"This site may harm your computer" on every search result?!?!

If you did a Google search between 6:30 a.m. PST and 7:25 a.m. PST this morning, you likely saw that the message "This site may harm your computer" accompanied each and every search result. This was clearly an error, and we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to our users.<br /><br />What happened? Very simply, human error. Google flags search results with the message "This site may harm your computer" if the site is known to install malicious software in the background or otherwise surreptitiously. We do this to protect our users against visiting sites that could harm their computers. <span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">We maintain a list of such sites </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">through both manual and automated methods</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">. We work with a non-profit called <a href="http://stopbadware.org/">StopBadware.org</a> to come up with criteria for maintaining this list, and to provide simple processes for webmasters to remove their site from the list.<br /><br /><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">We periodically update that list and released one such update to the site this morning.<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;">Unfortunately (and here's the human error), the URL of '/' was mistakenly checked in as a value to the file and '/' expands to all URLs. Fortunately, our on-call site reliability team found the problem quickly and reverted the file. Since we push these updates in a staggered and rolling fashion, the errors began appearing between 6:27 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. and began disappearing between 7:10 and 7:25 a.m., so the duration of the problem for any particular user was approximately 40 minutes.<br /><br />Thanks to our team for their quick work in finding this. And again, our apologies to any of you who were inconvenienced this morning, and to site owners whose pages were incorrectly labelled. We will carefully investigate this incident and put more robust file checks in place to prevent it from happening again.<br /><br />Thanks for your understanding.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: black;">Update at 10:29 am PST: <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;">This post was revised as more precise information became available </span></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;">(changes are in blue). </span></span><a href="http://blog.stopbadware.org/2009/01/31/google-glitch-causes-confusion"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Here's StopBadware's explanation</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;">.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP, Search Products & User Experience</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>

"This site may harm your computer" on every search result?!?!

If you did a Google search between 6:30 a.m. PST and 7:25 a.m. PST this morning, you likely saw that the message "This site may harm yo...

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Google Toolbar in Firefox: a personalized new tab page

Those of you who use <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/google-toolbar-5-now-available-in.html">Google Toolbar on Firefox</a> are probably pretty familiar with the <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/static.py?page=features.html">many features</a> Toolbar 5 (beta) has to offer — from bookmarks to <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/en/features.html#custombuttons">buttons</a> and search box to "<a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/en/features.html#sendto">send to</a>." We've added a couple more features to the Firefox Toolbar, so feel free to <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/en/index.html?tbbrand=GZEZ&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-et-ffblog&utm_medium=et">download this "second beta"</a> to get all the latest and greatest Google Toolbar has to offer.<br /><br />One of the features I'm really excited about is the new tab page. Now, when you open up a new tab, instead of the blank white page you see by default in Firefox, you will instead see small thumbnails of your favorite sites (up to 9), as well as recently-closed and bookmarked pages based on your browser history. You can <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=115562">edit the thumbnails</a>, and all this data remains locally on your browser, which means none of the information about your most viewed sites or recently closed pages will be sent back to Google. If for whatever reason you don't like this updated new tab page, you can always change it back to a blank page or to the website of your choice through either your Toolbar or Firefox settings. Some tab extensions may conflict with this feature, and it currently isn't compatible with Firefox 2, so make sure you check your settings or visit the Google Toolbar <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/">help center</a> if you are having any problems.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickbvBGY2vfqS4U99AVTxa54a1wqU8wp98coJenjdz0R13k9Vns14gIPxQzDH4AIsN70vV3qZPZezl5WgCoZoyqZbnmz5eoi4SwzWvaqAZdDfXYrehkGtgaMVoTBzJOLiJWTbzKkE2DB_i/s1600-h/ff-tabs-blogpost-image.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297156956665186898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickbvBGY2vfqS4U99AVTxa54a1wqU8wp98coJenjdz0R13k9Vns14gIPxQzDH4AIsN70vV3qZPZezl5WgCoZoyqZbnmz5eoi4SwzWvaqAZdDfXYrehkGtgaMVoTBzJOLiJWTbzKkE2DB_i/s400/ff-tabs-blogpost-image.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Next time you want to go to your favorite site more quickly or restore an accidentally closed tab, you don't need to type out the URL. Typing Ctrl + T or double-clicking to the right of your open tabs will open up the new tab page with all your favorite sites right at your finger tips.<br /><br />In addition, this release now provides the ability for <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/iw/index.html?tbbrand=GZEZ&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-et-ffblog&utm_medium=et">Hebrew</a>- and <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/ar/index.html?tbbrand=GZEZ&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-et-ffblog&utm_medium=et">Arabic</a>-speaking users to access Toolbar 5 with robust right-to-left text support. We've also fixed some of the most reported bugs to give you a faster and more stable experience with this update.<br /><br />We're always working on improvements and new features to Google Toolbar based on your feedback, so <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/request.py?contact_type=feedback">keep those suggestions coming</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> on 4/1: Yesterday, <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/en/index.html">Firefox Toolbar 5</a> came out of beta.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Sergey Ryazanov, Software Engineer, Toolbar Team</span>

Google Toolbar in Firefox: a personalized new tab page

Those of you who use Google Toolbar on Firefox are probably pretty familiar with the many features Toolbar 5 (beta) has to offer — from bo...

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Introducing Measurement Lab

When an Internet application doesn't work as expected or your connection seems flaky, how can you tell whether there is a problem caused by your broadband ISP, the application, your PC, or something else? It can be difficult for experts, let alone average Internet users, to address this sort of question today.<br /><br />Last year we asked a small group of academics about ways to advance network research and provide users with tools to test their broadband connections. Today Google, the <a href="http://www.newamerica.net/">New America Foundation</a>'s Open Technology Institute, the <a href="http://www.planet-lab.org/">PlanetLab Consortium</a>, and academic researchers are taking the wraps off of <a href="http://www.measurementlab.net/">Measurement Lab</a> (M-Lab), an open platform that researchers can use to deploy Internet measurement tools.<br /><br />Researchers are already developing tools that allow users to, among other things, measure the speed of their connection, run diagnostics, and attempt to discern if their ISP is blocking or throttling particular applications. These tools generate and send some data back-and-forth between the user's computer and a server elsewhere on the Internet. Unfortunately, researchers lack widely-distributed servers with ample connectivity. This poses a barrier to the accuracy and scalability of these tools. Researchers also have trouble sharing data with one another.<br /><br />M-Lab aims to address these problems. Over the course of early 2009, Google will provide researchers with 36 servers in 12 locations in the U.S. and Europe. All data collected via M-Lab will be made publicly available for other researchers to build on. M-Lab is intended to be a truly community-based effort, and we welcome the support of other companies, institutions, researchers, and users that want to provide servers, tools, or other resources that can help the platform flourish.<br /><br />Today, M-Lab is at the beginning of its development. To start, <a href="http://www.measurementlab.net/measurement-lab-tools.html">three tools</a> running on servers near Google's headquarters are available to help users attempt to diagnose common problems that might impair their broadband speed, as well as determine whether BitTorrent is being blocked or throttled by their ISPs. These tools were created by the individual researchers who helped found M-Lab. By running these tools, users will get information about their connection and provide researchers with valuable aggregate data. Like M-Lab itself these tools are still in development, and they will only support a limited number of simultaneous users at this initial stage.<br /><br />At Google, we care deeply about sustaining the Internet as an open platform for consumer choice and innovation. No matter your views on net neutrality and ISP network management practices, everyone can agree that Internet users deserve to be well-informed about what they're getting when they sign up for broadband, and <a href="http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280909A3.doc">good data is the bedrock of sound policy</a>. Transparency has always been crucial to the success of the Internet, and, by advancing network research in this area, M-Lab aims to help sustain a healthy, innovative Internet.<br /><br />You can learn more at the <a href="http://www.measurementlab.net/about.html">M-Lab website</a>. If you're a researcher who'd like to deploy a tool, or a company or institution that is interested in providing technical resources, we invite you to <a href="http://www.measurementlab.net/getinvolved.html">get involved</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist, and Stephen Stuart, Principal Engineer<br /></span>

Introducing Measurement Lab

When an Internet application doesn't work as expected or your connection seems flaky, how can you tell whether there is a problem caused...

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Raising data privacy awareness

For the second year, the U.S. and Canada are joining 27 European countries to celebrate <a href="http://www.intel.com/policy/dataprivacy.htm" id="naqe" title="Data Privacy Day 2009">Data Privacy Day</a> today. As we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/celebrating-data-privacy.html" id="aw3:" title="explained">explained</a> last year, the lack of understanding about online data protection is a global issue. As increasing amounts of data get uploaded to the Internet every day, it becomes more and more important for people to understand the benefits and risks of online communications and to learn how to use available tools to control and manage the information they share online.<br /><br />To mark this special day of awareness, we are supporting an event hosted by the Information Technology Association of America called "<a href="http://www.itaa.org/events/event.cfm?EventID=2849" id="m.2p" title=""Data Privacy Day: Increasing Privacy Awareness and Trust."">Data Privacy Day: Increasing Privacy Awareness and Trust</a>." We'll join U.S. and European government officials and key members of the privacy community on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, to discuss how to increase public awareness about data privacy. This event is a part of our ongoing constructive dialogue with regulators and legislators, consumer and industry groups, and think tanks and privacy advocates to discuss how to protect user information.<br /><br />Our efforts to raise data privacy awareness extend beyond the public policy arena; we aim to connect directly with our users, too. We're committed to protecting users' online privacy by following the principles of transparency and choice. We're transparent about the data we collect, and we design products that give people control over the information they share. Earlier this year, we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/privacy-made-easier.html" id="b:_5" title="revamped our Privacy Center">revamped our Privacy Center</a>, where we offer <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacy_faq.html" id="tjsk" title="information">information</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FCEE46AA997A23D9" id="p9cs" title="tips">tips</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/googleprivacy" id="a-s1" title="videos">videos</a> that explain Google's privacy practices and show people how they can control what data they share. The Privacy Center also includes a link to a <a title="blog series" href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-we-help-track-flu-trends.html" id="x3jy">series of blog posts</a> about how we use data to improve our products and services for our users. We recently translated the Privacy Center into multiple languages so that we can better serve people all around the world. We're also continuously working on innovative services and features that make information available to people in new ways, but with built-in privacy controls. For example, we introduced privacy-protective <a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/05/street-view-revisits-manhattan.html" id="lwfx" title="face-blurring">face-blurring</a> for Street View earlier this year. And the launch of our browser, Google Chrome, included a feature for surfing the Internet in "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWk8uGdUEkQ&feature=channel_page" id="esch" title="incognito mode">incognito mode</a>."<br /><br />For the coming year, we want to improve our privacy practices even more by engaging in further dialogue with people who use our products and services, offering up easier-to-understand policies, and providing more privacy tools and controls. We hope that you'll take a few minutes on Data Privacy Day to <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacy.html">explore our Privacy Center</a> and learn about our commitment to this important issue.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Peter Fleischer and Jane Horvath, Global Privacy Counsel</span>

Raising data privacy awareness

For the second year, the U.S. and Canada are joining 27 European countries to celebrate Data Privacy Day today. As we explained last year,...

