Here’s a strange one, pointed out by H. at work.
Sometimes, when you search for a specific phrase, Google will return a few small images on it’s main search result. It seems pretty random which ones will or won’t – hey, time for a table (most not found by me!)
| Returns images | Doesn't return images |
|---|---|
| limecat;hello kitty | darth tater |
| darth vader;princess leia;chewbacca;yoda | luke skywalker;r2d2;hans solo |
| daffy duck;mickey mouse | hong kong phooey; bugs bunny |
| gollum | frodo/bilbo baggins;gandalf |
| gordon freeman | buzz lightyear;lara croft> |
| kate moss | claudia schiffer;britney spears;… |
| hubble | mars rover |
| wilma flintstone | fred flintstone (or barney; betty; bam bam; pebbles)< |
| the last supper | mona lisa; sunflowers; … |
What on earth is the logic here? I can only presume that they count the number of image hits, and if it’s above a certain threshold then they return the first few! Incidently, the safe search setting does have an effect – mine is set to moderate.