Oct 18, 2012 6:30 AM

Gallery: Did You Spot the Stormtrooper in Google's Data Center?

01
stormtroopers
Google takes its data centers very seriously. But it isn't without a sense of humor. Just check out the [Street View tour of Google's Lenoir, North Carolina, data center,](https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=35.898645,-81.548671&spn=0.005945,0.012306&sll=35.900197,-81.547024&layer=c&cid=7373938251588581469&panoid=QJRzrgIKmN4uPQg7lmOGww&cbp=13,119.83,,0,3.72&gl=US&t=m&z=17&cbll=35.898621,-81.548447) which [went live on Wednesday.](http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/googles-data-centers-inside-look.html) The first thing you see when you step onto the data center floor is an Imperial Stormtrooper standing guard, flanked by a miniature R2D2. It's one of a handful of Easter eggs that pop up during the tour, all of which were quickly [spotted on Wednesday by Hacker News readers.](http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4665369) Googlers generally like to have a good time whenever the Street View cameras show up. One Googler even [submitted a marriage proposal via the photo-mapping service](http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2008/08/marriage_proposal_in_street_view.html). The following are a few of our favorites from the new data center tour.
02
double-rickroll
You know what's funnier than being Rickrolled on Street View? Being double-Rickrolled. Note this Googler's proper use of the stunned surprise expression, that is typically used following a Rickroll.

03
fort-gtape
Google calls its spare parts room the pharmacy. Fort Gtape is apparently some some kind of prison for Android mascots.
04
strategic-plan
Google's data centers are pretty darned power-efficient. Now, thanks to this screen shot, we know about the company's grand plan to hit a mathematically impossible Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating of less than 1. A PUE of 1 means that all of the power in your data center is being used by computers and you're not wasting any energy on things like cooling or overhead lighting. A PUE of less than 1 means that you're looking at an Easter egg.

05
sharp-edges
A little Google humor on the bulletin board.
06
mascot
An unidentified standing mascot. Perhaps a Fort Gtape escapee?

07
server-rack
Here's the ultimate Easter egg. If you were looking to get close-up shots of all of Google's latest server, storage and networking equipment, you're in for a bit of a letdown. It looks an awful lot like Google scrubbed the secret stuff out of its Street View camera's line of site before taking this tour.

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