Sabtu, 31 Januari 2009
Google Toolbar in Firefox: a personalized new tab page
One of the features I'm really excited about is the new tab page. Now, when you open up a new tab, instead of the blank white page you see by default in Firefox, you will instead see small thumbnails of your favorite sites (up to 9), as well as recently-closed and bookmarked pages based on your browser history. You can edit the thumbnails, and all this data remains locally on your browser, which means none of the information about your most viewed sites or recently closed pages will be sent back to Google. If for whatever reason you don't like this updated new tab page, you can always change it back to a blank page or to the website of your choice through either your Toolbar or Firefox settings. Some tab extensions may conflict with this feature, and it currently isn't compatible with Firefox 2, so make sure you check your settings or visit the Google Toolbar help center if you are having any problems.
Next time you want to go to your favorite site more quickly or restore an accidentally closed tab, you don't need to type out the URL. Typing Ctrl + T or double-clicking to the right of your open tabs will open up the new tab page with all your favorite sites right at your finger tips.
In addition, this release now provides the ability for Hebrew- and Arabic-speaking users to access Toolbar 5 with robust right-to-left text support. We've also fixed some of the most reported bugs to give you a faster and more stable experience with this update.
We're always working on improvements and new features to Google Toolbar based on your feedback, so keep those suggestions coming.
Update on 4/1: Yesterday, Firefox Toolbar 5 came out of beta.
Jumat, 30 Januari 2009
Demo Masak - Dekorasi Butter Cream
Informasi buku klik di sini: http://budiboga.blogspot.com/search?q=cara+mudah+mengias+cake+dan+tart
Kamis, 29 Januari 2009
Introducing Measurement Lab
Last year we asked a small group of academics about ways to advance network research and provide users with tools to test their broadband connections. Today Google, the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute, the PlanetLab Consortium, and academic researchers are taking the wraps off of Measurement Lab (M-Lab), an open platform that researchers can use to deploy Internet measurement tools.
Researchers are already developing tools that allow users to, among other things, measure the speed of their connection, run diagnostics, and attempt to discern if their ISP is blocking or throttling particular applications. These tools generate and send some data back-and-forth between the user's computer and a server elsewhere on the Internet. Unfortunately, researchers lack widely-distributed servers with ample connectivity. This poses a barrier to the accuracy and scalability of these tools. Researchers also have trouble sharing data with one another.
M-Lab aims to address these problems. Over the course of early 2009, Google will provide researchers with 36 servers in 12 locations in the U.S. and Europe. All data collected via M-Lab will be made publicly available for other researchers to build on. M-Lab is intended to be a truly community-based effort, and we welcome the support of other companies, institutions, researchers, and users that want to provide servers, tools, or other resources that can help the platform flourish.
Today, M-Lab is at the beginning of its development. To start, three tools running on servers near Google's headquarters are available to help users attempt to diagnose common problems that might impair their broadband speed, as well as determine whether BitTorrent is being blocked or throttled by their ISPs. These tools were created by the individual researchers who helped found M-Lab. By running these tools, users will get information about their connection and provide researchers with valuable aggregate data. Like M-Lab itself these tools are still in development, and they will only support a limited number of simultaneous users at this initial stage.
At Google, we care deeply about sustaining the Internet as an open platform for consumer choice and innovation. No matter your views on net neutrality and ISP network management practices, everyone can agree that Internet users deserve to be well-informed about what they're getting when they sign up for broadband, and good data is the bedrock of sound policy. Transparency has always been crucial to the success of the Internet, and, by advancing network research in this area, M-Lab aims to help sustain a healthy, innovative Internet.
You can learn more at the M-Lab website. If you're a researcher who'd like to deploy a tool, or a company or institution that is interested in providing technical resources, we invite you to get involved.
Posted by Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist, and Stephen Stuart, Principal Engineer
Rabu, 28 Januari 2009
Raising data privacy awareness
To mark this special day of awareness, we are supporting an event hosted by the Information Technology Association of America called "Data Privacy Day: Increasing Privacy Awareness and Trust." We'll join U.S. and European government officials and key members of the privacy community on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, to discuss how to increase public awareness about data privacy. This event is a part of our ongoing constructive dialogue with regulators and legislators, consumer and industry groups, and think tanks and privacy advocates to discuss how to protect user information.
Our efforts to raise data privacy awareness extend beyond the public policy arena; we aim to connect directly with our users, too. We're committed to protecting users' online privacy by following the principles of transparency and choice. We're transparent about the data we collect, and we design products that give people control over the information they share. Earlier this year, we revamped our Privacy Center, where we offer information, tips, and videos that explain Google's privacy practices and show people how they can control what data they share. The Privacy Center also includes a link to a series of blog posts about how we use data to improve our products and services for our users. We recently translated the Privacy Center into multiple languages so that we can better serve people all around the world. We're also continuously working on innovative services and features that make information available to people in new ways, but with built-in privacy controls. For example, we introduced privacy-protective face-blurring for Street View earlier this year. And the launch of our browser, Google Chrome, included a feature for surfing the Internet in "incognito mode."