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More computing, less power

In the fall we posted information about the <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/saving-electricity-one-data-center-at.html">efficiency of Google data centers</a> and promised to update this information every quarter. We've now collected data for the fourth quarter of 2008 and published them to our <a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/green/datacenters/">sustainable computing website</a>. Specifically, we're keeping track of the efficiency of any Google-designed data center with an IT load of at least 5 MW and a time-in-operation of at least 6 months. In Q4 our average power and cooling overhead in these facilities was 16%, bringing the overhead for the trailing 12 months to 19% (down from 21% a quarter earlier). For comparison, a recent EPA report put the overhead of the average enterprise data center at 100% or higher. We're very happy to have further improved our efficiency, and a number of factors contributed to that result.<br /><br />First, efficiency is affected by seasonal weather patterns — cooler weather is better than hot weather, and several of our facilities benefited from that in Q4. Also, we continually review our efficiency metrics so that we notice, for example, that one of our data centers is not performing consistently with others of similar size and locale. So we'll take a closer look at optimizing that facility. Are we using fans to cool spaces that don't need to be cooled? Is the thermostat at the right set-point? Can we reduce the time the chillers need to run while keeping the machines operational? So we apply lessons we've learned from better-performing data centers to other facilities, and several such improvements took place in Q4. For the nitty-gritty technical details, visit our <a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/green/datacenters/measuring.html">data center efficiency page</a>.<br /><br />While we've made a lot of progress in data center efficiency, we're still learning. As we continue to explore ways to use the least amount of power to do the most amount of computing, we'll continue to share our data and best practices with you. In early March we will participate in the <a href="http://www.cebit.de/homepage_e">CeBIT conference</a> where we plan to disclose more details on our sustainability efforts as part of this year's theme of "Green IT." Stay tuned.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Operations</span>

More computing, less power

In the fall we posted information about the efficiency of Google data centers and promised to update this information every quarter. We...

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An update from the Project 10^100 team

As part of our tenth birthday celebration, in September we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/project-10100.html">announced</a> Project 10^100, a call for ideas to help as many people as possible, and a program to bring the best of those ideas to life. The response we received has wowed and humbled us. People sent in more than 150,000 ideas, with submissions in all of the 25 languages for which we had a submission form. Proving that there is strength in numbers, many people submitted similar ideas for tackling big problems.<br /><br />All of this reviewing and sorting has kept Googlers around the world quite busy. Because of the sheer number of ideas we received, we were unable to compile the list of finalists in time for our January 27 target and will have to push back that announcement to March 17 (St. Patrick's Day). We apologize for the delay and encourage you to return to the <a href="http://www.project10tothe100.com/">site</a> on that date to vote for your favorite ideas. Perhaps the luck of the Irish will be with you and yours, or a similar idea will be a finalist!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> on 3/16: We will unfortunately have to delay announcing the top ideas for Project 10^100 for a while longer. We've never managed a project like this and it's taken more time than we ever imagined possible. We apologize for our over optimistic assumptions about how quickly we could analyze all the ideas that we've received, and thank everyone for their patience. We'll continue posting updates on Project 10^100 here.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Andy Berndt, Managing Director, Google Creative Lab</span>

An update from the Project 10^100 team

As part of our tenth birthday celebration, in September we announced Project 10^100, a call for ideas to help as many people as possible, a...

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A look back at spam in 2008

Most people think of "spam" as an unwelcome email that arrives – or, better yet, doesn't – in an email inbox, announcing some pesky, unsavory, or offensive opportunity that we most likely would rather not know about. But for the Google Enterprise team focused on spam that affects business (or, more accurately, on preventing it), the word means more. Looking back over 2008, a year where spam levels rose more than 25% compared with 2007, we have some memorable moments to share.<br /><br />From November's breakthrough "takedown" of a global spam proliferator to the day in April when spam hit an all-time high and the growing threat of link-borne viruses, the Google Enterprise "spam squad" (the team behind the products in our "powered by Postini" family) recaps "The Year in Spam" and provides an outlook for 2009 that might help you understand what to watch out for this year – and how you can keep email threats at bay. Head on over to the <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2009/01/2008-year-in-spam.html">Enterprise Blog</a> for more.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Ellen Petry Leanse, Google Enterprise Team</span>

A look back at spam in 2008

Most people think of "spam" as an unwelcome email that arrives – or, better yet, doesn't – in an email inbox, announcing some ...

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How to become a Dummies.com author

I am excited to announce the Knol for Dummies.com competition. I'm particularly excited about this contest because I'm an avid fan of "For Dummies" books and <a href="http://www.dummies.com/">Dummies.com</a>. For instance, as a product marketing manager, I had no experience programming when I first joined Google. And, while coding isn't part of my official job description, it quickly became apparent that knowing some basic CSS/HTML could really go a long way. So, I ordered "CSS Web Design for Dummies" and quickly learned the basics of web design. Now, on the new Dummies.com site, that same expert how-to content is available in video, photo step-by-steps, articles, and author blogs. <br /><br />Knol is a great place for individuals to share this type of how-to content. (Full disclosure: I am the product's marketing manager :-) Knols are articles written by people who are knowledgeable about specific subjects. Anyone can write one; there are <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/knol-help/knol-templates/si57lahl1w25/102#" id="lajj" title="template">templates</a> to show you how to easily get started. You can <a href="https://knol.google.com/k/knol-help/embedding-objects-in-your-knol/si57lahl1w25/86#" id="absf" title="embed media">embed media</a> to better illustrate a topic, <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/knol-help/managing-your-author-profile/si57lahl1w25/17#" id="r4dd" title="provide information about your self">provide information about yourself</a> to build your credibility, and <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/knol/knol/Help#Can_I_collaborate_with_other_authors%283F%29" id="nb-o" title="collaborate with others">collaborate with others</a> to improve your knol over time. <br /><br />And now we're offering an opportunity to have your knol featured on Dummies.com.* Simply go to the official contest page, create your own knol about a subject you know well, and the contest judges will select five finalists who will be eligible to have their knols featured on the Dummies.com site. In addition, the best entry overall will be awarded a $1,000 grand prize.<br /><br />Check out our <a title="our contest microsite" href="http://www.google.com/landing/knolfordummies/">contest microsite</a> for the Official Rules and more details. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Submissions are open through March 23, 2009.</span><br /><br />So start racking your brain and show what you know. We can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />* Subject to Official Rules, see site for details.</span><br /><span class="byline-author"><br />Posted by Matt Ghering, Product Marketing Manager<br /></span>

How to become a Dummies.com author

I am excited to announce the Knol for Dummies.com competition. I'm particularly excited about this contest because I'm an avid fan o...

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The Pope on YouTube

<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Cross-posted from the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/blog?entry=f1o091p3dk0">YouTube blog</a>)</span></span><br /><br />Today we're delighted to announce that the Vatican has launched a dedicated YouTube channel.<br /><br />To find out more about why the Pope has taken the decision to interact with YouTube on a regular basis, here is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEnO2FgbcnQ">short introduction</a> from Father Federico Lombardi, S.I., Director of Vatican Radio, the Vatican Television Centre and the Holy See Press Office.<br /><br />So, for regular updates on the Pope and the Catholic Church's take on the major problems facing the world today, subscribe to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/vatican">the Vatican on YouTube</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by The YouTube Team</span>

The Pope on YouTube

(Cross-posted from the YouTube blog ) Today we're delighted to announce that the Vatican has launched a dedicated YouTube channel. To fi...

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Announcing Google's Employee Option Exchange Program

Today we announced our plans to do something more for the people who are responsible for Google's success — our employees. Recognizing that about 85% of our employees have at least some stock options that are underwater (i.e., have an exercise price higher than the current market price of our common stock), we plan to offer our employees the opportunity to exchange those options. Our goal is to continue to reward our employees for their contributions and do everything we can to keep them engaged and focused on serving our users.<br /><br />Here's how the employee option exchange program would work:<br /><ul><li> This will be a one-for-one, voluntary exchange. Employees will be able to exchange part or all of an existing option grant for the same number of new options.</li><li> The offer period will begin on January 29, 2009 and end at 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time on March 3, 2009, unless Google is required or opts to extend the offer period.</li><li> Based on this expected timeline, employees will be able to exchange their underwater options for new options with a strike price equal to the closing price of our stock on March 2, 2009.</li><li> The new options will have a new vesting schedule that adds 12 months to the original vesting schedule. In addition, new options will vest no sooner than 6 months after the close of the offer period.</li><li> Generally, all Googlers with options are eligible to participate (Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page do not hold options) except where precluded by legal and tax issues in certain countries. We are working to address these issues and the final offer documentation will specify any countries in which we are not able to offer the program. </li><li> This option exchange program has been approved by our Board of Directors.</li></ul>The number of Google shares subject to outstanding options will not change as a result of this employee-only option exchange. The total number of options expected to be exchanged in this program represents less than 3% of total shares currently outstanding.<br /><br />We expect to take a modification charge estimated to be $460 million over the vesting periods of the new options. These vesting periods range from six months to approximately five years. This modification charge will be recorded as additional stock based compensation beginning in the first quarter of 2009. This estimate assumes an exchange price of approximately $300 per share and that all eligible underwater options will be exchanged under this program. As a result, this estimate is subject to change.<br /><br />If you're interested in learning more about this employee-only stock option exchange, we encourage you to read our related SEC filings when they become available.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The option exchange described in this post has not launched. When the option exchange begins, Google will provide employees with written materials explaining the terms and timing. Eligible optionholders should read these materials carefully when they become available because they will contain important information about the option exchange. When the offer period begins, Google will file these materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of a tender offer statement. You will be able to obtain these written materials and other documents filed by Google with the SEC free of charge from the SEC's website at <a href="http://www.sec.gov/">www.sec.gov</a>. The $300 exchange price provided above is intended as an example only. We expect that the actual modification charge we take as a result of the option exchange will be determined based on the exercise price and number of options exchanged as well as the closing price of our stock on March 2, 2009, unless Google is required or opts to extend the offer period. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> @ 6:41 PM: Our <a href="http://services.google.com/blog_resources/google_external_faq_openexchange.pdf">FAQ</a> on the option exchange program is now available.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> on 2/5: On February 3, 2009, Google launched the option exchange program. Please note that the dates in this post are no longer valid. Written materials explaining the terms and updated timing of the option exchange are available on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at <a href="http://www.sec.gov/">www.sec.gov</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Laszlo Bock, VP, People Operations<br /></span>

Announcing Google's Employee Option Exchange Program

Today we announced our plans to do something more for the people who are responsible for Google's success — our employees. Recognizing ...

