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

We're voting on Sunday.

*waits*

Same here. We'll keep you posted.

Google.at and .de have a doodle for the 166th birthday of Otto Lilienthal, pioneer of flight.

If god had intended man to fly
he would have given Otto wings.



I've always suspected that subconscious guilt over the lack
of acknowledgement given to Otto's contribution to flight
is behind America's ongoing obsession with flying 'autos'.



~jwf~

Was that quote from "A Fish called Wanda"? (The only film I can think of for the minute with an Otto in it.)

Nope, just me being silly.

Thanks for the Fish Called Wanda reference.
Hadn't thought about that film for years.

~jwf~

It recently aired on TV here and my mother watched it with me for her first time. I had never noticed how much Jamie Lee Curtis chewed the scenery when I saw it decades ago. I can't tell if she was doing it on purpose or not because when she's at her worst, it's obvious that she's lying in character. That blinking she does when she takes her glasses off with Archie Leech is just so obviously a coquettish affectation.

It's Poland's Mother's Day today.A rather nice doodle I think..

Today's doodle celebrates the 107th birthday of Rachel Louise Carson, was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book the 'Silent Spring' and her other writings helped inspired and advanced the worldwide environment movement.

Has anyone actually read that book? I was thinking of giving it to my son who's studying environmental technology.

I had a hardcover copy years ago and sold quite a few
paperback copies when I was in the bookstore business.
But I never did get round to reading it because I was
told it was quite depressing and frightening to think
of a whirled in which no birds sang.
(Hence: the 'silent' Spring)

But it was a necessary wake-up call at the time and must
largely be credited with arousing the first environmental
consciousness. It was pre-global warming and focused mostly
on toxic pollution by American heavy agriculture and industry.

It resulted in serious environmental legislation such that
the rivers now run without blankets of chemical suds and are
less prone to catching fire. Among other things it brought us
a ban on DDT. (And drove a lot of industry offshore.)


~jwf~

~ ~ And we would certainly have no honey bees . .. ...

June 6, the 70th anniversary of D-Day has been a total screw up.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27732237


~jwf~

OK, it's an important anniversary, but it was covered well in the media and Google aren't obliged by anyone to remember anything. It's just a little thing they do.

Quite the opposite. They are almost obliged to commemorate, let's say Farrah Fawcett-Majors' day of death, just because everyone else remembers it as Michael Jackson's.

I see a whole thread has been started on that topic. So this one can stick to the next doodle.

Seems to be the FIFA Whirled Cup today.
https://www.google.ca/
A bit of animated build up but no interactivity.

At least it avoided the FIFA Facepalm logo:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e8/WC-2014-Brasil.svg/719px-WC-2014-Brasil.svg.png

~jwf~

Tee hee.

This is what mine looks like ~ NW USA ~ ~ ~
http://www.google.com/

Sorry ~ It is interestingly different but I do not know how to transfer it ? ? . .. … . .. ...

May I give it another try ? Please bear with me . .. …

http://www.google.com/doodles/world-cup-2014-1