For the coming year, we want to improve our privacy practices even more by engaging in further dialogue with people who use our products and services, offering up easier-to-understand policies, and providing more privacy tools and controls. We hope that you'll take a few minutes on Data Privacy Day to explore our Privacy Center and learn about our commitment to this important issue.
Posted by Peter Fleischer and Jane Horvath, Global Privacy Counsel
More computing, less power
First, efficiency is affected by seasonal weather patterns — cooler weather is better than hot weather, and several of our facilities benefited from that in Q4. Also, we continually review our efficiency metrics so that we notice, for example, that one of our data centers is not performing consistently with others of similar size and locale. So we'll take a closer look at optimizing that facility. Are we using fans to cool spaces that don't need to be cooled? Is the thermostat at the right set-point? Can we reduce the time the chillers need to run while keeping the machines operational? So we apply lessons we've learned from better-performing data centers to other facilities, and several such improvements took place in Q4. For the nitty-gritty technical details, visit our data center efficiency page.
While we've made a lot of progress in data center efficiency, we're still learning. As we continue to explore ways to use the least amount of power to do the most amount of computing, we'll continue to share our data and best practices with you. In early March we will participate in the CeBIT conference where we plan to disclose more details on our sustainability efforts as part of this year's theme of "Green IT." Stay tuned.
Posted by Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Operations
Selasa, 27 Januari 2009
An update from the Project 10^100 team
All of this reviewing and sorting has kept Googlers around the world quite busy. Because of the sheer number of ideas we received, we were unable to compile the list of finalists in time for our January 27 target and will have to push back that announcement to March 17 (St. Patrick's Day). We apologize for the delay and encourage you to return to the site on that date to vote for your favorite ideas. Perhaps the luck of the Irish will be with you and yours, or a similar idea will be a finalist!
Update on 3/16: We will unfortunately have to delay announcing the top ideas for Project 10^100 for a while longer. We've never managed a project like this and it's taken more time than we ever imagined possible. We apologize for our over optimistic assumptions about how quickly we could analyze all the ideas that we've received, and thank everyone for their patience. We'll continue posting updates on Project 10^100 here.
Posted by Andy Berndt, Managing Director, Google Creative Lab
Senin, 26 Januari 2009
A look back at spam in 2008
From November's breakthrough "takedown" of a global spam proliferator to the day in April when spam hit an all-time high and the growing threat of link-borne viruses, the Google Enterprise "spam squad" (the team behind the products in our "powered by Postini" family) recaps "The Year in Spam" and provides an outlook for 2009 that might help you understand what to watch out for this year – and how you can keep email threats at bay. Head on over to the Enterprise Blog for more.
Posted by Ellen Petry Leanse, Google Enterprise Team
Sabtu, 24 Januari 2009
How to become a Dummies.com author
Knol is a great place for individuals to share this type of how-to content. (Full disclosure: I am the product's marketing manager :-) Knols are articles written by people who are knowledgeable about specific subjects. Anyone can write one; there are templates to show you how to easily get started. You can embed media to better illustrate a topic, provide information about yourself to build your credibility, and collaborate with others to improve your knol over time.
And now we're offering an opportunity to have your knol featured on Dummies.com.* Simply go to the official contest page, create your own knol about a subject you know well, and the contest judges will select five finalists who will be eligible to have their knols featured on the Dummies.com site. In addition, the best entry overall will be awarded a $1,000 grand prize.
Check out our contest microsite for the Official Rules and more details. Submissions are open through March 23, 2009.
So start racking your brain and show what you know. We can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.
* Subject to Official Rules, see site for details.
Posted by Matt Ghering, Product Marketing Manager
Jumat, 23 Januari 2009
The Pope on YouTube
Today we're delighted to announce that the Vatican has launched a dedicated YouTube channel.
To find out more about why the Pope has taken the decision to interact with YouTube on a regular basis, here is a short introduction from Father Federico Lombardi, S.I., Director of Vatican Radio, the Vatican Television Centre and the Holy See Press Office.
So, for regular updates on the Pope and the Catholic Church's take on the major problems facing the world today, subscribe to the Vatican on YouTube.
Posted by The YouTube Team
Announcing Google's Employee Option Exchange Program
Here's how the employee option exchange program would work:
- This will be a one-for-one, voluntary exchange. Employees will be able to exchange part or all of an existing option grant for the same number of new options.
- The offer period will begin on January 29, 2009 and end at 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time on March 3, 2009, unless Google is required or opts to extend the offer period.
