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2-step verification: stay safe around the world in 40 languages
July 28, 2011
(Cross-posted on the
Online Security Blog
)
Earlier this year, we
introduced
a security feature called
2-step verification
that helps protect your Google Account from threats like password compromise and identity theft. By entering a one-time verification code from your phone after you type your password, you can make it much tougher for an unauthorized person to gain access to your account.
People have told us how much they like the feature, which is why we're thrilled to offer 2-step verification in 40 languages and in more than 150 countries. There’s never been a better time to set it up: Examples in the news of password theft and data breaches constantly remind us to stay on our toes and take advantage of tools to properly secure our valuable online information. Email, social networking and other online accounts still get compromised today, but 2-step verification cuts those risks significantly.
We recommend investing some time in keeping your information safe by watching our
2-step verification video
to learn how to quickly increase your Google Account’s resistance to common problems like reused passwords and
malware and phishing scams
. Wherever you are in the world,
sign up for 2-step verification
and help keep yourself one step ahead of the bad guys.
To learn more about online safety tips and resources, visit our ongoing security
blog series
, and review a couple of simple
tips and tricks
for online security. Also, watch our video about
five easy ways
to help you stay safe and secure as you browse.
Update
on 12/1/11
: We recently made 2-step verification available for users in even more places, including Iran, Japan, Liberia, Myanmar (Burma), Sudan and Syria. This enhanced security feature for Google Accounts is now available in more than 175 countries.
Posted by Nishit Shah, Product Manager, Google Security
Catch the London Underground with Google Maps
July 28, 2011
(Cross-posted on the
Lat Long Blog
)
Starting today, you can get
public transport directions
for London within Google Maps. One of Europe’s largest metropolitan areas, London is a major destination for both business travelers and tourists. More than
1 billion
passengers are serviced by Transport for London (TfL) every year across over 18,000 bus stops and over 250 Underground stations.
Let’s say you’re at Trafalgar Square, and you want to visit Madame Tussauds. With a
simple
directions search, you’ll see all the possible public transport connections. In
Maps
, click “Get directions” in the left-hand panel, and then the train icon to see public transport directions. Enter your departure location next to A, and your destination next to B. These can be either street addresses or names of popular places, businesses or restaurants. When you’re done, click the “Get directions” button and suggestions for your trip will appear below.
Public transport directions are available on both
Google Maps
and
Google Maps for mobile
, so you always have access to a trip planner. When you’re on mobile, Maps even uses your current location to determine the best trip to your destination. Just search for your destination location, select it on the map and choose the “Directions” option. The suggested trips will be based on your location by default, and provide you multiple alternatives whenever possible.
If you’re using an Android-powered device, you can also get public transport directions with
Transit Navigation (Beta)
in Google Maps. With this new feature, which we launched earlier this month, you’ll get alerts when it’s time to get off the bus or train at your destination or to make a transfer. Transit Navigation is available in all regions where public transport directions are available, including London.
TfL is among the first agencies in a major European city to make its timetable information
publicly available
through the London Datastore. We’re strong supporters of open data and bringing information out into the open, and believe that making information publicly accessible can be an enormous engine of economic growth and innovation.
ITO World
has been a great partner in this launch by ensuring TfL’s data was adapted correctly and ready for our use.
Public transport directions are available for all Underground, bus, tram and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) lines, and we’ll include more public transport information as soon as it’s available. Whether you use public transport every day or infrequently, as a commuter, on a business trip or as a tourist, we hope that public transport directions in London make planning your trips more convenient!
Posted by Thijs van As, Associate Product Manager, Transit Directions
Save your friends from outdated email—help them switch to Gmail
July 27, 2011
(Cross-posted from the
Gmail Blog
)
I switched to Gmail the first month it came out, mere seconds after receiving an invitation from a friend and two years before joining Google. Since then, I’ve invited hundreds of people, most of whom have happily made the switch to Gmail and never looked back.
But I have one friend, Andy, who’s the straggler in the group. A couple months ago, I sent out an email about a barbecue I was having. On the “To:” line, there were 15 Gmail addresses and then Andy. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Shortly thereafter, Andy was complaining to us about how much spam he got. That was the last straw.
My friends and I sat Andy down and talked him through how to import his contacts. We answered his questions, guilt-tripped him a little, and a few painless minutes later we were done. Andy had Gmail.
We all have a story like this. On the Gmail team, we affectionately refer to them as “email interventions.” We hear about them all the time: the cousin who finally switched from an embarassing address like hottie6elliot1977 to a more professional elliot.d.smith@gmail.com, a co-worker who helped his dentist switch after he heard her grumble about having to pay for IMAP access, etc.
It’s for these folks we created
emailintervention.com
, a site that makes it easier than ever to help your friends and family make the switch.
Staging an intervention is simple:
Visit
emailintervention.com
Sign in and automatically identify who from your contacts has yet to make the switch, or just enter a friend’s email address manually
Choose from one of three intervention message templates (“straightforward”, “concerned” or “ embarrassed”), and add your own intervention video if you’d like
Send a customized email and follow up as needed
Your loved ones are counting on you. Even if they don't know it yet.