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Back to the energy future

In 1979 President Jimmy Carter installed 32 solar hot water panels on the roof of the White House. Recently a Googler from our Washington D.C. office asked the question, "What ever happened to the Carter panels?" After a little digging, we were able to track down the original panels to <a href="http://www.unity.edu/">Unity College</a>, an environmental college in Maine, and bring one of them back to Washington D.C.<br /><br />So what ever happened to the panels? It turns out that during President Reagan's administration the solar hot water panels were removed from the White House in 1986 and placed in storage. In 1992, Unity College located the panels and transferred them from a General Services Administration warehouse to their campus in Maine. After restoration,16 panels provided their cafeteria with hot water for the next 12 years. In cooperation with Unity College, Google was able to bring one of these panels down to our Washington DC office for display throughout the next year.<br /><br />At the panels' dedication in 1979, Jimmy Carter stated:<br /><br />"This dependence on foreign sources of oil is of great concern to all of us. In the year 2000, this solar water heater behind me, which is being dedicated today, will still be here supplying cheap, efficient energy. A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people." (To watch video of the dedication, check out this <a href="http://www.roadnottaken.info/">trailer</a> for a movie about the panels).<br /><br />As we welcome our new U.S. president to office this week, we wanted to share this piece of this history with you. Google is committed to a <a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/green/">clean energy future</a> and we hope that you will join us in supporting the creation and adoption of renewable energy technology — what could still be one of the greatest and most exciting adventures for all of us. <br /><br />Check out these photos of the panels at Unity College and at Google's Washington DC office.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fgblogphotos%2Falbumid%2F5293873593398257329%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Alice Ryan, Green Energy Project Manager</span>

Back to the energy future

In 1979 President Jimmy Carter installed 32 solar hot water panels on the roof of the White House. Recently a Googler from our Washington D...

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Explore New York City with Google -- from your home, phone, and in person

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">[From time to time we invite guests to blog about initiatives of interest, and are very pleased to have Mayor Bloomberg join us here. – Ed.]</span></span><br /><br />This is New York City: the ultimate destination and home to world-class hotels, dining, shopping, arts, entertainment and more.<br /><br />In partnership with Google, we are launching a new website and Information Center to help make it easier for both visitors and residents to explore all the energy, excitement and diversity of New York City's five boroughs. <a href="http://nycgo.com/">nycgo.com</a> is the official resource on the web for all there is to see, do and experience in the City. This dynamic site uses Google Maps to help you plan your New York experience and find hotels, restaurants and entertainment, in addition to exclusive citywide savings and promotions. With nycgo.com you can use Google Maps to get directions to attractions throughout the City, and even send the info to your phone with <a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/default/maps.html">Google Maps for mobile</a>.<br /><br />While you're in New York, stop by the brand new Official New York City Information Center at <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=810+7th+Ave,+New+York,+NY+10019&sll=40.762682,-73.98215&sspn=0.009621,0.022745&g=810+7th+Ave,+New+York,+NY+10019&ie=UTF8&ll=40.762715,-73.982148&spn=0.009621,0.022745&z=16&iwloc=addr">810 Seventh Avenue</a>, between 52nd and 53rd Streets. The Information Center features interactive map tables, powered by the <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/flash/">Google Maps API for Flash</a>, that let you navigate venues and attractions as well as create personalized itineraries, which can be printed, emailed or sent to mobile devices. Additionally, there's a gigantic video wall that utilizes Google Earth to display a 3D model of New York City on which you can map out personalized itineraries.<br /><br />So whether you are a visitor or a resident, we invite you to explore New York City from your home computer, your mobile phone—and of course, in person.<br /><br />Get started by taking a look at this video:<br /><br /><object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M-rfH-UrC-s&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M-rfH-UrC-s&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="295" width="480"></embed></object>

Explore New York City with Google -- from your home, phone, and in person

Posted by Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City [From time to time we invite guests to blog about initiatives of interest, and are very ...

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Search findings from the U.S. presidential inauguration

Today, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. As we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/search-findings-from-third-presidential.html" id="z-ih" title="observed">observed</a> throughout the presidential campaign, many people in the U.S. turned to <a href="http://www.google.com/" id="rybr" title="Google Web Search">Google Search</a> to find information. During the inauguration, top queries included <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=live+inauguration+coverage" id="lgqa" title="live inauguration coverage">live inauguration coverage</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=inauguration+day+2009+streaming" id="lgqa" title="inauguration day 2009 streaming">inauguration day 2009 streaming</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=listen+to+inauguration+live" id="aq3o" title="listen to inauguration live">listen to inauguration live</a>, and many others.<br /><br />However, interest in the inauguration was not only confined to the United States. Twelve percent of inauguration-related queries came from outside the United States as thousands worldwide used Google to find ways to watch the event. From Latin America, we received queries like <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=es&q=toma+de+posesion+de+Barack+Obama+en+vivo" id="h9x5" title="toma de posesion de Barack Obama en vivo">toma de posesion de Barack Obama en vivo</a> (inauguration of Barack Obama live -- Spanish) and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=pt-BR&q=posse+de+Obama" id="e438" title="posse de Obama">posse de Obama</a> (inauguration of Obama -- Portuguese). Similarly in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, people interested in the inauguration searched for <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=de&q=amtseinf%C3%BChrung" id="uupx" title="amtseinführung">amtseinführung</a> (inauguration -- German), <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=nl&q=inauguratie" id="sau2" title="inauguratie">inauguratie</a> (inauguration -- Dutch), <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=es&q=investidura" id="w7-k" title="investidura">investidura</a> (inauguration -- Spanish), <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=iw&q=%09%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%A7+%D7%90%D7%95%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%94" title="ברק אובמה">ברק אובמה</a> (Barack introduction -- Hebrew), <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=ar&q=%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7" id="po1o" title="اوباما">اوباما</a> (Obama -- Arabic), and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=fr&q=investiture" id="ye2y" title="investiture">investiture</a> (inauguration -- French). And even though it was very early in their day, users in Asia and Australia were still interested in watching the festivities, with queries like <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=zh-CN&q=%E5%A5%A5%E5%B7%B4%E9%A9%AC%E5%B0%B1%E8%81%8C%E5%85%B8%E7%A4%BC%E7%9B%B4%E6%92%AD">奥巴马就职典礼直播</a> (Obama inauguration broadcast -- Chinese) and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=inauguration+timetable" id="asak" title="inauguration timetable">inauguration timetable</a>.<br /><br />While President Obama was certainly the central player in today's events, searchers were also interested in the other people who took part in the ceremony. In particular, people wanted more information on the religious leaders who spoke: <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=rick+warren" id="n46y" title="Dr. Rick Warren">Dr. Rick Warren</a>, who gave the invocation, and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=joseph+lowery" id="q1kk" title="Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery">Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery</a>, who gave the benediction. Additionally, there was a lot of interest in some of the artists who performed: <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=aretha+franklin" id="i.7y" title="Aretha Franklin">Aretha Franklin</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=elizabeth+alexander" id="x2r-" title="Elizabeth Alexander">Elizabeth Alexander</a>, and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=yo+yo+ma" id="i5g2" title="Yo Yo Ma">Yo-Yo Ma</a>. They also sought to know more about <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=dianne+feinstein" id="qo1y" title="Senator Dianne Feinstein">Senator Dianne Feinstein</a>, who presided over the ceremony as chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=john+roberts" id="evhe" title="Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.">Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.</a>, who swore in President Obama. (Click on the images to see a larger version.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVqPVW4tFuRQ2elIzy9Mi35vX7atzaCr5aIp7n8zhSFgK7UrEbYgk14zlUIIfKT_vOE_NGwVGVdi7xwhdmkVlrgWyhC5YZVBosRMlptiCGd5kaCEgqEJzBuNCi9Y-CO_C06Nqd0dJn3j7/s1600-h/people.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293639733738277122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVqPVW4tFuRQ2elIzy9Mi35vX7atzaCr5aIp7n8zhSFgK7UrEbYgk14zlUIIfKT_vOE_NGwVGVdi7xwhdmkVlrgWyhC5YZVBosRMlptiCGd5kaCEgqEJzBuNCi9Y-CO_C06Nqd0dJn3j7/s320/people.png" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" /></a><br />During the last nine years, the growth of the Internet has changed the way the world seeks information. From President Bush's first inaugural address in 2001 to his second in 2005, the number of inauguration-related searches increased by more than a factor of ten. From 2005 to today's address, the number grew even more. Few of the 2001 queries requested "video," and none requested streaming. By 2005, a few queries such as <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=inauguration+audio" id="m.7v" title="inauguration audio">inauguration audio</a> and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=streaming+video+of+inauguration" id="x80a" title="streaming video of inauguration">streaming video of inauguration</a> appeared. Today, technology has become so prevalant that queries such as <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=YouTube+live+inauguration" id="y88k" title="YouTube live inauguration">YouTube live inauguration</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=live+blogging+inauguration" id="ga.1" title="live blogging inauguration">live blogging inauguration</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=inaugural+podcast" id="sp8k" title="inaugural podcast">inaugural podcast</a>, and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Obama+inaugural+speech+mp3" id="oa_." title="Obama inaugural speech mp3">Obama inaugural speech mp3</a> formed one-third of all inauguration-related queries.<br /><br />Finally, this graph demonstrates one other interesting search pattern that we saw: the overall query volume of Google searches dropped in the U.S. from the time President Obama took the oath of office until the end of his inaugural speech, demonstrating that all eyes were on today's festivities.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFmx_puzbMvjQdtYaAvGhMOUci_Gveeya9hIhJhbXJwFDlWm1D6bl_IbrHLKIlzLEiTLFvTdn1oRe_Z8Wu2XoCgfxkP1WIu6_Ct7CtIakbxN7Y98JW3pD-LIbLQsgOGt4jA1G_24b-KOY/s1600-h/query_vol.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293640082138421330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFmx_puzbMvjQdtYaAvGhMOUci_Gveeya9hIhJhbXJwFDlWm1D6bl_IbrHLKIlzLEiTLFvTdn1oRe_Z8Wu2XoCgfxkP1WIu6_Ct7CtIakbxN7Y98JW3pD-LIbLQsgOGt4jA1G_24b-KOY/s320/query_vol.png" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 191px;" /></a><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Jeffrey Oldham, Software Engineer, and Fred Leach, Quantitative Marketing Manager</span>

Search findings from the U.S. presidential inauguration

Today, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. As we observed throughout the presidential campaign...

