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SearchResearch Challenge (1/8/20): Mysterious rainbows and fossils in the floor?

Dan Russell • January 8, 2020
 SearchReSearch
Republished with permission from SearchReSearch
SearchResearch Challenge (1/8/20): Mysterious rainbows and fossils in the floor? Dan Russell

We live in a remarkable world...


.... if only you take the time to notice it. Here's an example of what I mean.

The other day as I was walking into work, it had been raining, and we had a glorious rainbow. Here's my photo of that memorable walk. The brick and glass building is my place in the Google-verse.




(Yes, that's the green of the golf course that's next door to the Google offices.)

As beautiful as that walk was, I was actually slightly more surprised when I saw another rainbow pattern... this time inside... on the marble floor. That rainbow looked like this:




I haven't done anything to this photo (no Shopping or anything)--that's really the way it looked as I was walking down the corridor. (Note that this photo was taken a couple of hours after the previous rainbow-in-the-sky pic. It had stopped raining by then.)

If it helps, this is the view to the west--looking in the opposite direction of the previous rainbow. And there's no oil or anything on the floor--it's clean and dry. As you can see, there are FOUR different rainbow patterns here--and I found that to be fairly amazing. Why?

Interestingly enough, that same section of floor also holds another couple of mysteries. See below. These pictures are taken from the section of the floor that has the rainbow pattern on it. (I don't think there's any connection here--lots of the floor in this building has these patterns.)





As I walked around, I could find these strange spiral/horn-shaped things in the marble flooring.

Even more remarkably, I asked a few folks who also inhabit my building about these things, and nobody seems to have noticed! Zounds! There are mysteries literally underfoot!

So I'll put these questions to you, my faithful SearchResearchers...

1. What's causing the rainbow effect on the floor in the photo above (#2)? Any ideas?

2. What ARE those things in the floor?

If you know off the top of your head, that's fine (but say so... and then give us a link to a credible resource that supports what you're saying).

But for everyone else, be sure to tell US the search path you followed to figure out the answers.

(I'd love to understand what's going on in the floor beneath my feet!)


Search on!



----
PSA: My book, The Joy of Search, is now available at fine booksellers (and online)!

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About the Author

Dan RussellDan Russell

I study the way people search and research. I guess that makes me an anthropologist of search. While I work at Google, my blog and G+ posts reflects my own thoughts and not those of my employer. I am FIA's Future-ist in Residence. More »

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