Barrel Roll

The Do a Barrel Roll query became an Internet sensation and an instant classic Easter egg last week.

Google created a mini Pac-Man game to celebrate the 30th birthday of Pac-Man in 2010. People loved it so much, Google gave the game a permanent home online here. No coins necessary! But if you do click “insert coin” on the screen, Ms. Pac-Man comes on screen, allowing two players to play.

Type in “recursion” for the definition and Google “shows” you what recursion means with its “did you mean” message. Still stumped? Well, know that recursion is the process of repeating items in a self-similar way. Check out the Wikipedia definition of recursion in the Google search results to get a full idea of what its all about.

Search your Gmail spam folder if you get a second and you’ll see ads for recipes whose central ingredient is spam, such as this link to the spam hash brown. We’re not kidding!

Google’s translation tools Web page features Bork Bork Bork, the language of the Muppet Show’s Swedish Chef, as an option. “Hacker” and “Elmer Fudd,” “Pirate,” and Klingon” languages are other options.

What is the answer to life, the universe and everything? 42.

Google’s YouTube unit in 2008 made every video on its homepage susceptible to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” song.

This is a more minor version of the Barrel Roll. Type in “askew” in the Google search box.

Type “Google Gravity” into the search box and click the I’m Feeling Lucky button. If Askew is minor and Barrel Roll is nifty, Google Gravity is extreme.

Hat tip to Mashable for this one. Apparently, when you use keystrokes, a dark-cloaked ninja will pop up in Google Reader-the same application everyone is bent out of shape over after Google tweaked it. Here are the keystrokes. Up up, down down, left right, left right, B, A. Try it out.