google matrix easter egg

Characters falling forever

The rain sits inside a white clay case, which makes the violet columns read brighter than they would on their own. Glyphs pour down the glass, each one at its own pace, brightest at the leading edge and fading behind. Mixed into the katakana and punctuation are the letters that spell google, which you will spot after about twenty seconds and then be unable to unsee.

Nothing needs clicking for it to work. It runs the moment the page loads, and most people watch it for a minute before touching a single button.

Put your own words in it

The input line drops whatever you type into the rain as a vertical column, glowing brighter than everything around it, falling at the same speed as the rest. Names work well. So do short messages. Press enter instead of clicking if your hands are already on the keys.

Leave the box empty and hit send and it picks something for you.

Depth mode

Each column gets a random z value that changes both its size and its fall speed, so near columns are large and fast while distant ones are small and slow. It turns a flat wall of text into something with actual space in it, and it is the closest this gets to the google matrix 3d effect people keep asking about.

The pill button

Swaps the cool violet glyphs for hot magenta across the whole scene, rain and injected text together. No other behaviour changes. It just makes the room feel considerably less safe.

Where the trick came from

Typing the film’s name into a search bar once tipped the results page into a green cascade, and the google matrix easter egg has been rebuilt by fans ever since. Wipe the screen clears the canvas and any words still falling, which is useful if you have filled it with nonsense and want a clean start.

Close relatives

google terminal is the other bright on black entry, though it wants you to type commands rather than watch. google batman shares the dark palette and the mood. For the opposite end of the spectrum, let it snow google also fills the screen with falling things, just considerably friendlier ones.

Everything is catalogued on the google easter eggs page.