GOOGLE :Google doodle lets you navigate Jules Verne’s Nautilus

Every so often Google does a doodle for its homepage that is unforgettable. My favorite to date is the game of Pac-Man doodle. But the latest doodle comes close, and is both interactive and memorable.

Today is Jules Verne’s 183rd birthday. While the man is not around to celebrate, Google is, and has created a doodle that’s a view from the Nautilus submarine made famous in 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

The re-imagining of the Google logo as windows from the vessel is commendable on its own, but Google took it a step further. On the right of the logo is a lever that when pulled sees the Nautilus dive. In order to keep diving you have to keep pulling on the lever, let go and it starts to float back to the surface. You also have horizontal controls allowing you to look left and right too. We’ll let you guess how many leagues down you can go.

The effect was created entirely in CSS3 and has support for accelerometers. That means if you view it on a smartphone or tablet you can navigate the Nautilus just by tilting your device. A very nice touch.

Happy birthday from 20,000 leagues under the sea

2/07/2011 09:00:00 PM

It wasn’t very difficult for something to spark my imagination when I was a child—whether it was a pile of leaves or a couch of stackable cushions, just about anything could jump-start my creativity. My first encounter with Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, however, sent my imagination into hyper drive.

I first found the novel while browsing through a random aisle in my local library. The cover was dark, murky and a little worn—but it was the most spectacular thing I’d ever seen. A pair of old-fashioned divers drag their feet over the ocean floor, watching a school of fish drift by. They don’t seem to notice the twisting silhouette of a monster inching toward them.

The cover alone pulled me in, but I didn’t want to spoil all of the possible story lines by actually reading the book. Looking back, I realize that what fascinated me most was the unknown: a creative spark and the imaginative exploration that followed. Since then, I’ve become more familiar with his work and still believe that exploration is the essence of Verne’s novels. His stories pull the readers into a world filled with infinite potential—be it in the clouds, on land or under the sea.

Today’s doodle, celebrating Verne’s 183rd birthday, tries to capture that sense of adventure and exploration. Using CSS3 (and with help from our resident tech wizards Marcin Wichary and Kris Hom), the doodle enables anyone to navigate the Nautilus down (nearly) 20,000 leagues with the simple pull of a lever. And for those using devices with built-in accelerometers and the latest versions of Google Chrome or Firefox, it’s even simpler—just tilt your device in the direction you want to explore and the Nautilus will follow.

So voyage below (and above) the waves to see what you can discover... just make sure to keep an eye out for the giant squid.

Posted by Jennifer Hom, Google Doodler

Sphere: Related Content