Google Doodles of 2012

Here's an image gallery showcasing each of the doodles the company displayed in the U.S. in 2012. 

'Moby Dick' | Oct. 18, 2012 Although Herman Melville's massive tome is widely considered one of the greatest American novels of all time, it was actually first published in London on Oct. 18, 1851, under the title "The Whale." It came out a month later in the United States. 'Little Nemo in Slumberland' | Oct. 15, 2012 Winsor McCay created his "Little Nemo" comic strip in 1905, and then went on to become a pioneer in the early art of animation. Niels Bohr | Oct. 7, 2012 The Danish physicist was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1922 "for his services in the investigation of the structure of atoms and of the radiation emanating from them." Google's 14th birthday | Sept. 27, 2012 On its 14th birthday, Google celebrated in the traditional manner: with a (doodle of a) birthday cake. Clara Schumann | Sept. 13, 2012 On what would have been her 193rd birthday, Clara Schumann is celebrated by Google for her contributions to 19th century European romantic music 'Star Trek' | Sept. 7, 2012 William Shatner is an "O" with his trademark "Trek" hairdo in the interactive Google Doodle that celebrates the 46th anniversary of the original series. Maria Montessori | Aug. 31 In the early 20th century, Montessori developed a unique style of teaching that emphasized freedom and creativity in the classroom over memorization and testing. Her methods are still in use today in schools around the world. Julia Child | Aug. 15 ( Google ) Tributes to the late chef were omnipresent as Child was remembered on the 100th anniversary of her birth. London Olympics | July 27 - Aug. 12 Google went all out for the Olympicsr, and had a different doodle for every day of the Games. Amelia Earhart | July 24 Amerlia Earhart was born 115 years ago on July 24, 1897, and her disappearance in 1937 remains an unsolved mystery. Gustav Klimt | July 14 In addition to being the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gustav Klimt, July 14 apparently also marks the 12th anniversary of the company creating an official chief doodler. The Fourth of July In a folksy tribute to America's birthday, Google filled in its logo's letters with lyrics from Woody Guthrie's classic "This Land Is Your Land." Alan Turing | June 23 In one of their most intricate doodles yet, Google employees created an interactive series of puzzles as a tribute to Turing, whose work helped pave the way for the modern computer. Father's Day | June 17 This year the third Sunday in June fell on the 17th. Analysts expected consumers to spend more on Father's Day gifts in 2012 than ever before. Drive-in movie theaters | June 6 A short animated film depicting a scene at an imaginary drive-in movie theater greeted visitors to Google's home page on June 6, the 79th anniversary of the first drive-in movie. Peter Carl Fabergé | May 30 The master goldsmith and jeweler to czars was born on this date in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1846. Golden Gate Bridge's 75th anniversary | May 27 Construction started on the Golden Gate Bridge in January 1933. It opened to the public on May 27, 1937. Robert Moog | May 23 In honor of Robert Moog's 78th birthday, Google put an interactive virtual Moog Synthesizer up on its home page. 2012 Doodle 4 Google winner | May 18 Second-grader Dylan Hoffman won the 2012 national Doodle 4 Google competition. Mother's Day | May 13 A brief animation helped visitors to Google.com celebrate Mother's Day in America. Howard Carter | May 9 Howard Carter, a real-life Indiana Jones, discovered King Tut's tomb. Keith Haring | May 4 Haring, a cultural activist and artist, sought to bring art to the masses. Gideon Sundback | April 24 Gideon Sundback may not have invented the zipper, but he perfected it Earth Day | April 22 A series of photos presented a time-lapse view of a garden project that Google staffers worked on. Robert Doisneau | April 14 A tribute to Parisian photographer Robert Doisneau on April 14 was an example of the website's increasingly sophisticated homepage illustrations. Eadward Muybridge | April 9 Eadweard Muybridge's Zoopraxiscope was one of the earliest motion picture devices. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe | March 27 Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who emphasized simplicity in his work, is known for his famous commandment: "Less is more." Juan Gris | March 23 Spanish artist Juan Gris got a Google Doodle on the 125th anniversary of his birth. St. Patrick's Day | March 17 Google's 2012 St. Patrick's Day tribute was inspired by Ireland's famed Book of Kells, a medieval illuminated manuscript. Akira Yoshizawa | Mar. 14 Yoshizawa helped raise origami's profile as an art form, eventually landing an exhibit in the Louvre in Paris. International Women's Day | March 8 International Women's Day is less well known in the United States than in other nations. Giaochino Rossini / Leap Day | Feb. 29 A cast of frogs (get it? "leap day") performs Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" opera. Heinrich Hertz | Feb. 22 In case you arenÂ’'t sure just what old Heinrich is responsible for, here is a hint: The metric unit hertz (Hz), which stands for the number of cycles per second of any kind of phenomena, and is frequently used to describe radio and audio waves, is named after him. Valentine's Day | Feb. 14 For Valentine's Day, Google's homepage featured a short animated film. [See story to view. Charles Dickens | Feb. 7 The 200th anniversary of the birth of literary icon Charles Dickens. Largest snowflake ever | Jan. 28 The largest snowflake ever recorded. SOPA & PIPA legislation | Jan. 18 On Jan. 18, Google joined other popular websites in bringing attention to proposed anti-piracy legislation that opponents feared could lead to Internet censorship Martin Luther King Jr. | Jan. 16 The civil rights leader was honored yet again with a Google Doodle. Nicolas Steno | Jan. 11 Nicolas Steno was a 17th century brainiac with the type of weird genius that led to his discovery of the human salivary duct and made him a pioneer in geology. Charles Addams | Jan. 7 Charles Addams created the Addams Family. New Year's Day | Jan. 1