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A day on, not a day off

Today, Americans celebrate the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day">birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.</a> One of the chief elements of the day, as expressed by Dr. King and manifested in recent years, is marking the day as a <a href="http://www.mlkday.gov/">National Day of Service</a>. The credo of a national service day is "a day on, not a day off," and citizens are encouraged to contribute their time and talents to community organizations in some way. A website <a href="http://usaservice.org/pages/about/">USAService.org</a> offers a <a href="http://www.google.com/ig/adde?synd=open&source=ggyp&moduleurl=inaugmap.appspot.com/xml/inaugmap2.xml">Google gadget</a>, from which you can <a href="http://usaservice.org/page/content/eventsearch">find a service event near you</a> that needs your help, or <a href="http://usaservice.org/page/event/create">create your own</a>. Inform others of your activities with text messages, and <a href="http://usaservice.org/page/s/eventfeedback">share your photos and feedback</a>.<br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6HSiYV6yBl6bCm3fT9vSfjEilCKqjaC4O7rWjPTXLRPTSDmmcgW6B-oKD5mRlwkFsOiqlSwRdIcAxQZy2sYpDmdV7QFDbfJyBwVDM7Vbx4B7jNOU6etMoCuKdHu54QrkXMS8_kXmPBPj/s1600-h/MLKDay_gadget.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6HSiYV6yBl6bCm3fT9vSfjEilCKqjaC4O7rWjPTXLRPTSDmmcgW6B-oKD5mRlwkFsOiqlSwRdIcAxQZy2sYpDmdV7QFDbfJyBwVDM7Vbx4B7jNOU6etMoCuKdHu54QrkXMS8_kXmPBPj/s320/MLKDay_gadget.gif" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /><br />Remember, too, that the need for your skills and energy is great, and extends well beyond today. Please consider <a href="http://usaservice.org/page/content/opportunities/">these organizations</a> for future volunteer opportunities.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Karen Wickre, Google Blog team</span></div>

A day on, not a day off

Today, Americans celebrate the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the chief elements of the day, as expressed by Dr. King ...

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100,000th knol published

A few weeks ago the 100,000th knol was published, and we figured now is an excellent time to reflect on the first five months of Knol's existence.<br /><br />Knols are authoritative articles about specific topics, written by people who know about those subjects. Since <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/knol-is-open-to-everyone.html" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139);" title="Knol announcement">the start of the project</a>, we've seen articles written on everything from <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/ralph-metson/sinus-infections-sinusitis/pi3gI5WQ/Jy8bHA" id="m1-y" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139);" title="sinus infections">sinus infections</a> and <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/russell-potter/arctic-exploration/2lw7dgtyidtqb/2" id="uvfd" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139);" title="Arctic exploration">Arctic exploration</a> to <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/andrew-thomson/long-distance-motorcycle-riding/1kuc8mjxx9lte/2" id="dfa9" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139);" title="long distance motorcycle riding">long distance motorcycle riding</a> and <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/klaus-rohde/the-amphilinidea-a-small-group-of/xk923bc3gp4/21" id="dfa9" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139);" title="The Amphilinidea">the Amphilinidea</a>.<br /><br />The Knol interface is now available in eight languages (Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish) and we are excited that our users are helping us translate it into many more languages using the <a href="http://www.google.com/transconsole" id="us37" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139);" title="Google in Your Language">Google in Your Language</a> console. Encouraging people to contribute their knowledge online is particularly important for languages with limited web content, and we are glad to see that knols have been written in 59 different languages to date. It has been very exciting to have people all over the world come forward to help improve online content in their language.<br /><br />We have worked quickly to incorporate the features most requested by our early authors, such as usage stats showing reader activity on knols and rich media embedding (videos, spreadsheets, forms, slideshows, etc.). All of these improvements are tracked in our <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/1ng4pryc7bgdb/11" id="t0bp" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139);" title="Knol Announcement and Release Notes">Announcement and Release Notes</a>.<br /><br />We are happy to see that most authors choose to accept moderated edits from their audience and that the volume of suggested edits from readers is steadily growing. So if you find yourself reading a knol and want to suggest an improvement, go ahead and press that edit button! You will be able to make the desired changes directly in the knol, and the author(s) will be able to review and act upon your suggestions. We look forward to seeing this new mode of online collaboration used more widely.<br /><br />People visit Knol from 197 countries and territories on an average day, from the Aland Islands and Antarctica to Zambia and Zimbabwe. We welcome you to share your knowledge with the world and <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/" id="lw3v" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139);" title="write a knol">write a knol</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Cedric Dupont, Product Manager, and Michael McNally, Software Engineer</span>

100,000th knol published

A few weeks ago the 100,000th knol was published, and we figured now is an excellent time to reflect on the first five months of Knol's ...

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Building engineers

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">We believe great ideas can come from anywhere and everyone. And we aspire to be an organization that reflects global diversity, because we know that a world's worth of perspectives, ideas and cultures leads to the creation of better products and services. We have more than a dozen employee-driven resource groups, from Gayglers to GWE (Google Women Engineers), that actively participate around the world in building community and driving policy at Google. This is the next post in our <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/search/label/diversity">Interface series</a>, which takes a look at valuing people's similarities and differences in the workplace. For more information on how Google fosters an inclusive work environment, visit <a href="http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/static.py?page=about.html">Life at Google</a> on our Jobs site. – Ed.</span></span><br /><br />As someone who has been building technology for more than 15 years, I know firsthand what a positive impact building hardware or software with a small team in an agile environment can have. I was only exposed to this type of work during grad school, and have since been actively involved in getting young people interested in science and technology. This year Google has enthusiastically supported my initiative to bring a local group of girls closer to technology through the <a href="http://www.usfirst.org/what/frc/default.aspx?id=366">FIRST Robotics Competition</a>.<br /><br />"People claim that only with the perspective of years can you know how much influence a particular event has had on you," Tal Tzangen says and proceeds to explain how she is convinced her participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition last year has significantly changed the course of her life. Tal, a 17 year old girl from a rural part of Israel, was taking technology courses at her school, not because she was particularly interested in technology but because the other options seemed even less appealing to her. Although Israel is also known as "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Wadi">Silicon Wadi</a>," Tal thought technology was "just for geeks." Last year she agreed to be a member of a newly forming FIRST team, not knowing what she was letting herself in for.<br /><br />The competition involves 1,686 teams from more than 42,000 high schools spanning the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Turkey, and the U.K. Each team has six weeks to build a robot from a common kit of parts provided by FIRST. Then, they compete with other robots in a new game devised each year.<br /><br />Before Tal knew it, she was "bit by the bug." During the weeks of preparation, she spent days and nights at school learning about robotics and teamwork with her peers and mentors. Her team had won the regional competitions and were seeking funding for the finals in Atlanta when I met her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZCOEaaA4jyIPlibt-vgfWf_q0c3Ajpby5AjZHK6elRqjyECEfwFHQIf5jkM2e21k_GNuiunHIvghv-thkHPw3qWsAm6fLPSgFInMW8AmtX6EnEufG5K9cuqPr9f5denatVpwRTNhq9b9/s1600-h/IMG_2090.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291654394473927458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZCOEaaA4jyIPlibt-vgfWf_q0c3Ajpby5AjZHK6elRqjyECEfwFHQIf5jkM2e21k_GNuiunHIvghv-thkHPw3qWsAm6fLPSgFInMW8AmtX6EnEufG5K9cuqPr9f5denatVpwRTNhq9b9/s320/IMG_2090.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">Tal, center, and her team members work on their robot's transmission system.<br /></div></span><br />This year Tal is the captain of the Google-sponsored Thunderbolts team, and one of her goals has been to get as many girls involved as possible. As she puts it, "I certainly don't mind the company of my male peers, but I know that girls also have a lot to contribute in this domain." The current team includes 24 students, eight of them girls (last year there were only two). Recruiting girls has been challenging since there are very few in the technical track in high school. She has enlisted some pre-high school girls with the hope of serving as a role model to them. Likewise, she has encouraged the forming of a FIRST LEGO<span style="font-size:85%;"></span> team (9-14 year olds) to ensure the "next generation" for the Robotics Competition.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2A6cp0aW7_zP_vW3XXq3SSmEOQbVw9lJf-5XRGXG0UEihATIB0SG7-vU50QCWtCOgBZnyI1feLV1kC0xGqSKG9FKq09ZMrV5KRaL2HDpUASqmahoJ5YmhlpCNT-2AzoaHvX3Yaw44RDuH/s1600-h/IMG_2046.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291654403837436114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2A6cp0aW7_zP_vW3XXq3SSmEOQbVw9lJf-5XRGXG0UEihATIB0SG7-vU50QCWtCOgBZnyI1feLV1kC0xGqSKG9FKq09ZMrV5KRaL2HDpUASqmahoJ5YmhlpCNT-2AzoaHvX3Yaw44RDuH/s320/IMG_2046.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">The Thunderbolt team.<br /></div></span><br />The world kickoff for this year's competition took place on January 3rd, followed by the Israeli kickoff the following day. Regardless of how far they get in the competition this year, Israel is a country where high tech, engineering, science and entrepreneurship thrive, and Tal and her Thunderbolts are a growing part of this culture.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Natalia Marmasse, Software Engineer, Haifa office</span>

Building engineers

We believe great ideas can come from anywhere and everyone. And we aspire to be an organization that reflects global diversity, because we k...