- Based on this expected timeline, employees will be able to exchange their underwater options for new options with a strike price equal to the closing price of our stock on March 2, 2009.
- The new options will have a new vesting schedule that adds 12 months to the original vesting schedule. In addition, new options will vest no sooner than 6 months after the close of the offer period.
- Generally, all Googlers with options are eligible to participate (Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page do not hold options) except where precluded by legal and tax issues in certain countries. We are working to address these issues and the final offer documentation will specify any countries in which we are not able to offer the program.
- This option exchange program has been approved by our Board of Directors.
We expect to take a modification charge estimated to be $460 million over the vesting periods of the new options. These vesting periods range from six months to approximately five years. This modification charge will be recorded as additional stock based compensation beginning in the first quarter of 2009. This estimate assumes an exchange price of approximately $300 per share and that all eligible underwater options will be exchanged under this program. As a result, this estimate is subject to change.
If you're interested in learning more about this employee-only stock option exchange, we encourage you to read our related SEC filings when they become available.
The option exchange described in this post has not launched. When the option exchange begins, Google will provide employees with written materials explaining the terms and timing. Eligible optionholders should read these materials carefully when they become available because they will contain important information about the option exchange. When the offer period begins, Google will file these materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of a tender offer statement. You will be able to obtain these written materials and other documents filed by Google with the SEC free of charge from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The $300 exchange price provided above is intended as an example only. We expect that the actual modification charge we take as a result of the option exchange will be determined based on the exercise price and number of options exchanged as well as the closing price of our stock on March 2, 2009, unless Google is required or opts to extend the offer period.
Update @ 6:41 PM: Our FAQ on the option exchange program is now available.
Update on 2/5: On February 3, 2009, Google launched the option exchange program. Please note that the dates in this post are no longer valid. Written materials explaining the terms and updated timing of the option exchange are available on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov.
Posted by Laszlo Bock, VP, People Operations
Kamis, 22 Januari 2009
Back to the energy future
So what ever happened to the panels? It turns out that during President Reagan's administration the solar hot water panels were removed from the White House in 1986 and placed in storage. In 1992, Unity College located the panels and transferred them from a General Services Administration warehouse to their campus in Maine. After restoration,16 panels provided their cafeteria with hot water for the next 12 years. In cooperation with Unity College, Google was able to bring one of these panels down to our Washington DC office for display throughout the next year.
At the panels' dedication in 1979, Jimmy Carter stated:
"This dependence on foreign sources of oil is of great concern to all of us. In the year 2000, this solar water heater behind me, which is being dedicated today, will still be here supplying cheap, efficient energy. A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people." (To watch video of the dedication, check out this trailer for a movie about the panels).
As we welcome our new U.S. president to office this week, we wanted to share this piece of this history with you. Google is committed to a clean energy future and we hope that you will join us in supporting the creation and adoption of renewable energy technology — what could still be one of the greatest and most exciting adventures for all of us.
Check out these photos of the panels at Unity College and at Google's Washington DC office.
Posted by Alice Ryan, Green Energy Project Manager
Rabu, 21 Januari 2009
Explore New York City with Google -- from your home, phone, and in person
[From time to time we invite guests to blog about initiatives of interest, and are very pleased to have Mayor Bloomberg join us here. – Ed.]
This is New York City: the ultimate destination and home to world-class hotels, dining, shopping, arts, entertainment and more.
In partnership with Google, we are launching a new website and Information Center to help make it easier for both visitors and residents to explore all the energy, excitement and diversity of New York City's five boroughs. nycgo.com is the official resource on the web for all there is to see, do and experience in the City. This dynamic site uses Google Maps to help you plan your New York experience and find hotels, restaurants and entertainment, in addition to exclusive citywide savings and promotions. With nycgo.com you can use Google Maps to get directions to attractions throughout the City, and even send the info to your phone with Google Maps for mobile.
While you're in New York, stop by the brand new Official New York City Information Center at 810 Seventh Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd Streets. The Information Center features interactive map tables, powered by the Google Maps API for Flash, that let you navigate venues and attractions as well as create personalized itineraries, which can be printed, emailed or sent to mobile devices. Additionally, there's a gigantic video wall that utilizes Google Earth to display a 3D model of New York City on which you can map out personalized itineraries.
So whether you are a visitor or a resident, we invite you to explore New York City from your home computer, your mobile phone—and of course, in person.
Get started by taking a look at this video:
Search findings from the U.S. presidential inauguration
However, interest in the inauguration was not only confined to the United States. Twelve percent of inauguration-related queries came from outside the United States as thousands worldwide used Google to find ways to watch the event. From Latin America, we received queries like toma de posesion de Barack Obama en vivo (inauguration of Barack Obama live -- Spanish) and posse de Obama (inauguration of Obama -- Portuguese). Similarly in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, people interested in the inauguration searched for amtseinführung (inauguration -- German), inauguratie (inauguration -- Dutch), investidura (inauguration -- Spanish), ברק אובמה (Barack introduction -- Hebrew), اوباما (Obama -- Arabic), and investiture (inauguration -- French). And even though it was very early in their day, users in Asia and Australia were still interested in watching the festivities, with queries like 奥巴马就职典礼直播 (Obama inauguration broadcast -- Chinese) and inauguration timetable.
