Fridaygram: The Clash’s history, Voyager’s journey, personal answers

SEP 13, 2013
Author PhotoBy +Scott Knaster, Google Developers Blog Editor

We normally talk about cool and nerdy things on Fridaygram, but today we're focused on just the "cool" bit. The Clash exploded onto the stage in the late 1970s in the UK. Led by Joe Strummer, The Clash were popular, successful, and influential. They were often billed as “The only band that matters”.



We’re talking about The Clash right now because Google Play has just released a five-part documentary on the band, which you can watch on YouTube. This documentary series shows the band at work during the recording and release of its albums, including hours of previously unreleased footage of Joe Strummer talking about the band. If you already love The Clash, you’ll enjoy learning about their backstory, and if you’re not familiar with them, here’s your chance to see what’s up.

Turning from a new subject to one of our repeat favorites here on Fridaygram, this week NASA announced that Voyager 1 has become the first human-made object to reach interstellar space. Launched in 1977, the same year The Clash’s first album came out, Voyager has been teasing us with the question of exactly where it’s located for some time now. As Voyager project scientist Ed Stone says, “We can now answer the question we’ve all been asking – ‘Are we there yet?’ Yes, we are.”

Finally, we’ve added some cool new features to Google search that you might want to spend some time checking out. Search can now answer questions about your stuff. For example, if you ask “What’s my flight status?”, you’ll get a personal result that shows you whether your plane is on time. You can also ask about your dining reservations, hotels (“When is my next hotel stay?”), packages, calendar events (“When is They Might Be Giants?”), and photos (“my photos from Austria last year”). For extra awesomeness, try this feature with voice search in Chrome, Android, or the Google Search app on iOS. Have fun!


Voyager 1 has left us behind (or has it?), but Fridaygram is still here for you. If it’s nerdy, cool, or nerdy cool, it’s fair game for us.