For those who missed yesterday's Jules Verne Google doodle, the search giant has set up a standalone Web site that allows users to interact with the ocean scene from the doodle.
The image is available at www.google.com/logos/verne_hd.html. Rather than viewing the ocean through the "portholes" of the Google logo (below), the standalone site provides a picture window view of various sea creatures who move up and down with the ocean's tides. To navigate the scene, use the lever on the right to dive below the surface.
The doodle was placed on Google's homepage Tuesday in honor of author Jules Verne's 183rd birthday, who wrote "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," among other classics.
"Using CSS3 (and with help from our resident tech wizards Marcin Wichary and Kris Hom), the doodle enables anyone to navigate the Nautilus (nearly) 20,000 leagues with the simple pull of a lever," Google doodler Jennifer Hom wrote in a blog post. "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."
Verne was born February 8, 1828 in France. Other famous literary works include "Journey to the Center of the Earth," published in 1864, and "Around the World in 80 Days," published in 1873. He died in 1905.
In May, Google transformed its homepage into a playable Pac-Man game in honor of the game's 30th birthday. The success of that doodle also prompted Google to create a standalone version of the playable logo, available at www.google.com/pacman.