While President Obama was certainly the central player in today's events, searchers were also interested in the other people who took part in the ceremony. In particular, people wanted more information on the religious leaders who spoke: Dr. Rick Warren, who gave the invocation, and Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, who gave the benediction. Additionally, there was a lot of interest in some of the artists who performed: Aretha Franklin, Elizabeth Alexander, and Yo-Yo Ma. They also sought to know more about Senator Dianne Feinstein, who presided over the ceremony as chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, and Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., who swore in President Obama. (Click on the images to see a larger version.)
During the last nine years, the growth of the Internet has changed the way the world seeks information. From President Bush's first inaugural address in 2001 to his second in 2005, the number of inauguration-related searches increased by more than a factor of ten. From 2005 to today's address, the number grew even more. Few of the 2001 queries requested "video," and none requested streaming. By 2005, a few queries such as inauguration audio and streaming video of inauguration appeared. Today, technology has become so prevalant that queries such as YouTube live inauguration, live blogging inauguration, inaugural podcast, and Obama inaugural speech mp3 formed one-third of all inauguration-related queries.
Finally, this graph demonstrates one other interesting search pattern that we saw: the overall query volume of Google searches dropped in the U.S. from the time President Obama took the oath of office until the end of his inaugural speech, demonstrating that all eyes were on today's festivities.
Posted by Jeffrey Oldham, Software Engineer, and Fred Leach, Quantitative Marketing Manager
Selasa, 20 Januari 2009
A day on, not a day off
Remember, too, that the need for your skills and energy is great, and extends well beyond today. Please consider these organizations for future volunteer opportunities.
Posted by Karen Wickre, Google Blog team
Sabtu, 17 Januari 2009
Building engineers
As someone who has been building technology for more than 15 years, I know firsthand what a positive impact building hardware or software with a small team in an agile environment can have. I was only exposed to this type of work during grad school, and have since been actively involved in getting young people interested in science and technology. This year Google has enthusiastically supported my initiative to bring a local group of girls closer to technology through the FIRST Robotics Competition.
"People claim that only with the perspective of years can you know how much influence a particular event has had on you," Tal Tzangen says and proceeds to explain how she is convinced her participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition last year has significantly changed the course of her life. Tal, a 17 year old girl from a rural part of Israel, was taking technology courses at her school, not because she was particularly interested in technology but because the other options seemed even less appealing to her. Although Israel is also known as "Silicon Wadi," Tal thought technology was "just for geeks." Last year she agreed to be a member of a newly forming FIRST team, not knowing what she was letting herself in for.
The competition involves 1,686 teams from more than 42,000 high schools spanning the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Turkey, and the U.K. Each team has six weeks to build a robot from a common kit of parts provided by FIRST. Then, they compete with other robots in a new game devised each year.
Before Tal knew it, she was "bit by the bug." During the weeks of preparation, she spent days and nights at school learning about robotics and teamwork with her peers and mentors. Her team had won the regional competitions and were seeking funding for the finals in Atlanta when I met her.
This year Tal is the captain of the Google-sponsored Thunderbolts team, and one of her goals has been to get as many girls involved as possible. As she puts it, "I certainly don't mind the company of my male peers, but I know that girls also have a lot to contribute in this domain." The current team includes 24 students, eight of them girls (last year there were only two). Recruiting girls has been challenging since there are very few in the technical track in high school. She has enlisted some pre-high school girls with the hope of serving as a role model to them. Likewise, she has encouraged the forming of a FIRST LEGO team (9-14 year olds) to ensure the "next generation" for the Robotics Competition.
The world kickoff for this year's competition took place on January 3rd, followed by the Israeli kickoff the following day. Regardless of how far they get in the competition this year, Israel is a country where high tech, engineering, science and entrepreneurship thrive, and Tal and her Thunderbolts are a growing part of this culture.
Posted by Natalia Marmasse, Software Engineer, Haifa office
Jumat, 16 Januari 2009
Buku Pintar Menu Ibu Hamil
" Susunan menunya lengkap berdasakan triwulan, sesuai dengan perkembangan janin dalam kandungan. Sangat membantu bagi para ibu dalam menyusun menu sehat selama hamil." Dr. Dwi Yanti A - Redaktur Majalah Kesehatan Dokter Kita.
