As you might expect when the subject is a famed designer, Google’s Doodle team has gone all out in creating an animation that does Bass justice. The 1:21 clip runs through various different styles of Bass’ work, including an homage to 1958′s Vertigo and 1960′s Psycho.

There are also nods to West Side Story and The Shining, all set to Dave Brubeck’s “Unsquare Dance” as the soundtrack. Unlike some of Google’s other recent Doodles, the clip isn’t interactive, instead being a rather more straightforward video (that you can watch below).

Bass managed to segue a job designing movie posters in the 1940s into a role in the title design division, creating the sequence for 1954′s Carmen Jones after his art caught the eye of Otto Preminger. His distinctive typographical animation went on to encapsulate the taut Hitchcock thrillers, for which he created titles for several movies.

So, click on the door on the left, and you’ll find Marvin the paranoid android waiting, while the “Don’t Panic” control calls up a brief Babel Fish animation. Adams addressed the problem of thousands of interplanetary languages in his most famous book with a living translator, resembling a fish, that when inserted into the ear could convert any speech to something the wearer would understand.

Hitchhiker’s Guide isn’t the only work of Adams’ to be referenced, however. The cup of tea is a nod to the Dirk Gently series, for instance, more specifically the second novel, The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul.

Adams died in 2001, having not only written best-selling novels but Doctor Who scripts, and was known for his love of technology as well as his staunch atheism which earned him a dedication from notorious biologist and God-arguer Richard Dawkins. There’s more on Adams at his Wikipedia page.

Google’s latest Doodle tasks players with resurfacing an ice rink after its surface has been scuffed up by the ice skates of children. Children come out in waves, leaving behind more patches of ice to clean up each time. More children will join the group of skaters as the game progresses, and as you get deeper into the game, the kids will begin dropping gas cans you can use to refresh your Zamboni’s fuel supply.

It’s a simple game – controlled only by the arrow keys on your keyboard – but a fun one nonetheless. Even though we don’t often think of ice resurfacers as important machines, Zamboni created them to serve a rather important purpose. Before the invention of the Zamboni, ice resurfacing took a lot of time, as it had to be done manually by a team of people. Zamboni’s invention reduced the time it takes to resurface ice down to a fraction of what it used to be.

Zamboni passed away in 1988, but his contributions to the world of ice hockey didn’t go unnoticed – he was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame back in 2009. Plus, we see machines that carry his name at every hockey game around the country, which is a far better legacy than most manage to achieve. You can read more about Zamboni and the ice resurfacer he created on their respective Wikipedia pages, or you can hop over to Google’s homepage to check out the Doodle made in his memory.

The theme, according to Google, was selected as “something that encourages exploration to the past, present or future as well as showing moments or thoughts that range from very small and personal to broad and far reaching – maybe even out of this universe.” Google has a ticker on its Doodle 4 Google page that counts down to the contest deadline, which is presently 67 days from now. Check out the video below for more info.

Google has partnered with the American Museum of Natural History for 2013′s contest. With the partnership, an exhibition will be presented showcasing each state’s winner in New York City from May 22 to July 14th. Those interested in submitting a doodle can download an entry form from the Doodle 4 Google website, and either upload the doodle online or mail it. Mailed entries must be received by March 22.

Doodle 4 Google began in 2008, and has taken place every year since then; likewise, there are various contests globally. In 2012, the search engine giant received 114,000 submissions, with the winner being 7-year-old Dylan Hoffman. In addition to having the artwork displayed on the Google homepage and receiving a $30,000 scholarship, the student’s school will also be given a $50,000 grant.

[via Doodle4Google]

Today actually isn’t Google’s real birthday, though. Work on the Google search engine goes back to 1996 when Stanford PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin began working together. The company wasn’t incorporated until September 4, 1998. So really, we actually don’t know what Google’s actual birthday is.

Of course, the company has come a long way from being just a search engine. They now offer tons of different services over multiple platforms. They have their own mobile operating system, their own web browser, their own email service, their own social network, and even their own cloud storage system. What crazy new service could they possibly introduce next?

In any case, today’s Google doodle is quite “cute” if I must say. If you stick around for a few seconds on the Google homepage, you’ll see the candles being blown out and then all of sudden parts of the cake will begin to disappear as its being eaten. A few peaces are leftover to form the word “Google” on the cake’s plate.

You can see how Google celebrated their past birthdays by watching the video below:

It is the 46th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series today (or tomorrow, depending on which day you actually believe the pilot aired), and with it comes Google’s Doodle complete with the main cast spun into the letters of the brand word. You’ll find Spock as the G, Uhura as the O, Kirk as another O, Scotty as the G, Sulu as the L, and there’s no sign of McCoy anywhere! The E is what’s referred to as a “Red Shirt” crew member, as evidenced by clicking on him in the transporter room and seeing him shiver in terror as it’s almost inevitable that something terrible will happen to him soon.

