To celebrate Jules Verne’s birthday, Google’s logo today has been transformed into an underwater vessel – a Nautilus – an appropriate homage to the author of the classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Google Doodler Jennifer Horn explains the decision to honor Verne as someone who sparked her imagination as a child. “Looking back,” she writes, “I realize that what fascinated me most was the unknown: a creative spark and the imaginative exploration that followed. Since then, I’ve become more familiar with his work and still believe that exploration is the essence of Verne’s novels. His stories pull the readers into a world filled with infinite potential–be it in the clouds, on land or under the sea.”
She says that today’s doodle, marking Verne’s 183rd birthday, “tries to capture that sense of adventure and exploration.” And it does so with a little help from CSS3 and your device’s built-in accelerometer.
You can navigate the design – or rather, steer the Nautilus – with a control stick or by simply tilting your device in the direction you wish to explore. The doodle showcases that imagination exploration, but also demonstrates some very cool technology.