Judul:
Buku Pintar Menu Ibu Hamil
Penulis:
Prof.Dr.Ir. Ali Khomsan MS
Budi Sutomo. S.Pd
Penerbit:
Pustaka Bunda
Harga:
Rp. 65.000
Informasi & Pemesanan:
021-8712219 / 021- 8729059/021 4204402
E-Mail:
swara@cbn.net.id
Notes:
Buku bisa di beli di seluruh jaringan toko buku Gramedia, Gunung Agung dan toko buku terkemuka di seluruh Indonesia
Resensi:
Saat hamil seorang wanita memerlukan asupan gizi lebih banyak. Mengingat selain kebutuhan gizi tubuh, wanita hamil harus memberikan nutrisi yang cukup untuk sang janin
Masa kehamilan menjadi saat yang dinati dan membahagiakan. Untuk menjaga kondisi tubuh tetap sehat dan buah hati berkembang normal, wanita hamil harus memiliki pola hidup yang sehat. Seperti makan makanan yang bergizi, cukup olahraga, istirahat, serta menghindari alkohol dan tidak merokok. Tentu dengan harapan janin dapat berkembang dengan normal dan telrahir dengan selamat dan sehat.
Ketika seorang wanita dinyatakan hamil, perubahan fisiologis tubuh turut berubah, sehingga kebutuhan gizinya pun juga berubah. Perubahan paling nyata adalah bertambahnya berat badan. Selama kehamilan 9 bulan, berat badan wanita hamil umumnya bertambah sekitar 6 - 12 kg. Selama tiga bulan pertama, pertambahan berat badan sangat lambat yakni sekitar 1,5 kg. Pada trimester kedua dan ketiga pertambahan berat badan ibu hamil akan mencapai 4 ons per minggu sehingga pada akhir kehamilan beratnya bertambah 12 kg. Berat badan selama hamil adalah cerminan output dari produk kehamilan dan perubahan dalam tubuh ibu itu sendiri. Seperti bertumbuhnya fetus (janin), plasenta, dan cairan amnion. Berat totalnya bisa mencapai 5 kg. Sisanya sekitar 7 kg berisi deposit lemak yang menempel pada tubuh ibu, pertambahan volume darah ibu serta pertambahan ukuran payudara dan rahim.
Selain untuk mencukupi kebutuhan tubuh, ibu hamil juga harus berbagi nutrisi dengan janin. Karenanya wanita hamil memerlukan Angka Kecukupan Gizi (AKG) yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan wanita yang sedang tidak hamil. Kekurangan gizi selama kehamilan bisa menyebabkan anemia gizi, bayi terlahir dengan berat badan rendah, bahkan bisa menyebabkan bayi lahir cacat.
Buku Menu Pintar Menu Ibu Hamil ini mengulas secara lengkap dan mendalam. Mulai dari kebutuhan gizi ibu hamil, perubahan selama kehamilan, angka kecukupan gizi ibu hamil, makanan yang disarankan, makanan yang sebaiknya dihindari, suplemen ibu hamil, ngidam atau pica, hingga morning sickness. Tidak ketinggalan, pembahasan kehamilan risiko tinggi seperti ibu yang mengalami diabetes, hipertensi, anemia, obesitas dan kehamilan kembar di ulas tuntas.
Tidak lupa panduan menu lengkap dari trimester pertama, kedua dan ketiga sangat membantu dan memudahkan Anda untuk memilih makanan yang tepat selama kehamilan. Menu dibuat dari bahan yang mudah didapat dan dipilih resep dengan teknik pengolahan yang mudah dibuat serta praktis. Selain menu utama, di dalam buku ini juga tersedia pilihan aneka hidangan sarapan, snack serta minuman sehat. Semuanya dipersembahkan untuk Anda bagi para calon ibu. Segera miliki buku ini dan Anda akan mendapat panduan tepat selama menjalani masa kehamilan.
Supporting equality
That's why we've signed an amicus brief (PDF file) in support of several cases currently challenging Proposition 8 in the California Supreme Court. Denying employees basic rights isn't right, and it isn't good for businesses. We are committed to preserving fundamental rights for every one of the people who work hard to make Google a success.
Please join us in continuing to fight for equality for all Californians.
Posted by Kent Walker, General Counsel
Making your personalized homepage even more personal
Now, you too can capture memories and images on your iGoogle homepage by building a custom theme. We've just released our new tool for creating iGoogle themes. It's an easy way for iGoogle users to spruce up their personalized homepage without needing to know how to use XML, etc. All you need is an image, and we'll provide the rest.
The theme-building tool has a simple interface for uploading your photo from your desktop, Picasa Web Album, or the web. Once you've chosen a photo, the builder provides a basic set of tools to help you create your theme:
- Image Cropping - Crop your favorite photo to fit your iGoogle theme
- Color Schemes - Pick colors to complement your photo
- Real-time Preview - See immediate feedback of your changes to swiftly fine-tune your theme
- Public and Private Publishing - Choose who gets to see your original themes, whether it's just you, or if you want to share them with the world
We hope you have fun customizing your iGoogle homepage with your favorite images, whether they're photos of your pets or places you've visited, drawings, designs, cartoons — or whatever else your heart desires.
