Hey—we've moved. Visit
The Keyword
for all the latest news and stories from Google
Official Blog
Insights from Googlers into our products, technology, and the Google culture
From Lake Tanganyika to Google Earth: Using tech to help our communities
April 3, 2014
Today we're joined by Dr. Jane Goodall, primatologist and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots program. In this post, Dr. Goodall shares her thoughts on how today’s technology can enable more people around the world to make a difference in their communities. Join Dr. Goodall for a celebratory
Birthday Hangout on Air
today at 11 a.m. PDT/2 p.m. EDT.
-Ed.
When I first set foot on the shores of
Lake Tanganyika
in 1960 to study chimpanzee behavior, I carried with me notebooks, pencils and a pair of second-hand binoculars. I was, at the time, a young woman with no scientific training, but had a strong passion for learning about animals in Africa. In later years I founded the
Jane Goodall Institute
, dedicated to preserving the habitat of chimpanzees and other animals worldwide.
The author connects with a member of the Kasakela chimpanzee community in Gombe.
Photo courtesy of JGI.
Today, the mapping technology available to all of us is completely changing the potential for animal and environmental research. My trip in 1960 would have looked quite different today. You have much more power at your fingertips, and you don't even have to leave your home. Tools like
Google Earth
let you visit the shores of Lake Tanganyika with just a few keystrokes. And in
Gombe
, local villagers are using Android smartphones and tablets, in conjunction with Google Maps Engine and Earth Engine, to
monitor changes in the forest habitat
that affect chimpanzee populations. Technology makes it so easy for people to find and share information and to understand the world around them. And once we understand, we can start to foster positive change.
The Jane Goodall Institute engages local communities from Tanzania, Uganda and across Africa to collect data on forests, wildlife and human activities using Google Android handheld devices.
Photo courtesy of JGI/Lilian Pintea.
That’s one of the reasons we started the
Roots & Shoots
program to connect young people with the knowledge and tools they need to solve problems in their communities. The projects undertaken by these young people help them learn important science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills while developing real leadership capabilities. Today, Roots & Shoots is launching a new
community mapping tutorial
for young people to help them use digital mapping technology to identify and address needs in their community. If you’re an educator, we offer online professional development to help you fit our youth leadership model into your classroom and curriculum. You can sign up for the
Roots & Shoots MOOC
to learn more.
Roots & Shoots groups from Uganda, Tanzania, and Republic of Congo share their projects.
There are more than 8,000 Roots & Shoots groups in 136 countries. Photos courtesy of JGI.
Today, on my 80th birthday, my wish is for young people around the world to think about the ways you can use technology to learn more about the wonderful world we share. Then, to take action, and inspire others to do the same. You have the power to do so much more than I did in 1960, to spark change I could only imagine back then. And you can do it no matter where in the world you are.
Posted by Dr. Jane Goodall
Introducing Auto Awesome Photobombs with David Hasselhoff
March 31, 2014
Google+ Auto Awesome
is all about fun surprises that bring your photos to life. And whether it’s
Benedict Cumberbatch at the Oscars
or
Michelle Obama at the White House
, a celebrity photobomb is the ultimate surprise, turning an ordinary photo into something extraordinary.
Now with Auto Awesome Photobombs, you too can get a celebrity photobomb—no red carpet required. We’re starting with surprise appearances by
+David Hasselhoff
, everyone’s favorite crime-fighting rockstar lifeguard.
Watch your step! The Hoff joins these adventurous hikers at Machu Picchu
The Hoff rides the waves in Big Sur
The Hoff enjoys a breezy afternoon by the San Francisco Bay
Upload a new self-portrait, or a group photo with friends
, and leave some room for The Hoff. He might just make your photo a little more
#Hoffsome
.
Posted by Erik Murphy-Chutorian, Staff Software Engineer and Avid Photobomber
Transparency Report: Requests for user information up 120 percent over four years
March 27, 2014
While we’ve always known how important transparency is when it comes to government requests, the events of the past year have underscored just how urgent the issue is. From being the first company to
disclose information about National Security Letters
to fighting for the ability to
publish more about FISA requests
, we’ve continually advocated for your right to know.
Today, we’re updating our
Transparency Report
for the ninth time. This updated Report details the number of government requests we received for user information in criminal investigations during the second half of 2013. Government requests for user information in criminal cases have increased by about 120 percent since we first began publishing these numbers in 2009. Though our number of users has grown throughout the time period, we’re also seeing more and more governments start to exercise their authority to make requests.
We consistently push back against overly broad requests for your personal information, but it’s also important for laws to explicitly protect you from government overreach. That’s why we’re working alongside eight other companies to push for
surveillance reform
, including more transparency. We’ve all been sharing best practices about how to report the requests we receive, and as a result our Transparency Report now includes governments that made less than 30 requests during a six-month reporting period, in addition to those that made 30+ requests.
