Google's Hoaxes
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, by MultiMedia
Google has often adopted a light-veined approach in a variety of
circumstances. Some of the following, while not being hoaxes, have
gathered media and public attention.
- Google changes its logos, called Google
Doodles, to mark several occasions. See Google's Holiday Logos
- Google Search is available in
invented languages such as Klingon. Links to Google in the following
mock languages appear on the Language Tools page.
- Klingon - Google - tlhIngan Hol
- Bork Bork Bork - Google - Bork, Bork, Bork!
- Leet - Google - H4x0r
- Elmer Fudd - Google - Ewmew Fudd
- Pig Latin - Google - Igpay Atinlay
- Google's target to raise money from its IPO was US$2,718,281,828.
This has a touch of mathematical humor as e = 2.718281828... During the
IPO, 14,142,135 shares (another mathematical reference as √2 is
1.4142135...) were floated by Google. On August 18, 2005 (a year after
the initial public offering), Google announced that it would sell
14,159,265 (pi is 3.14159265...) more shares of its stock to raise
money. More information about Google's IPO is available in the Google
article.
However the most popular instances of Google Humor are the April Fool
Jokes. Google has had a tradition of perpetrating April Fools Day hoaxes.
Hoaxes
2000: Google MentalPlex
Google announced a new "MentalPlex" search
technology that supposedly read the user's mind to determine what the user
wanted to search for, thus eliminating the
step of actually typing in the search
query. In the FAQ, Google co-founder Larry Page said that "typing in queries
is so 1999." In reality, clicking on the given link to activate the
"MentalPlex" search leads to a page
displays a phony error followed by Google
search results for "April Fool's".
'Errors' displayed by Google MentalPlex:
- Error 01: Brainwaves received in analog. Please re-think in digital.
- Error 005: Searching on this topic is prohibited under international
law.
- Error 144: That information was lost with the Martian Lander. Please
try again.
- Error 008: Interference detected. Remove aluminum foil and remote
control devices.
- Error 8P: Unclear on whether your search is about money or monkeys.
Please try again.
- Error: Insufficient conviction. Please clap hands 3 times, while
chanting "I believe" and try again.
- Error CKR8: That information is protected under the National
Security Act.
- Error 666: Multiple transmitters detected. Silence voices in your
head and try again.
- Error 006: Query is unclear. Try again after removing hat, glasses
and shoes.
- Error 001: Weak or no signal detected. Upgrade transmitter and
retry.
- Error: MentalPlex(tm) has determined that this is not your final
answer. Please try again.
-
Google MentalPlex
-
Google MentalPlex FAQ
2002: Pigeon Rank
Google reveals the technology behind its PageRank
System - PigeonRank. Google touts the benefits of this cost-effective and
efficient means of ranking pages, and reassures readers that there is no
animal cruelty involved in the process. The article makes many humorous
references and puns based on computer terminology and how Google
PageRank really works.
2004: Google Lunar/Copernicus Center
Fictitious job opportunities for a research center on the moon. Lunar/X
is the name of a new
operating system they claimed to have created for working on there.
2005: Google Gulp
Google Gulp, a fictitious drink, was announced by Google in 2005.
According to the company, this beverage would optimize one's use of the
Google search engine by increasing the
drinker's intelligence. It was claimed this boost was achieved through
real-time analysis of the user's DNA and carefully tailored adjustments to
neurotransmitters in the brain (a patented technology termed Auto-Drink).
The drink was said to come in "4 great flavors": Glutamate Grape, Sugar-Free
Radical (free radicals), Beta Carroty (beta carotene), and Sero-Tonic Water
(serotonin). There was even a fake auction on eBay for a short period of
time ostensibly selling Google Gulps.
A parody
This hoax was likely intended as a parody of Google's invite-only email
service called Gmail. Although ostensibly free, the
company claimed the beverage could only be obtained by returning the cap of
a Google Gulp bottle to a local grocery store: a catch-22. In the Google
Gulp FAQ , Google replies to the observation "I mean, isn't this whole
invite-only thing kind of bogus?" by saying "Dude, it's like you've never
even heard of viral marketing."
   
Additionally, Google humorously addressed the controversy surrounding
Gmail's privacy policy. Google Gulp was said to
occasionally send data about one's use of the product via a wireless
transmitter in the base of the Google Gulp bottle, whencefrom it would be
received at the "GulpPlex":
...a heavily guarded, massively parallel server farm whose location is known
only to Eric Schmidt, who carries its GPS coordinates on a 64-bit-encrypted
smart card locked in a stainless-steel briefcase handcuffed to his right
wrist.
Reflecting consumer mistrust of long-winded privacy policies, Google further
noted:
No personally identifiable information of any kind... [will ever be]
transferred in any way to any untrustworthy third party, ever, we swear.
Google also alluded to the continuing beta-test status of
Gmail, citing concerns over potential competition
from Microsoft when questioned about a final release.
Active ingredients
One of the purported active ingredients in Google Gulp was a monoamine
oxidase inhibitor or MAOI, a type of antidepressant. Sero-Tonic Water
additionally contained selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs); the
combination of SSRIs and MAOIs often leads quickly to a potentially fatal
condition associated with seizure and coma.
2005: Google Moon
On July 20, 2005, Google created a version of Google
Maps that included a small segment of the
surface of the moon. It was based entirely on NASA images and included only
a very limited region. Panning caused the map to tile. Zooming in too much
showed a picture of swiss cheese. The map also gave the locations of all
moon landings. Google created the page on the 36th anniversary of the first
human landing on the moon. The hoax is connected to the original Google
Copernicus hoax, which claimed Google was developing, and later had, a moon
base. Google Moon claims that in 2069, Google Local will support all lunar
businesses and addresses.
Non-hoaxes
Google has chosen April Fools Day to announce their actual products. This
marketing strategy is used to make people think that the product is a hoax,
spread the word around and then to surprise them when they realize that it
is actually real. On April Fools Day 2004, Google announced the launch of
Gmail, making some believe it was a hoax. Further,
in 2005 the increase of storage space announced was also thought to be
false. Also in 2005 Google also released Google
Ride Finder which was thought to be fake, but later turned out to be
real.
External links
Google pages:
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