Google and Random Image Searches

I thought it was about time to do a blog post about Google's Image Search. For this experiment, I will enter into the Image Search engine 5 words or phrases and pick the first image that displays, then comment on it. Let's take a spin of the Image wheel and see where we land...

Google Image #1:
"malakas"

In Greek, the word "malakas" is common slang for "masturbator." British fans would recognize the slang equivalent as "wanker." So with that in mind, if you put "malakas" in Google's image search engine, the first image that pops up is a little primate showing us his twig and berries. At what stage of the "malakia" ("masturbation") is this fella engaged in? Has he just started, looking up at us uninspired? Or has he just finished his solitary routine and left wondering why he even bothered in the first place? Whatever the case may be, this image certainly fits the search term "malakas," though in animal form, but still quite entertainingly so.


Google Image #2:
"penetrate"

Well, after looking up a word like "malakas," I thought along the lines of another potentially perverted word, so I entered "penetrate" into the Image search. Here, I was pleasantly surprised that I did not find a photo of two animals (human or otherwise) mating. Strangely enough, the image that first popped up came from Washington State University's website for agriculture and refers to a "Codling Moth" larva. As you can see from the photo on the left, the codling moth larva is eating its way through an apple. Codling moth larvae are responsible for destroying many apple trees in Washington state, which makes them one of the top pests in the region for these apple-growers. If your mind was a bit imaginative, then maybe you'd see something else in this photo. Rorschach test?

Google Image #3:
"Rorschach test"

Since studying photos is like taking a Rorschach inkblot test, I thought I would enter "Rorschach test" in the Image search and see what kind of inkblots would appear. Actually, I did get a lot of relevant inkblot images, but the first to appear was a photo from Wikipedia of Hermann Rorschach, creator of the famous inkblot test. Now I'm not sure if his photo is itself a inkblot test, but I can swear I see Brad Pitt. Is it just me or can anyone else see the strong resemblance? If Hollywood ever decides to make a biographical movie about Mr. Rorschach, I know who will play the lead role.


Google Image #4:
"Hollywood"

From Hermann Rorschach to Brad Pitt, I see a bit of a pattern here. I looked up "Hollywood" in the Image search and I found---no surprise---a photo of the famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign. Of all the world's landmarks, whether natural or man-made, I think the least impressive is the "Hollywood" sign. What is so special about this nine-letter word in large block typeface dotting a small hill? Nothing. It's a sign, but what it represents is a whole different story. When you think of Hollywood, you don't just think "city," you think film industry, movie stars, fame, scandal, drugs, sex, and death. Ironic how the sign is in pure white. Maybe not so pure?

Google Image #5:
"The End"

When you think of a boring Hollywood movie, you think of how soon "the end" will come. Well, I feel the same about this blog post. Maybe not quite as interesting as other blog posts out there, but a fitting end to this concept was to look up "the end" in Google's Image Search engine, which resulted in a neon sign (see photo on left). If you think about it, I guess the end for all of us will be like a neon sign, full of brightly glowing gas (much like our lives) that is one day snuffed out by the simple flip of a switch. That is the story of our lives---a Shakespearean comi-tragedy called "Life" simply waiting for the deus ex machina to bring down the final curtain.

What five words or phrase will you query through Google's Image Search engine?

~Andrew K.