Tell us about your university email

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Jeff Keltner, Google Enterprise Specialist</span><br /><br />As I remember my college days, I spent a lot of time (though not all) worried about required courses and fixed deadlines – things that while necessary, still made me wish I'd had more of a choice about the university policies that affected me. Even the little things – like my email.<br /><br />Now we're taking the first step to <a href="http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070409005406&newsLang=en">reach out</a> to university students nationwide to find out what they like or don't like about their email. We're conducting a survey to see whether <a href="http://www.google.com/a/edu/">Google Apps Education Edition</a> might offer students more of a choice about their online communication tools.<br /><br />Since we first launched Google Apps at universities, students took notice. We've even heard that at some schools like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZOi8hAOMnQ">Northwestern</a>, students lobbied their <a href="http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/02/google.html">administrators</a> for Google Apps, which includes 2GB email storage, instant messaging, and centralized calendaring as part of their school's official communications package.<br /><br />So if you're a student who's not using Google Apps, take our <a href="http://www.google.com/studentsurvey">survey</a> and tell us what you like or not about your current university email system. And if your school has recently switched to Google Apps, write us and let us know what we can do better. Your feedback will help us ensure that we'll continue to keep up with you, the next generation of world-changers.

Tell us about your university email

Posted by Jeff Keltner, Google Enterprise Specialist As I remember my college days, I spent a lot of time (though not all) worried about req...

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New team members for Google.org

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Larry Brilliant, Executive Director,Google.org</span><br /><br />It has been almost exactly one year since I began my work at <a href="http://google.org/">Google.org</a>. We've been in a bit of a quiet period during that time, meeting with foundation leaders, activists, NGOs, and scientists -- and Googlers -- from all over the world. My major task has been to build a world-class team, comprised of experienced Google managers paired with content experts from the fields of climate change, global public health and economic development to spearhead strategic initiatives for our philanthropic efforts.<br /><br />There were four of us one year ago; today we are 25 people, and it gives me great pleasure to introduce a few of the newer members of our team. Dan Reicher, former Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, joins Aimee Christensen, Kirsten Olsen and Googler Ki Mun to work on our clean energy and climate change initiatives, policy and advocacy.<br /><br />Mark Smolinski and Corrie Conrad join Googlers Katie Wurtz, Matt Waddell and Emily Delmont on our global public health team. Mark is an MD MPH and CDC-trained epidemiologist who worked at the Institute of Medicine and was formerly a Vice President at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, where he worked on a regional disease surveillance system. Corrie joins as a researcher focusing on preventable diseases afflicting the poor, coming from the Clinton Foundation, where she was working on its HIV/AIDS program in Rwanda.<br /><br />Blaise Judja-Sato, Sonal Shah and Juliette Gimon join Googlers Rachel Payne, Meryl Stone, and Kim Thompson to guide our global economic development efforts. Born in Cameroon, Blaise was most recently President of the Nelson Mandela Foundation USA and the founder of VillageReach, a nonprofit that brings sustainable health care and essential services to more than 3.5 million people in Mozambique. Sonal is the co-founder of Indicorps, a non-profit offering one-year fellowships for people of Indian origin to work on development projects in India, and was previously a Vice President at Goldman, Sachs & Co. developing the firm's corporate citizenship and environmental strategies. Juliette is the chair of the Global Fund for Children and a trustee of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. She also serves on the board of the Synergos Institute and the advisory committees of Youth Philanthropy Worldwide and the Global Philanthropy Forum. And I'm particularly pleased that Sheryl Sandberg, VP of Online Sales and Operations and Google.org board member, has agreed to spend a significant amount of her time leading this effort.<br /><br />Working across our content domains are Linda Segre, Gregory Miller, Jacquelline Fuller, Gillian Peoples, and Chris Busselle along with Googlers Brad Presner, Alan Louie and Tara Canobbio. Linda has responsibility for managing Google.org's project initiatives and operations within Google and is the person to talk to for any operational question about what we call "dotorg". Greg has responsibility for Google.org's investing and grant practices, legal affairs and strategic partnerships as well as the affairs of the Google Foundation. Before moving to California, Jacquelline served as Deputy Director of the Global Health program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she managed Public Affairs and served as speechwriter for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Louis Sullivan. Jacquelline, who also reports to Elliot Schrage, our VP of Global Communications and Public Affairs, in order to keep our PR efforts coordinated, will lead Google.org's advocacy and communications agenda, including efforts to influence public policy and media.<br /><br />Also with us on sabbatical is Dr. Larry Simon. He comes to us on leave from Brandeis University's Heller School, where he is Professor and Director of the Sustainable International Development Graduate Programs and Associate Dean for Academic Programs. A specialist on poverty and vulnerability, Larry led Oxfam America's work in Central America and the Caribbean.<br /><br />We are still looking for a few "good people," and welcome you to visit <a href="http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/topic.py?dep_id=10093&loc_id=1116">our updated list of open positions</a>.<br /><br />So where are we going now? Google.org is looking to better understand the inextricable linkages among climate change, global public health and economic development, and the impact of global warming on the poor. We want to fund projects that are making a difference and that are effective on a large scale.<br /><br />We live in very complicated times. Global health, poverty, and climate are inextricably interrelated, and it is the poor of the world who bear the heaviest burden. Google.org is focused on learning initiatives that simultaneously fund good organizations working in these areas and provide insights into "big ideas" that could be scalable from these pilot projects.<br /><br />During this year we anticipate making more significant grants and investments in support of our major initiatives. We hope to innovate both in what we do, and how we do it. We will report back to you via our site and on this blog regarding on these grants, investments and initiatives. Please look for additional updates as our work progresses.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update:</span> Awaiting approval from one of our consultants on his participation.

