h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've previously whinged about how the world has gone potty over the Google Doodle - every time they post one, there's a flurry of newspaper articles recording the fact. It must be a handy space-filler if the journo has nothing else to write about.

Today it all cranked up a few notches. People complained because there *wasn't* a Google Doodle. Or at least, not one they liked. They got a Japanese Go player. They expected to see something marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the allied counterstrike during World War 2. Google had 'blundered', according to the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27732237


I feel a letter to the Times coming on.

Sir,

I surely cannot be the only reader to be dismayed by the actions of Google on the anniversary of this great day.

How would brave Tommy Atkins have felt, had he known that his courage under fire would be commemorated 70 years on by an American search engine choosing to honour a Jap instead?

Yours sincerely,

Dismayed from Surrey (DFC and bar)

We were just discussing this in the office. I'm not in the least bit surprised, to be honest. The times that Google chooses to commemorate things is not the time that the rest of the world runs to.

A doodle might turn for someone's 169th birthday, or the 203rd anniversary of an event, but a nice sensible orderly number like 70? No. That's just not Google's style. That's not how they play the game.


Geggs

oh on my google page I have a link to the google cultural institute about the Normandy landing, it has maps, letters, photos

I would have put a link but it doesn't work here sorry

And we don't have anything at all in the US.

I blame the historical ignorance of geeks, which is abysmal. As I sit here, writing about Woodrow Wilson and Pancho Villa, I lament this ignorance...

Maybe somebody should ask Marvel Comics to make another blockbuster film.Say, 'The Hulk Takes on Normandy', or 'The Might Thor Defeats the Nazis'...

'The Mighty Thor Defeats the Nazis' - I think you'll find that's Captain America. Except their commie Nazis, of course, which are extra evil

*they're - can't believe I did that

Commie Nazis. Nothing worse.