I am always appreciative of a company with a touch of wit. Example: Virgin Atlantic, which inflects all its materials with a touch of sass, thanks to iconoclastic owner Richard Branson (although I don’t love their current copywriter, but that’s neither here nor there).

My new kick is over at Google, where user notifications let the mind wander.

Peer into an empty junk mail folder on Gmail: “Hooray, no spam here!”

Trying to get driving directions to Puerto Rico on Google Maps delivers this apology: “We currently only support road-based driving directions.” Makes you think twice, in a good way.

And don’t forget the I’m Feeling Lucky button, a cute act of hubris in 1999 that has come to stand for all things Google in 2005. Keep up the smirking work.