Google is honoring the 200th birthday of one of the literary greats, Charles Dickens. The Doodle will appear on the February 7th which marks his 200th birthday. In the image below, you can see the beautifully illustrated tribute to one of the most popular English authors of the Victorian period, and possibly of all time.

The doodle is a combination of many characters from his stories and is set in the Victorian theme.  If you are a parent or teacher, you might consider using the doodle as a teaching tool. You could ask your children to identify the various characters represented in the illustration.

It is hard to pick which of Dickens’ works that would be considered his best. However, I am personally touched by “A Christmas Carol” as it has been a part of my Christmas tradition since I was a child. Who could forget characters like Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim. Dickens had a way of bringing out the realities of a harsh world, yet incorporate characters like the Christmas ghosts to spark the imagination.

Tomorrow will be a celebration across the globe as fans of the English writer will celebrate his 200th birthday in many ways. In fact, and entire website has been dedicated to the event. If you go to www.dickens2012.org you can join in with people from all over the globe to show appreciation for this great man. The website is full of information about Dickens. There is an event calendar where you can find events close to you.

Hopefully you can take a moment to pause and reflect on the birthday of a great man who added so much to literature. If you don’t, we may have to consider you a “Scrooge” and “Bah Humbug!”.

Google India is celebrating India’s 63rd Republic Day by featuring a Google Doodle on its homepage highlighting the theme of Indian Tricolor – Saffron, White and Green.  The logo depicts the National Bravery Award winning children riding on the backs of decorated elephants holding (tricolor) umbrellas, much like the actual parade on Rajpath, New Delhi. The Google logo, however, appears in the background with the ‘O’ of Google appearing like the Ashoka Chakra.

India’s Republic Day commemorates the date when the Constitution Of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 and thus became the governing document of the country.

The 308 members of the Indian Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the new Constitution (one each in Hindi and English) on 24 January 1950. Two days later the Constitution became the law. Drafted by a committee headed by B. R. Ambedkar, the Constitution replaced the Government Of India Act Of 1935, and declared the country a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.

This short film depicts the journey of an Indian flag from sunrise to sunset, where it confronts the social evils plaguing our country. From poverty to corruption to discourteous youth, the flag is in desperate search of a sailor to take the nation towards the wisdom of light.

On behalf of the Techie Buzz team, I wish each and every Indian a very Happy Republic Day!

Google is keeping the dream alive today by honoring Martin Luther King Jr., who is arguably the greatest proponent of civil rights to have ever lived. The artwork was done by award-winning artist, Faith Ringgold, who uses painted quilts to tell stories. The whimsical design is obviously meant to appeal to the heart of a child and incorporates U.S. flag colors red, white, and blue.

Martin Luther King Jr. day is observed the third Monday of January, which is very near his birthday of January 15th. The holiday, much like his life, was met with opposition in the 70′s but finally Congress was able to come to its senses and President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law on November 2, 1983. According to Wikipedia, the holiday was first observed on January 20, 1986.

Perhaps the most well-known moment in Martin Luther King Jr.’s life is his “I Have a Dream” speech that was given at the 1963 March on Washington. You can view this speech in its entirety below. This speech is about 17 minutes. If you would like to hear the “I Have a Dream” part, forward to about minute 13.

This speech occurred before my lifetime but its impact is still felt today. My heart is both saddened by the transgressions of my forefathers who enslaved a people for their own selfish gain, and yet is inspired by the words of Dr. King who used peaceful means to inspire a movement in America. When I look at a world that still glorifies the shallow and vain lives of celebrities, I am reminded of King’s powerful words:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I too hope someday that my children will live in a world that recognizes the higher ideals of good character and hard work.

For more information about Dr. King, you can visit King Center website at http://www.thekingcenter.org/.

Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the 374th birthday of Nicolas Steno. This guy could have easily qualified as one of the Dos Equis ”Most Interesting Man in the World” club members. He is perhaps best known as a pioneer of geology.

His story’s beginning is rather tragic. According to Wikipedia, he was born in Copenhagen and  lived an isolated life due to an unknown disease. His father passed away when he was 6 years old. Shortly thereafter, 240 of his schoolmates died of the plague. It may have been his tumultuous childhood that inspired him to, basically, be a wanderer and literally travel the world to fulfill his curiosities.