Posted by Peter Harbison, Product Marketing Manager
Congratulations Russia, the National Geographic World Champions
July 27, 2011
(Cross-posted from the
Lat Long
and
Student
Blogs)
This island has a population of about 57,000 people, with the most settlements concentrated on the west coast. Very little of this island is suitable for agriculture.
After eight rounds of questions from none other than quiz king
Alex Trebek
himself, the team from Russia was crowned the National Geographic World Champions today at our Mountain View, Calif. headquarters after answering this final question correctly.
(By the way, the answer is
Greenland
.)
The National Geographic World Champions from Russia (photo courtesy of National Geographic)
Students from 17 regions around the world competed in the
2011 National Geographic World Championship
. Today’s final round included answering a series of challenging questions like the one above. The students also interpreted maps and museum artifacts from the University of California Berkeley and fielded questions about live animals from the San Francisco Zoo during the
earlier rounds of the competition
.
Congratulations to the Russian team and to all of the students who participated. We look forward to seeing where your explorations and knowledge take you.
Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Earth
OK Go play with Chrome
July 27, 2011
(Cross-posted on the
Google Chrome Blog
)
We all have a song or a personal soundtrack that speaks to us. But it doesn’t always say exactly what we want it to say.
In
All is Not Lost
— an HTML5 music collaboration between the band
OK Go
, the dance troupe and choreographers
Pilobolus
, and Google—you can embed your message in a music video and have the band dance it out. The band and Pilobolus dancers are filmed through a clear floor, making increasingly complex shapes and eventually words—and messages you can write yourself.
All is Not Lost
is built in HTML5 with the browser
Google Chrome
in mind. Different shots are rendered in different browser windows that move, re-size and re-align throughout the piece. With HTML5’s
canvas
technology, these videos are drawn in perfect timing with the music.
OK Go are well-known for their delightfully creative music videos, including
Here It Goes Again
, their first work featuring half a dozen treadmills, and
This Too Shall Pass
, based around an extraordinary Rube Goldberg machine—both of which have become extraordinarily popular on YouTube. We’re excited to collaborate with them on another project that finds its natural home on the web.
This project also has a special significance for the team here at Google Japan, who worked on this collaboration alongside OK Go. In the wake of the devastating Tōhoku
earthquake
, the band suggested using
All is Not Lost
as a message of support to the Japanese people during this difficult time.
All is Not Lost
is best experienced in
Chrome
at
allisnotlo.st
. For web developers curious about how the experience was created, you can read more on the
Google Code Blog
.
Posted by Keiko Hirayama, Senior Marketing Manager, Google Tokyo
National Geographic World Championship comes to Google
July 26, 2011
(Cross-posted on the
Lat Long
and
Google Student
blogs)
It’s summer vacation for many kids, but 51 students from 17 different regions have been spending their time off polishing and fine-tuning their geographic skills to prepare for this year’s
National Geographic World Championship
, a biennial geography competition hosted by the
National Geographic Society
.
This year, Google is the proud sponsor and on Wednesday, July 27, we’ll host the three final teams from Canada, Chinese Taipei and Russia at our campus in Mountain View, California. The preliminary rounds included a written exam on Sunday and activities at the San Francisco Zoo on Monday morning. Teams ventured to various zoo exhibits and were asked to identify climate maps and geographic locations associated with 10 different animal habitats housed throughout the zoo.
Teams from Canada, Chinese Taipei and Russia will move on to the National Geographic World Championship
Since most of you can’t be here to witness the action in person, we’re going to live stream the finale, hosted by Alex Trebek of the game show JEOPARDY!. Tune into the
National Geographic YouTube Channel
Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. PDT to cheer on these young competitors from wherever you are in the world.
Through this competition, we aim to inspire the future generation of leaders and innovators to become more geographically literate and have a deeper understanding about the world they live in. We hope you are as excited as we are to see such enthusiasm and passion around geographic education.
Please join us in wishing all of these young geographic experts the best of luck!
Posted by Brian McClendon, VP, Google Earth and Maps
Celebrating the creativity of YouTube’s Partners
July 26, 2011
(Cross-posted on the
Public Policy
and
YouTube blogs
)
College friends make
trick basketball shots into a career
. A small blender company gets international attention by
blending glow sticks and iPads
. A musician goes from bagging groceries to
beatboxing around the world
. One of the most inspiring things about YouTube is the way people across the U.S. and around the world use it as a way to express their passions—and to turn those passions into careers.
There are more than 20,000 people in the
YouTube Partner Program
, and numerous other companies and organizations use YouTube to draw attention to their causes and promote their businesses. Hundreds of people are making six-figure incomes on the site, enabling them to hire editors and producers and create even more original content. We’re helping our Partners grow their careers by running
programs like YouTube NextUp and Creator Institute
, and working to
make the site a better and better place
for people to grow businesses and build audiences.
To shine a light on the many inspiring things happening on YouTube, we’ve put together a report sharing the stories of 20 YouTube Partners who are changing lives, businesses and in some cases, history. You can
download a PDF version
of “YouTube: Celebrating the next generation of creative video” or visit it online at
youtube.com/awesomeytpartners
. YouTube is a very special place because of the passion of our Partners and the positivity they bring, and we hope you’ll find these stories as uplifting as we do.
Posted by Tom Pickett, Director of Content Operations and Online Creators, YouTube
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