Tomorrow, another special doodle will grace Google’s homepage, and if you like it, compliments should be directed at third grader Makenzie Melton, not a team of professional designers.  Melton has been declared the national winner of this year’s Doodle 4 Google competition.

The competition drew over 33,000 submissions, so Melton’s achievement is a rather big deal.  Google will give her a netbook and a $15,000 college scholarship by way of congratulations, and you can see her doodle (called "Rainforest Habitat") for yourself a little early below.

Google is celebrating the invention of the bar code today, with its latest doodle. There is an interesting history of the barcode available on Wikipedia, which of course is the top natural result in Google’s search results for barcode (which you are taken to upon clicking the doodle).

When Google doodles appear on major holidays, it sometimes takes a moment of thought to connect the picture and the occasion.  When Google doodles honor more random people and events, it appears that a lot of searches take place.

If you want to win a Macbook Pro, or get some artwork on the front page of Google Australia, a new contest will give you that chance.  There’s only one catch: to qualify, you must be an Australian child.

If you visit Google Australia’s home page today, you’ll see a nifty little image incorporated into the company’s logo – a few rings of black and red dots, and two human figures (one of whom is bearing a shield).  This was done in honor of National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week.

What do schoolgirl doodles, the IRS, and instant messaging have in common? Absolutely nothing. But we know you’re busy, and sometimes you just want to read something short and sweet and then get on with your day. Well, here you go.