Nicolas Steno (Courtesty Wikipedia)

It is nothing short of amazing to think of all that he achieved in his short life of 48 years. Throughout his travels through Europe, he met many prominent scientists who were a great influence on him. One thing that was unique about Steno was that he didn’t accept everything just because it was written in a book. He challenged the ancient philosophy and science of the day.

The Aha Moment

In 1665, Ferdinando II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and supporter of the sciences, invited Steno to Florence with the express purpose of having him build a “Cabinet of Curiosities” for the duke. Seeing that a “Cabinet of Curiosities” is a collection of natural wonders, this was right up Steno’s alley. In 1666 some fishermen caught a huge shark and the Grand Duke ordered its head to be sent to Steno for dissection. It was in researching the shark’s teeth that he realized they bore a striking resemblance to embedded stones that were seen in rock formations called “tongue stones”. Many scientists of that day and preceding considered fossils to be a natural formation in rocks. Some even believed they fell here from other planets. Steno worked to prove that not only did these rock formation look like shark teeth but that they actually were.

This research led Steno to do more research into how solid objects became embedded into rock. His interest would lead him not only to why fossils were embedded, but also how minerals, crystals, and entire layers of rock became embedded in other rock. From this research he basically became the father of stratigraphy, the study of layers in rocks. He believed that the earth’s layers formed a chronology of different living creatures in different eras. His theories influenced the sciences of geology, paleontology, crystallography, and even formed the basis of many of Darwin’s theories of natural selection.

Religious Influence

His inquisitive mind influenced his religious beliefs, as well. He was raised as a Lutheran but was confronted with Catholicism while in Florence. In his mind, he reasoned that Catholicism “provided more sustenance for his constant inquisitiveness”. He was ordained a Priest at the age of 37 and became a strong figure in counter-reformation. Steno died while researching in Germany. In 1988 he was declared “beatus” by Pope John Paul II, which is the first step toward being declared a saint.

Reading about such a man and what he accomplished in a short amount of time causes me to reflect on my life and achievements. What was it about men of old that they were so accomplished in such a short amount of time? Maybe they weren’t as distracted by the things we are now. Perhaps they had a better grasp on the fragility of life and lived it more fully. Whatever the case, stories like this are worth being told and hopefully will inspire us to be better, ourselves.

When visiting Google’s search page today, I was greeted with a spooky Doodle showing the cartoon version of the Addams family. (see other Google Doodles here)

With this unique Doodle, Google is celebrating the 100th birthday of Charles Addams, the creator of the original Addams Family. In 1938, Addams authored the first Addams Family as a series of cartoons in the New Yorker magazine. His weird, evil looking (but nice) family became a sensation, and later led to a TV series in 1964.

According to IMDB, the 1964 series lasted until 1966 and had 64 episodes. Some full length episodes can be seen at IMDB and YouTube. Here’s a description of the series from IMDB:

The Addams Family is not your typical family: they take delight in most of the things that “normal” people would be terrified of. Gomez Adams is an extremely wealthy man, and is able to indulge his wife Morticia’s every desire: be it cultivation of poisonous plants, or a candlelit dinner in a graveyard. People visiting the Addams Family just don’t seem to appreciate the 7 foot tall butler “Lurch” or the helping hand (which is just a disembodied hand named “Thing”). Written by Murray Chapman

Just below, you can see a Youtube video which shows the opening theme for the classic 1964 black and white TV serial.

Later, the Addams Family spawned several other movies and TV series in the U.S. and other countries. Many of you might be more familiar with the 1991 movie, “The Addams Family“, and it’s 1993 sequel, “Addams Family Values“, which starred Raul Julia, Angelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci. These were funny and action filled movies. If you get a chance, I recommend them as fun for the entire family.

I was a child in the 1960s, and I enjoyed seeing the Google Doodle reminding me about the old TV series. Following the Doodle’s link, I learned the story of Charles Addams, the creator. May he rest in peace, and may the Addams family legacy continue far into the future.

It’s celebration time everywhere around the world. The whole world is busy preparing themselves for the week-long holidays till the first of New Year, and so is  Google and the team behind the Android OS.

