doodles

Google is marking Earth Day 2013 on Monday with what might be its busiest animated doodle yet. In fact, its level of involvement led Google to create a checklist to ensure you don't miss anything.

Highlighting the Earth's complexity on the 43rd Earth Day, the doodle offers a snapshot of the four seasons our fragile planet experiences, as well as some of its flora and fauna.

"Today we are celebrating Earth Day with an interactive doodle that captures a slice of nature's subtle wonders," doodler Leon Hong wrote. "We hope you enjoy discovering animals, … Read more

It seems so obvious now, but taking pictures of models outside of a studio was something of a revolution in the 1940s and 50s.

For Norman Parkinson, the British photographer who would have been 100 years old today, it offered an opportunity for an additional elegance and simplicity.

"I never work in studios if I can help it, because working in a studio is such hard work," he told one interviewer.

A studio is merely an attempt to simulate daylight. Why not just plump for daylight in the first place?

Many think of Sir Norman (as he became) … Read more

It's another good day to be a numbers nerd, at least based on Google's doodle tribute to Swiss super-mathematician Leonhard Euler that showed up earlier.

How appropriate that Euler, considered the pre-eminent mathematician of the 18th century, should have been born on our modern Tax Day. Ignoring the IRS' big day is also likely to be much less controversial than failing to acknowledge Easter with a doodle.

If he'd lived to see his 306th birthday today something tells me Euler would either be one rockin' CPA, or the only guy to understand derivatives markets.… Read more

Those venal, vegetable-munching lefties at Google have struck again.

Just when they should have been doodling away to celebrate a religious festival of bunnies, colorful eggs, and lots and lots of chocolate, they go and place a large picture of recently deceased venal, leftie Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez on the home page.

At least, that's what certain irate and passionate humans thought when they raised their objections about Google's Easter doodle celebrating labor activist and very devout Christian, Cesar Chavez.

Their passions overflowed to such an extreme that some even threatened to perform acts of unspeakable shame and … Read more

Twitter is lighting up with tweeps questioning Google's choice of doodle for this Easter Sunday. The main search page today features no mention of the Easter Bunny, brightly colored eggs (which are on full, beautiful display on Bing), or Jesus, but instead commemorates what would have been the 86th birthday of labor leader and activist Cesar Chavez.

Just to be clear, I don't feel strongly about Google's choice. Chavez, Jesus and the Easter Bunny all seem pretty cool to me. But Glenn Beck and other prominent Christians are tweeting their disbelief.

Dana Perino of Fox News also … Read more

They were already out on the streets yesterday, with their green Lucky T-shirts, green plastic glasses (on head and in hand), and very silly green necklaces.

Well, St. Patrick's Day happens to fall on a weekend, which means two days of reverence to Guinness and, well, alcohol of many other kinds.

Google's doodlers clearly understand and respect this.

So while you and your friends might be creating a river of beer, they have contented themselves with presenting a little riverdance on Google's home page.

One boy and five girls -- each representing one letter of the Google … Read more

I know several people who believe that Douglas Adams left a zero off the end of his answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

The man who gave meaning to 42 would have been 61 today, had he not died of a heart attack aged 49.

Google's fine and whimsical doodlers decided to commemorate his birthday with a doodle that whispers to the world: "Don't Panic."

In his 49 years, Adams certainly had a life. He not only wrote books, among them the very famous "The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy" (which started as a radio series), but he also penned three episodes of "Dr. Who." … Read more

CBS News' Rebecca Jarvis reports on the group of 13 artists and engineers who create more than 300 Google doodles a year that live for 24 hours on Google home pages across the world.

This story originally appeared on CBSNews.com.

Google is invoking the name Copernicus again, but this time it's not a joke.

The Web giant is celebrating with a doodle the 540th birthday of the Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who challenged the way people look at the universe. Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born in 1473, is perhaps best known for his heliocentric theory, which asserted that the sun, and not the Earth, was at the center of the universe.

The doodle is a representation of Copernicus' model for the solar system -- a golden sun encircled by six planets on stylized plane.

In an effort to improve … Read more