New team members for Google.org

Posted by Larry Brilliant, Executive Director,Google.org It has been almost exactly one year since I began my work at Google.org . We'...

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Homes, not just homepages

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Ethan Russell, Product Manager</span><br /><br />More than ever, home buyers are starting their search online, and we want to make it easier for every one of you to find the home of your dreams. Searching on Google for <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=Seattle+real+estate">Seattle real estate</a> or <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=homes+for+sale+in+San+Diego">homes for sale in San Diego</a> prompts you to enter a location and choose whether you want to buy or rent.* After clicking "Go," you can see the individual homes that Google has indexed, provided by our partners and culled from the web. When you want more information on a particular home, you can click straight through to the source of the listing—no detail pages or sign-up forms get in the way. And when Google gets the same listing from multiple sources, we show links to all the data providers and websites, ranked according to many factors including, but not limited to, the quality and comprehensiveness of the data.<br /><br />If you're a real estate professional, making your listings searchable on Google is simple and completely free. We don't charge for photos or offer "featured listings." We believe that buyers just want to see the home that fits them best and that providers shouldn't have to pay to show it to them. We don't sell houses, deal with agents' compensation, or charge for leads. Our business is helping people find the information they're looking for—when you have it, we send them directly to you. We have a bunch of different <a href="http://base.google.com/base/help/realestate.html">upload options</a> tailored to how technical your organization wants to be. These options and our <a href="https://services.google.com/inquiry/listing_removal">listing removal tools</a> are designed to ensure that content providers maintain control over their data. If you have ideas or feedback for us, please contribute via our <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/base-help-realestate/topics">Google Group</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update:</span> *Currently, there is a country restriction on these searches. For example, Seattle searches will only return results for users in the U.S. We're exploring ways to expand this.

Homes, not just homepages

Posted by Ethan Russell, Product Manager More than ever, home buyers are starting their search online, and we want to make it easier for eve...

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Map-making: So easy a caveman could do it

