Putting a stop to spyware

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Elizabeth Echols, Director of Policy, Global Online Sales and Operations</span><br /><br />We're really excited to tell you about <a href="http://www.stopbadware.org">StopBadware.org</a>, a new initiative aimed at combating the growing problem of spyware and other deceptive software. This project is led by <a href="http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/home/">Harvard’s Berkman Center</a> and the <a href="http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/">Oxford Internet Institute</a> to independently evaluate downloadable applications, publish objective information for consumers, and provide an easy web-based way for users to describe problems they've encountered. <a href="http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/">Consumer Reports WebWatch</a> is serving as an unpaid advisor to the effort. Google, along with Sun Microsystems and Lenovo, are co-sponsors. <a href="http://www.stopbadware.org/home/faq">Learn more here</a>.

Putting a stop to spyware

Posted by Elizabeth Echols, Director of Policy, Global Online Sales and Operations We're really excited to tell you about StopBadware.o...

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New year, new imagery

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Chikai Ohazama, Google Earth Team</span><br /><br />We're always trying to improve the imagery in <a href="http://earth.google.com">Google Earth</a> and <a href="http://local.google.com">Google Local</a>, but our latest update is bigger than usual. Not only have we added extensive 6-inch imagery for many parts of the U.K., but we've updated the Google Local database to match the coverage we have in Google Earth, and (drum roll, please) ... we've added two more zoom levels in Google Local's Satellite mode! Now for many areas around the world you can see a lot more detail than you could before.<br /><br />Take a look at people standing at the gates of <a href="http://local.google.com/local?q=buckingham+palace&ll=51.5015,-0.141387&spn=0.001386,0.002916&t=k">Buckingham Palace</a> in London, or jump <buckinghampalace.jpg>over the pond and see the <a href="http://local.google.com/local?q=statue+of+liberty&ll=40.689148,-74.044569&spn=0.001688,0.002916&t=k">Statue of Liberty</a> in New York, and then maybe<statueofliberty.jpg> drop down to the southern hemisphere and check out the boats sailing past the <a href="http://local.google.com/local?q=sydney+opera+house&ll=-33.856794,151.215284&spn=0.003697,0.005831&t=k">Sydney Opera House</a>.<br /><sydneyoperahouse.jpg></sydneyoperahouse.jpg></statueofliberty.jpg></buckinghampalace.jpg>

New year, new imagery

Posted by Chikai Ohazama, Google Earth Team We're always trying to improve the imagery in Google Earth and Google Local , but our lates...

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And now, News

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Krishna Bharat, Creator, Google News</span><br /><br />We're taking <a href="http://news.google.com">Google News</a> out of beta! When we launched the English-language edition in September 2002, we entered untested waters with a <a href="http://news.google.com/intl/en_us/about_google_news.html">grand experiment</a> in news browsing - using computers to organize the world's news in real time and providing a bird's eye view of what's being reported on virtually any topic. By presenting news "clusters" (related articles in a group), we thought it would encourage readers to get a broader perspective by digging deeper into the news -- reading ten articles instead of one, perhaps -- and then gain a better understanding of the issues, which could ultimately benefit society. A bit more than three years later, we offer 22 regional editions in 10 languages, and have a better sense of how people use Google News.<br /><br />We've certainly gotten a lot of feedback from both readers and editors. For example, readers told us they loved the news clusters but they didn't want press releases on the home page (although they are still useful to have in the search results). A major area we wanted to address was personalization. We offered <a href="http://www.google.com/alerts">email alerts</a>, as well as the ability for users to create a <a href="http://www.google.com/ig">personalized page</a>, but many users don't have the time to specify exactly what they want. So today we're adding a way to automatically recommend stories for users with Personalized Search.<br /><br />Here's how it works: You can sign up for <a href="http://www.google.com/psearch">Personalized Search</a> to view and manage your history of news searches and the articles you've read. When you're signed in to your <a href="https://www.google.com/accounts/">Google Account</a>, you'll receive recommended news stories based on the previous stories you've read. These recommendations will be highlighted just below the top news stories on the page, in a clearly marked section. You can also get a full page of recommended stories by clicking on the section. All of this is done automatically using algorithms. For example, we might recommend news stories to you that many other users have read, especially when you and they have read similar stories in the past. We've also added a section to show you the most popular stories in the Google News edition you are viewing (e.g., U.S.). Now you can see the top stories being published by editors across the web, as well as other stories popular with readers, plus topics that you track or are interested in -- all on one page.<br /><br />Google News has matured a great deal, and we're proud to see it graduate from its beta status. Much remains to be done, and as always, we have many exciting ideas that we intend to take forward. Meanwhile, as the saying goes, if you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own. Or just keep reading Google News.

And now, News

Posted by Krishna Bharat, Creator, Google News We're taking Google News out of beta! When we launched the English-language edition in S...

