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An extinct world brought back to life with Google Arts & Culture
September 13, 2016
Many millions of years ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth and sea dragons were not just Hollywood creations, but fearsome predators that stalked the oceans. It’s a world that vanished long ago, but one that continues to fascinate those seeking to understand the origins of life on our planet.
Starting today, anyone, anywhere can explore this world on
Google Arts & Culture
. We’ve partnered with 50+ of the world’s leading natural history institutions to bring this lost world to life again online. More than 150 interactive stories from experts, 300,000 new photos and videos, and more than 30 virtual tours await you...
With just a few clicks, you can come face to face with a 180 million year old giant, as virtual reality raises the colossal sea dragon from extinction. Discovered in Dorset in the U.K. and residing at London’s Natural History Museum. The
Rhomaleosaurus
— to give it its formal name — can now be explored in 360 degrees.
We also used VR to bring the
Giraffatitan
back to life in Berlin’s natural history museum. Standing at 13 meters (42 feet), it’s one of the tallest dinosaurs that ever lived. It was twice as tall as today’s giraffes, and could easily put its head through a fourth floor window.
We wanted to give you a glimpse of how these colossal creatures actually looked. So we worked with ecologists, paleontologists and biologists to put virtual skin and flesh on the preserved skeletons. From the size of the eye to the position of the snout and the bend of the neck, the texture and creases of the skin were all painstakingly recreated, and verified by a team of scientists. For the best experience, use a viewer like Google Cardboard to look the beast in the eye.
In addition to the VR experiences, this global exhibition of natural history has plenty more for experts and armchair explorers alike:
Turn back time by 4.6 billion years with the help of the Natural History Museum by
scrolling through the history
of life from the origins of the solar system, through the rise and the fall of prehistoric worlds.
See
the giant sloth jaw
that led Darwin to his groundbreaking theory of natural selection.
Explore the diversity of nature from the
Lion fish
to the
Paradise Birdwing
and learn from birds about the
art of flirting
.
View 3,000 species on display in
one giant cabinet
or find out how our own predecessors may have
looked
.
With Street View, walk around dinosaurs in
New York
, explore 30+ natural history museums from to
Australia
to
Russia
and even go underwater with turtles in
Brazil
.
Join YouTube’s
Vsauce2
to discover the story of Martha, the last passenger pigeon.
The free collection opens today at
g.co/naturalhistory
and through the Google Arts & Culture mobile app on
iOS
and
Android
. And if you’re a teacher, there are more than 20 new
Google Expeditions
waiting for you and your classroom to discover. We hope you enjoy this journey through the history of nature as much as we do.
Posted by Amit Sood, Director of the Google Cultural Institute
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Amit Sood
Director of the Google Cultural Institute
Google
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Capture and share VR photos with Cardboard Camera, now on iOS
September 12, 2016
Whether you’re hiking on the Olympic Peninsula or attending your cousin’s wedding, go beyond the flat photo or selfie. With Cardboard Camera—now available on
iOS
as well as
Android
—you can capture 3D 360-degree virtual reality photos. Just like Google Cardboard, it works with the phone you already have with you.
VR photos taken with Cardboard Camera are three-dimensional panoramas that can transport you right back to the moment. Near things look near and far things look far. You can look around to explore the image in all directions, and even hear sound recorded while you took the photo to hear the moment exactly as it happened. To capture a VR photo, hold your phone vertically, tap record, then turn around as though you’re taking a panorama.
Bugaboo Spire in B.C., Canada captured by Googler Adam Dickinson
Starting today, you can also share your VR photos with friends and family on both iPhone and Android devices. Select multiple photos to create a virtual photo album, tap the share icon, and Cardboard Camera will generate a link (like
this
) that can be emailed, messaged, or posted in apps and on the web. With a VR viewer like
Google Cardboard
, your friends can relive those moments as if they were there.
From rock concerts to real estate to mountaintop vistas, more than 5 million moments have been captured with Cardboard Camera on Android. Share your VR photos with the #CardboardCamera hashtag—we can’t wait to see the world through your lens.
Posted by Carlos Hernandez, Software Engineer, Cardboard Camera
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Carlos Hernandez
Software Engineer
Cardboard Camera
Refreshing our Transparency Report for copyright removals
September 7, 2016
Back in 2012, as a part of our continuing effort to increase transparency around the flow of information online, we began disclosing the number of requests we get from copyright owners (and the organizations that represent them) to remove Google Search results because they allegedly link to infringing content.
The report hasn’t changed much since 2012 and was getting a little rusty. So today, we’re releasing a
new version of the report
that makes it easier for you to understand the data:
Examples of removal requests, similar to the annotations we added to
government requests to remove content
last year. These illustrate the range of things we’re asked to remove and the decisions we make in response.
A new Explore the Data page, which lets you search the database of removal requests and see a more detailed list of reporting organizations, domains, and copyright owners.
An explanation of how copyright notice and takedown is applied to Google Search, which we hope leads to a better overall understanding of the process.
