September 27th, marks Google’s 12th birthday. In the past, there has been some confusion on Google’s part about what day is actually the official birth/founding date, but sometime in September of 1998 is about as close as we can get. They’ve sometimes celebrated as early as September 7th and the Google.com domain was registered on September 15, 1997.
As with most special days, they’ve chosen to commemorate this day with a doodle (customized logo on the search home page). This one is a simple painting of a birthday cake with Google written out in the icing. The ‘l’ in the Google logo is replaced by a single birthday candle.
What’s interesting about this is that Google has been on a tear with their doodle’s lately, using the space for interactive experiences that have wowed many users and crashed a few browsers. The first was an interactive Pac-man game, the second was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the buckyball, and the latest was a mysterious doodle of interactive balls launched just before the announcement of Google Instant Search.
This latest doodle is quite the opposite, just a simple painting Wayne Thiebaud, an 89-year-old Los Angeles based artist. The birthday cake doodle is part of a series of cake-related paintings Thiebaud worked on back in the 1950s and ’60s.
Speaking of people named “Wayne,” today also marks the birthday of rapper Lil Wayne. Just like Google, Wayne has a loyal following, is wildly successful, is always looking to diversify his business, and is very often misunderstood. It’s interesting that these iconic figures share the same birthday.
Unfortunately for Wayne, who turns 28 today, he won’t be celebrating very much this year because he’s still serving time in Rikers Island. His latest album, “I’m Not A Human Being” will be released today on iTunes. This version will have 10 tracks, with a 13 track version to be released in stores October 12th. Apparently, he ditched the vocoder for this one. Wayne is set to be released in 39 days for those that are counting.
As far as Google is concerned, they’re entering those awkward teenage years and it shows. While they are considered a successful company, they are often ridiculed for some of their decisions. This is especially true on their moves into social networking. Regardless of their past mistakes and general awkwardness, it’s important to note that they are just coming into their own.