Tuesday, January 10, 2012

the (a)politics of Google doodles & some Christmas syncretism

I sometimes wonder how/why the people at Google chose certain people & events to recognize on certain days with their Google doodles.

Like last year, when Borges got the nod--on his 112th (?) birthday--the search it brought up happened to coincide with some news stories about an old favorite café of his in Buenos Aires getting turned into a Nike store.

So, for example, is this Google obliquely waving its magic wand to bring such a cultural outrage to the attention of tens of millions? Or, even more often, is it just to say "Hooray for Burning Man" or "Yay! Thanksgiving! Tetris! Legos!"? (That Queen/Freddie Mercury cartoon from last August was also pretty killer!)

Whatever the case, it was good to see Nicolas Steno get a shout out today for his 374th (is this a significant anniversary?) birthday.

It also reminds me that I've been meaning to post these photos from Christmas, where Ash & Tom customized Grandma's nativity.

Does this particular meshing of cosmologies qualify as syncretism?

T-Rex chewing on the "salty (salt dough) baby Jesus".