Science

Someone Tell Google That Fidget Spinners Are Over

They were so May 2017.

by Monica Hunter-Hart
Google

Google just got on the fidget spinner game, albeit a few weeks late. Statistics-tracking website FiveThirtyEight called the wacky toys “over” on Friday — people aren’t searching about them on the internet anymore — but maybe Google’s determined to bring ‘em back, because this week the search engine added a new easter egg: If you look up “spinner,” a virtual fidget spinner pops up.

It’s a green and yellow (and fairly ugly) gizmo that spins if you either hit “spin” or start the motion off yourself with a mouse or finger, if you’re on a smartphone. It’s kind of a novel trick, but would’ve been way cooler in, say, mid-May.

This also isn’t the first virtual fidget spinner: That was seemingly made by designer Mike Bodge last month.

Google's fidget spinner.

Google

The spinner transforms into a number wheel if you click “number,” which gives it an actual practical use.

Because even the flashiest virtual fidget spinner is a bit of a waste: Fidget spinners were created to help children stay focused in the classroom, but it’s partly the physical act of flicking it that’s supposed to help them release restless energy. A virtual spinner doesn’t have that benefit, and you can imagine how it might instead be an engrossing distraction.

Google might not be contributing much with this virtual gadget, but there’s still a fidget spinner digital realm that hasn’t been fully explored: fidget spinner porn. Seriously.

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