of the twelve zodiac animal hand gestures in front of their camera and the AI [Artificial Intelligence] system, built with Tensorflow, will play a short clip matching the shadow puppet that’s been made.

"Preparations for the Lunar New Year begin well in advance of the new moon as families clean and decorate their homes, sweeping out last year’s bad luck. All cleaning stops as soon as the new year begins, for fear of driving the good luck out. Many purchase new clothes and shoes so as to make a fresh start.

"The color red can be seen everywhere. A symbol of good luck, red is believed to ward off bad luck and beasts. Families come together to share special meals and exchange gifts. Children often receive 'lucky money,' usually in red envelopes given by their elders.

"Throughout China, the holiday season—also known as chunjie (春节)—lasts for more than two weeks and celebrations vary throughout the region. Plenty of fireworks are also set off during this time of year as tradition states the loud noise scares monsters and bad luck away. In Hong Kong, the celebration combines ancient customs, and modern excitement. A night parade kicks off the festivities with floats, dragons, dancers, and musicians. In Taiwan, the focus is on family and friends rather than big public events. Many Taiwanese enjoy visiting temples and other historic sites as well as spending time with relatives.

"Happy Lunar New Year!"

(Source for above quote, including a repeat of the Doodle: https://www.google.com/doodles/lunar-ne ... -countries)

Re: Google Doodles

Posted: Thu, Feb 14, 2019, 6:26 pm
by Linda O'Donnell
In celebration of Valentine's Day, today's Doodle (https://www.google.com) has worms, ladybugs, and spiders expressing their love to one another. Where the second "o" in "Google" usually appears, two worms crawl around the screen until their bodies form a heart. Next, two ladybugs appear at the top of a leaf after "something" chomps on the leaf and creates a heart. Finally, two spiders drop down from their web and walk away together.

Here's what Google said about this Doodle:

"There are many ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day. But when you get right down to it, today is all about one thing: the universal, undeniable power of love.

"Love comes in all shapes and sizes—or even species! Consider the lovestruck critters featured in today’s Doodle. Irresistibly drawn to one another, they will wriggle, chomp, and spin webs through any obstacles to express their eternal devotion.

"Happy Valentines Day!"

(Source for quote, including a repeat of the Doodle: https://www.google.com/doodles/valentines-day-2019)

Re: Google Doodles (Animated Cartoons)

Posted: Thu, Apr 11, 2019, 2:00 am
by Linda O'Donnell
Today (April 10th), Google (https://www.google.com) posted an animated cartoon of the first image of a black hole.

An article on the space.com website entitled "Google Doodle Celebrates the 1st Black Hole Image by the Event Horizon Telescope" said, "This Google Doodle's got a lot of pull," and described the Doodle as follows:

"When scientists with the Event Horizon Telescope unveiled the first image of a black hole today (say hello to the heart of M87!), astronomers around the world rejoiced. And so, it seems, did the folks at Google.

"An adorable Google Doodle unveiled today (April 10) celebrates the historic first black hole picture with cosmic flair. In the animated cartoon, an undeveloped Polaroid snapshot appears amid a field of stars and the iconic Google logo.

"As the image develops, the Event Horizon Telescope's image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the distant galaxy M87 comes into view. But if not even light can escape a black hole, Google's doodle doesn't stand a chance.

"Once the image becomes clear (or as clear as a supermassive black hole 55 million light-years away like the one in M87 can be), its gravitational pull draws in the doodle's stars, then Google logo itself, leaving only a brief flash behind as it collapsing in on itself.

"It's one of the shortest and sweetest depiction of a monster black hole that we've ever seen ..."

You can see the "Black Hole" Doodle and learn more about the "why the Event Horizon Telescope's image of the black hole was such a big deal" by clicking on the following link, which is the source of the material quoted above: https://www.space.com/first-black-hole- ... oodle.html.

* * * * *
Another article describes how the Doodle was created in less than a day by one of the Google Doodle artists on his way to work. You can read about it here: https://www.cnet.com/news/black-hole-go ... g-commute/.

Re: Google Doodles (Animated Cartoons)

Posted: Mon, Nov 04, 2019, 2:00 pm
by Linda O'Donnell
Today (Monday, November 4th), Google (www.google.com) has posted an animated Doodle to celebrate Will Rogers' 140th birthday. It consists of a cowboy bouncing up and down, twirling a lasso (rope) in the shape of a figure eight (forming the two o's in the "Google" logo), reclining backwards, and holding a pad of paper and pencil in his lap as he rides a galloping horse.

You can see the Doodle and read about Will Rogers' background by clicking this link: https://www.google.com/doodles/will-rog ... h-birthday.

Re: Google Doodles (Animated Cartoons)

Posted: Thu, Nov 28, 2019, 4:01 pm
by Linda O'Donnell
Today (Thursday, November 28th), Google (www.google.com) has posted an animated Doodle to celebrate Thanksgiving with children's "hand art." It consists of two "hand" turkeys, a pile of leaves, and three crayons. In the cartoon, the "hand" turkey on the left side waves. Then the one on the right side waves and jumps in a pile of leaves and disappears. After that, the red crayon draws another turkey, and the Doodle begins again.

