17 amazing Google Easter eggs

Searching for "do a barrel roll" at Google--or for "z or r twice" produces a dynamically spinning view of the search site.

Google Maps jet-ski advice

Google Maps has creative solutions for some navigational difficulties. One is its advice to take a jet ski from China to Japan.

Google off kilter

A Google search for tilt or askew yields an appropriately off-kilter view of the search site.

Google 42 search

Ask Google the answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything and, in a tribute to "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," you'll get the number 42.

Google Earth flight simulator

Google Earth has a built-in flight simulator. It helpfully offers to start you out at Kathmandu for some exciting views of the Himalayan mountains.

Google Earth flight simulator

To load the Google Earth flight simulator, type Ctrl-Alt A or Cmd-Opt A on a Mac. You'll have your choice of planes. Flying is another matter altogether, but the place to get started if you lack a joystick is the Google Earth keyboard controls help page.

YouTube's Snakey

If you open a YouTube video, click in the frame right after the video starts loading, then immediately type one of the keyboard's arrow keys, you can start playing a game of snakey on the video as it plays. Don't run into the walls!

Google gravity search

The Google Gravity chrome experiment by Mr. Doob is amusing--especially since the search page still works, with new search results piling up.

Google ASCII art search

ASCII art is imagery made of monospaced letters named after the storied character encoding scheme. Search for ASCII art on Google and you get a fittingly adapted Google logo.

Google Maps' pegman in Legoland

Google Maps' pegman character, used to signify the perspective of the street view feature, changes on special occasions. And when he shows up at Legoland in Carlsbad, Calif., he turns into a Lego character.

Google blue moon search

How often does the world experience a blue moon? Google Calculator results in Google search knows and will tell you.

Google anagram search

Search for anagram at Google and the top result is, in fact, an anagram.

Ninjas on Google Reader

Google Reader comes with a Ninja Easter egg. To get a look, type the classic video game cheat code: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A.

Google pirate interface

Buccaneers or those sailing under a letter of marque might feel more comfortable with Google's Pirate interface. There's one for the Muppets' Swedish Chef, too.

Google hacker interface

Want to experience Google through a l33t interface? Try the Google Hacker page.

Ooglegay Earchsay

Google comes with a Pig Latin interface if you want it.

Recursive recursion

Self-reference is just the sort of mathematical amusement that entertains Google nerds. Searching for "recursion" suggests that perhaps you meant to search for "recursion."

Self-absorbed LMGTFY

This isn't a Google Easter egg, and maybe isn't even an Easter egg at all. Instead it's with the sarcasm-laden Let Me Google That For You site, which people can use when others ask them silly questions easily answered with a search engine. This particular cached LMGTFY page, though, sets things off in an unending loop of reloading.