“I’m Feeling Curious” and Other Google Easter Eggs

Whether at work or simply killing time on the web, you almost certainly use Google’s search engine quite often. A number of us search things like “top land agents” or “sec reporting requirements,” while others look for things like “funny cat memes” or “Britney Spears shaved head.” No judgment here.

However, what you might not know about the world’s favorite program is that it’s filled with fun little Easter eggs that are great for killing endless hours of your time. If you’re in the dark about an Easter egg, there are hidden little tricks and games you can play by typing certain words into your search bar.

One Easter egg that has recently gained popularity is achieved by typing “I’m feeling curious” into your search bar. Go ahead, give it a try! And if you’re too lazy to try it by yourself, what happens is that Google supplies you with a random fun fact. The last time I attempted it, Google told me the origin of the word “cookies.” Cool?

Anyway, this is often far from the sole Easter egg that exists within Google’s program. There are plenty of goofy tricks and functions within Google for you to undertake; doubtless, some are still unbeknownst to the general public. So get searching!

Also, read about: How to install the Android 12 beta

Other Google Easter Eggs

1: Games and Gadgets

Some of you reading this might have run into these little widgets on your own, but if you haven’t, you ought to know that by searching certain terms, you can access some games and useful gadgets embedded right into Google’s program.

By searching “play snake” or “snake game,” you can play that classic windy snake game where you avoid hitting walls or eating your tail. You all know the sport I’m talking about. Google also affected Bandai Namco, so anyone Googling “PacMan” could play the retro arcade game right in their browser. Other games that Google has included “solitaire” and “tic-tac-toe.”

Google also makes it easy to access certain knick-knacks and gadgets that can be available handy sometimes. If you want to make an enormous decision, you’ll Google “flip a coin” and get a virtual coin that will flip itself. There’s a built-in “metronome” for all aspiring musicians. If you’re playing a celebration game lacking certain materials, you’ll try Googling “roll the dice” or “spinner.” There’s even a “fidget spinner” for… you know… whatever those are for.

Besides helpful tools and fun games, Google has some Easter eggs that will change your search browser’s appearance. And if you don’t know they exist, many of these tricks are often pretty startling!

2: Interface Tricks

Before beginning to write down this article, there was one Easter egg that I used to be previously conscious of. I typed within the word “askew” to ensure I used to be using it correctly, and suddenly the internet window on my computer developed a small slant to the proper. I tapped my display screen several times to ascertain if it had been a problem with the monitor, then I attempted switching to a different tab, and surely, my internet window was back to normal.

If you type the word “askew” into your search bar, Google will display your search results with a small right tilt. After realizing this, I felt a touch silly. Google takes this even further, however. If you type in words “do a barrel roll,” your search results will roll over sort of a well-trained dog. Awesome!

Another trick to vary your interface is typing in “blink HTML,” which makes the words “blink” and “HTML” appear anywhere within the search results blink in and out. As you can imagine, these words appear quite a bit since you’re checking them out. Also, if you type “Google in 1998” into your search bar, it’ll revert your search results to the Google interface because it was back there in a year. Don’t worry; do another search, returning your browser to modern times.

There also are some Google Easter eggs that don’t change your interface but are meant to convey what an exquisite sense of humor Google’s developers have.

3: Funny Answers and Word Puns

Some of Google’s Easter eggs clearly show that somebody performing at Google may be a big fan of father jokes. You recognize those jokes you don’t want to tease, but you can not help but snicker. They’re coming from an inquiry engine during this instance, making them a touch funnier.

If you type the word “anagram” into Google, it’ll offer you the real definition, but it also will offer you an anagram of the word “anagram” within the “Did you mean:” section. In this case, the anagram is “nag a ram.” If you click thereon, you’ll get an Urban Dictionary result explaining that this phrase means “to bother a ram.” How enlightening! Likewise, if you Google the phrase “anagram meaning,” you’ll again get the important definition, but also, “Did you mean: nerd fame again”?

If you look for the word “recursion,” you’ll get a particular definition of the word, which is “the repeated application of a recursive procedure or definition.” You’ll also notice above the definition, it says, “Did you mean: recursion.” If you laughed at that, you almost definitely majored in computing. If you still don’t catch on, don’t worry; I don’t fully catch on either.

While the last joke was exclusively for computer geeks, this next one is for anyone who’s ever seen or read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If you type within the phrase “the answer to life, the universe, and everything,” Google will display its calculator app with the straightforward answer “42”. If you don’t know what that’s all about, watch the movie, then try it again.

But that’s not the only cool trick you can do with Google’s calculation function. There also are some funky shapes that folks have made using Google’s graphing tool.

4: Google Graphing Hacks

I’m sure that no one reading this misses graphing calculators and sophisticated calculus from their classes in university. Still, some math nerds out there found how to form these two exceptionally boring things more fun.

Let’s say it’s Valentine’s Day, and you want to do a cute-yet-super-dorky trick for your spouse. Ask them to return over to your computer, then type these coordinates into the Google search bar:

sqrt(cos(x))cos(300x)+sqrt(abs(x))-0.7)(4-x*x)^0.01, sqrt(6-x^2), -sqrt(6-x^2) from -4.5 to 4.5

The result’s that Google displays a heart shape on the graphing app! Your spouse will either kiss you on the cheek or run away in the horror of your nerdiness. Either way, they’ll think you’re smart!

And to finish this article, I assumed I might include the Easter egg that’s just that, an Easter egg. If you type these coordinates into your search bar, a 3D Easter egg will appear in Google’s graphing app:

1.2+(sqrt(1-(sqrt(x^2+y^2))^2) + 1 – x^2-y^2) * (sin (10000 * (x*3+y/5+7))+1/4) from -1.6 to 1.6

That’s pretty literal.

If one or more of those Easter eggs doesn’t work, it’s probably because Google has taken it out of their program. However, that means more Easter eggs are added and are out there to be discovered. If you recognize the other Easter eggs, let me know in the comments!