Here's what Google says about their Doodle:

"Today’s Doodle celebrates Thanksgiving with a tribute to “hand turkeys,” an easy-to-make holiday bonding activity. A time for gathering with loved ones and giving thanks for the blessings in your life, Americans of all walks of life observe this holiday on the last Thursday in November.

"Happy Thanksgiving 2019!"

(Source for quote, which includes the actual Doodle: https://www.google.com/doodles/thanksgiving-2019)

Re: Google Doodles (Animated Cartoons)

Posted: Sat, Feb 29, 2020, 3:15 pm
by Linda O'Donnell
Leap Year occurs every four years, and this is one of them. Since today (Saturday) is February 29th, Google (www.google.com) has posted an animated Doodle, with all of the letters in "Google" (including two pretend "people"--numbers 2 and 9, with faces, legs, and feet--inside the second "o") jumping up and down to celebrate "Leap Day."

Google explained their Doodle as follows:

"Notice anything different about today? Let’s jump right into it!

"Today’s Doodle is jumping for joy on Leap Day, the 29th day of February that only occurs about every four years, to keep our calendars in alignment with the Earth and sun.

"We HOP you have a good one—Happy Leap Day!"

(Source for quote, which includes the actual Doodle: https://www.google.com/doodles/leap-day-2020)


P.S. On my local news today, the weatherman said that we add a day to February every four years because each year actually consists of 365.25 days.

Re: Google Doodles (Animated Cartoons)

Posted: Fri, Apr 03, 2020, 4:16 pm
by Linda O'Donnell
Today (April 3rd), Google (www.google.com) has posted an animated Doodle about the COVID-19 coronavirus. It's titled "Stay home. Save lives." and has all of the "Google" letters doing various activities to entertain themselves while practicing "social distancing" at home. Big "G" is reading a book, one of the two "o's" is playing a guitar while the other listens and/or sings along, the "l" is lifting weights, and the small "g" and "e" are talking to one another on the phone.

Google commented on their Doodle as follows:

"Stay home. Save lives.​

"As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, help stop the spread by following these steps."
[Note: The "steps" mentioned above can be found here: https://www.google.com/search?q=coronav ... 5928735240.]


(Source for quote, which includes the actual Doodle: https://www.google.com/doodles/stay-home-save-lives)

Re: Google Doodles (Animated Cartoons)

Posted: Mon, Apr 06, 2020, 9:52 pm
by Linda O'Donnell
Today (April 5th), Google (www.google.com) has posted an animated Doodle thanking the healthcare workers and researchers who are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. In it, the big "G" is sending love (in the form of hearts), over the heads of the other letters, to the small "e," which is standing on a podium, giving a presentation and update on the coronavirus.

Google commented on their Doodle as follows:

"As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people are coming together to help one another now more than ever. Over the coming weeks, we’re launching a Doodle series to recognize and honor many of those on the front lines.

"Today, we’d like to say:
"To all the public health workers and to researchers in the scientific community, thank you."

(Source for quote, which includes the actual Doodle: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... -community)
_________________________

All of the Doodles in the series are shown below. Each one is introduced with "Today, we'd like to say:"

April 6: "To all the public health workers and to researchers in the scientific community, thank you."
April 7: "To all doctors, nurses, and medical workers, thank you."
April 8: "To all emergency services workers, thank you."
April 9: "To all custodial and sanitation workers, thank you."
April 10: "To all farmworkers and farmers, thank you."
April 13: "To all grocery workers, thank you."
April 14: "To all public transportation workers, thank you."
April 15: "To all packaging, shipping, and delivery workers, thank you."
April 16: "To all food service workers, thank you."
April 17: "To all teachers and childcare workers, thank you."
April 18: "To all coronavirus helpers, thank you."

Links for the above Doodles can be found here:

April 6: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... -community
April 7: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... al-workers
April 8: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... es-workers
April 9: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... on-workers
April 10: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... nd-farmers
April 13: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... ry-workers
April 14: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... on-workers
April 15: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... ry-workers
April 16: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... ce-workers
April 17: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... re-workers
April 18: https://www.google.com/doodles/thank-yo ... us-helpers

Re: Google Doodles (Animated Cartoons)

Posted: Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 3:39 pm
by Linda O'Donnell
Today (July 4th), Google (www.google.com) has posted an animated Doodle to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday in the United States. In the Doodle, six fireworks explode, then swirl around to form letters, and finally come together to spell the word "Google."

Google commented on their Doodle as follows:

"Let the sparks fly today, as the US celebrates the Fourth of July.

"Happy birthday, USA!"


(Source for quote, which includes the actual Doodle: https://www.google.com/doodles/fourth-o ... 2020?hl=en)

Re: Google Doodles (Animated Cartoons)

Posted: Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 4:49 pm
by Linda O'Donnell
Today (August 5th), Google (www.google.com) has posted an animated Doodle to encourage people to fight the COVID-19 coronavirus by wearing face masks and practicing social distancing. In it, the "Google" letters sprout legs, put on face masks, and spread themselves apart from one another.

Google commented on their Doodle as follows:

"Wear a mask. Save lives.​

"As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, help stop the spread by following these steps."

[Here's the page that Google sends you to when you click on "these steps" in their description of the Doodle: https://www.google.com/search?q=coronav ... 6645518441]



(Source for above quote, which includes the actual Doodle: https://www.google.com/doodles/wear-a-m ... ives-aug-5)