FDA probing reports of energy-drink deaths

Amid increasing scrutiny of the fast-growing energy drink industry, federal health officials are investigating reports that five people have died since 2009 after consuming Monster Beverage Corp.'s energy drinks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it hadn't established a link between Monster energy drinks and the reports it has received concerning five deaths and another non-fatal heart attack. The government inquiry comes after a Maryland couple sued the Corona company last week in California for negligence and wrongful death in connection with the death of their 14-year-old daughter, Anais Fournier.

She is one of the five reported deaths, which came to light in a public-records request filed in her case, her lawyers said.

These disclosures triggered a sell-off Monday in Monster Beverage shares, which plummeted $7.59, or 14%, to $45.73.

A spokesman for Monster Beverage said the company "does not believe that its beverages are in any way responsible for the death of Ms. Fournier" and said it intends to vigorously defend itself in the case. The company added that it's "unaware of any fatality anywhere that has been caused by its drinks."

As part of its safety surveillance, the FDA routinely receives reports of adverse events tied to certain consumer products, drugs and medical devices. FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said the agency is looking into the Monster reports but hadn't reached any conclusions about any "causal link."

Some lawmakers and consumer advocates are calling for tougher regulation of energy drinks sold by Monster, Red Bull and beverage giants such as Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. These highly caffeinated and sometimes sugar-laden drinks, including top sellers 5-Hour Energy and Rockstar, have become popular pick-me-ups for a wide range of consumers and are heavily marketed as a way to boost performance, focus or overall health.

Last year, energy drink sales grew nearly 17%, according to industry publication Beverage Digest, and Monster led the industry with a 35% market share. Monster's net sales rose 28% to $592.6 million in the quarter ended June 30 compared with the same period a year ago.

In April, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) asked the FDA to investigate the caffeine levels and safety of other additives in energy drinks, particularly in light of their appeal among young people. Durbin noted that one 16-ounce can of Monster has 160 milligrams of caffeine, equivalent to almost five cans of a regular soft drink. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against adolescents' consuming more than 100 milligrams of caffeine daily.

The FDA has authority to regulate caffeine levels in soft drinks, and the limit in a 12-ounce soda is about 71 milligrams. But most energy drinks exceed those levels because they are labeled as dietary supplements. Critics call for energy-drink makers to provide regulators with evidence that common additives in the drinks, such as guarana, taurine and ginseng, are safe when combined with other ingredients.

A federal report last year called energy-drink consumption a rising public health concern because excessive caffeine intake can cause medical and behavioral issues. Emergency-room visits related to energy drinks jumped from 1,128 in 2005 to 13,114 in 2009, according to the report by theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The FDA spokeswoman said the agency is looking into the "emerging science" on a variety of ingredients, including caffeine.

In the lawsuit filed last week, Wendy Crossland and Richard Fournier said their daughter had consumed two 24-ounce Monster energy drinks in a 24-hour period in December. A few hours after drinking the second can of Monster, Anais Fournier went into cardiac arrest and never regained consciousness, according to the suit. Her autopsy report attributed her death to "cardiac arrhythmiadue to caffeine toxicity."

The family alleges that Monster fails to warn consumers about the potential risks related to its drinks.

"The downsides are not printed anywhere on these cans," said Alexander R. Wheeler, a Los Angeles attorney representing Anais' parents. "Her parents want to make sure this never happens to another family."

A spokesman for Monster said the company's "ingredients and labeling are in full compliance with all laws and regulations governing beverage products in each of the more than 70 countries in which it is sold."