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Jess Lee, Product Manager, Google Maps</span><br /><br />Humans have been making maps <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cartography">since the Stone Age</a>. In fact, map-making predates written language by several millenia. Nowadays, people make maps online using tools like the <a href="http://www.google.com/apis/maps/">Google Maps API</a> -- but using an API isn't as easy as scribbling on a cave wall.<br /><br />That's why we're announcing <a href="http://maps.google.com/help/maps/userguide/index.html">My Maps</a>, a new feature that makes it quick and easy to create your own custom <a href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a> just by pointing and clicking. You can add placemarks, draw lines and shapes, and embed text, photos and videos -- all using a simple drag and drop interface. Your map automatically gets a public URL that you can share with your friends and family, or you can also publish your map for inclusion in Google Maps search results. We'll continue to show organic local search results with red pushpins; user-generated results will have blue pushpins. The user-created results include KML as well as maps made through My Maps.<br /><br />To give you a better idea of what kind of maps you can make, here are some examples that Googlers created after we released the feature internally. (We ran a contest and gave a Nintendo Wii to the best map-maker.)<br /><ul><li><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;t=k&om=1&msid=103763259662194171141.000001119b4b42bf062c2&msa=0" title="America's Highway: Oral Histories of Route 66">America's Highway: Oral Histories of Route 66</a>: A glimpse into life on the legendary (and now-decommissioned) highway, and what drivers will find there today</li><li><a title="Around Japan in 28 Days" href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103763259662194171141.000001119b501014d7263">Around Japan in 28 Days</a>: Catalogs a trip across Japan that can be done in 3 weeks</li><li><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;t=k&om=1&msid=103763259662194171141.000001119b4ce1e8e0f76&msa=0" title="2004 Presidential Election">2004 Presidential Election</a>: Red states, blue states, and election stats for each</li><li><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;hl=en&t=k&om=1&msid=103763259662194171141.000001119b4bc596127f8&msa=0" title="The World of Hello World">The World of Hello World</a>: A map of programming languages and rough locations in the world where they were created</li><li><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103763259662194171141.00000111b3ac71d88011c">Olympic Host Cities</a>: Cities that have hosted the Olympic Games with links to related Wikipedia information</li><li><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;hl=en&t=k&om=1&msid=103763259662194171141.00000111b083b28bf007c&msa=0&t=k" title="The Googleplex">The Googleplex:</a> A photo essay on life at the Google headquarters in Mountain View</li><li><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;hl=en&t=k&om=1&msid=103763259662194171141.000001119b4d1da52255a&msa=0" title="Monster Sightings">Monster Sightings</a>: Locations of monster sightings across the globe </li></ul>And the list goes on. We've seen maps for housewarming parties, marathons, band tour schedules, blogs, and even resumes. Since customizing maps has become this easy, we encourage you to create your own to share with friends and family. Have fun!

Map-making: So easy a caveman could do it

Posted by Jess Lee, Product Manager, Google Maps Humans have been making maps since the Stone Age . In fact, map-making predates written lan...

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Search your Mac with Google Desktop

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Rose Yao, Mac Product Manager</span><br /><br />It seems like just yesterday that I was announcing the <a href="http://googlemac.blogspot.com/"> Google Mac blog</a>. Since then, we've been working hard to deliver great products for Google users on Mac, including <a href="http://googlemac.blogspot.com/2007/01/taming-mac-os-x-file-systems.html">MacFUSE</a> and <a href="http://googlemac.blogspot.com/2006/11/more-earth-for-mac.html">Google Earth</a>. Today, I'm really excited to let you know that <a href="http://desktop.google.com/mac">Google Desktop is now available on the Mac</a>! A lot of your most important data doesn't live on the web -- it lives on your Mac and in web services. And since Google is a search company, we're committed to helping you find all of that information.<br /><br />I could talk about this product all day, but I'll cut to the chase. Here are my top 5 reasons to <a href="http://desktop.google.com/mac">try the Mac version of Desktop</a>.<br /><ol><li>It's as fast and easy to use as Google.com.</li><li>It's comprehensive. Not only can you search the files on your Mac, you can now search your web history and your Gmail emails even when you're offline.</li><li>It's changed the way I use my Mac. We designed the Quick Search Box to be a great launcher for applications and files, which means I no longer have a million icons on my desktop and in my dock.</li><li>It's saved me hours. Really! Haven't you ever accidentally closed or deleted a file you've been working on? Or typed "rm -rf" when you didn't mean to? Now you can just search for the file with Google Desktop and recover all the text content you've lost. </li><li>We need your help! This is our first beta of Google Desktop for the Mac and we worked hard to create it; now we need <a title="your feedback" href="http://groups.google.com/group/google-mac">your feedback</a> to help to make it even better.</li></ol>So go ahead and give it a try. We hope you like it!

Search your Mac with Google Desktop

Posted by Rose Yao, Mac Product Manager It seems like just yesterday that I was announcing the Google Mac blog . Since then, we've been...

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Snakes in a plain... old... office building!

