Clean IT

Google launched a new online service called Fast Flip today. Fast Flip (previously known as “Flipper”) is an online news reader that allows you to flip through popular news topics in varying categories. The difference with Fast Flip is that it provides you with a more visual user interface:

Google Fast Flip

Its already being compared with Bing Visual Search, criticised as having poor interface and being slow, some even referred to it as ‘Slow Slider’ as its doesn’t actually flip its pages it just slides them across.

Despite agreeing with some of the points made my opinion is that Google are being innovative and looking into different ways it can provide its searchers with information which is always a good thing.

I’m sure the guys back at GoogleLabs will be able to take some valuable feedback from this. Fast Flip might have its issues but a few tweaks here and there and think it could have potential. I guess time will tell us.

Google caused a stir at the weekend when it release its UFO logo in the UK:

Google Unexplained Logo

Theories and debate spread like wild fire as the twitterverse pondered into its meaning. This was fuelled further when Google tweeted the following codeded message:

“1.12.12 25.15.21.18 15 1.18.5 2.5.12.15.14.7 20.15 21.19.”

I must admit it got me wondering but my main frustration was the lack of ALT tag on the image… what kind of message is this for Accessability Google? Saying that, have you ever looked under the hood of Google? (one day i tell myself, one day…)

Well, it turns out CNET have sovled the mistery for us. When you turn these numbers into their corresponding letter in the alphabet you get:

“All your O are belong to us.” – presumably ‘O’ being  the one taken in the logo

This is homage to the 20th anniversary of the Japanese video game classic ”Zero Wing’ which has an intro that says ‘All your base are belong to us’.

Zero Wing Intro 'All your base are belong to us'

Wiki has an atricle all about Zero Wing’s  poor grammer intro.

Well done Google, good bit of PR and kept the kids busy. I look forward to the next Doodle.