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Celebrating the Google Photography Prize Finalists
April 16, 2012
Back in November we announced the
Google Photography Prize 2012
, a competition offering student photographers a chance to share their best photographs with the world.
Groundbreaking photographer Ansel Adams once said, “There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs,” so we left the themes for submission suitably broad, with 10 categories that combined classic photography genres with online photography trends including “Night,” “Travel,” “Sound/Silence” and “Me.”
We were thrilled by the interest in the contest: nearly 20,000 students from 146 countries took part, of which 100 were shortlisted. You can see these in the gallery on our
website
.
Our
judging panel
of seven leading photography experts chose the 10 finalists whose work will be shown in our exhibition in the Saatchi Gallery. Today we’re announcing the finalists:
Collin Avery
(U.S.),
Viktor Johansson
(Sweden),
Kyrre Lien
(Norway),
Alexandra Claudia Manta
(Romania),
Balázs Maté
(Hungary),
Adi Sason
(Israel),
Oliver Seary
(UK),
Dana Stirling
(Israel),
Sasha Tamarin
(Israel),
Zhao Yi
(China). Here are examples of the finalists' work—you can see their full albums on their Google+ profiles.
If you’re in London, come to the Saatchi Gallery to see the work of our finalists displayed alongside a new exhibition of international photography,
Out of Focus
, starting April 25. The overall winner of the Google Photography Prize will be announced on April 24, and will go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a location of their choice with a professional photographer as their mentor.
We hope you enjoy these fantastic photos as much as we did.
Posted by Obi Felten, Director of Consumer Marketing EMEA
Technologists and muckrakers pursuing a more perfect union
April 12, 2012
Today, roughly 200 reporters, editors and technologists are gathering at the Googleplex in Mountain View for our first
TechRaking
summit. Co-hosted with the
Center for Investigative Reporting
, the oldest nonprofit investigative reporting organization in the United States, this gathering is meant to inspire
muckraking
by exploring tools that help reporters tell stories with greater interactivity, opportunities for long-form journalism to thrive in new mediums, best practices for verifying information and fact-checking online and much more throughout the course of the day. Think of it as the intersection of science and art when it comes to converting information into knowledge.
Here are a few of the highlights in store:
The Center for Investigative Reporting will discuss its
new Knight Foundation-funded investigative news channel on YouTube
that will be a hub of investigative journalism. Expected to launch in July, the channel will feature videos from major broadcasters and independent producers globally—both nonprofit and for-profit—and is an example of the power of collaborations that can serve the public.
The
Google Fusion Tables
team will discuss tips and tricks for data-driven journalists with
Wendy Levy
and
Jeremy Rue
during an afternoon breakout discussion. In another step toward making it easier for people in any industry to discover, manage and visualize data, this morning we
announced
a new interface for Fusion Tables, which helps you better explore and collaborate on data, includes more visualizations under the “experimental” tab and has a new Fusion Tables API for developers.
Richard Gingras, head of news product at Google, is kickstarting the day with a series of questions for journalists, newsrooms and technologists to consider. Mary Himinkool, who leads global entrepreneurship, is delivering a rapid-fire seven-minute look at lessons learned from entrepreneurs around the world, and Brian Rakowski from Chrome is sharing the process involved in rethinking the modern browser.
We wish we could have welcomed an even larger crowd, but for those who weren’t able to join us in person, tune in to the Center for Investigative Reporting’s
Google+ page
for updates from the day and highlights afterward. At 1:30pm PT we’ll broadcast a
Hangout
with Krishna Bharat (distinguished research scientist at Google and founder of
Google News
), Amna Nawaz (Pakistan bureau chief/correspondent at NBC News), Nic Robertson (senior international correspondent at CNN), Sarah Hill (news anchor at KOMU) and Sree Sreenivasan (dean of student affairs and professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism). You can also follow
#techraking
and participate on Twitter.
TechRaking
was born out of a lunchtime conversation
at NewsFoo, another unconventional conference focused on moving forward the future of journalism and technology. We look forward to seeing the ideas and outcomes that emerge and develop from today.
Posted by Sean Carlson, Global Communications & Public Affairs
Toward a simpler, more beautiful Google
April 11, 2012
Update
5:49pm: for our international readers, this post is also available in
French
,
German
,
Italian
,
Japanese
and Spanish (
Latin America
,
Spain
). - Ed.
More than 170 million people have upgraded to Google+, enjoying new ways to share in Search, Gmail, YouTube and
lots of other places
. It's still early days, and there’s plenty left to do, but we're more excited than ever to build a seamless social experience, all across Google.
A critical piece of this social layer is a design that grows alongside our aspirations. So today we’re introducing a more functional and flexible version of Google+. We think you’ll find it easier to use and nicer to look at, but most importantly, it accelerates our efforts to create a simpler, more beautiful Google.
