A mirror site is an exact copy of another Internet site, so that multiple sources of the same information are available. It's usually on a different server, in case the first one gets too busy or has something go wrong. Google Mirror is a play on this idea, except instead of an exact replica, it's a real mirror image of the site. It's the brainchild of All Too Flat.
The site uses the classic Google logo, not the alternate one that was on the official site today. It was really strange seeing all the familiar words and graphics backwards on my screen. Even the textbox is flipped, so you have to enter search queries backwards. For example, to search for "cats" you can type:
- stac
- c [backspace], a [backspace], t [backspace], s [backspace].
The Google Search and I'm Feeling Lucky buttons were also on the opposite sides of the screen than what I'm used to. In my first couple of experiments I clicked in the incorrect place and got it wrong.
Playing around with this site was a lot of fun. I don't know that I'd ever use it on a regular basis, but there have been several instances of people in China being able to use Google Mirror after the government blocked the official Google site. It's amazing that something that started out as a parody has been able to be so useful!
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this.
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