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Supporting equality

In September of last year, Google <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/our-position-on-californias-no-on-8.html">announced</a> its opposition to California's <a href="http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/title-sum/prop8-title-sum.htm">Proposition 8</a>. While the campaign was emotionally charged and difficult for both sides, in the wake of the election many were concerned with the impact Proposition 8 could have on the personal lives of people they work with every day, and on California's ability to attract and retain a diverse mix of employees from around the world.<br /><br />That's why we've signed an <a href="http://www.nclrights.org/amicigoogle">amicus brief</a> (PDF file) in support of several cases currently challenging Proposition 8 in the California Supreme Court. Denying employees basic rights isn't right, and it isn't good for businesses. We are committed to preserving fundamental rights for every one of the people who work hard to make Google a success. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.nclrights.org/businessesoverturn8">join us</a> in continuing to fight for equality for all Californians. <br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Kent Walker, General Counsel</span>

Supporting equality

In September of last year, Google announced its opposition to California's Proposition 8 . While the campaign was emotionally charged ...

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Making your personalized homepage even more personal

The holidays have passed, but if you're anything like me, you've got a gold mine of bear hugs and embarrassing moments captured on film. My holidays wouldn't be the same without Tabby, our family cat, who has been part of the winter festivities for 10 years. Over the holidays, we caught Tabby sticking out his tongue at the family get-together! Below is one of those prized moments I wanted to post everywhere, including on my personalized homepage:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoLCONqoXemvH_gH-JOV_q8VNWTLdDYyTGaHDeL_l8eGwBuA0S9ZQhy6pWqZstp5kU9EjWkvh03Sa0d6DPFJTIffNu-ZH6loRyUFasy4BWboBQVaMBGjpn31Xsv26AQTKZiNu_-etPScR/s1600-h/igoogle+theme+maker+photo.PNG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291610263873247666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoLCONqoXemvH_gH-JOV_q8VNWTLdDYyTGaHDeL_l8eGwBuA0S9ZQhy6pWqZstp5kU9EjWkvh03Sa0d6DPFJTIffNu-ZH6loRyUFasy4BWboBQVaMBGjpn31Xsv26AQTKZiNu_-etPScR/s400/igoogle+theme+maker+photo.PNG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" /></a><br />Now, you too can capture memories and images on your iGoogle homepage by building a custom theme. We've just released our <a href="http://www.google.com/ig/tm">new tool</a> for creating iGoogle themes. It's an easy way for iGoogle users to spruce up their personalized homepage without needing to know how to use XML, etc. All you need is an image, and we'll provide the rest.<br /><br />The theme-building tool has a simple interface for uploading your photo from your desktop, Picasa Web Album, or the web. Once you've chosen a photo, the builder provides a basic set of tools to help you create your theme:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Image Cropping</span> - Crop your favorite photo to fit your iGoogle theme </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Color Schemes</span> - Pick colors to complement your photo </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Real-time Preview</span> - See immediate feedback of your changes to swiftly fine-tune your theme </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Public and Private Publishing</span> - Choose who gets to see your original themes, whether it's just you, or if you want to share them with the world</li></ul>Once your theme is created, it's immediately added to your iGoogle page for you to enjoy.<br /><br />We hope you have fun customizing your iGoogle homepage with your favorite images, whether they're photos of your pets or places you've visited, drawings, designs, cartoons — or whatever else your heart desires.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> on 1/16 @ 10:30 AM: A number of people are having trouble accessing our theme-builder tool. We're currently working on the issue, and we'll post here as soon as it's up and running again. We're sorry for the delay, and we'd like to thank everyone who let us know they had trouble accessing this feature.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update </span>on 1/22 @ 4:25 PM: Our theme-builder tool is now available to anyone in the U.S. who has their language default set to English, and we hope to release this feature in other languages and countries soon. Thanks for bearing with us, and we'll keep you posted on further updates.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Kathleen Ko, iGoogle Engineer</span>

Making your personalized homepage even more personal

The holidays have passed, but if you're anything like me, you've got a gold mine of bear hugs and embarrassing moments captured on f...

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Hear how Illinois State University uses Google Search

Search functionality is a critical part of higher education websites due to the diverse audiences that these sites serve. Current and prospective students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other communities come to these sites to seek a wide range of information. Even with the best navigational scheme, it is a challenge to make all of this information findable, which makes accurate search a huge boost to website effectiveness.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/index.html">Google Apps</a> adoption in higher education has been steadily climbing (3 million users and counting), and we're really excited to see more and more universities using the <a href="http://www.google.com/enterprise/gsa/">Google Search Appliance</a> (GSA) to power high-quality search on their websites. Like Google.com, the search appliance can search public pages on a website, but it can also find information in databases, content systems, business applications, and other sources, which opens up a whole range of options for making all kinds of information easily accessible. For example, <a href="http://www.google.com/enterprise/gsa/illinois.html">Illinois State University</a> uses the Google Search Appliance to create a "Course Finder" tool for their current and prospective students. This tool delivers up-to-the minute course information to more than 20,000 students, 1,000 faculty members, and the public at-large. It provides users with a friendly, easy-to-use interface for finding class and schedule data stored on the university's mainframe. Students can easily fine-tune searches to specify departments, time slots, and instructors, all using the familiar Google interface.<br /><br />When <span style="font-style: italic;">Campus Technology</span>, a leading publication addressing technology trends in universities, invited us to showcase the capabilities of the Google Search Appliance in an upcoming <a href="https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=124002&sessionid=1&key=ED57896312850ADBDCFB1957C2BA19A5&partnerref=resources&sourcepage=register">webinar</a>, we immediately turned to our friends at Illinois State to share their great example. We invite you to <a href="https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=124002&sessionid=1&key=ED57896312850ADBDCFB1957C2BA19A5&partnerref=resources&sourcepage=register">join us online</a> on Wednesday, January 21st, at 11:00 am PST, to hear Illinois State University talk about their experience with GSA. We'll also be sharing information about Google Apps for higher education, so if you're interested in that front, be sure to mark your calendars as well. <br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Vijay Koduri, Product Marketing Manager, Google Search Appliance</span>

Hear how Illinois State University uses Google Search

Search functionality is a critical part of higher education websites due to the diverse audiences that these sites serve. Current and prospe...

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Changes to recruiting

As we made clear during our last quarterly earnings call in October, Google is still hiring but at a reduced rate. Given the state of the economy, we recognized that we needed fewer people focused on hiring. <br /><br />Our first step to address this was to wind down almost all our contracts with external contractors and vendors providing recruiting services for Google. However, after much consideration, we have with great regret decided that we need to go further and reduce the overall size of our recruiting organization by approximately 100 positions. <br /><br />We know this change will be very difficult for the people concerned, and we hope that many of them will be able to find new roles at Google. They helped build this company, new hire by new hire, and we are enormously grateful for everything they have done. <br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Laszlo Bock, Vice President, People Operations</span>

Changes to recruiting

As we made clear during our last quarterly earnings call in October, Google is still hiring but at a reduced rate. Given the state of the e...

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Changes to engineering

At Google we recognized early on that branching out beyond Mountain View was key to building innovative products for users everywhere. That's why we put so much effort into hiring outstanding engineers in a wide mix of countries. Having offices distributed around the globe is critical to Google's long-term success, and today we have thousands of engineers working in 40 offices in more than 20 countries. It has enabled us to make significant improvements in our products and attract more users globally.<br /><br />It has also presented unique challenges. The most difficult of these being to coordinate our efforts across all geographies, and provide engineers with significant, meaningful projects that make a real difference to people's lives. Last September we asked engineers in <span style="font-family:arial;"></span><a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/changes-in-phoenix.html">Phoenix, Arizona</a> to move to other offices, and the vast majority have done so. This move enabled us to build larger and more effective teams, reduce communication overhead, and give engineers increased options for future projects. Today we are doing the same thing in Austin, Texas; Trondheim, Norway; and Lulea, Sweden. Our strong desire is to keep as many of these 70 engineering employees at Google as possible. However, we do recognize the upheaval and heartache that these changes may have on Google families, and that we may not be able to keep 100% of these exceptional employees.<br /><br />Our long-term goal is not to trim the number of people we have working on engineering projects or reduce our global presence, but create a smaller number of more effective engineering sites, which will ensure that innovation and speed remain at our core.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Alan Eustace, Senior Vice President, Engineering & Research<br /></span>

Changes to engineering

At Google we recognized early on that branching out beyond Mountain View was key to building innovative products for users everywhere. That...