In addition to this major overhaul, over the last two months we’ve made a few updates to other sections of the Transparency Report:
In late July, we published the data on government requests for user data for the second half of 2015. We coupled this update with a
blog post
about some of the recent advances in surveillance reform, including the Judicial Redress Act and the EU-US Privacy Shield.
At the beginning of August, we added added YouTube and Calendar to our
HTTPS Report Card
, continuing to show our progress toward secure connections for people across our products. Learn more about YouTube’s efforts
on the YouTube Engineering blog
.
A few weeks ago, we
updated
the government requests to remove content section with data for the second half of 2015. The data show an upward trend in governments asking us to remove content from our products and services, with content on YouTube, Search and Blogger cited most frequently.
Transparency reporting is an important way to shed light on the policies and actions of governments and corporations, and how they affect privacy, security, and the flow of information online. We’re always exploring new ways to explain legal policies and processes and will continue to add new examples and new data to our reports. You can follow us on
Google+
to get the latest on updates to the Transparency Report and news on related projects.
Posted by Jess Hemerly, Public Policy, Google Transparency Report
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Jess Hemerly
Public Policy
Google
OnHub turns one today
August 31, 2016
A year ago, we introduced OnHub — a router that’s easy to use, and built to be placed front and center in homes (where Wi-Fi works best). Since then, we've been busy delivering on our promise that OnHub keeps getting better.
Today, we’re celebrating OnHub’s first birthday and announcing a new partnership with Philips Lighting, the first connected home device you can control directly with OnHub. We know people don’t like having too many apps on their phones, so we made it possible to control your home’s Philips Hue lights without downloading an app. Now anyone connected to your OnHub can type “On.Here” in a computer, tablet, or mobile browser and control the most popular features of your Philips Hue lights from there. Crank up the party lights!
Apart from Philips Hue, here are 10 awesome things OnHub lets you do:
1. Be the host with the most (Wi-Fi).
The OnHub guest network is a place just for guests. And since you may not want to make all of the devices on your primary network available for guests to access, you can pick and choose which gadgets you share (like your printer or TV).
2. Pinpoint what’s slowing you down.
OnHub's Network Check feature measures both the speed of your Wi-Fi router and the speed of the service you're getting from your ISP. This lets you pinpoint if there's a problem with your ISP or Wi-Fi.
3. Find the fastest Wi-Fi channel.
OnHub constantly scans
to make sure your Wi-Fi is on the fastest possible channel
. In addition, OnHub automatically switches devices to whichever Wi-Fi band is faster (2.4GHz or 5Ghz) to give you a better Wi-Fi experience. Many Wi-Fi devices don’t automatically select the fastest available connection, so OnHub does it for you.
4. Stay secure.
OnHub gets automatic security updates from Google’s cloud to help protect your network, your data, and all of your devices, without interrupting your connection. That means you’ll never have to worry about missing critical security upgrades.
5. Control with a wave of your hand.
Sometimes in a busy home, one device needs more bandwidth than others. With the OnHub from ASUS, Wave Control allows you to boost Wi-Fi speed for a specific device simply by passing your hand over the top of your OnHub.
6. Call your Chromebook “Game of Chromes.” Or something.
With so many devices online in a typical home, you’ll need a clear name for each one so you can properly prioritize. Custom device naming allows you to give each one its own unique name on the OnHub network.
7. Give your network name some ❤️.
Spice up your home’s Wi-Fi network by giving it a name with personality, or if needed, a name with direction (i.e., “UseThisOneMom”). OnHub lets you choose whatever name you want for your router network, and you can even include emojis. 🎵 🤖!
8. Get shells to match your home design.
Custom shells in white and gold, black and silver, and natural bamboo make it easy for you to place your OnHub in a central location, where Wi-Fi works best. You can find all the shells today on the
Google Store
.
For those who want to design their own router shell, we also created the
OnHub Makers
site, where you can access open source design files. With or without these shells, OnHub was created to be out in the open. Its hardware design was honored as a Top Winner at the 2016 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA®), and a Gold winner at the 2016 International Design Awards (IDA).
9. Make basic tasks more… basic.
OnHub is the first router to support IFTTT — a service that lets you connect different websites, apps, and other devices to create “recipes” which perform simple actions. That means you can use your OnHub to automate basic tasks and devices. For example, if a particular mobile device connects to your OnHub, then prioritize Wi-Fi on that device. Learn more at
go.co/onhubifttt
.
10. Share and share alike.
Everyone connected to your OnHub — on both the primary and guest Wi-Fi networks — can enter “On.Here” into any browser on a phone, tablet, or computer and quickly see all of the devices that are available on the guest network. Philips Hue lights are the first connected home device you can not only access, but control, directly from On.Here.
Learn more about On.Here
.
