Google Renamed “Topeka” – A Quick Look at Recent Google Pranks

Apr 06

MikeWeb Industry , No Comments

Google loves April Fools Day.  Every April 1st, Google cannot resist the challenge of trying to trick us all.  This year was no exception with Google announcing it was renaming itself as “Topeka” after the city whose mayor had decided to rename it as “Google” in a bid to propel the city onto Google’s new fiber optic/broadband project.    If this year didn’t fool you, what about the previous pranks?

  • 2000 – Google announced it had developed “MentalPlex”, cutting edge software which could read a users mind!  Google would therefore be able to tell instantly what we were looking for and take us straight to it.
  • 2002 – Google decided they would share with us the technology behind its PageRank system, otherwise known as PigeonRank.  Apparently PigeonRank is a cost effective and efficient means of ranking pages and we were assured that no animals are harmed during the process.
  • 2004 – Google claimed to have created a new operating system called Luna/X (a pun to Linux, Windows XP and Max OS X) which they said was fully operational at their state of the art research center, located on the moon.  They were accepting applications.
  • 2005 – Google Gulp was the drink of choice for all would be Googlers.  This beverage claimed to optimize our Google user experience by helping to increase our intelligence.  This brain power boost would come from real-time analysis of our DNA and some careful adjustment to the neurotransmitters in our brain.  Mmm, sure I saw something similar in an episode of Start Trek once!

What’s in store for us next year?  Regardless, laugh and joke about it but don’t be fooled!