Google Doodles

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is My Afrocentric Life - Doodle 4 Google 2016 - US winner



Now in its 8th year, the Doodle 4 Google Competition challenges young artists to create their own Doodle. This year’s competition called for submissions around the theme: “What Makes Me… Me.”  Kids worked in their medium of choice, delivering uniquely personal and one-of-a-kind submissions.

Of 100,000 participants coming from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and Washington D.C., five national finalists were chosen to spend the day at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California for the award ceremony. At 10 am PST, this year’s national winner Akilah Johnson from Washington, D.C. saw her artwork go live on Google’s U.S. homepage for millions to see.

Thank you to all the finalists for sharing your creativity with us. And a hearty congratulations to our national winner, Akilah Johnson.

I'm surprised there were only 100,000 participants in this contest. It was for any US citizen K-12 student and the winner received a $30,000 scholarship for the university of their choice, and the school they attended received $50,000 grant for the establishing/improving a computer lab. Maybe it wasn't highly promoted. 

["couldbecousin"]

  Google stalker. 

[Gopher Gary]

I like them. 

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Pandit Ravi Shankar’s 96th birthday.



Today we celebrate Pandit Ravi Shankar, who was born 96 years ago today. Shankar evangelized the use of Indian instruments in Western music, introducing the atmospheric hum of the sitar to audiences worldwide. He performed frequently with the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and composed a concerto with sitar for the London Symphony Orchestra. Shankar also taught George Harrison of the Beatles how to play the sitar, and widely influenced popular music in the 1960s and 70s.

Shankar's music popularized the fundamentals of Indian music, including raga, a melodic form. Raga, as Shankar explained, has "its own peculiar ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven-note octave, or a series of six or five notes in a rising or falling structure." The distinctive character of Shankar's compositions attracted the attention of composer Philip Glass, with whom Shankar wrote the 1990 album Passages.

The centerpiece of today's Doodle, by artist Kevin Laughlin, is a sitar. It has two bridges, one for the "drone" strings and the other for the melody strings. Laughlin's design shows the style of sitar Shankar played, which includes a second gourd-shape resonator at the top of the instrument's neck.

Happy birthday, Pandit Ravi Shankar! See archival photos of Shankar at the Google Cultural Institute.

[odeon]

^Awesome, that one. Spotted it while still in the UK and wondered if Sweden had it.

['andersom']

The Dutch did not get it.

[odeon]

They should have.

Ravi Shankar was awesome.

[DirtDawg]

They should have.

Ravi Shankar was awesome.

Agreed.

I have three of his "albums"  on vinyl. It has been years since I listened to one, since I am as guilty of "instant gratification"  as most of us on this continent.

I NEED to convert them to flac format at high resolution and enjoy them some more.
 

[DirtDawg]

Out of the blue, my wife created a small "St. Patrick's Day" celebration to honor my (small) bit of Irish blood.

It was cute, but after I enjoyed the corned beef and cabbage feast, I reminded her that I was raised as a Protestant and the LAST DAMN THING that any one of my family would ever have done is celebrate a saint of any sort.

She said, "Oh. Yeah." I thanked her, hugged her, kissed her, etc. It was an awesome gesture.

 

  So how much leprechaun are you?     I thought I was 3/8; with the revelation that
  one great-grandmother may have been partly or entirely non-Irish, that amount is more like 1/4.

Well, I am a bit ginger to view, by most, but I can get a decent tan in summer. My hair has darkened from light reddish blond as I have aged, at least the part that has not given up and gone white. My beard is mostly grey, but still has a good bit of dark red in it. I will not accept someone calling me "salt and pepper"  as they do with most aging folk. I instantly correct them, because I am pure "Sugar and Cinnamon, Baby!!"

Sorry I did not see this sooner. 
To answer you question, My paternal grandmother's Sir name was Moran (kind of Irish) and her paternal grandfather's name was Scot (yes, ONE "t")
 and there are other Irish connections, but as I mentioned, we were Protestant not Catholic.

But to be quite honest, I am pure leprechaun as far as the mischievousness goes.


And I keep a shillelagh by.

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Purple Rain. It must have been very impromptu, since it doesn't even have an entry on the Google Doodle website. 

['andersom']

Little Furball, they probably cancelled this one where you live. I've been looking if I could find you in one of the doodles.

https://www.google.com/doodles/earth-day-2016






Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, may be the one day that transcends culture, language, and tradition. Doodler Sophie Diao shares some of her thoughts on the day and the paintings she created:

The vastness of Earth’s diversity makes it an intimidating topic, but in the end I chose to highlight Earth’s five major biomes: the tundra, forest, grasslands, desert, and coral reefs. In each illustration, you’ll find one animal who’s been singled out for their 15 minutes of fame. Each time you visit Google.com, you’ll randomly receive one of the five doodles. Keep refreshing to admire a different side of Earth’s immense beauty.

Scientists estimate the Earth’s age at over 4.5 billion years, but its Day has only existed for 46. Earth Day inspires all of us to appreciate our big blue and green orb with events big and small, ranging from family hiking trips to citywide recycling initiatives.

Originally conceived by peace activist John McConnell in 1969, Earth Day as we know it was established by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson a year later. Concerned about humanity’s impact on the natural world, Nelson sought to raise public awareness of environmental issues by devoting a day to environmental  events and education. Since its inception, Earth Day has spread to nearly 200 countries, with millions of celebrants all around the world.

It’s a day to reflect. I am personally in awe of nature’s persistence and creativity. Our planet – with its alternate scorching heat and bitter cold, its jagged peaks and deep trenches – may not always be kind to its inhabitants. Yet somehow the flora and fauna of Earth manage to thrive. On a day like this, we remember and celebrate our home in this great and stunning ecosystem.

We live on a beautiful planet, and it’s the only one we’ve got. Happy Earth Day!



   

[Gopher Gary]

 

I didn't miss the Earth Day Google Doodles. You're just from the future so you saw them before I did. 

[renaeden]

I saw that last one when I was at college yesterday. I like the colours in it.

['andersom']

I didn't miss the Earth Day Google Doodles. You're just from the future so you saw them before I did. 

I forgot that I am someone from the future for you.

Raise your offer, and I might sell you the winning lottery number combination.

[Gopher Gary]

Today's Google Doodle is Celebrating William Shakespeare and St. George's Day 2016.



Today's Doodle celebrates St. George, the patron saint of England and famous for slaying a dragon. This year he shares the stage with one of the most prolific voices of our time: William Shakespeare.

A creative tour de force, Shakespeare officially wrote 38 plays in his 52 years, some of which you can spot in today's Doodle.

Over the past four centuries, Shakespeare's poems, plays and other works have taken on a life of their own on the page, stage and screen. You can explore some of his works and those he has has inspired in the Shakespeare gallery of Google’s Cultural Institute.