Google Wallpaper

If your Google page looked a little different this morning, that's not by accident. Apparently Google is launching a line of background wallpaper for their website. Rather than the basic white background with search box and a few links, Google lets you customize your page with either personal images or ones from their stock photos. Just sign in to your account and Google will look however you want.

I was excited to see familiar artists like Jeff Koons or Dale Chihuly available for a background. There are a number of public photos as well that are really stunning. It was difficult to pick just one. I went back and forth between a couple images before deciding on this Dale Chihuly as my background. I may change it tomorrow though. I do like the flexibility.

I wonder if this is Google's way of competing with Bing's search engine. I've been going to Bing daily to look at the incredible photography that they have available. They change the image daily and then have links for more information about the location, event, animal, or whatever other subject it depicts. Today's image of Lisbon's Belem Tower was so beautiful that I ended up saving the image in a file I keep.

I'm a huge fan of photography and art so I honestly don't mind if this is competition between the two search engines. I like that I can choose my image from Google, and I love that I get surprised daily by Bing. It's a bit like browsing or searching for books. With searching you are guaranteed to get something you like. But with browsing you can discover something completely new. Both wonderful. And now available on my desktop in beautiful colors.

Bing

I'm trying to remember when Google appeared on the scene as the primary search engine for the world. Google has easily outstripped all other engines in terms of usage and I would argue, versatility. As a librarian, I know that it is not a great research tool but I will admit that if you have an idea what you are looking for, it is invaluable.

This past year the word has been Bing, a new search engine put out by Microsoft. I've done some comparison work and still prefer Google for most of my search needs. But every morning I dutifully go to Bing.com. I go for the photography. Every day, Bing posts an image as the backdrop for their interface. And every morning I am completely blown away by the image. I'm not sure where they are finding these photographs but I want that source.

The images then offer links to learn more about the animal, place, landmark, etc.... I've learned a lot about different landmarks just by finding an image I liked. I clicked on an image of Stari Most, the Old Bridge in the town of Moster in Herzegovina to find out all about it's history. I learned about the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland after seeing a picture on Bing and wondering what the heck it was. I got to reminisce about my trip to Maui after seeing the image below. This picture was taken at the Black Sand beaches on the road to Hana. I stood on this very beach but my pictures don't come anywhere close.

Bing is not going to be my new search engine. I've done scientific comparisons and simply feel that Google is a better engine. But there is something about serendipitous learning that draws me. It's the same way I love to walk aisle by aisle through a library to see what catches my eye. I'll keep going to Bing to learn new things, to find new places, and to see the beautify of the world around us. For that reason alone, I hope they keep the site up.