Google does a Barrel Roll

Type in “do a barrel roll” in Google search and you will be surprised to see what follows next. The search term will manipulate the layout of its results page and the image in your browser will do a barrel roll!   iPhone users had discovered a similar phenomenon earlier this year in April when they entered “tilt” on Google on their iPhones, using Safari or Google’s app. The image on the screen’s display actually tilted a bit and when googled “ascii art,” the company logo appeared in the same art form on the results page. Besides news organizations and celebrities, even aviation enthusiast sites have been taken aback by this. The fun feature has taken over microblogging site Twitter by storm where it’s a trending topic with numerous feeds. “Google responds in something of a Siri-like fashion,” tweeted New York Times Bits Blog. In its explanation to ABC News, says Google, “Today’s fun query, ‘do a barrel roll,’ was created by a Google software engineer with the primary goal of entertaining users — while showcasing the power of CSS3, a presentation feature of modern browsers. The ‘do a barrel roll’ query, which causes the search page to spin, will remain in place for a while.” One may not see the effect in older browsers though. It is like the search giant’s take on Apple’s iPhones and iPads which have built-in accelerometers and according to KnowYourMeme.com, it’s a reference to the 1997 videogame Nintendo’s Star Fox 64.  

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