5 Must-See Google Easter Eggs

A handy list of Google “Easter eggs” that you can uncover right now.

Sure, Google’s doodles make the famously sparse homepage a little more funky on certain days, but there are ways to jazz it up any day with some homepage tricks that will turn your search base into a pirate-, Klingon- or even Swedish Chef- themed online property.

Most of these work by entering an exact search term and then hitting the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button. There’s a ton of these, some of which have been active for a while.

Google nods to open source software with Linux- and BSD devil-themed options that can be activated by typing “google linux” and “google bsd” then hitting the IFL button.

Those partial to a bit of grog meanwhile can get their Google homepage pirated by doing the same with “xx-pirate.” Google will display in “hacker-speak” if you type in “google l33t.” The Klingon version can be found with “xx-klingon,” and if you want some bork with your Google, enter “xx-bork” to go all Muppet Show.

Even more options include pig latin (“xx-piglatin”), an Easter egg-themed page complete with bunny mini-game (“google easter egg”), and a dark gothic way to search (“google gothic”). Typing “elgoog” offers Google backwards, and there’s an Elmer Fudd tribute at “ewmew fudd.” Finally, it’s not quite a whole homepage change, but entering “ascii art” will make the Google logo display in that style.

Google Buys Picnik - Online image editing tool

http://www.picnik.com/app

Google on Monday said that it had acquired Picnik, an online photo editing service that works with Internet applications from several Google competitors.

"More than ever before, people are sharing and storing their photos online," said Google product management director Brian Axe in a blog post. "But until recently, you had to edit your photos using client software on your computer."

The price that Google paid for Picnik was not disclosed.

While the Picnik acquisition doesn't represent an immediate threat to Adobe Photoshop, the desktop photo editing standard for professionals, it's yet another indication that online applications represent the future.

Adobe, of course, already operates Photoshop.com, a pared-down version of its desktop photo editing application.

Picnik allows users to crop, resize, rotate, and alter online images in real-time, to apply a variety of filters, effects, and fonts, and to use browser extensions to make it easier to upload and edit images. It overlaps to some extent with Google's Picasa service.

No immediate charges are expected as a result of the deal.

But the extent to which Picnik interoperates with services like Facebook and Yahoo Mail remains open to question under Google's management. Google may well want to maintain Picnik's interoperability with non-Google services, but it remains to be seen whether Facebook and Yahoo find that idea appealing.

According to Axe, Google is working on integrating Picnik and on new features for the service.

It's also unclear how Google will deal with Picnik's premium features, which are available for $25 per year. Google has tended to offer consumer-oriented services for free.

During its earnings call for investors last October, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that the company was again looking for new acquisitions and that Google in the past had acquired about one company every month.

Picnik is Google's ninth acquisition in the past eight months.

http://www.picnik.com/app

Google wins Street View privacy suit

A couple in Pittsburgh whose lawsuit claimed that Street View on Google Maps is a reckless invasion of their privacy lost their case.

Aaron and Christine Boring sued the Internet search giant last April, alleging that Google "significantly disregarded (their) privacy interests" when Street View cameras captured images of their house beyond signs marked "private road." The couple claimed in their five-count lawsuit that finding their home clearly visible on Google's Street View caused them "mental suffering" and diluted their home value. They sought more than $25,000 in damages and asked that the images of their home be taken off the site and destroyed.

Publish Post

However, the U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania wasn't impressed by the suit and dismissed it (PDF) Tuesday, saying the Borings "failed to state a claim under any count."

Ironically, the Borings subjected themselves to even more public exposure by filing the lawsuit, which included their home address. In addition, the Allegheny County's Office of Property Assessments included a photo of the home on its Web site.

The Borings are not alone in their ire toward the Google Maps feature. As reported earlier, residents in California's Humboldt County complained that the drivers who are hired to collect the images are disregarding private property signs and driving up private roads. In January, a private Minnesota community near St. Paul, unhappy that images of its streets and homes appeared on the site, demanded Google remove the images, which the company did.

However, Google claims to be legally allowed to photograph on private roads, arguing that privacy no longer exists in this age of satellite and aerial imagery.

"Today's satellite-image technology means that...complete privacy does not exist," Google said in its response to the Borings' complaint

Not long after the feature launched in May 2007, privacy advocates criticized Google for displaying photographs that included people's faces and car license plates. And last May, the company announced that it had begun testing face-blurring technology for the service.