Well, do ya, punk?
SEARCH OUTFIT Google has added a mysterious little egg to its minimalist homepage.
We just noticed it today, but if you click on the "I'm feeling lucky
button", without entering anything in the text box, something unusual
happens.
We can't say what would have happened before, but as of now there is
a countdown going on, at the time of going to print it was 1417215 and
counting.
A visit to Google.fr and a repeat non-search gives us this error
message, "Le bouton 'J'ai de la chanceTM' affiche directement (et
uniquement) la page Web la plus pertinente pour votre requête. En
utilisant le bouton 'J'ai de la chance', vous passez moins de temps à
rechercher les pages Web qui vous intéressent, ce qui vous laisse plus
de temps pour les découvrir!".
Or as Google translate would have it, "The 'I'm Feeling Lucky TM'
poster directly (and only) web page most relevant to your query. Using
the button 'I'm lucky', you spend less time searching for web pages
that interest you, leaving you with more time to discover!", which we
take to be some sort of relevant information, but we can't be sure.
Our maths are not the best, but in seconds the countdown either
takes us up to lunchtime, or going via a mathematician we spoke to,
roughly the end of this year. What's Google got planning for New Years
Eve? A party, or something that we might all get to enjoy.
Rumours abound about the impending Google phone, so maybe its an
announcement along those lines. Or maybe it will buy Twitter. Or
failing that, at least kiss it when the clock strikes twelve. It could
even be the Apocalypse. Place your bets now.
We know one thing, we won't be there when it happens. Unless the television breaks.