Also, people have been asking about how we respond to search warrants in the U.S., so we’ve created an entertaining
video
to explain in plain language how this process works. We apply the same rigorous standards presented in this video to every request we receive, regardless of type.
You deserve to know when and how governments request user information online, and we’ll keep fighting to make sure that’s the case.
Posted by Richard Salgado, Legal Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security
Get Your Business Online Week starts today
March 24, 2014
Since getting online,
Green Mountain Bee Farm
in Fairfax, Vt. experienced a 5x increase in sales, and
Christine Fitzpatrick Hair and Makeup
in Birmingham, Mich. attracted 50 percent more clients. Getting online can make a big difference for small businesses—and stronger businesses makes for stronger communities. Online businesses are expected to grow 40 percent faster and create twice as many jobs as those that aren't online,* but more than half of America’s small businesses currently don't have a website.
That’s the inspiration behind
Get Your Business Online Week
, when we come together with local partners to get businesses in our communities online and growing. Starting today, we’ll broadcast free
virtual workshops
for business owners, available to anyone with an Internet connection. Here’s a glimpse of what you can look forward to:
Conversations with businesses
that have prospered online, like
Barkbox
,
GoldieBlox
and Dollar Shave Club
Step-by-step demos
on building a website and getting found on Search and Maps
Interviews with small business experts
like
SmallBizLady
Melinda Emerson
Workshops
on Google tools for businesses (Google Apps, Google Trends, Google Alerts), online advertising (AdWords), and measuring your success online (Analytics)
Free help and advice
from experts over
Helpouts by Google
We’re also teaming up with small business organizations across the country including local chambers of commerce,
Small Business Development Centers
and
SCORE
chapters to host live broadcasts of our trainings. You can find a screening closest to you
on our website
.
We’re excited to welcome small business everywhere to join us for this special week. Even if you don’t own a business, we encourage you to take part by spreading the word and inviting your favorite businesses to sign up.
See you on the web!
Posted by Amber Shapiro, on behalf of the Get Your Business Online team
*Source: BCG Report, "The Connected World: The $4.2 Trillion Opportunity," March 2012
Encouraging the next generation of journalists: Google Journalism Fellowship Winners 2014
March 21, 2014
The
Google Journalism Fellowship
connects students interested in using technology to tell stories in new ways to the organizations that are pushing the boundaries of newsgathering and reporting. Over 10 weeks, Fellows work on projects ranging from building interactive news apps to researching stories, finding data and writing code. In this post, one of last year’s Fellows, Jan Lauren Boyles, shares her perspective on the benefits of the program and what this year’s Fellows stand to get out of it.
-Ed.
At first, I thought it was just my imagination.
In the middle of my exams for my doctorate at American University last year, I got a call from the
Pew Research Center
offering me a Google Journalism Fellowship. Low on sleep, my first thought: "Was this offer all just a reverie, rendered by my foggy mind?"
In some ways, it turned out that that call really was the beginning of a dream.
I had applied for the Fellowship because I wanted to work with the brightest minds in media research and broaden my understanding of the intersections between journalism and technology. I was thrilled to work with leading experts at Pew Research to collect and analyze data that examined
how social media is transforming the way Americans consume and share news
. I also had a chance to learn from Google’s own
mapping and data visualization specialists
. But I never imagined we’d also shadow an editorial meeting at The Miami Herald, discuss the future of news with
Knight Foundation
staff, talk directly with news startup leaders and take part in a design sprint at a
CIR
/Google conference around data and the news.
The 2013 Google Journalism Fellows. The author is third from the right.
Many of the inaugural class of Google Fellows has gone on to carve out careers in the newsrooms of the 21st century. The Fellowship helped me land a full-time position at the
Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project
as a research associate—a dream job, where I’ll use various research methods—from surveys to content analysis to good ol' reporting—to help examine how news and information functions today. One key project that I’ll work on this year will be a deep examination of the flow of local news in society today.
Now a new class of Google Fellows gets a chance to fulfill their own dreams. These 11 students are people to watch—young scholars, computer scientists and practitioners who will likely create new journalism products and platforms that will change our engagement with news in the digital age.
This year’s organizations and Fellows are:
Center for Investigative Reporting
- Emmanuel Martinez, University of Southern California and Suyeon Son, Northwestern University
Committee to Protect Journalists
- Rachael Levy, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
Investigative Reporters & Editors
- Aram Chung, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Nieman Journalism Lab
- Liam Andrew, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Pew Research Journalism Project
- Alex T. Williams, University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School for Communication
Poynter
- Benjamin Mullin, California State University, Chico
PRI.org
- David Conrad, University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School for Communication
ProPublica
- Yue Qiu, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
Sunlight Foundation
- Stan Oklobdzija, UC San Diego
Texas Tribune
- Jessica Hamel, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
Congratulations to this year’s Fellows! We look forward to the energy you’ll bring to the host organizations this summer—and to watching
your
dreams become a reality.