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It's in the mail...

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Aaron Whyte, Gmail Engineer</span><br /><br />Our shipment of <a href="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/images/delete_btn2.gif">delete buttons</a> finally came in! We're busy affixing them to the <a href="http://mail.google.com">Gmail</a> interface as we speak.

It's in the mail...

Posted by Aaron Whyte, Gmail Engineer Our shipment of delete buttons finally came in! We're busy affixing them to the Gmail interface ...

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A resolution for well-being

<span style="font-style: italic;">From time to time, the resident physician at Google headquarters weighs in with her thoughts on healthy living. This is not medical advice, and you should check with your own doctor before pursuing any particular course of action. </span><br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Dr. Taraneh Razavi, M.D., Staff Doctor</span><br /><br />How many of you resolved that in the New Year you'd start a cholesterol- or blood pressure-reducing medication, or perhaps plan to spend a few days in the coronary care unit? My guess is that not too many of you -- but you might end up needing this sort of help rather than staying resolute to intended lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Let's face it, it's tough to get motivated. It's so much easier to take the pills or have the tests done -- later.<br /><br />So to help motivate you now, here's a short review of the findings of <a href="http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/112/6/924?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=1&author1=Iestra%2C+JA&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1137775683392_7590&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&volume=112&search_url=http%3A%2F%2Fcirc.ahajournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fsearch&journalcode=circulationaha">a recent study</a> by J. A. Iestra that appears in a 2005 issue of the journal <span style="font-style: italic;">Circulation</span>. It's called "Effect Size Estimates of Lifestyle and Dietary Changes on All Cause Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease Patients." Iestra's data showed notable reductions in coronary artery disease -- and mortality -- when patients make these changes:<br /><ul><li>Diet change: 40-45% </li><li>Smoking cessation: 35-50% </li><li>ACE inhibitors (for blood pressure): 26%</li><li>More physical activity: 20-30% </li><li>Beta blockers (for blood pressure): 23% </li><li>Statins (for cholesterol): 21% </li><li>Aspirin: 18%</li><li>Moderate alcohol: 14-20% </li></ul>The reduction in mortality from coronary artery disease is the same if not better with lifestyle or dietary changes as it is with medications. Other things to consider (but not analyzed in this study) are that lifestyle changes, such as more physical activity, don't produce bad side effects -- well, maybe a little sweat, but all medications may have some side effects. And certainly the cost of exercise vs. medication is lower too. So whether you're a Googler or not, let's all be visionaries not just about our work, but about our own bodies and souls.

A resolution for well-being

From time to time, the resident physician at Google headquarters weighs in with her thoughts on healthy living. This is not medical advice, ...

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Open federation for Google Talk

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Mike Jazayeri, Product Manager, Google Talk</span><br /><br />We've just announced <a href="http://www.google.com/talk/developer.html#service">open federation</a> for the Google Talk service. What does that mean, you might be wondering. No, it has nothing to do with Star Trek. "Open federation" is technical jargon for when people on different services can talk to each other. For example, email is a federated system. You might have a .edu address and I have a Gmail address, but you and I can still exchange email. The same for the phone: there's nothing that prevents Cingular users from talking to Sprint users.<br /><br />Unfortunately, this is not the case with many IM and Internet voice calling services today. You can only talk to people on the particular service you have an account on (so you need an account on every service to talk to everybody, which is pretty cumbersome). With open federation, you get to choose your service provider and you can talk to people on any other federated service (and vice versa).<br /><br />In addition to the Google Talk service, many other companies, universities, and corporations support open federation today. This means you can now talk to millions of users around the world all with a single account on the service provider of your choice.<br /><br />We think this is pretty exciting -- though perhaps not as exciting as something <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/st/features/fedscience.shtml">Star Trek-related</a> -- and we hope it will bring us one step closer to making IM and Internet voice calling as ubiquitous as email.

Open federation for Google Talk

Posted by Mike Jazayeri, Product Manager, Google Talk We've just announced open federation for the Google Talk service. What does that ...

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Your Google homepage, to go

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Abhijit Kalamkar, Software Engineer</span><br /><br />Anyone who's ever tried to browse the web on their cell phone knows that it isn't always the best user experience. That's why I'm excited to tell you about <a href="http://mobile.google.com/personalized/index.html">Google Mobile Personalized Home</a>. We've designed a way for you to view the things that you really care about, from your Gmail inbox to news headlines, weather, stock quotes, and feeds (Atom or RSS). The interface is optimized for small screens, and we've arranged things so you don't have to click on a bunch of links to locate what you're after -– your personalized content appears on top, right where it should be. Give it a try, and <a href="mailto:mobile-support@google.com"> let us know</a> how you like it.

Your Google homepage, to go

Posted by Abhijit Kalamkar, Software Engineer Anyone who's ever tried to browse the web on their cell phone knows that it isn't alwa...

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