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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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Before Optimization (click on the images for larger versions) <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> After Optimization <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> Check out the <a href="http://websiteoptimizer.blogspot.com/">Website Optimizer Blog</a> for more information. Posted by Andrew Gomez, Associate Product Marketing Manager

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> 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. 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. 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. 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: <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 </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. Posted by Paul Slakey, Director of Enterprise Channels

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

(Cross-posted from the <a href="http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2009/01/gingerbread-results-are-in.html">SketchUp blog</a>) 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... First Prize <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> <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> 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. Second Prize <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> <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> 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. Third Prize <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> <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> 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. Sprinkles Prize (for the best additions to the base model) <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> <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> 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. Swirl Prize (for the best use of <a href="http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2008/11/more-about-dynamic-components.html">Dynamic Components</a> in the model) <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> <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> 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. Sweet Tooth Prize (for the most creative use of a single candy ingredient) <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> <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> Candy canes for the walls. Candy canes for the roof. Candy canes for everything. Nice. 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: <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> Congratulations to everyone, and thanks for participating. We hope you had as much fun building them as we did looking them over. Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Product Evangelist

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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Update on 1/12 @ 4 PM: 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. Update on 1/16 @ 1 PM: The Sunday Times 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. Posted by Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Operations

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. <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> 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. <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> Although we changed the color layout slightly and moved the 'g' off center, his submission formed the basis for our new design. 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). <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> 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. 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! Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP, Search Products & User Experience, and Micheal Lopez, Web Design Lead

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. 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>. <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> 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. Posted by Brian Fitzpatrick, Engineering Manager, Chicago

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. <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> 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. 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>. Posted by Jason Toff, Associate Product Marketing Manager

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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