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Make over your site using the wisdom of the crowd

It used to be that the design of a website was always left to a single web designer and some good ideas, but with <a href="http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer/">Google Website Optimizer</a>, Google's free testing and optimization tool, a website can harness the input of thousands of its visitors to produce results that really matter.<br /><br />Last June <a href="http://websiteoptimizer.blogspot.com/2008/06/pump-up-your-site-with-website-workout.html">we announced</a> the Website Workout contest to see which of our AdWords advertisers wanted to give their sites an extreme makeover. After asking thousands of advertisers why their sites needed makeovers, we chose four of the most compelling cases, and they were paired with consultants who helped them set up experiments using Website Optimizer.<br /><br />Website Optimizer allows you to create multiple versions of your webpage (maybe one version with a red button and one with a blue) and evaluate which variation best meets your goals (whether that is sign-ups, purchases, or simply having visitors click to another page). The tool uses traffic data and advanced statistical formulas to figure out, according to your visitors, what makes your website the most useful.<br /><br />Well, we are happy to announce the winners of the Website Workout contest and share some videos highlighting their experiences. Be sure to <a href="http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer/workout/index.html">check them out</a>, you might be surprised by what sorts of changes can make a big difference.<br /><br />For example, by changing the layout of their product page, <a href="http://www.colonialcandle.com/">Colonial Candle</a> was able to increase the number of candles they sold by 20% and improve sales by $20,000 in one month.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Before Optimization</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">(click on the images for larger versions)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOEJFydcW1-7I_HIiD-uMYLld7v1ijlKI2R5j6f5ip0hxq-pjr8L0YTt6IkoTNpNmjhFeE7-VJ7rrtzds6cQvBGALoiPRPbxa21lHJozbcRMZFpV-VUEMPj6v90wLJEBUUIQ8JE5hfVVt/s1600-h/colonialcandle_before.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291188831415547202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOEJFydcW1-7I_HIiD-uMYLld7v1ijlKI2R5j6f5ip0hxq-pjr8L0YTt6IkoTNpNmjhFeE7-VJ7rrtzds6cQvBGALoiPRPbxa21lHJozbcRMZFpV-VUEMPj6v90wLJEBUUIQ8JE5hfVVt/s400/colonialcandle_before.png" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 363px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">After Optimization</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuGAhcwA4BuhEzlCfSzk6xmD-kNwD2Ebtb1uA2RQjWPzij5SGfZa8tgMqq8b7Ftg1oM-T4Q3syyzPhTQ7NMnAm_bRvrVNLcLwCBeabXcyarA84yqJmOZkrhpTSByhLtFgYRASynUoXT_J/s1600-h/colonialcandle_after.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291189043216506546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuGAhcwA4BuhEzlCfSzk6xmD-kNwD2Ebtb1uA2RQjWPzij5SGfZa8tgMqq8b7Ftg1oM-T4Q3syyzPhTQ7NMnAm_bRvrVNLcLwCBeabXcyarA84yqJmOZkrhpTSByhLtFgYRASynUoXT_J/s400/colonialcandle_after.png" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 143px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Check out the <a href="http://websiteoptimizer.blogspot.com/">Website Optimizer Blog</a> for more information.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Andrew Gomez, Associate Product Marketing Manager</span>

Make over your site using the wisdom of the crowd

It used to be that the design of a website was always left to a single web designer and some good ideas, but with Google Website Optimizer ,...

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Network effects: Introducing the Google Apps Authorized Reseller Program

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lifvfxrhvBlLl9IhrQzM6bCHG_gol5MZ0y-IlWWIVRmFCgjCdn7nHYZ9-WorY1iKEu7sADKIYqEh1EP2lV5DC516NNFgabsYAdtREFuoeRk3LOvUezT08NNZikDi3UGPKMSOU8ux8Fv_/s1600-h/ID03-0901_Apps-Reseller-logo_Final.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290945946928228978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lifvfxrhvBlLl9IhrQzM6bCHG_gol5MZ0y-IlWWIVRmFCgjCdn7nHYZ9-WorY1iKEu7sADKIYqEh1EP2lV5DC516NNFgabsYAdtREFuoeRk3LOvUezT08NNZikDi3UGPKMSOU8ux8Fv_/s400/ID03-0901_Apps-Reseller-logo_Final.JPG" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 110px; height: 121px;" /></a><br />Just under two years ago we launched <a href="http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/index.html">Google Apps for businesses</a>, offering a set of products that enable secure and cost-effective applications in the cloud. Fast-forward to today and our expanded Google Apps suite is used by more than 1 million businesses, with 3,000 new companies signing up each day.<br /><br />How'd we get here? Through constant innovation (100 <a href="http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/latest_info.html">new features</a> and counting), growing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JZus5bvC3M">enthusiasm</a> for cloud computing, and a partner network that provides our customers with complementary products, training, and integration.<br /><br />Given this strong demand, we believe there's a great opportunity to do even more by helping IT solution providers grow their business opportunities around cloud computing. As we got our sea legs, we started slowly with a core group of partners who've been key trusted advisers in customer deployments, such as at Genentech and Hamilton Beach. We're now expanding this ecosystem to help more IT professionals build cloud computing expertise. Today we're excited to <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20090114_googleapps_reseller.html">announce</a> the Google Apps Authorized Reseller Program. With this release, solution providers globally can take advantage of tools that enable bundling of sales, customization and support for Google Apps Premier Edition for customers of all sizes.<br /><br />We've adapted this program to complement resellers' current business models. Authorized Resellers have the flexibility to combine their existing services with Google Apps. With cloud-based Google Apps there is no new hardware or software to maintain. The Authorized Reseller program benefits include:<br /><ul><li>owning the customer relationship and billing structure</li><li>providing consulting, service management and end-user support</li><li>receiving a recurring discount on the annual Google Apps licensing fee</li><li>receiving marketing, sales and technical training from Google<br /></li></ul>We've been fine-tuning the program for the past few months, working with more than 50 pilot resellers to make sure it's a good fit with our partners' needs. We're excited about the new opportunities that cloud computing is creating for IT solution providers, and we encourage you to visit our <a href="http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/resellers/index.html">program site</a> to learn more about the program and apply.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Paul Slakey, Director of Enterprise Channels</span>

Network effects: Introducing the Google Apps Authorized Reseller Program

Just under two years ago we launched Google Apps for businesses , offering a set of products that enable secure and cost-effective applicati...

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Gingerbread Competition results are in

<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(Cross-posted from the <a href="http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2009/01/gingerbread-results-are-in.html">SketchUp blog</a>)</span><br /><br />Having spent some time perusing the entries for the <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/gingerbread-architecture-for-all.html">SketchUp Gingerbread House Design Competition</a>, we've reached a verdict – but it wasn't easy. Your models are (as expected) beautiful. For what it's worth, I accidentally ate part of my computer screen while we were judging. Drum roll please...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First Prize </span><br /><a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a1c6a6f493a5efbc624d1a1f34589b50">Gingerbread House</a> by <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?uq=05584248175020945258">Skeat</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaUg7ItxMYwGZcqqBz7cxGqLxyl2K4IkjeipOxRk4BzchPcZwW5vYoMgLKn81oYRIB9c4aRNZ1e6tP6nIlIcJWJeZblXVRinbeo28NO_0WN2sEKukO1cYSmCo5RQn5nklD2OTl4KOxmEL/s1600-h/First.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290920664668265570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaUg7ItxMYwGZcqqBz7cxGqLxyl2K4IkjeipOxRk4BzchPcZwW5vYoMgLKn81oYRIB9c4aRNZ1e6tP6nIlIcJWJeZblXVRinbeo28NO_0WN2sEKukO1cYSmCo5RQn5nklD2OTl4KOxmEL/s400/First.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 133px;" /></a><br />An absolutely beautiful use of the base model, in combination with some of the supplied dynamic candy components, to create an entirely believable construction. This is a gingerbread house that aficionados – analog and digital alike – can admire. It's also a skillful use of SketchUp.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Second Prize</span><br /><a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=c7f14f99176a6e958e0e26165e58cace">Temple of Gingerbread</a> by <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?uq=02928116444811917472">t</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvBoxRVt0eAkVVhNv_SoPpx0JytY6MYOSqTiYcvfdInG4OalgXMNdXNMMPHKq1dGlMDLsbT4ADg49GjUOOiws3W-bQpBNZcZy3GBgqR6pZfpGrqZ-2w0WNhJGfDLUodgUjtcCpA6RM0i3/s1600-h/Second.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290921247061766626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvBoxRVt0eAkVVhNv_SoPpx0JytY6MYOSqTiYcvfdInG4OalgXMNdXNMMPHKq1dGlMDLsbT4ADg49GjUOOiws3W-bQpBNZcZy3GBgqR6pZfpGrqZ-2w0WNhJGfDLUodgUjtcCpA6RM0i3/s400/Second.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 133px;" /></a><br />With this model, it's all about the details. The pediment (the triangular part of the roof) contains a scene of gingerbread people. The entablature (sits between the columns and the roof) is heavily ornamented and altogether believable. When you go inside, there's an altar to a gingerbread deity. This entry is complete both in concept and execution. Gingerbread Vitruvius would be proud.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Third Prize</span><br /><a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=d568e6d83b30f5bea6020a79cc113bd3">Gingerbread2009 Disaster</a> by <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?uq=03865255245794197346">kiwijbob</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMTXC149T-baIukrRZglD0KJ94P-B_5fXVeYtdeCTUJz5CuFQPkwe-PPJxZ9fL-Lc-NqioUCeMORzRpUzTRu_4UO5vWA8nZuIXvO7DLhUQikf6I1A8g4lS0kXLlXBERlxgeo8enwdAb6q/s1600-h/Third.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290921460684435538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMTXC149T-baIukrRZglD0KJ94P-B_5fXVeYtdeCTUJz5CuFQPkwe-PPJxZ9fL-Lc-NqioUCeMORzRpUzTRu_4UO5vWA8nZuIXvO7DLhUQikf6I1A8g4lS0kXLlXBERlxgeo8enwdAb6q/s400/Third.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" /></a><br />This one made us laugh. The house itself is intricate and skillfully modeled, but the best parts reveal themselves upon closer inspection. Someone's taken a giant bite out of the roof, and a giant gingerbread stormcloud (complete with gingerbread lightning bolt) threatens overhead. It's nice to see someone using a digital tool to do something that physical materials can't: ignore gravity.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sprinkles Prize</span> (for the best additions to the base model)<br /><a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a064ca0fa94e3318cf46cd7e934d8d9d">Gingerbread Hall</a> by <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?uq=08723729108691751546">Toy Maker</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRKJE_cYiGeOhBTs4XkMN9NouURwfVF-C7xrehMR9t7LUqab0BmNnaFx6gQSVF5kU7IbHxtEsXJ8TBRcxEexkYat1Aw_Mx6fRy7SWVgKxeHF78SzQ1B2lmInFT_Jdl95pqRJviEXKRnjF/s1600-h/Sprinkles.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290921696692138898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRKJE_cYiGeOhBTs4XkMN9NouURwfVF-C7xrehMR9t7LUqab0BmNnaFx6gQSVF5kU7IbHxtEsXJ8TBRcxEexkYat1Aw_Mx6fRy7SWVgKxeHF78SzQ1B2lmInFT_Jdl95pqRJviEXKRnjF/s400/Sprinkles.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" /></a><br />A classic example of a thought carried through to its logical (and very appetizing) conclusion. The house, the men, the reindeer and the sleigh are consistent in that they are made of gingerbread. This house is constructable, and a lot of work went into making it that way.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Swirl Prize</span> (for the best use of <a href="http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2008/11/more-about-dynamic-components.html">Dynamic Components</a> in the model)<br /><a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=2de81bcece6e99ff26efc972f774761e">Gingerbread House</a> by <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?uq=06802067753834984716">diweiman</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPUtRhT_hyphenhyphenCwaezVfxX9fG6JOSYOLlbIPrNvsZcesQIQUTHuFno2veb4TdZfh5wwFggWF7tBCX6TaQaUeWgyrS95MJzNPbI11ZnBBnSjzdPskqmfVGKLj0_7SKGUgVCclg6_Hq8lltT1d/s1600-h/Swirl.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290921968446034610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPUtRhT_hyphenhyphenCwaezVfxX9fG6JOSYOLlbIPrNvsZcesQIQUTHuFno2veb4TdZfh5wwFggWF7tBCX6TaQaUeWgyrS95MJzNPbI11ZnBBnSjzdPskqmfVGKLj0_7SKGUgVCclg6_Hq8lltT1d/s400/Swirl.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" /></a><br />A close contender for best model overall, we decided to award the Swirl Prize to this entry because it's interactive. Aside from being a stunning example of SketchUp mastery, the strings of flags are Dynamic Components that lengthen and re-color as you scale them. Clicking with the 'Interact' tool causes a rainbow to appear. You really need to download the model and open it in SketchUp to experience the full effect.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sweet Tooth Prize</span> (for the most creative use of a single candy ingredient)<br /><a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a42e871c302ccc926e6fdf272128ed83">Candy Cane Log House</a> by <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?uq=07088897974568647820">Jan Melin</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXtU7hfXW7lrDhg6M5y8PGpAzWRsGWB3EfmF0lrCeQ7qTWHa1s4uulKaP-tVlpYSKp5_ZZmf9X-Ky7ZDfCdz4ngHoZO_R3g7vrYbURGGnN75gFV_6wIfmavMyknTbeAJBbs4TZD_IZADe/s1600-h/Sweet+Tooth.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290922645985008674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXtU7hfXW7lrDhg6M5y8PGpAzWRsGWB3EfmF0lrCeQ7qTWHa1s4uulKaP-tVlpYSKp5_ZZmf9X-Ky7ZDfCdz4ngHoZO_R3g7vrYbURGGnN75gFV_6wIfmavMyknTbeAJBbs4TZD_IZADe/s400/Sweet+Tooth.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" /></a><br />Candy canes for the walls. Candy canes for the roof. Candy canes for everything. Nice.<br /><br />Take a look at all of the entries in this <a href="http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=4a805adbfc4a25d945f5590ac69325a5&ct=mdcc">3D Warehouse collection</a>. Also peek at this Picasa album slideshow of some of our favorites:<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fsketchupblog%2Falbumid%2F5290666633829879057%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DBaZd0V-svJA" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="267" width="400"></embed><br /><br />Congratulations to everyone, and thanks for participating. We hope you had as much fun building them as we did looking them over.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Product Evangelist</span>

