Google Doodles

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Elizabeth Blackwell’s 197th Birthday.



“It is not easy to be a pioneer – but oh, it is fascinating!”

-Elizabeth Blackwell

 

As the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree, an active champion of women’s rights, and an abolitionist, Elizabeth Blackwell was nothing if not a pioneer.

Blackwell grew up in Bristol and emigrated to the United States with her family, where she began her professional life as a teacher. Early on, she asserted her moral convictions: when a teaching position in Kentucky exposed her to the brutality of slavery for the first time, she set up a Sunday school for slaves and became a staunch abolitionist.

Years later, the death of a friend prompted her foray into medicine, as Blackwell believed a female physician might have lessened her friend’s suffering. She persisted through seemingly endless rejections from medical schools – at least once being told that she should dress as a man in order to gain admittance. Finally, she was accepted into the Geneva Medical College by a unanimous vote of the all-male student body. She went on to establish a women-governed infirmary, found two medical colleges for women, and mentor several physicians.

Today’s Doodle is by illustrator Harriet Lee Merrion – who happens to be based in Bristol and regularly cycles past the house where Elizabeth grew up! Her illustration shows Blackwell in the midst of her pioneering practice and celebrates the significant positive impact she had on the lives of people around the world.

[DirtDawg]

I had never even heard of a theremin. 

It's an awesome instrument. I've heard Jean Michel Jarre play one in concert.

Just following links to get back here, but ...


GOD DAMN!!!!!!!

[odeon]

I had never even heard of a theremin. 

It's an awesome instrument. I've heard Jean Michel Jarre play one in concert.

Just following links to get back here, but ...


GOD DAMN!!!!!!!

And the sound was among the best I've heard live.

[DirtDawg]

I had never even heard of a theremin. 

It's an awesome instrument. I've heard Jean Michel Jarre play one in concert.

Just following links to get back here, but ...


GOD DAMN!!!!!!!

And the sound was among the best I've heard live.

Had to throw that at me right?   
I would love to have experienced this concert!

I seldom talk about the best sound I have heard, because often I was at the helm in some way. It was my sound system. Now why would that be?

Well, I am a narcissistic ego maniac for one thing.
OK, but when I created a massive sound system from a pure idea, I built one that sounded the way I like live sound to sound, full, rich, crisp, deep, articulate. When everything fell into place, great venue, a stage full of professionals, polite, engaged crowd, everyone is  (sober) on their best game, we can experience some amazing live performances.

I generally tried to maintain between fifteen and twenty five decibels of headroom to allow for massive dynamics using very little compression. Even a small ensemble can benefit from this approach, especially an all acoustic group.

SO the best sound I ever heard - impossible, since I have heard a lot of great sound over my many years in that particular business.

I have never seen Jarre in concert, even on the sidelines, but I would love to. Doubt he still tours.

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Paula Modersohn-Becker’s 142nd Birthday



Renowned German expressionist painter Paula Modersohn-Becker was born on this day in 1876. Her art bears witness to her courage, boldness, and ambition — a temperament that greatly influenced her short but prolific career.

Exposed to the intellectual world from the time she was a young child growing up in Dresden-Friedrichstadt, Modersohn-Becker began her artistic endeavors as a student in Bremen, and at the age of 18, moved to an artist’s colony in Worpswede. There she met her future husband, but hungry to learn more, she moved to Paris to study and urged him to join her.

In the years that followed, her personal life underwent many changes. But through all the turbulence, she continued to paint, producing more than 80 pictures in 1906 alone. Her writings explain this frenetic pace as a necessity to make up for the first two ‘lost’ decades of her life.

An early expressionist, she joined the likes of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse in introducing modernism to the world. Modersohn-Becker was known for her bold choices as an artist — be it her depictions of nude female figures (among the very first women artists to do so), or those of women breastfeeding their children. She tenaciously resisted the strict expectations held of women of her era, preferring exploration and painting over more traditional pastimes.

Today’s Doodle reflects her artistic style depicting domestic subjects, and is illustrated by Berlin-based duo Golden Cosmos.

Happy Birthday, Paula Modersohn-Becker!

[odeon]

I had never even heard of a theremin. 

It's an awesome instrument. I've heard Jean Michel Jarre play one in concert.

Just following links to get back here, but ...


GOD DAMN!!!!!!!

And the sound was among the best I've heard live.

Had to throw that at me right?   
I would love to have experienced this concert!

I seldom talk about the best sound I have heard, because often I was at the helm in some way. It was my sound system. Now why would that be?

Well, I am a narcissistic ego maniac for one thing.
OK, but when I created a massive sound system from a pure idea, I built one that sounded the way I like live sound to sound, full, rich, crisp, deep, articulate. When everything fell into place, great venue, a stage full of professionals, polite, engaged crowd, everyone is  (sober) on their best game, we can experience some amazing live performances.

I generally tried to maintain between fifteen and twenty five decibels of headroom to allow for massive dynamics using very little compression. Even a small ensemble can benefit from this approach, especially an all acoustic group.

SO the best sound I ever heard - impossible, since I have heard a lot of great sound over my many years in that particular business.

I have never seen Jarre in concert, even on the sidelines, but I would love to. Doubt he still tours.

I think he still does. https://jeanmicheljarre.com/tour

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Holi 2018



Red, yellow, blue, and green are a few of our favorite colors all year round, but today we’re putting them front and center for an extra special reason.

It’s time for Holi — the age-old festive ritual marking the end of winter, the coming of spring, and symbolically, the triumph of good over evil. Family and friends come together to feast, dance, and laugh together while dousing each other with colored powder and water.