Marking the festivity and joy around, Google has replaced its default logo with a “Happy Holidays” doodle. Google does this every year during the time of Christmas and New Year, wishing all its users a Happy Christmas and Holidays by updating their homepage with a Google Doodle.

This year the “holiday doodle” has a pitch black background depicting a dark night and showcases all the elements that are associated with Christmas, like snowflakes, Santa Claus, bell, snowman, candle and a gift box which are seen decorating the word ‘google’ in the latest doodle.

The Google logo is visible (faded) as an outline behind the icons. Unlike its other interactive doodles, the holiday doodle is static and clicking it will take you to the “happy holidays” Google search results page. Google has been celebrating Christmas and holidays from the past ten years, with a new doodle each year.

You might be wondering why it is “Happy Holidays” and not “Happy Christmas” or “Happy New Year”? Well, in the United States, the collective phrase Happy Holidaysis often used as a generic to cover all greetings for all of the winter holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.

Google also released a new advertisement for the holiday called, “Happy Holidays- from Android.Here’s the video released by Google -

Not just that – Google also celebrated the holidays this year by giving away a free Galaxy Nexus smartphone to its employees. The company is allowing Gmail users in the U.S. to call Santa, and is bringing down a little bit of snowfall and frost to its search results when searching for the phrase ‘let it snow‘.

In celebration of Robert Norton Noyce’s 84th birthday, Google is honoring the great man by featuring a Google Doodle on its search home page. The doodle features an integrated circuit with “Google” written over it.

Robert Norton Noyce is famously known for co-founding Intel, one of the largest semiconductor chip maker in the world. Nicknamed as “the Mayor of Silicon Valley”, Noyce was born on December 12, 1927, in Burlington, Iowa. He is also known for inventing the integrated circuits (or microchips).

Noyce grew up in Grinnell, Iowa and attended the local schools. He exhibited a talent for math and science and graduated from Grinnell High School in 1945. He then entered Grinnell College in the same year. Noyce obtained his Ph.D. in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1953 and studied the first transistors, developed at Bell Laboratories, in a Grinnell College classroom.

After having completed his graduation from the MIT, he took the first job as a research engineer from the Philco Corporation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Later in in 1956 he joined the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Mountain View, California.

In the year 1968, Noyce along with Gordon E. Moore founded Intel, which is currently one of the largest semiconductor chip maker in the world. The company’s net income as of 2010 was US$ 11.464 billion.

In July, 1959, Noyce filed for U.S. Patent 2,981,877 “Semiconductor Device and Lead Structure”, a type of integrated circuit. He has been granted a total of 16 U.S. Patents.

For his invention of the integrated circuits, he was honored by three presidents of the United States. Some of his awards include -

• President Ronald Reagan awarded him the National Medal of Technology in 1987
• George H.W. Bush inducted him into the Business Hall of Fame
• President George H. W. Bush presented the award, sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering, in a black-tie ceremony held at the State Department
• He received a “Lifetime Achievement Medal” during the bicentennial celebration of the Patent Act
• He received the Franklin Institute’s Stuart Ballantine Medal in 1966
• He was awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor in 1978 “for his contributions to the silicon integrated circuit, a cornerstone of modern electronics.”
• The National Academy of Engineering awarded him its 1989 Charles Stark Draper Prize

Robert married Elizabeth Bottomley in 1953 and divorced in 1974. He married again on November 27, 1975 to Ann Schmeltz Bowers, who was the first Director of Personnel for Intel Corporation and the first Vice President of Human Resources for Apple Inc. She is currently the Chair of the Board and the founding trustee of the Noyce Foundation.

Noyce enjoyed reading Hemingway, flying his own airplane, hang gliding, and scuba diving. Noyce died from a heart attack at home on June 3, 1990 at the Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas.

The painter can and must abstract from many details in creating his painting. Every good composition is above all a work of abstraction. All good painters know this. But the painter cannot dispense with subjects altogether without his work suffering impoverishment – Diego Rivera

Google honors Diego Rivera, Mexico’s popular painter on his 125th birthday by dedicating a Google Doodle on its Google search homepage. Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato on December 8th, 1886. At the age of 10, Diego started showing interest in art and painting. He studied art at the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City. The governor of the State of Veracruz – Teodoro A. Dehesa Méndez sponsored him to continue his studies in Europe.