As you can see, OnHub is a lot more than a router that gives you fast Wi-Fi. Watch our video to see the Top 5 Reasons Why OnHub is More Than a Router:
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has given us feedback on how OnHub is solving their Wi-Fi problems. If you’d like to see for yourself, we’re offering $20 off OnHub from TP-LINK sold in the
Google Store
and
Amazon
in the next month — just grab your OnHub online between now and September 30. Happy birthday, OnHub!
Posted by Ben Brown, Product Manager
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Ben Brown
Product Manager
Sheep View: Where there’s a wool, there’s a way
August 31, 2016
Over the past three months, Durita Andreassen and a few friendly sheep equipped with solar-powered cameras strapped to their woolly backs set out to collect imagery of the Faroe Islands for Street View. The 18 Faroe Islands are home to just 50,000 people, but — fittingly for a country whose name means “Sheep Island” — there are 70,000 sheep roaming the green hills and volcanic cliffs of the archipelago. So when Durita decided to document the country for Street View, sheep weren’t a baaad place to start.
Sheep View 360
When we herd about the Sheep View project, we thought it was shear brilliance. So we decided to help the Faroese by supplying them with a Street View trekker and 360 cameras via our
Street View camera loan program
. Last week, the Google Maps team arrived in the Faroe Islands to help train and equip the local community to capture even more (but slightly less woolly) Street View imagery.
Now that the Faroe Islands is supplied with a Trekker and 360 cameras, residents and tourists can assist the sheep in collecting Street View imagery of their beautiful lands using selfie-sticks, bikes, backpacks, cars, kayaks, horses, ships and even wheelbarrows. The Visit Faroe Islands office in Tórshavn and Atlantic Airways at the airport will be lending out Street View 360 cameras to visitors willing to lend a hoof.
The Faroe Islands have shown us that even sheep can contribute to Street View. If your hometown or favorite hiking trail hasn’t made it into Google Maps yet,
grab your own 360 camera
or apply to borrow one from us through our
Street View camera loan program
. We’re excited to see what ewe map!
Posted by David Castro González de Vega, Google Maps Program Manager
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David Castro González de Vega
Google Maps Program Manager
Google
Search is a Jack of all trades
August 25, 2016
Today we’re dealing two new hands from the Google Search deck: solitaire and tic-tac-toe. Now you can play two of the oldest and most popular games for all ages, on desktop and in the Google app.
It’s been said solitaire’s roots are in fortune telling. If that’s true, today your fate rests on your quick wit and the luck of the draw. When you search for “
solitaire
” on Google, the familiar patience game may test yours!
If you’re looking for something a bit simpler,
tic-tac-toe
is your best bet. In this game of naughts and crosses, you can select your level of difficulty or even go head to head against a friend. Xs and Os to the winner (hugs and kisses, that is!).
For some other fun tips, try asking Google, “
what sound does a pig make
?” Or if you’re looking to settle a bet and feeling lucky, “
flip a coin
” may come in handy.
These are just a sample of the delightful surprises that await you on Google. After all, Search is for so much more than research and practical matters -- it’s for fun, too!
Posted by Stephen Cognetta
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Stephen Cognettan
Explore the hidden worlds of the National Parks
August 24, 2016
In the Kenai Fjords, the ice is so dense it forms blues brighter than the clear Alaskan sky above. The molten rock around the (very) active Kīlauea Volcano appears to swirl and move — and sometimes it really does! At Bryce Canyon, one of the darkest places in North America, you can see the massive Milky Way glittering across the night sky.
The U.S. National Parks are full of wonders, but most people don’t get the chance to visit in person. While nothing beats the real thing, for this month’s 100th anniversary of the National Parks Service, we wanted to see if we could use Google’s technology to help share the parks with everyone.
Starting today anyone can take a virtual tour of some of our most breathtaking National Parks, no matter where you are, with Google’s
The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks
.
This Google Arts & Culture exhibit and interactive documentary in honor of this month’s NPS Centennial is available on the web and in the Google Arts & Culture App on
iOS
/
Android
. You can immerse yourself in 360-degree video tours through some of the most remote and breathtaking places in five different National Parks. And if you want to learn more about what you’re seeing, you can
browse the fascinating archive of artifacts
from the National Parks’ many museums.
At each park, a local ranger guides you through places most people never get to go — spelunking through ancient caves at Carlsbad Caverns, flying above active volcanoes in Hawai’i, and swimming through the coral reefs of the Dry Tortugas in Florida.
We’ve also created the
Hidden Worlds Expedition
for educators to help open up new learning opportunities and share these experiences with even more people. The Expedition can be accessed on the Expeditions App (available on Google Play in the U.S.).
Today's Doodle celebrating U.S. National Parks & monuments. More info at
google.com/doodles
.
The National Parks are American treasures, and everyone should see what they have to offer. We hope that by making it easy for people to get a taste of the wilderness, we can encourage a new generation of parks goers to head out and explore in person. Get ready for an adventure!
Posted by Nick Carbonaro, Creative Lead
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Nick Carbonaron
Principal Software Engineer
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