Today’s Guest Doodle by Amrita Marino depicts dhol players amongst a cloud of color. These traditional drummers move from house to house, adding a peppy, musical touch to the day's festivities. The four main powder colors carry with them a piece of symbolism. Red signifies love and fertility; yellow is the color of turmeric, a natural remedy; blue represents the beloved Krishna; green symbolizes spring and new beginnings.

Whether you choose one favorite color or many, here’s wishing everyone a happy Holi!

[renaeden]

Hooray, summer is over! Predicted to get to 37C on Monday. Blech.

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is International Women's Day 2018.



Happy International Women’s Day 2018!

Those familiar with Doodles know that we frequently celebrate extraordinary women throughout history such as prominent inventors, scientists, writers, artists, activists, philanthropists, and so on. Today, we wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate the stories and voices of another group of extraordinary women—the everyday women living all over the world.

For today’s global, interactive Doodle, we reached out to 12 female artists of all backgrounds to share their personal stories in a series of visual narratives. Specifically, each story represents a moment, person, or event that has impacted their lives as women. While each artist tells a unique story, the themes are universal, reminding us of how much we often have in common. We hope that the combined power of words and images help bring these stories to life in a way that invokes feelings of understanding, empathy, and spirit of the day.

This project has been an incredible journey for us, and we’ve been moved by the candor, intimacy, and bravery of our contributors’ stories. Translating these works across 80+ languages and sharing them across a global audience means so much to us, and we hope that readers will go about their day feeling as inspired as we do.

Special thanks to our storytellers, readers, and everyone involved in this project to celebrate such an important day. And last -but certainly not least- thanks to all the women in our own lives who continue to move and change the world with their own stories.

-Lydia Nichols & Alyssa Winans, Doodlers & IWD 2018 Project Leads

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Sir William Henry Perkin’s 180th Birthday.



Born in England on March 12th, 1838, chemist Sir William Henry Perkin accidentally discovered “mauveine,” the first synthetic dye.

As an 18-year-old laboratory assistant, Perkin was cleaning out dark muck from a beaker after a failed experiment, when he noticed that the substance left a vivid purple stain when diluted with alcohol. Following his discovery, he focused on the patenting, manufacturing, and commercialization of this purple dye, which he named “mauveine.”

Perkin's timing was remarkable as the textile industry was at a high. Purple clothing was very much in style, but prohibitively expensive for most, not to mention quick to fade. Perkin’s strong and inexpensively produced mauveine finally made this once-exclusive color readily accessible, igniting a violet fashion frenzy -  as seen in today’s Doodle by UK-based illustrator Sonny Ross. Even Queen Victoria herself wore a mauveine-dyed gown to the Royal Exhibition of 1862!

Wealthy and successful from his stint in manufacturing, Perkin eventually returned to laboratory research. He was even knighted in 1906, on the 50th anniversary of his serendipitous discovery.

Happy 180th birthday, Sir William Henry Perkin!

[Gopher Gary]

I notice this one on the Doodle website and thought it was cute.

Yesterday was Mother's Day 2018 (UK & Ireland)



Google has no comment for this doodle.

[odeon]

^I like that one, too.

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is the 30th Anniversary of Pi Day.



Happy Pi Day!

Celebrated each year on March 14th (3.14), Pi Day is dedicated to the mathematical constant, Pi. First recognized 30 years ago in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw, Pi Day observers often celebrate with a slice of their favorite pie in honor of the number’s delicious sounding name.

Notated by the Greek letter “

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Celebrating George Peabody.



Today we celebrate George Peabody, a man widely considered “the father of modern philanthropy.”

Born in 1795 to a poor family in Massachusetts, Peabody had only a few years’ worth of education before opening a local general store. His experience in the dry goods business expanded and led to international trade in London, where he would eventually work as a banker and settle in 1837. In that role, Peabody accumulated great wealth and his involvement in both the American and English business and social scenes provided him widespread recognition.

During his life, Peabody immersed himself in public causes, with a particular focus on educational initiatives. In fact, it was on this day in 1867 that he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal after donating $2,000,000 (upwards of $30,000,000 today!) for the advancement of education, an act of generosity made all the more impressive by the fact that he left school at the age of 11. It’s believed that Peabody gifted over $8,000,000 in the course of his lifetime, about half of his $16,000,000 fortune.

Fun fact: Today's Doodle art is the result of a Doodle team volunteer mural project at George Peabody Elementary School in San Francisco, California!  The mural currently resides in the student cafeteria. Check out a timelapse of the process below!

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is John Harrison’s 325th Birthday



It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention, and without a doubt, British horologist John Harrison brought that age-old proverb to life.

Born on this day in 1693, in Foulby, Yorkshire, England, Harrison was a self-educated clockmaker and carpenter who came to the rescue of countless sailors by creating the first marine chronometer to calculate longitude at sea.

Seeking to remedy naval disasters, the British government created the Board of Longitude in 1714, which offered a reward of £20,000 to anyone who could devise a navigational instrument that could find the longitude within 30 miles of a sea voyage.

Harrison took on the challenge. He set to work on his chronometer in 1728 and completed it in 1735, following up this feat with three watches that were even smaller and more on the money than his first.

Harrison’s extraordinary invention brought him much acclaim. Thanks to him, seamen could determine not only gauge latitude but longitude, making their excursions far safer.

Our colorful Doodle shows the inventor hard at work, surrounded by the tools of his trade. Today, time is on his side.

Happy 325th birthday, John Harrison!