This Doodle allows you to click in on several different interactive bits in each of the several scenes presented in the standard box size. Episodes from the series are shown in cuts, starting on the ship’s bridge and eventually bringing you down to the planet where you’ll be battling the Gorn. The Gorn creature also takes on the shape of a letter, and you’ll tap a set of elements for Kirk to access and bust him down with a home-made cannon, just like in the episode “Arena.”

What a fabulous way to celebrate the series that, believe it or not, didn’t really do all that fabulously in its initial run on TV. The power of the series as a whole, and the significance of the characters in the series and what they represented to more than just standard sci-fi television audiences – that’s what made all the difference. Star Trek is now a massive industry of shows and movies which has existed for generation after generation of fans.

“For me, it was a vision for the future. I think it was also that it was multicultural, pro-science, and full of curiosity and passion. I think like a lot of good science-fiction, it sort of says a lot about its present era. We can really appreciate what Star Trek did in its time. As an adult, you can appreciate how progressive it was. You learned to be compassionate towards all kinds of people — even alien creatures. Also, the style is just incredible: retro-futuristic. There’s so much to love. As a person that loves technology, there is so much to be inspired by. Being able to get the answers right away — that was from a crazy, far-flung era where computers were the size of refrigerators. And now, I’m so happy to work in the industry I’m in. So some of the realities from the vision of Star Trek are coming true. To be part of a company that makes it happen is really exciting.” – Germick

NOTE: Those of you who have a subscription to Netflix streaming content library can watch the entire Star Trek: The Original Series episode by episode right now – they’re up, and they’re still excellent!

The goal is to complete the track in as short a time as possible, with just over 10s looking to be the time to beat for the moment. However, while personal bests are all well and good, Twitter and Google+ are already filling up with competitive keyboard-stabbers trying desperately to out-perform each other and crowing about their fastest run.

It’s not the first time Google has offered up a mini-game as its doodle of the day. Most famous is the playable PAC-MAN logo, which recreated the classic game and proved so popular that it earned a permanent reprieve and a URL of its own.

If you’re still addicted to Google Hurdles when it disappears from the homescreen, you can find an archived version here.

Not everyone gets the doodle, however. Mother’s Day – also known as Mothering Sunday – differs in its place on the calendar depending on which country you’re in. In the US, and in other locations, it’s the second Sunday of May, while in the UK and in other locations, it’s the fourth Sunday in Lent.

Google celebrated the earlier Mother’s Day with a different doodle, a hand-drawn style crayon image rather than this animation. The company is yet to talk about the behind-the-scenes decisions of the doodle, but has put up a “super-mom” post on its official blog where it talks about how high-tech mothers are using Google products to improve their lives.

Your next mission is to go to Google Maps and search for directions from The Shire to Mordor with Walking Directions selected. If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, you’ll know exactly what this unexpected journey is all about. If you’re a fan of the Lord of the Rings films or even the memes that surround them, you’ll find Google’s response to your request more than a little chuckle-worthy.

Next you’ll be loving one of the most famous of all Google Doodles, PacMan! This particular doodle had Google celebrating the classic video game with a tiny little yellow chomper running around a Google-themed board while the ghosts chased him all night long. As it turns out, this Google was archived – as it should have been – and you can play it right now! Just use your regular arrow keys and mind the big dots! Insert more than one coin for Ms Pac Man at the same time!

Google’s Calculator, embedded into its basic web-based search engine, can be accessed by entering equations into the search bar. This calculator turns up results for several well-known phrases as well – search for “once in a blue moon”, “The Loneliest Number”, and “The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.” These and more will give you some giggles – try any number-based answer giver out!

There are several versions of Google’s search engine created by Google to bring you the experience you need when you need it – this including Star Trek’s Klingon, a lovely Pirate version, and Elmer Fudd – and that’s not all, folks.

The most awesome is an ongoing project which Google works with you and I for with the Google 3D models for Google Earth. One prime example of what can be done this program is the Blues Brothers bridge jump — if you’re traveling to the Tacony Palmyra bridge linking New Jersey and Philadelphia, chances you wont find this police car flying through the air – but you will find it there in Google Earth!

These are only a few of the VAST amount of Easter Eggs hidden in the halls of Google’s many web-based services. Let us know if you find anything new or know of an oldie but goodie you want to share!

Prior to Sundback’s work, hook and eye fasters had been commonplace to keep fabrics joined. Sundback’s “Hookless” approach used two rows of closely-spaced teeth, which could be interlocked via a sliding section, guiding the two edges together with a Y-shaped channel. The patent on the design was issued in 1917.

Initial uses for the zipper – named in 1923 by boot manufacturer B.F. Goodrich, as it had until then been known as “Hookless No.2″ – included footwear and tobacco pouches, with it taking several decades before clothing adopted the design. Sundback was also responsible for the design of the machine that created the zippers themselves.

Google’s doodle is pleasingly simple, with the logo now having the appearance of being stitched onto the page, and a tempting zipper running down its middle to yank open and reveal the search page underneath. There’s more on Gideon Sundback at Wikipedia.