What is Digg?86 Comments
- grav80bong, on 10/12/2007, -6/+50Through the myriad duplicates here's a submission with some substance; hopefully this one hits front page.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+35Could've linked directly to Google's blog, which provides a hint rather than an outright answer, and allows people to do some minimal research on their own (through Google, of course).
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/strawberries-are-red-stems-are-green.html - blaze03, on 10/12/2007, -14/+40This story is inaccurate. The stem of the strawberry is the L.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/14/happy_vaentines_day/
-----Original Message-----
From: W******, S*****
Sent: 14 February 2007 11:41
To: Laura Ainsworth
Subject: Google banner on Valentine's day
Dear Laura,
Hello there. I understand you are the Corporate Communications Co-ordinator for Google. Well, I have a question and I was hoping you could answer it for me. I am a frequent Google user, and I just clicked on to the site and noticed that your banner today (Valentine's day) is an image of a chocolate-covered strawberry.
Well, to me, it looks like it says Googe, not Google. I was a bit confused, so I showed it to some of my friends and colleagues, and they agreed with me. So I was wondering, was the stalk on the strawberry meant to be an L, or did somebody just forget it altogether? It's not very clear. I would really appreciate your feedback.
Best regards,
S*****
And the answer is...
From: Laura Ainsworth
Sent: 14 February 2007 12:11
To: W******, S*****
Subject: Re: Google banner on Valentine's day
You are right, the green stalk is indeed the 'L'.
This is a new and edgy design and i think it looks fab - i hope you agree - rudy23, on 10/12/2007, -3/+25heres the L in case you still cant see it
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1575/googwb9.jpg - nullptr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20Around here, that seems to help ;)
- mrefranklin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19Thanks! It's most unfortunate that in my haste to put this out there, I couldn't manage to spell "obscure" correctly in the title of the post. Oh well.
- 405994, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20Ahh, the beauty of Firefox 2.0 with spell checker.
- joenewbreed, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18Wait, I was right... sorry to poop on your story... but check this out: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/14/happy_vaentines_day/
however... im a little confused by the use of the term "edgy design" - joenewbreed, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18see, i thought maybe the L was a part of the strawberry stem. But no... I just wanted to believe Google was smarter than me.
Turns out they are, and fans of poetry - Ramtech, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17google probably knows this woman?....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Googe - speaker219, on 10/12/2007, -9/+22In case it goes down heres the article:
-----
I don’t know if any of have happened to see the Google customized logo for today but it looks distinctly like it’s missing the letter “l.” Knowing Google’s penchant for obscure mathematical, science, and literary references, I did a search on the word “Googe.” Sure enough, I got a wikipedia entry for Barnabe Googe, a 16th century poet mostly famous for the following line:
I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnabe_Googe )
Happy Valentine’s Day!
-----
Update #2: It was just pointed out to me by one of my friends (thanks, Derek) that there’s another, even more direct reference for the day in here - Debbie Googe of “My Bloody Valentine!” Nice find, D! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Bloody_Valentine )
Update #3: Perhaps we are reading too much subtlety into the Google design. Google’s own blog now has a post stating that “those with true romance and poetry in their soul will see the subtlety immediately.” I still like Derek and my interpretation better so neener neener! (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/strawberries-are-red-stems-are-green.html )
Update #4: And now the disgusting ones from Urban Dictionary via the comment thread from the UK Register article. Warning - these are not “safe” and explicitly reference sexual practices in a “coarse” manner. And this whole post started so innocently! (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=googe )
------ - TKR05, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13It's a new feature from google labs: "the geek filter". Want to know who a real geek is? Look for the weirdos debating L's and G's on Valentine's Day.
- astroshot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13Yeah, totally. That stem is huge in comparison to the strawberry. It's there for a reason.
- CoachZed, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15That's just a strawberry, man.
- ThrobbingBrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11It IS possible for it to be both. For those that want to believe it says Google, the L is clearly there. For those that want to believe it means Googe, there is no L.
- vexxefx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"To: W******, S***** "
Wesley Snipes? - Hulka, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Read TFA and your question shall be answered.
- Hardcase, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6C'mon, have a little romance! The strawberry is the L and the chocolate heart is the G. Dunno about new and edgy, though.
- dsignr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Ok now I'm utterly confused. Who do I believe--Google's blog or their Communication's Coordinator? Is the strawberry the L and the G? Or is the lack of an L a reference to a poet?
- terrrrrible, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Dugg for the My Bloody Valentine reference.
- PoShuNe, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Nice.
I saw that too, and submitted it already.