Gingerbread Competition results are in

(Cross-posted from the SketchUp blog ) Having spent some time perusing the entries for the SketchUp Gingerbread House Design Competition , w...

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Powering a Google search

Not long ago, answering a query meant traveling to the reference desk of your local library. Today, search engines enable us to access immense quantities of useful information in an instant, without leaving home. Tools like email, online books and photos, and video chat all increase productivity while decreasing our reliance on car trips, pulp and paper.<br /><br />But as computers become a bigger part of more people's lives, information technology consumes an increasing amount of energy, and Google takes this impact seriously. That's why we have designed and built the<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></span> most <a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/datacenters/">energy efficient data centers</a> in the world, which means the energy used per Google search is minimal. In fact, in the time it takes to do a Google search, your own personal computer will use more energy than Google uses to answer your query.<br /><br />Recently, though, others have used much higher estimates, claiming that a typical search uses "half the energy as boiling a kettle of water" and produces 7 grams of CO2. We thought it would be helpful to explain why this number is *many* times too high. Google is fast — a typical search returns results in less than 0.2 seconds. Queries vary in degree of difficulty, but for the average query, the servers it touches each work on it for just a few thousandths of a second. Together with other work performed before your search even starts (such as building the search index) this amounts to 0.0003 kWh of energy per search, or 1 kJ. For comparison, the average adult needs about 8000 kJ a day of energy from food, so a Google search uses just about the same amount of energy that your body burns in ten seconds.<br /><br />In terms of greenhouse gases, one Google search is equivalent to about 0.2 grams of CO2. The current EU standard for tailpipe emissions calls for 140 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven, but most cars don't reach that level yet. Thus, the average car driven for one kilometer (0.6 miles for those in the U.S.) produces as many greenhouse gases as a thousand Google searches.<br /><br />We've made great strides to reduce the energy used by our data centers, but we still want clean and affordable sources of electricity for the power that we do use. In 2008 our philanthropic arm, <a href="http://www.google.org/">Google.org</a>, invested $45 million in breakthrough clean energy technologies. And last summer, as part of our Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative (<a href="http://www.google.org/rec.html">RE<C</a>), we created an internal engineering group dedicated to exploring clean energy.<br /><br />We're also working with other members of the IT community to improve efficiency on a broader scale. In 2007 we co-founded the <a href="http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/">Climate Savers Computing Initiative</a>, a group which champions more efficient computing. This non-profit consortium is committed to cutting the energy consumed by computers in half by 2010 — reducing global CO2 emissions by 54 million tons per year. That's a lot of kettles of tea.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> on 1/12 @ 4 PM:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Harvard professor Alex Wissner-Gross <a href="http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Harvard-Prof-Sets-Record-Straight-on-Internet-Carbon-Study-65794.html">provided new details</a> on his energy research, in a TechNewsWorld article.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update</span> on 1/16 @ 1 PM: <span style="font-style: italic;">The Sunday Times</span> clarified <a href="http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5489134.ece">its article</a> on the energy consumed by a Google search, accepting our calculation that a single search accounts for about 0.2g of carbon. That means a typical individual's Google use for an entire year would produce about the same amount of CO2 as just a single load of washing.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Operations</span>

Powering a Google search

Not long ago, answering a query meant traveling to the reference desk of your local library. Today, search engines enable us to access immen...

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Google's new favicon

Back in June, we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/one-fish-two-fish-red-fish-blue-fish.html">rolled out</a> a new favicon — the small icon that greets you when you access Google on your URL bar or your bookmarks list — and we encouraged our users to submit their ideas for this important piece of Google branding. We were impressed by the volume of submissions we received, and today we are happy to introduce a new Google favicon inspired by those submissions by our users. While the final icon is a reinterpretation of one contest submission, it draws on design elements and ideas from many of them.<br /><br /><table><tr><td valign="middle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHTmwwIaH1bopgOW8Mep73w0BuIUpXSML4LwQyVlo4Dp233DZr5PpZCT08k5aNqGVFU23DuJz6SFnlmoe62dCq9dIcQ69D1fnXFCb74rgqgg2av3QifJdZpimYWGMFaOmwtO7mQwyRban/s1600-h/Google+Favicon_0109.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289407625802896338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHTmwwIaH1bopgOW8Mep73w0BuIUpXSML4LwQyVlo4Dp233DZr5PpZCT08k5aNqGVFU23DuJz6SFnlmoe62dCq9dIcQ69D1fnXFCb74rgqgg2av3QifJdZpimYWGMFaOmwtO7mQwyRban/s320/Google+Favicon_0109.png" style="margin: 0pt 10px 0 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 29px; height: 30px;" /></a></td><td valign="middle" align="left">Google's new favicon</td></tr></table><br />André Resende, a computer science undergraduate student at the University of Campinas in Brazil, submitted the design that inspired our new favicon. His placement of a white 'g' on a color-blocked background was highly recognizable and attractive, while seeming to capture the essence of Google.<br /><br /><table><tr><td valign="middle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIiFNnquyTaaCPieSyWn3cBmvqUrU8Z8ZbkrVf_292j71S7sovDMoH23aCuvMDY0zVz9b7F2Ale5k4sP8hzeeKkuIdHOeB_HDYrMG5TKa_EYYr8yQq2fyvUAh_irEc4EmP75OWkFFgJUE/s1600-h/Favicon_Andre.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289408169798432594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIiFNnquyTaaCPieSyWn3cBmvqUrU8Z8ZbkrVf_292j71S7sovDMoH23aCuvMDY0zVz9b7F2Ale5k4sP8hzeeKkuIdHOeB_HDYrMG5TKa_EYYr8yQq2fyvUAh_irEc4EmP75OWkFFgJUE/s320/Favicon_Andre.png" style="margin: 0pt 10px 0 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 30px; height: 25px;" /></a></td><td valign="middle" align="left"> by André Resende</td></tr></table><br />Although we changed the color layout slightly and moved the 'g' off center, his submission formed the basis for our new design.<br /><br />Incorporating all four of Google's colors (red, yellow, green, and blue) into the four corners of the favicon was a theme we liked in many submissions. We also saw this idea in the designs submitted by Hadi Onur Demirsoy, Lucian E. Marin, and Yusuf Sevgen (pictured below).<br /><br /><table><tr><td valign="middle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNshBhl2kwam8iqXtNaMkFi0-kKZOuCr7hCF82K5YYJ79YxMsr0v_1xVSxQRbnetpGDca_uj1vDQoWNcfxiqn4l5NK5dXp4S1lnyRyPa4wbRs_X9nKgDrIeW74uEKPvY9oTQINCwKEYT2e/s1600-h/Favicon_Hadi.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289408420949719970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNshBhl2kwam8iqXtNaMkFi0-kKZOuCr7hCF82K5YYJ79YxMsr0v_1xVSxQRbnetpGDca_uj1vDQoWNcfxiqn4l5NK5dXp4S1lnyRyPa4wbRs_X9nKgDrIeW74uEKPvY9oTQINCwKEYT2e/s320/Favicon_Hadi.png" style="margin: 0pt 10px 0 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 24px; height: 22px;" /></a></td><td valign="middle" align="left"> by Hadi Onur Demirsoy</td></tr></table><table><tr><td valign="middle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49do3WM67T-oRT9elSfE5jj5z3yzOi0S-s9s-xLq66P_c0zZktMMfi_bU6jGsPkhFSlN5n4FgwZp1s2YJC7RSs0zxOvoC4VmaEOeGzv9_9yohB6brXGZax7Sr-mERxle7hnsfNKh18rtA/s1600-h/Favicon_Lucian.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289408659845930994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49do3WM67T-oRT9elSfE5jj5z3yzOi0S-s9s-xLq66P_c0zZktMMfi_bU6jGsPkhFSlN5n4FgwZp1s2YJC7RSs0zxOvoC4VmaEOeGzv9_9yohB6brXGZax7Sr-mERxle7hnsfNKh18rtA/s320/Favicon_Lucian.png" style="margin: 0pt 10px 0 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 23px; height: 22px;" /></a></td><td valign="middle" align="left"> by Lucian E. Marin</td></tr></table><table><tr><td valign="middle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirc4DdFGT7gA6qLqTwvcDEyMxLYAvV22N06oHb-7FV_etrHg95W2Tlqh5oujrKpojgKZX0BCvLdhKpRE-E6ri6YRo9fdjo81WpJc5fLLezJZq0CncX3YNpMtEpZl03pvnOWUVSUasu1mq0/s1600-h/Favicon_Yusuf.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289409484839633042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirc4DdFGT7gA6qLqTwvcDEyMxLYAvV22N06oHb-7FV_etrHg95W2Tlqh5oujrKpojgKZX0BCvLdhKpRE-E6ri6YRo9fdjo81WpJc5fLLezJZq0CncX3YNpMtEpZl03pvnOWUVSUasu1mq0/s320/Favicon_Yusuf.png" style="margin: 0pt 10px 0 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 24px; height: 22px;" /></a></td><td valign="middle" align="left"> by Yusuf Sevgen</td></tr></table><br />We hope you like the new favicon, which nicely integrates all of our original criteria: distinctive in shape, noticeable, colorful, timeless, and scalable to other sizes.<br /><br />While I'm sure we will update it again, we also hope our new favicon inspired by Andre is a warm, colorful beacon to Google on your browser tabs and bookmarks. A big thank you to Andre, Hadi, Lucian, and Yusuf, as well as all of the other people who helped us define our new look in a uniquely user-driven way!<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP, Search Products & User Experience, and Micheal Lopez, Web Design Lead</span>

