Google is testing out a new un-personalized default design for its iGoogle home page in Taiwan and Hong Kong, hoping to attract users who have proven to be fans of the the Yahoo School of Home Page Design. This follows what Google did in South Korea a couple of months ago, adding animated icons there, yet another move to appeal to countries with sensibilities different from the U.S. and the sparse white space design.
The new design has five boxes in a neat minimalist (for this style) design, including one at the bottom in the center, featuring the same animated icons from South Korea. The five surrounding boxes are tabbed to include multiple features. One has Google Trends with seperate tabs for rising search terms, popular videos, popular images and some other set of popular terms. Another has Google News in five different categories. Another lets you access Gmail, Google Calendar and Picasa Web Albums accounts. The last has access to translation, currency conversion and a note-taking box.
Wow, this is amazing. Someone went and made a full-on variation on Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Modern Major General”, with the new lyrics all about Google.
A selection:
GOOGLER:
So nothing’s simple that’s for sure, no matter what some folks may say,
For now I’ll just keep hacking code and fill my whiteboard come what may.
In short, in matters algorithmic, technical, and frugal-er,
I am the very model of a modern major Googler.
ALL:
But still, in matters algorithmic, technical, and frugal-er,
He is the very model of a modern major Googler!
Looks like my cameras completely failed. I need to stop choosing the same places every single day.
Anyway, today’s mission is the first in London, and probably means a reset of the cameras after it. We’re given a new website, priceless.com,a promo website for MasterCard. Don’t just type priceless.com in your website, but actually click the link, which will take you to http://www.priceless.com/us/personal/en/picks/travel/london8.html, a special promo page obviously designed for the contest.
Your mission is to contact Simon Ross by instant message. Simon’s written a “Priceless Pick” on the website, so you need to find his username and passphrase for the IM box. The answer is HARD. It’s hidden in one of the photos on the page, and you’ll need to find it without the image filter, just by looking around and figuring out which words to use.
Anyway, copy Ross’ (useless) message into the message transmitter, and you’ll receive your one camera for the day. I chose 10 Downing Street, because it is the same location indicated by Simon’s message (use the map view on priceless.com, and you’ll see what I mean).
