IMRESS FRIENDS WITH GOOGLE'S COOLEST QUIRKS

Many of us use Google™ on a daily basis. Perhaps you use the search engine’s other tools like Translate or Maps. But few people venture behind Google’s basic interface, where a lot of wonderfully entertaining surprises are hidden.

Next time there’s a lull in conversation, pull out your Lenovo device, fire up Google Chrome and introduce your friends to some new, neat tricks. (Google Search is optimized for Chrome, but many of these insider tips will work with other browsers as well.) These “Easter eggs”—undocumented bonus features built in by developers—will make you a hit at many a dinner party:



1. Tilt your search results. This is one of the fun additions built in by those wacky Google engineers. Type “tilt” in the Google search bar to see your results slant.

2. Play Google Pac-Man. When Pac-Man celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2010, Google was there to bring the popular 80's game back. Developers stayed true to the 8-bit masterpiece, even recreating its original bugs. Easter egg bonus: To play with a friend, click “Insert Coin” twice to bring up a Ms. Pac-Man that can be controlled using WASD keys while you move Pac-Man with the arrow keys.

3. Atari Breakout. The year 2013 was the 30th anniversary of Atari’s popular game Breakout. And just like Pac-Man, Breakout is legendary. Kids and adults still enjoy playing it no matter how many modern games are released today. To play Breakout, simply click the link or do an image search for Atari Breakout.

4. Revisit old Doodles. Google Doodles are temporary redesigns of the Google logo. They’re created to pay tribute to historical events or people who’ve significantly impacted the world. Most of these specialty logos are up for a day—some for as long as a week—but all are temporary. Digging through the Doodles archives when the conversation turns to historical events can put a fun spin on the discussion.

5. Flip a coin. Time to decide who’s going to do the dishes or get the last of the wine? Do a Google search for “flip a coin” or “heads or tails.” This fun feature, released in late 2014, lets Google flip a coin for you when you don’t have one on hand.

6. Impress your date. In Google’s search bar, type “love quote” or “I love you” for a romantic sonnet or citation. The love quote generator is also a new release—just in time for Valentine’s Day dinner dates.

7. Set a timer. Type “set timer for” into the search bar and a Google timer will appear as the first result. Enter the time you want in hours, minutes or seconds before clicking “start.” Google will start beeping at you when your time runs out.

8. Impress your friends. Type “do a barrel roll” into Chrome. Now try “askew.”

9. Be epic. .Epic. Make Google's font size bigger. Type "Epic Google" in the search bar and click the "I'm feeling lucky" button and watch the page become epic.

10. Weenie. Epic Google's smaller cousin. Type "Weenie Google" and click the "I'm feeling lucky" button and watch your screen shrink..

11. Simulate a flight. Google incorporated this popular Easter egg as a permanent feature in Google Earth. Click on Tools > Enter Flight Simulator, and you're off and zooming around the world.

12. Experience gravity. Type “Google gravity” in the search bar, hit "I'm feeling lucky" and watch your screen succumb to gravity.

13. Hack Google. Want to see what Google would look like if it got hacked? Visit Google Hacker.

14. Tell a Chuck Norris joke. Type “Find Chuck Norris” for this witty Google punch line.
There are lots more fun and silly things hidden in Google, such as the Santa Tracker, a month-long calendar counting down to Christmas. Each day unlocks a game or video.

Looking for ways to get even more out of Google for everyday searches? Check out our search tips tutorial for ideas on how to find information faster.

Written by contributing writer, David Greenhill, Lenovo