He moved to Europe in 1907 where he studied Post-Impressionism, since he was inspired by Paul Cézanne. Diego’s paintings began to attract people, and he managed to display them at several exhibitions.

Diego is famously known for his paintings. His large wall works in fresco helped in the establishment of the Mexican Mural Movement in Mexican art. Diego Rivera’s most popular art, arguably, is the Man at the Crossroadsor the Man, Controller of the Universein New York City. The mural was removed after a controversy erupted in the press because the painting contained Vladimir Lenin, the famous Russian communist.

Rivera was an atheist. One of his murals called “Dreams of a Sunday in the Alameda” has an inscription which read, “God does not exist”. This caused an outbreak of public anger; however, Rivera refused to remove the inscription. The painting was kept in dark for 9 years, until Rivera finally agreed to remove the inscription. He stated: “To affirm ‘God does not exist’, I do not have to hide behind Don Ignacio Ramírez; I am an atheist and I consider religions to be a form of collective neurosis.”

In 1933, Diego came back to Mexico, and repainted the Man at the Crossroads. Almost seven years later, Diego Rivera returned to United States to paint the Pan American Unity,a ten-panel mural for the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco.

Diego Rivera died on November 24, 1957.

Today’s Google Doodle is an exceptionally beautiful tribute to one of the most famous American authors, Mark Twain. Pictured below, you can see that it is reminiscent of two of Twain’s most famous characters, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

This doodle reminds me so much of the innocence, and maybe a little bit of the mischief, of childhood. If you’re like me, seeing this will bring back the stories of two little boys who just wanted to experience their little world. It also reminds me of more innocent times when children were allowed to run and play without the fears we deal with today.

Mark Twain would have celebrated his 176th birthday today. According to Wikipedia, he was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835. His birthday came shortly after the closest approach of Halley’s Comet. An interesting tidbit is that Twain always said he came in with the comet and would probably leave with it too. As it turns out, on  April 21, 1910, the day after the arrival of Halley’s comet, Twain did indeed pass away.

His early years were spent in Missouri. Back then, it was a slave state and definitely influenced his later writings. As a young man, he apprenticed for a printer and, later, traveled and worked as a printer in New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. He educated himself in the public libraries. He later returned to Missouri and became a steamboat pilot.

It is said that these travels down the river are what inspired his name. Two fathoms was apparently a safe depth for a river boat to pass through. The word “twain” was an old fashion way of saying two. So when the riverboat captains measured two fathoms they would “mark” it “twain”.

Of course, most remember Twain for two major works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Some credit the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as the first great American novel. Hemingway was even quoted as saying, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. Though I am a fan of his literature, I am also a big fan of Twain’s witty quotes. Here are some of my favorites:

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

There are three kinds of lies:  lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.

It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either.

The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.

Google’s Thanksgiving Doodle allows you to decorate your own holiday turkey without all of the mess! In a matter of seconds, you can customize your turkey to your exact tastes. Pictured below is an example of what you’ll see when you go to Google.com today.

The Thanksgiving Doodle is really cute and fun. I look forward to showing this one to my kids. The doodle is interactive and allows you to decorate your turkey just the way you want. The turkey can be completely customized. You can even click each feather to change it to the color you want. You can click the turkey’s hair to get a variety of styles. You can also click the feet and choose from a wide variety of styles. My personal favorite is the roller skates. If you want a real surprise, click the turkey’s wing. I won’t spoil it for you.

This particular Google Doodle has a social networking aspect to it. Once you have made your turkey just the way you want it to be, click the “g+ share” button at the bottom. You will get the dialog pictured below.

This will allow you to share your turkey design with your Google+ circles. If you don’t have Google+ you will be prompted to create an account.

If you don’t have a Google+ account, and you don’t want to create one, you can share your turkey a different way. Pictured below, you can see that there is a “link” option at the bottom of the Google Doodle. If you click this, a URL will pop out to the side and you can copy and paste it into an email or Facebook post.

I hope you enjoy this little bit of fun today and, by all means, please share. Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?