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Dan Bentley, Software Engineer</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Act 1: The Googler who cried snake</span><br /><br />Sunday April 1st, NYooglers (a word for New York Googlers I can't convince anyone else to use) receive an email about a python. I assume it's either <a href="http://www.python.org/%7Eguido/" target="_blank" title="Guido van Rossum">Guido van Rossum</a> talking about his <a href="http://python.org/" target="_blank" title="programming language">programming language</a>, or, because it's April Fool's, something like <a href="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/paper/more.html" target="_blank" title="Gmail Paper">Gmail Paper</a> or <a href="http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html" target="_blank" title="pigeonrank">PigeonRank</a>. Boy, am I surprised when I see the following message:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQTQpspvHsItlUApMomP9OJLTuzZ4tLhJX2cYV1MV2BuW70tGSqXR7bm1WR1dlP4rvfm7zUAxGRbxlSSP0D97AgradPTa1I2BEChMnkoidcw9eax1hLbJ2DpdDCRcb-OsJgeBy_TdwbM/s1600-h/Missing+Snake.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049295877759581378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQTQpspvHsItlUApMomP9OJLTuzZ4tLhJX2cYV1MV2BuW70tGSqXR7bm1WR1dlP4rvfm7zUAxGRbxlSSP0D97AgradPTa1I2BEChMnkoidcw9eax1hLbJ2DpdDCRcb-OsJgeBy_TdwbM/s320/Missing+Snake.JPG" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />"Over the weekend, a pet snake belonging to a Googler escaped from its cage. The snake is a 3-foot long, brown-and-grey, ball python named Kaiser. Ball pythons are non-venomous and are commonly kept as pets. Tempting as it might be, this is not an April Fool's joke! We are sending this message to alert you to the situation and to let you know what to do in the event that you see the snake."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Act 2: A community unites</span><br /><br />Monday morning in the office, we react. Some laugh, some debate whether it is actually a joke, and some stand away from walls and corners. At least one considers buying rubber snakes en masse. The bathrooms have slightly fewer occupants than usual.<br /><br />Signs are posted in our microkitchens informing us of the situation and reiterating that Kaiser is not venomous and probably hiding behind some cabinet. My favorite sign reads "Single Ball Python (female): Down to earth gal seeking a sincere long term relationship. I have a heart of gold and enjoy quiet evenings in the aquarium, time by the heat lamp, and being held. If you are interested in a woman who desires a quiet settled-down lifestyle and a good future, I am your perfect fit."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Act 3: Google widens lead in search as Kaiser is found<br /></span><br />Monday, April 2nd, 10:45 PM, we receive another Facilities Manager email: "After consultations with a herpetology expert at the American Museum of Natural History, our team of Google security and concerned volunteers located Kaiser relaxing behind a cabinet earlier this evening, and he was returned safely home with his owner." So, it all ended happily, and Kaiser is now at his owner's home to stay.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Epilogue</span><br /><br />By Tuesday, life at the East Coast 'Plex returns to normal. We go back to building <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/search-public-events-in-google.html" target="_blank" title="great products">great products</a>, hosting <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/our-new-york-speaker-series.html" target="_blank" title="cool">cool events</a>, and <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/04/its-wonderful-town.html" target="_blank" title="using telescopes to take pictures of ourselves">using telescopes to take pictures of ourselves</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thank you!<br /><br /></span>All of Google NY would like to sincerely thank our building landlord, <a href="http://www.taconicinvestments.com/" target="_blank" title="Taconic Investment Partners">Taconic Investment Partners</a>, for working in partnership with us on this sensitive search and recovery mission.

Snakes in a plain... old... office building!

Posted by Dan Bentley, Software Engineer Act 1: The Googler who cried snake Sunday April 1st, NYooglers (a word for New York Googlers I can...

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This year's Anita Borg Scholarship winners

<span class="byline-author">Posted by Meredith Carroll, Staffing Programs Coordinator/Diversity Program</span><br /><br />It's that time of year when we happily announce the winners of the 2007 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship. We're awarding 20 $10,000 scholarships to these outstanding young women -- graduate and undergraduate students who are completing degrees in computer science and related fields -- with our congratulations. The <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/anitaborg07.html">full list of winners is here</a>.<br /><br />We invited all 50 scholars to Mountain View to meet each other, tour Google and participate in a workshop on educational and career issues for women in computer science. The day also included discussions with Google engineers and executives, representatives from the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and former scholarship winners. This event is part of a larger Google Scholars’ Retreat in partnership with the winners of the 2006-2007 United Negro College Fund and Hispanic College Fund Google Scholarships.

This year's Anita Borg Scholarship winners

Posted by Meredith Carroll, Staffing Programs Coordinator/Diversity Program It's that time of year when we happily announce the winners ...

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