Update on 1/16 @ 10:30 AM: A number of people are having trouble accessing our theme-builder tool. We're currently working on the issue, and we'll post here as soon as it's up and running again. We're sorry for the delay, and we'd like to thank everyone who let us know they had trouble accessing this feature.
Update on 1/22 @ 4:25 PM: Our theme-builder tool is now available to anyone in the U.S. who has their language default set to English, and we hope to release this feature in other languages and countries soon. Thanks for bearing with us, and we'll keep you posted on further updates.
Posted by Kathleen Ko, iGoogle Engineer
Hear how Illinois State University uses Google Search
Google Apps adoption in higher education has been steadily climbing (3 million users and counting), and we're really excited to see more and more universities using the Google Search Appliance (GSA) to power high-quality search on their websites. Like Google.com, the search appliance can search public pages on a website, but it can also find information in databases, content systems, business applications, and other sources, which opens up a whole range of options for making all kinds of information easily accessible. For example, Illinois State University uses the Google Search Appliance to create a "Course Finder" tool for their current and prospective students. This tool delivers up-to-the minute course information to more than 20,000 students, 1,000 faculty members, and the public at-large. It provides users with a friendly, easy-to-use interface for finding class and schedule data stored on the university's mainframe. Students can easily fine-tune searches to specify departments, time slots, and instructors, all using the familiar Google interface.
When Campus Technology, a leading publication addressing technology trends in universities, invited us to showcase the capabilities of the Google Search Appliance in an upcoming webinar, we immediately turned to our friends at Illinois State to share their great example. We invite you to join us online on Wednesday, January 21st, at 11:00 am PST, to hear Illinois State University talk about their experience with GSA. We'll also be sharing information about Google Apps for higher education, so if you're interested in that front, be sure to mark your calendars as well.
Posted by Vijay Koduri, Product Marketing Manager, Google Search Appliance
Kamis, 15 Januari 2009
Changes to recruiting
Our first step to address this was to wind down almost all our contracts with external contractors and vendors providing recruiting services for Google. However, after much consideration, we have with great regret decided that we need to go further and reduce the overall size of our recruiting organization by approximately 100 positions.
We know this change will be very difficult for the people concerned, and we hope that many of them will be able to find new roles at Google. They helped build this company, new hire by new hire, and we are enormously grateful for everything they have done.
Posted by Laszlo Bock, Vice President, People Operations
Changes to engineering
It has also presented unique challenges. The most difficult of these being to coordinate our efforts across all geographies, and provide engineers with significant, meaningful projects that make a real difference to people's lives. Last September we asked engineers in Phoenix, Arizona to move to other offices, and the vast majority have done so. This move enabled us to build larger and more effective teams, reduce communication overhead, and give engineers increased options for future projects. Today we are doing the same thing in Austin, Texas; Trondheim, Norway; and Lulea, Sweden. Our strong desire is to keep as many of these 70 engineering employees at Google as possible. However, we do recognize the upheaval and heartache that these changes may have on Google families, and that we may not be able to keep 100% of these exceptional employees.
Our long-term goal is not to trim the number of people we have working on engineering projects or reduce our global presence, but create a smaller number of more effective engineering sites, which will ensure that innovation and speed remain at our core.
Posted by Alan Eustace, Senior Vice President, Engineering & Research
Make over your site using the wisdom of the crowd
Last June we announced the Website Workout contest to see which of our AdWords advertisers wanted to give their sites an extreme makeover. After asking thousands of advertisers why their sites needed makeovers, we chose four of the most compelling cases, and they were paired with consultants who helped them set up experiments using Website Optimizer.
Website Optimizer allows you to create multiple versions of your webpage (maybe one version with a red button and one with a blue) and evaluate which variation best meets your goals (whether that is sign-ups, purchases, or simply having visitors click to another page). The tool uses traffic data and advanced statistical formulas to figure out, according to your visitors, what makes your website the most useful.
Well, we are happy to announce the winners of the Website Workout contest and share some videos highlighting their experiences. Be sure to check them out, you might be surprised by what sorts of changes can make a big difference.
For example, by changing the layout of their product page, Colonial Candle was able to increase the number of candles they sold by 20% and improve sales by $20,000 in one month.
Before Optimization (click on the images for larger versions)
After Optimization
Check out the Website Optimizer Blog for more information.
Posted by Andrew Gomez, Associate Product Marketing Manager
Rabu, 14 Januari 2009
Network effects: Introducing the Google Apps Authorized Reseller Program
Just under two years ago we launched Google Apps for businesses, offering a set of products that enable secure and cost-effective applications in the cloud. Fast-forward to today and our expanded Google Apps suite is used by more than 1 million businesses, with 3,000 new companies signing up each day.
