Google's April Fool's Joke 2005

I was nosing around in google.com.au this evening and noticed some strange references to "Google Gulp".

Damn, I thought, Google is doing some sort of weird branding promo in Australia, and was on the verge of asking one of my AU buddies to pick me up a bottle.

Then I started reading the fine print:

...Google Gulp will send packets of data related to your usage of this product from a wireless transmitter embedded in the base of your Google Gulp bottle to the GulpPlex™, a heavily guarded, massively parallel server farm whose location is known only to Eric Schmidt...

There is also a nod to the Autolink controvery, since the "Google Gulp" includes and "autodrink" feature.

From the Google Gulp FAQ:

5. Well, shouldn't Auto-Drink™ be default-off?

You mean we should cripple a perfectly useful feature just because of a little bad PR?

My question is, is this what Google's model of the ideal ecommerce site is? 4 pages?

Ha! Good luck with that G - hope you have an affiliate program...

The funny thing is that the stuff would probably sell well - assuing it had plenty of caffeine in it... Maybe Google needs to team up with Jones Soda and really pump out some "googlicious" flavors - I can just see it now... twist off caps with adwords coupon codes, top rankings and more fun.

Other Google April Fool's Jokes include:

Pigeon Rank

Google Lunar Jobs