Anonymous Hackers Claim to Have Planted Bomb in Government Building

They call themselves Anonymous hackers, but their ways of attracting attention don’t seem to be in line with the ones utilized by other hacktivists. Now, the controversial Fawkes Security collective has even started making bomb threats to promote the protests programmed to take place on November 5, 2012.
“As of today 200 kilograms of composite Nitroglycerin and commercial explosives have effectively been concealed in a government building, situated in the United States of America. On the 5th of November, 2012, the device will detonate remotely via the transmission control protocol, leaving behind severe consequences,” the hackers stated.

“We would like to advise that the contraption is built inside a tamper proof apparatus sensitive to physical intrusions or attempted disarmament, thus resulting in the desired effect if the military grade device is found before the 5th of November,” they added. 

“There is no intention, risks or circumstances what so ever to cause harm to innocent people, but we cannot, say the same for the people who are the real terrorists, oppressors and war creators.”

Other hacktivists have already started condemning the ways of the group, calling their acts “spewing violent rhetoric under the name of Anonymous.”

This is not the first time when Fawkes Security sparks controversy. After the Amanda Todd incident broke out, they released a video claiming that the girl didn’t exist. They claimed that everything was part of a propaganda campaign. 

Then, a few days later, they took credit for taking down several websites owned by HSBC, including the ones from Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

It’s uncertain if the bomb threats made by the hackers are real or not. However, making such threats against the US government is serious business, even if they’re just a joke or a marketing campaign for the November 5 protests.

A few months ago, when someone made bomb threats against the University of Pittsburgh, the FBI went all the way to Austria to find evidence about the culprit’s identity.

FTC Accuses Compete Inc. of Failing to Protect User Data, Deceiving Customers

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused web analytics company Compete Inc. of deceiving its customers and failing to properly protect the sensitive information it has collected from them. In order to settle the FTC’s charges, the firm has promised to clean up its act.

Compete utilizes tracking software to collect data on browsing habits. The reports are sold to companies which want to improve their sales and web statistics.

However, the FTC found that the methods utilized by the company weren’t quite orthodox. To get users to install the software on their computers, Compete urged them to join a “Consumer Input Panel” which would presumably enable them to win rewards.

Another piece of software utilized by the company was a toolbar, which allegedly offered users “instant access” to details about the sites they were accessing.

The problem was that the firm didn’t collect only information on browsing behavior. The software installed on the customers’ computers allowed them to silently record all the information entered by users on websites, including usernames, passwords, credit card details, security codes, social security numbers and more.

The company ensured users that all data was stripped of personally identifiable information before being stored on their servers. However, in reality, Compete has not only collected all the data, but it has also failed to ensure that it’s transmitted and stored in a safe manner.

Compete has agreed to ensure that from now on its customers are made aware that their details are being collected. The organization has also promised to anonymize or delete the sensitive information it harvests, and to provide instructions on how its software can be uninstalled.

Furthermore, the firm will have to implement a comprehensive information security program and perform independent third-party audits every two years for the next 20 years.

ProjectWestWind: Hackers Leak 120,000 Records from World’s Top 100 Universities

At the end of August, hackers part of Team GhostShell published the details of around 1 million accounts stolen from over 100 websites worldwide as part of an operation calledProject HellFire. Now, the collective has turned its attention to the world’s top 100 educational institutions in what they call Project WestWind.
“We have set out to raise awareness towards the changes made in today's education, how new laws imposed by politicians affect us, our economy and overall, our way of life,” the hackers explained.

“How far we have ventured from learning valuable skills that would normally help us be prepared in life, to just, simply memorizing large chunks of text in exchange for good grades? How our very own traditions are heard less and less, losing touch with who we truly are? Slowly casting the identities, that our ancestors fought to protect, into exile.”

The list of affected universities includes Harvard, Cambridge, Stanford, Princeton, John Hopkins, Imperial College London, University of Michigan, Tokyo University, University of Wisconsin, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Kyoto University, University of Houston, Linkoping University and New York University.

The University of Edinburgh, University of Maryland, University of British Columbia, University of Texas, University of Colorado, Duke University, Rutgers University, Manchester University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Zurich, University of Florida, University of Berlin, Utrecht University and Osaka University have also been targeted.

However, the list of victims doesn’t end there. It continues with Heidelberg University, Moscow State University, University of Freiburg, Boston University, Texas A&M University, McMaster University, University of Gottingen, Purdue University and many others.

The hackers claim they could have stolen hundreds of thousands of record sets, just as they did last time, but they only published around 120,000 to “keep the leaked information to a minimum.”

Furthermore, they claim that many of the servers they penetrated are highly unsecure, some of them even hosting malware, despite the fact that they store credit card details.