If you saw the single-word, fading-text Google experiment and responded with "I want to go to there," you're just a simple JavaScript cut-and-paste tap away from making it your default.
A Google Blogoscoped contributor found the cookie tweak needed to set your Google homepage to the strangely appealing minimalist experiment. Want in? Copy this JavaScript text in full:
javascript:void(document.cookie="PREF=ID=abac7a90f5a3784b:LD=en:NR=10:TM=1254990196:LM=1254990236:S=uB6F4jDnMP_DuxtT;path=/; domain=.google.com");
Now head to Google.com, paste that string into your address bar, hit enter, and then reload your page. When Google first loads, you'll see only the single logo, text input, and two buttons. Move your mouse around the page, and the familiar text pops up underneath the search and up top. It's almost like Google is trying to encourage the use of keyboard shortcuts?
Need a reminder what such a page looks like in action? Here's the quick video snapshot:
We're always fans of clutter-removing experiments, but we're wondering if Google's no-text-needed version will be here to stay. Commenters on our first look post seemed fairly divided on useful vs. useless.
Join the Minimalist Google Homepage Prototype [Google Blogoscoped]