"Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one." So began the "letter from the founders"
penned by Sergey Brin and Larry Page in the company's securities registration form in 2004. Despite ever-increasing
commercial success since that date, Brin and Page have kept to their word. Google is an unconventional company
with a huge stake in our online lives. It is a source of fascination for many, including us, but what really happens in
the Googleplex? And what cool factoids and stats exist from the company's relatively short past? Here I bring you
10 fun facts about Google to quench my own thirst for Google knowledge as well as hopefully offer you a distracting
diversion from your daily life.
1. The First Google Doodle
Google's famous homepage "Doodles" (the changing Google logo graphics) are well known and enjoyed by millions
around the world as a way to mark an event or anniversary. But did you know that the very first Google Doodle
was designed as a kind of "out of office" message? In 1998 Brin and Page took the weekend off to go to the
Burning Man festival in Nevada. The Burning Man doodle was designed by the Google guys and added to the
homepage to let their users know they were out of office and couldn't fix technical issues like a server crash.
2. Interesting Figures from the Google IPO
The opening price for Google's stock was $85 per share. At the time of writing, the stock price was $483 but has
soared as high as $600 in the past year, making GOOG a rather nice investment for many. A bonus factoid from
Google's IPO process is the value Google stated it hoped to raise on its S-1 form — as much as $2,718,281,828. It
may just look like a string of numbers to non-mathletes, but 2,718,281,828 is actually the first ten digits of the
mathematical constant showing that even as their company was planning to go public, the Google guys could still
geek out with a bit of numerical humor.
3. The First Google Storage Was Made From LEGO
As proud hosts to Google back when it was still a research project, and known as "BackRub," here Stanford now
showcases the original Google storage from way back in 1996. It's made up of a whopping 40 GB (less than a
modern iPod) and it's made from the building bricks, LEGO. It even has funny mini-figures on the top. Legend has it
that the reason for the LEGO construction was that the Google guys needed an easily expandable, and cheap way
to house 10 4 GB hard drives, and LEGO fit the bill.
4. Google's First Ever Tweet
Google's first ever Twitter post was as satisfyingly geeky as you could hope for. The message, sent in February
2009, reads "I'm 01100110 01100101 01100101 01101100 01101001 0110111001100111 00100000 01101100
01110101 01100011 01101011 01111001 00001010."
For anyone not fluent in binary, here's a hint — it's a well known phrase from the company's homepage. Got it?
Yep, it reads: "I'm feeling lucky."
5. Google Rents Goats
This one isn't actually one of Google's infamous April Fools' Day jokes: Google rents out goats. Yes you read that
right. It rents goats from a company called California Grazing to help cut down the amount of weeds and brush at
Google HQ. The operation of 200 goats (plus herder and a border collie) is kind to the environment, and as Google
puts it: "A lot cuter to watch than lawn mowers."
6. Google's Impact on Language
While you'd think the news that the Merriam-Webster and Oxford English Dictionary adding "google" as a verb to
their lexicons in 2006 would thrill the search engine, Google was actually displeased. "We'd like to make clear that
you should please only use 'Google' when you’re actually referring to Google Inc. and our services," the company
wrote in a blog post at the time. The reason was that Google feared that "Google" would "slip from trademarked
status into common usage." Now, , we have to say Google was fighting a losing battle. Some other Google-themed
linguistic delights are— a Google staffer is commonly referred to as a "Googler," while a new team member joins as
a "Noogler."
7. Google Is Dog-Friendly
Google is a super dog-friendly company. Less senior staff are also allowed to bring their dogs to the office.
According to Google's "Dog Policy", aggressive behavior means Lassie will have to stay at home in the future.
Strong bladdered and friendly canines are more than welcome across the campus. Unfortunately, cats are not quite
as welcome. Here's an excerpt taken directly from Google's Code of Conduct: "Google's affection for our canine
friends is an integral facet of our corporate culture. We like cats, but we're a dog company, so as a general rule we
feel cats visiting our offices would be fairly stressed out."
8. Google's First Ever "Company Snack" Was Swedish Fish
Back in February, 1999, the chewy candy known as "Swedish Fish" became the first ever company snack (not
counting beverages) that was ordered into the Google office. Google is infamous in the industry for treating its
employees to not just free drinks and snacks on tap, but full-on gourmet meals, three times a day at a plethora of
on-site cafes and eateries, as well as regular BBQs during the summer. In fact, the free food is said to be so
tempting that Googlers pile on weight soon after joining the company. Good thing they also have a Google gym.
9. The Google Logo Was Not Centered Until 2001
Google's famously sparse homepage is considered a classic design in the online world. The Google logo, however,
wasn't actually centered on the page until March 31, 2001. As early users will remember, the homepage had a bias
to the left-hand side, and even earlier — back in 1998 — Google sported a Yahoo-style exclamation mark.
10. Google Has a Company Dinosaur
By all accounts, there are many wondrous sights to be seen at the Googleplex, but one of the most arresting is
surely the gigantic T-Rex skeleton — nicknamed "Stan" after a "real" dino found nearby — that looms menacingly at
Googlers in Mountain View. Joining Stan in the unique campus decorations is a scale replica of the SpaceShipOne,
enormous Android-themed models, pink flamingos, a large LEGO man, Google-colored phone boxes and grown-up
size ball pits. One thing seems for sure — just like the company itself — life at the Googleplex must be far from dull.
Source - http://mashable.com/2010/06/19/10-google-facts/
Note: The original article has been edited into a slightly shorter version for the readers' convenience.