Navigation you can make your own
One of the first things you’ll notice is a new way to get around the stream. Instead of static icons at the top, there’s a dynamic ribbon of applications on the left. This approach comes with lots of perks, but some of our favorites include:
You can drag apps up or down to create the order you want
You can hover over certain apps to reveal a set of quick actions
You can show or hide apps by moving them in and out of “More”
Taken together, these powers make it easier to access your favorites, and to adjust your preferences over time. We've also built the ribbon with the future in mind, giving us an obvious (and clutter-free) space for The Next Big Feature, and The Feature After That. So stay tuned.
Conversations you’ll really care about
Once you’ve upgraded to Google+, it’s easy to share with your circles from just about anywhere. We’re dreaming bigger, though. We're aiming for an experience that fuses utility with beauty—one that inspires you to connect with others, and cherish the conversations that unfold. Today’s update is an important step in this direction, including:
Full bleed photos and videos that'll make you really proud to post
A stream of conversation "cards" that make it easier to scan and join discussions
An activity drawer that highlights the community around your content
Simply put, we're hoping to make sharing more awesome by making it more evocative. You know that feeling you get when a piece of art takes your breath away, or when a friend stops by with unexpected gifts? We want sharing to feel like that, every single time.
A new home for hanging out
Google+ Hangouts uses live video to bring people together, and the results range from
heartwarming
to
breathtaking
to
music-making
. Today we're adding a dedicated Hangouts page that creates even more opportunities to connect in person, including:
An always-updated list of invitations from the people in your circles
Quick access to every public and On Air hangout, for those times when you want to meet someone new, or watch a live broadcast
A rotating billboard of popular hangouts, pro tips and other items you don’t want to miss
By highlighting all the hangouts you can join, all over the world, it’s now easier to spend time together—even be there for each other. And with efforts like
hangout apps
already underway, you can expect more hangouts in more places in the future.
Getting there from here
Today's Google+ update extends beyond navigation, the stream and hangouts. For instance: there's a new Explore page that shows what's interesting and trending across the network. And a new profile with much bigger photos. And a new chat list that puts your friends front and center. And a whole lot more.
We're rolling out all of these improvements over the next few days, so please check back if you don't see them yet. In the meantime, you can visit
this overview
to learn more.
By focusing on you, the people you care about, and the stuff you’re into, we’re going to continue upgrading all the features you already know and love—from Search and Maps to Gmail and YouTube. With today’s foundational changes we can move even faster—toward a simpler, more beautiful Google.
Posted by
Vic Gundotra
, Senior Vice President
One desk chair—hold the formaldehyde
April 9, 2012
Formaldehyde. Lead. Pesticides. Mercury. If building materials had nutrition labels, would you buy a product containing these toxic ingredients? There are more than 80,000 chemicals in the world, and we don’t fully know how they impact our health. And a surprising number of
hazardous chemicals
still make their way into everyday products we use, including furniture, paints, carpets and flooring. Whether it’s in the home or office, we shouldn’t have to worry that the chair we’re sitting in or the air we breathe contains
harmful chemicals
(PDF).
On my first day on the job at Google over six years ago, a co-worker asked me to sniff a carpet sample. I didn’t smell anything and was told, “That’s good!” We want to
build a greener future
and
create the healthiest work environments imaginable for Googlers
, which means we only use paints, sealants, adhesives, carpets, furniture and building materials with the lowest levels of VOCs (
volatile organic compounds
) possible.
A straw-hut style huddle room made with sustainably forested wood from Pescadero Willow Farm, bound by a saline-based, toxin-free solution
Unfortunately, the lack of clear and widely-available product ingredient information makes progress in this area challenging, so we’re asking the market to provide toxin-free products and make its contents an open book. We put all our products through a rigorous screening process to make sure they meet our healthy materials standards, and request full transparency from our vendors by asking them to share comprehensive product ingredient information.
This movement is also gaining momentum outside of Google. Recently,
30 leading building product manufacturers signed on to pilot the Health Product Declaration (HPD) Open Standard
, the industry’s first common reporting standard for transparency around health impacts of building materials. Google is a founding endorser of the HPD, and we applaud these manufacturers for taking this important step. Continued leadership like this is needed for the product transparency revolution to gain real traction—not just for building materials but all types of products we consume or use.
So whether you’re at the restaurant or hardware store, ask tough questions so you can make better-informed choices about products to help keep yourself and your families healthy. Your collective voice and purchasing power can make a huge difference.
As for Google, by setting high standards, asking difficult questions and encouraging transparency from our partners, we hope to show how other organizations can create their own healthy and sustainable work environments.
Posted by Anthony Ravitz, Green Team Lead, Real Estate and Workplace Services Team
Google+ Hangout with the UN Secretary-General
April 9, 2012
We’re passionate about changing the world. But there’s another organization that’s equally passionate—and has been doing it a lot longer. For more than 60 years, the United Nations has worked to advance a global agenda on ending war and poverty, promoting human rights, protecting the environment and dealing with humanitarian crises—critical issues that will determine the quality of life for future generations to come.
So we’re delighted that on Tuesday, April 10, some of the voices of the next generation will have the chance to participate in an exclusive global conversation with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon via a Google+ Hangout from the United Nations headquarters in New York. Six young people, selected in consultation with partners in civil society, academia and United Nations offices in the field, will join from the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, and have the opportunity to ask questions on the issues that matter to them.
