What’s up with the Crop Circles? Google’s Image Today Starts a Rumor Rampage

We all know that Google throws up cute images whenever the world is celebrating, grieving, or aware of a event of global or national significance. During my customary visit to google.com today, I found a picture that took a second click to figure out. Crop circles? It didn’t seem to me to have the same kind of significance that the fourth of July had, so it got me wondering.

Apparently, others were wondering, too, thus eliciting a cataract of rumors and speculation.

The most direct clue to the crop circle mystery came from Google’s own Twitter message, which was equally cryptic: “51.327629, -0.5616088.” For those who stayed awake during high school science class, those numbers resemble geographical coordinates. The coordinates pinpoint a location in Surrey, England, specifically a point on Woodham Road in Woking, near ancient Horsell. And, if you were awake during high school literature class, you will recognize (ok, maybe not) that Horsell, England is the setting for H. G. Well’s classic sci-fi novel, The War of the Worlds, published in 1898.

Ok, so what does it all mean?

Some say that it is a premonition of alien abduction of earthlings. Um…or not. In fact, some Tweeters, whether mocking, deluded, or satirical, are claiming that Google is actually run by aliens. As cool as Google is, I’m afraid that I just don’t buy that theory. Sorry. Rejected.

Others, paranoid, notice that Google has systematically eliminated letters “o” and “l” in past doodles, which mean that only “e,” “g,” and “o.” are left. That spells EGO. And the significance is…? Most would say that’s reading too much into things.

The more straight-faced codebreakers are claiming that it is “almost certainly a viral marketing campaign teasing people ahead of some launch in a week or two.”

On another note, since next week marks the 143rd birthday of the revered author, H. G. Wells, so perhaps the crop circle doodle is simply paving the way for a bigger celebration of the event. What event that could possibly be is only game for greater rumors. Some say it’s a new Google product, service, a movie, or just about anything.

Since crop circles and flying saucers are considered to be “unexplained phenomenon,” the aura surrounding Google’s mysterious doodle is in perfect keeping with the nature of such events. So, as the rumors continue to rush on, unabated, don’t expect to find out anything conclusive until next week…or never.