How'd we get here? Through constant innovation (100 new features and counting), growing enthusiasm for cloud computing, and a partner network that provides our customers with complementary products, training, and integration.
Given this strong demand, we believe there's a great opportunity to do even more by helping IT solution providers grow their business opportunities around cloud computing. As we got our sea legs, we started slowly with a core group of partners who've been key trusted advisers in customer deployments, such as at Genentech and Hamilton Beach. We're now expanding this ecosystem to help more IT professionals build cloud computing expertise. Today we're excited to announce the Google Apps Authorized Reseller Program. With this release, solution providers globally can take advantage of tools that enable bundling of sales, customization and support for Google Apps Premier Edition for customers of all sizes.
We've adapted this program to complement resellers' current business models. Authorized Resellers have the flexibility to combine their existing services with Google Apps. With cloud-based Google Apps there is no new hardware or software to maintain. The Authorized Reseller program benefits include:
- owning the customer relationship and billing structure
- providing consulting, service management and end-user support
- receiving a recurring discount on the annual Google Apps licensing fee
- receiving marketing, sales and technical training from Google
Posted by Paul Slakey, Director of Enterprise Channels
Gingerbread Competition results are in
Having spent some time perusing the entries for the SketchUp Gingerbread House Design Competition, we've reached a verdict – but it wasn't easy. Your models are (as expected) beautiful. For what it's worth, I accidentally ate part of my computer screen while we were judging. Drum roll please...
First Prize
Gingerbread House by Skeat
An absolutely beautiful use of the base model, in combination with some of the supplied dynamic candy components, to create an entirely believable construction. This is a gingerbread house that aficionados – analog and digital alike – can admire. It's also a skillful use of SketchUp.
Second Prize
Temple of Gingerbread by t
With this model, it's all about the details. The pediment (the triangular part of the roof) contains a scene of gingerbread people. The entablature (sits between the columns and the roof) is heavily ornamented and altogether believable. When you go inside, there's an altar to a gingerbread deity. This entry is complete both in concept and execution. Gingerbread Vitruvius would be proud.
Third Prize
Gingerbread2009 Disaster by kiwijbob
This one made us laugh. The house itself is intricate and skillfully modeled, but the best parts reveal themselves upon closer inspection. Someone's taken a giant bite out of the roof, and a giant gingerbread stormcloud (complete with gingerbread lightning bolt) threatens overhead. It's nice to see someone using a digital tool to do something that physical materials can't: ignore gravity.
Sprinkles Prize (for the best additions to the base model)
Gingerbread Hall by Toy Maker
A classic example of a thought carried through to its logical (and very appetizing) conclusion. The house, the men, the reindeer and the sleigh are consistent in that they are made of gingerbread. This house is constructable, and a lot of work went into making it that way.
Swirl Prize (for the best use of Dynamic Components in the model)
Gingerbread House by diweiman
A close contender for best model overall, we decided to award the Swirl Prize to this entry because it's interactive. Aside from being a stunning example of SketchUp mastery, the strings of flags are Dynamic Components that lengthen and re-color as you scale them. Clicking with the 'Interact' tool causes a rainbow to appear. You really need to download the model and open it in SketchUp to experience the full effect.
Sweet Tooth Prize (for the most creative use of a single candy ingredient)
Candy Cane Log House by Jan Melin
Candy canes for the walls. Candy canes for the roof. Candy canes for everything. Nice.
Take a look at all of the entries in this 3D Warehouse collection. Also peek at this Picasa album slideshow of some of our favorites:
Congratulations to everyone, and thanks for participating. We hope you had as much fun building them as we did looking them over.
Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Product Evangelist
Sabtu, 10 Januari 2009
Google's new favicon
Google's new favicon |
André Resende, a computer science undergraduate student at the University of Campinas in Brazil, submitted the design that inspired our new favicon. His placement of a white 'g' on a color-blocked background was highly recognizable and attractive, while seeming to capture the essence of Google.
by André Resende |
Although we changed the color layout slightly and moved the 'g' off center, his submission formed the basis for our new design.
Incorporating all four of Google's colors (red, yellow, green, and blue) into the four corners of the favicon was a theme we liked in many submissions. We also saw this idea in the designs submitted by Hadi Onur Demirsoy, Lucian E. Marin, and Yusuf Sevgen (pictured below).
by Hadi Onur Demirsoy |
by Lucian E. Marin |
by Yusuf Sevgen |
We hope you like the new favicon, which nicely integrates all of our original criteria: distinctive in shape, noticeable, colorful, timeless, and scalable to other sizes.