Posted by Jan Lauren Boyles, Research Associate at Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project
Staying at the forefront of email security and reliability: HTTPS-only and 99.978 percent availability
March 20, 2014
Your email is important to you, and making sure it stays safe and always available is important to us. As you go about your day reading, writing and checking messages, there are tons of security measures running behind the scenes to keep your email safe, secure, and there whenever you need it.
Starting today, Gmail will always use an encrypted HTTPS connection when you check or send email. Gmail has
supported HTTPS
since the day it launched, and in 2010 we made
HTTPS the default
. Today's change means that no one can listen in on your messages as they go back and forth between you and Gmail’s servers—no matter if you're using public WiFi or logging in from your computer, phone or tablet.
In addition, every single email message you send or receive—100 percent of them—is encrypted while moving internally. This ensures that your messages are safe not only when they move between you and Gmail's servers, but also as they move between Google's data centers—something we made a top priority after last summer’s revelations.
Of course, being able to access your email is just as important as keeping it safe and secure. In 2013, Gmail was available 99.978 percent of the time, which averages to less than two hours of disruption for a user for the entire year. Our engineering experts look after Google's services 24x7 and if a problem ever arises, they're on the case immediately. We keep you informed by posting updates on the
Apps Status Dashboard
until the issue is fixed, and we always conduct a full analysis on the problem to prevent it from happening again.
Our commitment to the security and reliability of your email is absolute, and we’re constantly working on ways to improve. You can learn about additional ways to keep yourself safe online, like
creating strong passwords
and
enabling 2-step verification
, by visiting the Security Center:
https://www.google.com/help/security
.
Posted by Nicolas Lidzborski, Gmail Security Engineering Lead
Cross-posted from the
Official Gmail Blog
Chromecast: now casting in 11 more countries
March 18, 2014
Superheroes
,
cliff divers
,
fearless reporters
or
pop icons
—whatever you like to watch,
Chromecast
makes it easy to bring it from a phone, tablet or laptop to the biggest screen in your house: the TV. Since announcing Chromecast in the U.S.,
we’ve grown to include more
of your favorite apps and websites. Those numbers will continue to grow, and we want to bring Chromecast to more people around the world. Today Chromecast is available in an additional 11 countries—Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the U.K.
In addition to your favorite apps like YouTube, Google Play Movies, Google Play Music and Netflix (where available), we’re working with local content providers to bring even more of the movies and TV shows you love to Chromecast. Apps will start rolling out today, and include BBC iPlayer in the U.K.; France TV Pluzz and SFR TV in France with CANALPLAY coming soon; and Watchever in Germany with Maxdome coming soon. So instead of huddling around your laptop to watch Sherlock solve the next crime or getting caught up on all the workplace drama in Stromberg, you can cast it, sit back, and watch together on the big screen.
Chromecast will keep getting better. We recently opened up
Chromecast to developers
, and in a few short weeks more than 3,000 developers worldwide have signed up to bring their apps and websites to Chromecast. You’ll soon have more TV shows, movies, videos, sports, music and games to choose from. Stay up-to-date on the latest apps that work with Chromecast at
chromecast.com/apps
.
So if you’re in one of these 11 countries,
look for Chromecast
starting today at Amazon, Google Play, Currys PC World, Elkjøp, FNAC, Saturn, Media Markt and other retailers.
Happy casting!
Posted by Mario Queiroz, Vice President of Product Management, Chromecast
Labels
accessibility
41
acquisition
26
ads
131
Africa
19
Android
59
apps
419
April 1
4
Asia
39
books + book search
48
commerce
12
computing history
7
crisis response
33
culture
12
developers
120
diversity
35
doodles
68
education and research
144
entrepreneurs at Google
14
Europe
46
faster web
16
free expression
61
google.org
73
googleplus
50
googlers and culture
202
green
102
Latin America
18
maps and earth
194
mobile
125
online safety
19
open source
19
photos
39
policy and issues
139
politics
71
privacy
66
recruiting and hiring
32
scholarships
31
search
505
search quality
24
search trends
118
security
36
small business
31
user experience and usability
41
youtube and video
140
Archive
2016
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2010
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2009
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2008
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2007
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2006
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2005
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2004
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Feed
Google
on
Follow @google
Follow
Give us feedback in our
Product Forums
.
+(1).jpg)
Follow