Google's new favicon

Back in June, we rolled out a new favicon — the small icon that greets you when you access Google on your URL bar or your bookmarks list — ...

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Cardboard creativity

A few months ago, the <a href="http://code.google.com/opensource/">Google Open Source team</a> had an offsite in our Chicago office, and we were looking for something fun, social, and geeky for the teams to do during informal discussions. Before that, my colleague <a href="http://www.azarask.in/blog/">Aza</a> had shown me a cool new thing that he was making called <a href="http://www.bloxes.com/">Bloxes</a> -- interlocking cardboard boxes that were something like giant legos that connected on all six sides. They were actually invented by Aza's father, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jef_Raskin">Jef Raskin</a> (who started the Macintosh project at Apple), and were originally intended to be used to build flexible workspaces (like easily morphable cubicles). Having seen some samples of what you could build with them, I thought it would be fun to order a bunch of Bloxes for the team to build things out of while sitting around chatting and brainstorming.<br /><br />We built a number of interesting things out of the Bloxes that week, but the real fun started after the offsite was over. Several of the Chicago engineers really took to the Bloxes; every week new, fun new sculptures would show up in the lounge. And every week, they would get knocked down (often by the same people who built them up). We decided to match the brown Bloxes with an equal number of white Bloxes, bringing our total to 360. Creativity took it from there -- from a <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fitz/Bloxes#5282488817741788034">conference room</a> and a <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fitz/Bloxes#5282489108497303698">giant archway</a> to <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fitz/Bloxes#5282489367991233714">living room furniture</a>, a pair of <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fitz/Bloxes#5282489198245989458">giant dice</a>, an <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fitz/Bloxes#5282490014580054098">office</a>, and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fitz/Bloxes">much, much more</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimceng1B1TA2O1PLor4XV4USyweCSYqzTxZ7T7az08n04qMVf_uNJmbjqQvzbrraHnLDSGoRQBZDxjUbOr5Wpn7u2KYUnJhCHja7Uon0_3d5JwE3PUWAWEhfJ2-LFI3SyESHv51tZp2p8J/s1600-h/IMG_0331.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288712419989484882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimceng1B1TA2O1PLor4XV4USyweCSYqzTxZ7T7az08n04qMVf_uNJmbjqQvzbrraHnLDSGoRQBZDxjUbOr5Wpn7u2KYUnJhCHja7Uon0_3d5JwE3PUWAWEhfJ2-LFI3SyESHv51tZp2p8J/s400/IMG_0331.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />Frequently, engineers wind up building something while discussing a bug or a feature, and it's a great conversation starter when other Googlers walk by and see a work in progress. So, what started as a somewhat quiet lounge with a whiteboard quickly became a must-see stop on the office tour for visiting dignitaries, and even better, an ever-changing public space that's fun to construct, and even more fun to knock down.<br /><br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Brian Fitzpatrick, Engineering Manager, Chicago</span>

Cardboard creativity

A few months ago, the Google Open Source team had an offsite in our Chicago office, and we were looking for something fun, social, and geek...

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Google at Macworld

After months of anticipation, <a href="http://www.macworldexpo.com/">Macworld 2009</a> is finally here. Throughout the four days of the expo (from now until Jan. 9), more than 100 Googlers from several product teams will be available to demonstrate Google software for the Mac and the iPhone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRneWmnxYhSYDvxCaUbGFhiBVMd8Dp-JrIV_pSfKYCVLLRtQDrE4xxeyBMIXyYTyMr_DnaejUHDKhl01mzMRRoNDvuySCM-dZcg2OQod6Fb1qia_s8Nqh-5eo6n8iWO_2g3ZpbJceIFEfb/s1600-h/2.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288293590403041058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRneWmnxYhSYDvxCaUbGFhiBVMd8Dp-JrIV_pSfKYCVLLRtQDrE4xxeyBMIXyYTyMr_DnaejUHDKhl01mzMRRoNDvuySCM-dZcg2OQod6Fb1qia_s8Nqh-5eo6n8iWO_2g3ZpbJceIFEfb/s400/2.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" /></a><br />Picasa for Mac made its <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/introducing-picasa-for-mac-at-macworld.html">debut</a> yesterday, and you can follow along on the <a href="http://googlemac.blogspot.com/">Google Mac Blog</a> for more details on what we have in store for the rest of the week.<br /><br />If you're going to Macworld, we invite you to stop by. And for those of you who can't make it, many of the demos are available via video at <a href="http://www.google.com/mac/macworld/">google.com/macworld</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Jason Toff, Associate Product Marketing Manager<br /></span>

Google at Macworld

After months of anticipation, Macworld 2009 is finally here. Throughout the four days of the expo (from now until Jan. 9), more than 100 Go...

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Introducing Picasa for Mac (at Macworld!)

Sometimes I find it hard to describe Picasa without sounding like a late-night infomercial for a multi-bladed thingamabob: "It's a photo organizer! A photo editor! A web-savvy photo sharing and management system in just one tiny package!"<br /><br />We try hard to avoid hyperbole around here, but it's true that <a href="http://picasa.google.com/">Picasa software</a>, working together with <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/home">Picasa Web Albums</a>, can help with <a href="http://picasa.google.com/features.html">nearly every aspect</a> of owning and operating a digital camera. And because many of us take pictures in order to share them, we try to make sure Picasa does a great job of getting your favorite photos online, where friends and family can enjoy them too. In Picasa 3, that means <a href="http://googlephotos.blogspot.com/2008/09/closer-look-at-picasa-3-beta.html">powerful new features</a> like automatically syncing changes between the photos on your computer and what you're sharing online, useful privacy controls integrated into the software on your PC, easier notifications, and more.<br /><br />And today, we're releasing <a href="http://picasa.google.com/mac/">Picasa for Mac</a>. While we've previously offered both a standalone Picasa Web Albums <a href="http://picasa.google.com/mac_tools.html">uploader</a> and an <a href="http://picasa.google.com/mac_tools.html">iPhoto plugin</a> for Mac users, Picasa for Mac finally brings all of the advanced sharing and sync features of Picasa to the millions of Mac OS X users who use Picasa Web Albums. Not to mention the "it-slices-and-dices" feature list that covers everything from color balance to collages.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSffk1U035sZeXJtgO2F29wIu6XxvYCIXMle34C0Qco2u0m2IMekpgl4fJekPWupcgHXM4kNa3Yp73z4qiwB2rHlGLLFjyg6dBSq27_6O134JMZJsUpw7Dio3lTPr6B5uzjD0GcZJd5gV/s1600-h/Picasa_Uploading_blogsize.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287922620079719842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSffk1U035sZeXJtgO2F29wIu6XxvYCIXMle34C0Qco2u0m2IMekpgl4fJekPWupcgHXM4kNa3Yp73z4qiwB2rHlGLLFjyg6dBSq27_6O134JMZJsUpw7Dio3lTPr6B5uzjD0GcZJd5gV/s320/Picasa_Uploading_blogsize.png" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" /></a><br />Picasa for Mac looks and works much like Picasa on other platforms, and offers trademark Picasa features — such as non-destructive editing, and the ability to keep track of photos anywhere on your hard drive, then automatically account for new images as you add them.<br /><br />Right now, Picasa for Mac is still in Google Labs, but we very much wanted to get an early version out to folks attending Macworld (you can learn more about this beta release at the <a href="http://googlephotos.blogspot.com/2009/01/announcing-picasa-for-mac.html">Google Photos blog</a>). To run Picasa, you'll need an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.4 and above. We hope you'll give it a spin, and give us your feedback in person — members of the Picasa engineering team will be conducting demos at <a href="http://googlemac.blogspot.com/2008/12/google-at-macworld-expo.html">Google's Macworld booth</a> all week (you can also check out the video tour below).<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NDKFjc3_wrk&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NDKFjc3_wrk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Susanna Leng, Software Engineer</span>

Introducing Picasa for Mac (at Macworld!)

Sometimes I find it hard to describe Picasa without sounding like a late-night infomercial for a multi-bladed thingamabob: "It's a...

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