Google-land...the happiest place on Earth?

Several of us trekked up to Google today to see the mothership a talk by Greg Asner, from the Carnegie Institution of Science, Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University. Asner studies tropical forests and uses a variety of spiffy techniques (Google Earth images, spectroscopy, CLIMBING TREES, derring-do) to image and analyze ecosystem health and biodiversity.

The talk was great — and colorful! — but instead of writing about it, I’m posting a slide show of some of Google headquarters’ charming attractions.

The place is kind of like an amusement park, and from heated toilet seats to laundry rooms and toothbrushes in the bathrooms, it definitely has the feel of a home away from home…kind of. Oh, and the food is free, too. Pool tables and ball pits and dinos, oh my! Also, be sure to check out the real Google-doodles adorning the borderless white boards…

[slideshow]