You beat me to it, and found out the reason why.
Good job.
I feel dumb now. - drewolanoff, on 06/10/2008, -0/+4I ate the L out of it.
- DeejayLupo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Also note that in the normal logo, the "l" is the same green. Not unintentional.
- raymore, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5It's official, Google is the *****.
- bigdt87, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4me too haha, i like google even more. i was listening to my bloody valentine when i read that 0_o
- notninja, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4hmm i thought the strawberry was in the shape of a heart that was for Love.
- Cloned, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6"where's the "L"?"
"dude the stem is the "L" you moron"
"the stem and some of the chocolate make an "L" you retards"
I guess it IS true that most diggers never read the articles. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Reminds me of a screeny I took back when it said "Gugle" on the main page.
http://www.google.com/logos/olympics06_snowboarding.gif
EDIT -
For some reason it isn't working when you click it. Just copy and paste the link if it doesn't work. - elhaf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Google's link means the stem is green, and represents the L. It is there if you look at it sideways. It goes goog(little sideways L)e.
- CatalystDM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@Masna
You probably got dugg down because you said "the strawberry is the O" instead of "the strawberry is the G" as it should have read. But seriously, don't take it personally. - oldJimSteele, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2hahahahaha, i was also listening to it when i read it. the entire universe made sense for a split second.
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3So...clever sly obscure reference, or just not-very-clear graphic design...the debate continues :p
- benw, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Googe's poem will be familiar to readers of Julian May's Pliocene Quartet.
- u2wedge, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2the 'l' in the normal Google is green, hence the stem on the strawberry is green.
- eleventybillion, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Anyone else notice that the chocolate on the strawberry itself is shaped like a heart?
- Walberto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1And is it so hard to believe that Google's graphic designers didn't feel it was necessary to tell Corporate Coordinator Laura Ainsworth about their reference?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Please excuse me while I googe on your face.
- Walberto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I feel like 90% of the commenters here didn't read the post in The Official Google Blog posted in the second comment. After reading this: "I just know that those with true romance and poetry in their soul will see the subtlety immediately." (from the blog), how can you have any doubt that it is a reference to Barnabe Googe like the guy who posted story suspected? Google probably wanted to reference Barnabe Googe, but they knew if they completely left out the L it would be too obvious and people unwilling to research it would make fun of them, so they threw in a stem that looked just like an L and called it good.
I love My Bloody Valentine, but I think it would be too much if it was ALSO a reference to Debbie Googe, so I'm just gonna stick with Barnabe. - Walberto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Google loves Digg, and they want this debate to end, which is why they changed it back already. www.google.com
- robdowns, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2very nice investigative reporting, especially after seeing all the duplicative diggs.
- n00bst3r, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4@Masna
Welcome to the tragedy that digg has become. Too many people feel that if they digg something up or down they are making a difference rather than looking at everything as objectively as possible. Everyone has their agendas and fanatic views that in then end gain them nothing more than 15 seconds of fame among high school losers that have no true social life. Most objective and mature users are buried under a swarm of teenagers.
The other guy got dugg up because at first glance it looks like he has given proof that his opinion is true when in reality there is a 50/50 chance that he made up the email response. Immature users will buy into it and now the user has reached nerd-fame for an hour or so until the story has been pushed a few pages back and new Apple, Obama, Bush bashing, and imports>domestics stories make the front page. - ccanni1028, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't think 'making out' is the right term for this.
- quaffapint, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6I choo-choo-choose Googe...
- kutza, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@n00bst3r
You seriously need to get laid if you think people clicking a button on digg that isn't in accordance with your view is a tragedy... - kutza, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1How did people NOT see that?
Why else would the stem be as big as the strawberry itself (not to mention the color...)? - thesixthdesign, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1No, it's Google.
You just can't see the 'l' that clearly on the stem.
That stem would look awfully long and odd if there was no 'l' in Google. - sirloin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1ahh but the beauty of the stem being the l is that it can also be a stem and if you read teh subtle hint on googles blog, i believe they meant googe as well. but they also hint the stem is the l. SO i think it is more impressive with teh duel meaning. Like the picture of the woman looking in the mirror and when you get close it is a skull. vaniety i think it is called.
i bet if you write again and ask.. they will say googe is correct as well. - iRichGroup, on 02/03/2008, -0/+0L?
http://valentines-think-gift-ideas.blogspot.com/ - weetwg01, on 02/04/2008, -0/+0Happy Valentine's Day
http://www.squidoo.com/valentinepresentforgirlfrie ... - B0bSalco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Silly fellows - the L is having "Intercourse" with the G
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