The Google+ Hangout with the UN Secretary-General will be streamed live at 3:30pm ET on April 10 at youtube.com/unitednations. David C. Drummond, Google’s SVP of Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer, will moderate.
Technology has given us the chance to advance the important work of the UN, while ensuring that global politics is made more accountable to citizens. We’re thrilled that Google can help play a small part in this.
Posted by Dex Torricke-Barton, Global Communications & Public Affairs
Celebrating six students receiving the AP-Google Journalism & Technology Scholarship
April 5, 2012
Last summer,
we announced
a joint scholarship program for aspiring journalists with the
Associated Press
, administered by the
Online News Association
. Congratulations to the
six students
who will each be receiving $20,000 to pursue degrees that lie at the intersection of journalism, computer science and new media:
Emily Eggleston
, 24, graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, studying journalism and geography.
Reginald James
, 30, undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying political science and African American studies.
Katie Zhu
, 20, undergraduate at Northwestern University, studying computer science and journalism.
Rebecca Rolfe
, 25, graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, studying digital media.
Kevin Schaul
, 20, undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota, studying journalism and computer science.
John Osborn
, 29, graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying journalism.
These students have big plans that range from producing hyperlocal data-driven stories, to developing open-source apps that allow for democratic news gathering and greater collaboration, to data visualization for current events and entertainment, to producing political news games and teaching journalists how to code.
We hope these scholarship winners, and their future projects, inspire the broader journalism community to keep rethinking how to report and share stories through new technologies.
For all undergraduate and graduate students already brainstorming ideas for next year, read more about the application process and eligibility on the scholarship program’s
website
. Thank you to the Associated Press and the Online News Association for making this scholarship program possible, and we look forward to seeing the impact these students have in their communities and in journalism.
Posted by Sean Carlson, Global Communications & Public Affairs
Going global in search of great art
April 3, 2012
South African rock designs
.
Brazilian street graffiti
.
Australian aboriginal art
. Today we’re announcing a major expansion of the
Google Art Project
. From now on, with a few simple clicks of a finger, art lovers around the world will be able to discover not just paintings, but also sculpture, street art and photographs from
151 museums
in
40 countries
.
Since we
introduced
the Art Project last year, curators, artists and viewers from all over the globe have offered exciting ideas about how to enhance the experience of collecting, sharing and discovering art. Institutions worldwide asked to join the project, urging us to increase the diversity of artworks displayed. We listened.
The original Art Project counted 17 museums in nine countries and 1,000 images, almost all paintings from Western masters. Today, the Art Project includes more than
30,000 high-resolution
artworks, with Street View images for 46 museums, with more on the way. In other words, the Art Project is no longer just about the Indian student wanting to visit the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York. It is now also about the American student wanting to visit the
National Gallery of Modern Art
in Delhi.
The expanded Art Project embraces all sizes of institutions, specializing in art or in other types of culture. For example, you can take a look at the
White House
in Washington, D.C., explore the collection of the
Museum of Islamic Art
in Qatar, and continue the journey to the
Santiniketan Triptych
in the halls of the
National Gallery of Modern Art
, Delhi. In the United States alone, some 29 partners in 16 cities are participating, ranging from excellent regional museums like the
Gibbes Museum of Art
in Charleston, South Carolina to top notch university galleries such as the
SCAD museum of art
in Savannah, Georgia.
Here are a few other new things in the expanded Art Project that you might enjoy:
Using completely new tools, called Explore and Discover, you can find artworks by period, artist or type of artwork, displaying works from different museums around the world.
Google+ and Hangouts are integrated on the site, enabling you to create even more engaging personal galleries.
Street View images are now displayed in finer quality. A specially designed Street View “trolley” took 360-degree images of the interior of selected galleries which were then stitched together, enabling smooth navigation of more than 385 rooms within the museums. You can also explore the gallery interiors directly from within
Street View in Google Maps
.
We now have 46 artworks available with our “gigapixel” photo capturing technology, photographed in extraordinary detail using super high resolution so you can study details of the brushwork and patina that would be impossible to see with the naked eye.
An enhanced
My Gallery
feature lets you select any of the
30,000 artworks
—along with your favorite details—to build your own personalized gallery. You can add comments to each painting and share the whole collection with friends and family. (It’s an ideal tool for students.)
The Art Project is part of our efforts to bringing culture online and making it accessible the widest possible audience. Under the auspices of the
Google Cultural Institute
, we’re presenting high-resolution images of the
Dead Sea Scrolls
, digitizing the archives of famous figures such as
Nelson Mandela
, and creating 3D models of
18th century French cities
. Our launch ceremony was held this morning at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris:
For more information and future developments, follow the
Art Project on Google+
. Together with the fantastic input from our partners from around the world, we’re delighted to have created a convenient, fun way to interact with art—a platform that we hope appeals to students, aspiring artists and connoisseurs alike.
Posted by Amit Sood, Google Art Project
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