Best Regards
Bhavya Shah
penned by Sergey Brin and Larry Page in the company's securities registration form in 2004. Despite ever-increasing
commercial success since that date, Brin and Page have kept to their word. Google is an unconventional company
with a huge stake in our online lives. It is a source of fascination for many, including us, but what really happens in
the Googleplex? And what cool factoids and stats exist from the company's relatively short past? Here I bring you
10 fun facts about Google to quench my own thirst for Google knowledge as well as hopefully offer you a distracting
diversion from your daily life.
1. The First Google Doodle
Google's famous homepage "Doodles" (the changing Google logo graphics) are well known and enjoyed by millions
around the world as a way to mark an event or anniversary. But did you know that the very first Google Doodle
was designed as a kind of "out of office" message? In 1998 Brin and Page took the weekend off to go to the
Burning Man festival in Nevada. The Burning Man doodle was designed by the Google guys and added to the
homepage to let their users know they were out of office and couldn't fix technical issues like a server crash.
2. Interesting Figures from the Google IPO
The opening price for Google's stock was $85 per share. At the time of writing, the stock price was $483 but has
soared as high as $600 in the past year, making GOOG a rather nice investment for many. A bonus factoid from
Google's IPO process is the value Google stated it hoped to raise on its S-1 form — as much as $2,718,281,828. It
may just look like a string of numbers to non-mathletes, but 2,718,281,828 is actually the first ten digits of the
mathematical constant showing that even as their company was planning to go public, the Google guys could still
geek out with a bit of numerical humor.
3. The First Google Storage Was Made From LEGO
As proud hosts to Google back when it was still a research project, and known as "BackRub," here Stanford now
showcases the original Google storage from way back in 1996. It's made up of a whopping 40 GB (less than a
modern iPod) and it's made from the building bricks, LEGO. It even has funny mini-figures on the top. Legend has it
that the reason for the LEGO construction was that the Google guys needed an easily expandable, and cheap way
to house 10 4 GB hard drives, and LEGO fit the bill.
4. Google's First Ever Tweet
Google's first ever Twitter post was as satisfyingly geeky as you could hope for. The message, sent in February
2009, reads "I'm 01100110 01100101 01100101 01101100 01101001 0110111001100111 00100000 01101100
01110101 01100011 01101011 01111001 00001010."
For anyone not fluent in binary, here's a hint — it's a well known phrase from the company's homepage. Got it?
Yep, it reads: "I'm feeling lucky."
5. Google Rents Goats
This one isn't actually one of Google's infamous April Fools' Day jokes: Google rents out goats. Yes you read that
right. It rents goats from a company called California Grazing to help cut down the amount of weeds and brush at
Google HQ. The operation of 200 goats (plus herder and a border collie) is kind to the environment, and as Google
puts it: "A lot cuter to watch than lawn mowers."
6. Google's Impact on Language
While you'd think the news that the Merriam-Webster and Oxford English Dictionary adding "google" as a verb to
their lexicons in 2006 would thrill the search engine, Google was actually displeased. "We'd like to make clear that
you should please only use 'Google' when you’re actually referring to Google Inc. and our services," the company
wrote in a blog post at the time. The reason was that Google feared that "Google" would "slip from trademarked
status into common usage." Now, , we have to say Google was fighting a losing battle. Some other Google-themed
linguistic delights are— a Google staffer is commonly referred to as a "Googler," while a new team member joins as
a "Noogler."
7. Google Is Dog-Friendly
Google is a super dog-friendly company. Less senior staff are also allowed to bring their dogs to the office.
According to Google's "Dog Policy", aggressive behavior means Lassie will have to stay at home in the future.
Strong bladdered and friendly canines are more than welcome across the campus. Unfortunately, cats are not quite
as welcome. Here's an excerpt taken directly from Google's Code of Conduct: "Google's affection for our canine
friends is an integral facet of our corporate culture. We like cats, but we're a dog company, so as a general rule we
feel cats visiting our offices would be fairly stressed out."
8. Google's First Ever "Company Snack" Was Swedish Fish
Back in February, 1999, the chewy candy known as "Swedish Fish" became the first ever company snack (not
counting beverages) that was ordered into the Google office. Google is infamous in the industry for treating its
employees to not just free drinks and snacks on tap, but full-on gourmet meals, three times a day at a plethora of
on-site cafes and eateries, as well as regular BBQs during the summer. In fact, the free food is said to be so
tempting that Googlers pile on weight soon after joining the company. Good thing they also have a Google gym.
9. The Google Logo Was Not Centered Until 2001
Google's famously sparse homepage is considered a classic design in the online world. The Google logo, however,
wasn't actually centered on the page until March 31, 2001. As early users will remember, the homepage had a bias
to the left-hand side, and even earlier — back in 1998 — Google sported a Yahoo-style exclamation mark.
10. Google Has a Company Dinosaur
By all accounts, there are many wondrous sights to be seen at the Googleplex, but one of the most arresting is
surely the gigantic T-Rex skeleton — nicknamed "Stan" after a "real" dino found nearby — that looms menacingly at
Googlers in Mountain View. Joining Stan in the unique campus decorations is a scale replica of the SpaceShipOne,
enormous Android-themed models, pink flamingos, a large LEGO man, Google-colored phone boxes and grown-up
size ball pits. One thing seems for sure — just like the company itself — life at the Googleplex must be far from dull.
Source - http://mashable.com/2010/06/19/10-google-facts/
Note: The original article has been edited into a slightly shorter version for the readers' convenience.
Best Regards
Bhavya Shah
