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Youngster Doodles His Way To California's Googleplex

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 16, 2008

ODESSA - Twelve-year-old Michael Mendenhall plays Neil Diamond on eight-track and compares the sound quality of Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It" on vinyl versus compact disc. He scouts eBay and flea markets for a mouse he can hook up to a vintage 1980s Apple computer.

He loves technology more than twice his age and is equally comfortable playing DOS-based video games as he is using modern software to sketch out a dream house.

The first thing he drew on a computer was a smiley face, said Michael, a home-schooled student from Odessa. He has graduated from smiley faces to sketching a Mr. Magoo-inspired fish that caught the attention of Internet behemoth Google.

Michael competed in "Doodle 4 Google," a competition for children to design a "doodle" for Google's logo.

Google sometimes swaps the traditional logo on its home page for variations that feature artists, historical events and holidays.

More than 16,000 entries were submitted and Michael was one of 40 regional winners, earning him a trip to "Googleplex," the company's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., for an awards ceremony.

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