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Gone fishin’—piloting community supported fisheries at Google
July 29, 2011
(Cross-posted on the
Google Green Blog
)
I've always loved the ocean—I was born in Shanghai, which means "upon the sea.” And as a chef, I'm always drawn to food that claims a spirit of place. After moving to California, near
Half Moon Bay
, I began visiting the docks to buy seafood, and got to know the fishermen.
Over time, it became evident to me that this part of our food supply is broken: many consumers purchase stale, unsustainably-raised fish from chain grocers. Meanwhile, fishermen often sell their diminishing catch to wholesalers at a very low profit, meaning their livelihoods are no longer sustained by their catch. There’s also the environmental factor to consider: Overfishing and illegal practices cause worldwide decline in ocean wildlife populations and wreak havoc on underwater habitats—not to mention the carbon footprint of transporting seafood far from its origin.
Google’s chefs have long been committed to sourcing food for our cafes as locally, seasonally and organically as possible. And in our Mountain View headquarters, many employees cook with the same ingredients at home thanks to on-site
Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA) programs. When I joined the team as an executive chef in Mountain View, I wanted to make a difference in our purchasing program for seafood. For the five years leading up to then, I wrote a column for the
San Francisco Chronicle
called “Seafood by the Season,” and I knew it could be done. In early 2010, we began a push to apply the most rigorous standards to our seafood-buying practices, and respond to the in-the-moment fluctuations of the catch from small, independent fishermen.
Things took off from there. My colleague Quentin Topping dreamed of providing the same high-quality seafood we serve in our cafes for Googlers to take home to their families. That idea became the Google Community Supported Fishery (CSF), which we launched in May 2011. In this program, Googlers sign up to purchase a weekly supply of local, sustainable seafood, supplied through a partnership with the
Half Moon Bay (HMB) Fisherman’s Association
.
The Google Culinary team on a visit with fishermen in Half Moon Bay, Calif.—Quentin and I are the second and third from the left, in black.
We tend to think on a massive scale at Google—whether it’s how to deliver instant search results around the globe or help thousands of small businesses get online—but when it comes to feeding our employees at work and at home, it really comes down to a local touch. Knowing where our seafood, meat and produce come from, as well as knowing how they’re raised, farmed or harvested, makes all the difference in the on-the-ground work of sustainability. We see many bright spots ahead for our Community Supported Agriculture and Fishery programs, such as expansion to other offices and adding a grass-fed beef and pasture-raised poultry program. It’s exciting to work someplace where we can think big
and
local.
We know of two CSFs in the Bay Area. The Half Moon Bay Fishermen’s Association supplies only Google at the moment, but will soon add public drop-off sites—keep posted by visiting
Farmigo.com
. The other is CSea out of Bodega Bay. If you live elsewhere, we hope you’ll consider stepping up to create one in your area.
And even if you don’t live near the ocean or have direct access to fresh-caught seafood, the choices you make about what fish to purchase or order in restaurants can make a real difference. You may want to consider following the guidelines that we used for our Google Green Seafood policy: Whenever possible, purchase species caught locally and in-season, by small, independent fisher-families, using environmentally-responsible methods. We think it’s important to be responsive to the fluctuations of catch too, and source from fisheries that enforce catch limits or are guided by ecosystem-based management programs. As for us, we’ll continue to research and source responsibly managed farmed seafood, and always keep transparency and Googler health at the center of our program.
Posted by Liv Wu, Executive Chef
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
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