Google's Winter Surprise: Let It Snow

It's a week before Christmas and Google are trying to get us all into the festive spirit.
On Saturday the web giant rolled out its latest joke which had a very seasonal nature.
If you typed in the words 'Let it snow,' snow flakes started gently falling from the top of the screen.

It's snowtime: By typing the words 'let it snow' in the search field the gentle flakes start falling

Eventually the whole screen was covered in snow, the Huffington Post reports.
But before the searcher collapsed in exasperation at another computer problem the cursor would wipe away the snow, before adding 'Bye :)' in the bottom right hand corner.

There was even a 'Defrost' button instead of blue 'Search' button.
When the joke was taken down, it could be still be played by searching for 'let it snow easter egg.'
An easter egg is an intentional hidden message or an in-joke inserted into a computer programme or web page.

The downside is you won't be able to click any of the links once they're covered in mist, but just hit the blue Defrost button at the top of the screen to clear it while the snow carries on falling. If only real windows were cleared so easily.
It's only the latest of Google's 'easter eggs'. Last month it was revealed typing 'do a barrel roll' into the search bar made the browser roll over, just like on the classic game Star Fox 64. ('Do a barrel roll' is a bit of an internet meme, with fans of the original N64 shooter using it to answer seemingly any question. E.g. "I'm really not sure what to do about my relationship at the moment." "Do a barrel roll.")
But these easter eggs are just the tip of the iceberg that is Google's playful side. It recently catalogued its doodles (which number over 1,000 now), letting you search and watch your old favourites, such as play Pac-Man, or watch the 8-bit tribute to Freddie Mercury. You can even buy merchandise bearing the doodles, such as mugs, t-shirts, stamps and skateboards.
Google is also funding a couple of exhibitions at London's Science Museum over the next three years, the first of which starts next June. They'll celebrate the history of computing and communications technology.
So if the weather disappoints come 25 December, at least we're guaranteed a white Christmas of sorts.

via: dailymail