While I'm sure we will update it again, we also hope our new favicon inspired by Andre is a warm, colorful beacon to Google on your browser tabs and bookmarks. A big thank you to Andre, Hadi, Lucian, and Yusuf, as well as all of the other people who helped us define our new look in a uniquely user-driven way!
Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP, Search Products & User Experience, and Micheal Lopez, Web Design Lead
Kamis, 08 Januari 2009
Cardboard creativity
We built a number of interesting things out of the Bloxes that week, but the real fun started after the offsite was over. Several of the Chicago engineers really took to the Bloxes; every week new, fun new sculptures would show up in the lounge. And every week, they would get knocked down (often by the same people who built them up). We decided to match the brown Bloxes with an equal number of white Bloxes, bringing our total to 360. Creativity took it from there -- from a conference room and a giant archway to living room furniture, a pair of giant dice, an office, and much, much more.
Frequently, engineers wind up building something while discussing a bug or a feature, and it's a great conversation starter when other Googlers walk by and see a work in progress. So, what started as a somewhat quiet lounge with a whiteboard quickly became a must-see stop on the office tour for visiting dignitaries, and even better, an ever-changing public space that's fun to construct, and even more fun to knock down.
Posted by Brian Fitzpatrick, Engineering Manager, Chicago
Rabu, 07 Januari 2009
Google at Macworld
Picasa for Mac made its debut yesterday, and you can follow along on the Google Mac Blog for more details on what we have in store for the rest of the week.
If you're going to Macworld, we invite you to stop by. And for those of you who can't make it, many of the demos are available via video at google.com/macworld.
Posted by Jason Toff, Associate Product Marketing Manager
Selasa, 06 Januari 2009
Introducing Picasa for Mac (at Macworld!)
We try hard to avoid hyperbole around here, but it's true that Picasa software, working together with Picasa Web Albums, can help with nearly every aspect of owning and operating a digital camera. And because many of us take pictures in order to share them, we try to make sure Picasa does a great job of getting your favorite photos online, where friends and family can enjoy them too. In Picasa 3, that means powerful new features like automatically syncing changes between the photos on your computer and what you're sharing online, useful privacy controls integrated into the software on your PC, easier notifications, and more.
And today, we're releasing Picasa for Mac. While we've previously offered both a standalone Picasa Web Albums uploader and an iPhoto plugin for Mac users, Picasa for Mac finally brings all of the advanced sharing and sync features of Picasa to the millions of Mac OS X users who use Picasa Web Albums. Not to mention the "it-slices-and-dices" feature list that covers everything from color balance to collages.
Picasa for Mac looks and works much like Picasa on other platforms, and offers trademark Picasa features — such as non-destructive editing, and the ability to keep track of photos anywhere on your hard drive, then automatically account for new images as you add them.
Right now, Picasa for Mac is still in Google Labs, but we very much wanted to get an early version out to folks attending Macworld (you can learn more about this beta release at the Google Photos blog). To run Picasa, you'll need an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.4 and above. We hope you'll give it a spin, and give us your feedback in person — members of the Picasa engineering team will be conducting demos at Google's Macworld booth all week (you can also check out the video tour below).
Posted by Susanna Leng, Software Engineer
Minggu, 04 Januari 2009
Cegah Kanker Dengan Buah Delima
Buah delima (Punica granatum L.) sangat kaya akan vitamin, mineral dan fitonutrien. Di setiap 100 g buah delima terkandung energi 74 kkal, potasium 238 mg zat besi 500 mcg dan vitamin C 7 mg. Buah juga mengandung asam sitrat, asam malat, glukosa, fruktosa dan maltosa.
Buah delima bermanfaat sebagai obat diare, penurun demam, antikanker, meningkatkan kekebalan tubuh dan meredakan demam. Manfaat lainya adalah antitoksik, melumas paru, dan meredakan batuk. Kulit buah menghambat pertumbuhan basil typhoid, mengendalikan penyebaran infeksi virus polio, virus herpes simpleks, clan virus HIV. Serat yang tinggi di dalam buah delima membantu melancarkan buang air besar dan mencegah kanker kolon. Teks & Foto: Budi Sutomo.
Jumat, 02 Januari 2009
100 BLOG PALING POPULER 2008
salam
Kamis, 01 Januari 2009
Makanan Balita - Nasi Tim Kakap
Setelah melewati masa ASI eklusif selama 6 bulan, kebutuhan gizi bayi semakin meningkat dan diperlukan nutrisi tambahan agar bayi dapat berkembang optimal. Resep Nasi Tim Kakap mengandung nutrisi lengkap, cocok diberikan untuk balita usia di atas satu tahun. Resep/Dapur Uji/Foto/Food Stylist: Budi Sutomo.
200 g beras, cuci, tiriskan
100 g kakap, cincang halus
600 ml kaldu ayam/air
50 g tomat, potong dadu
60 g brokoli, potong-potong
2 sdm saus tomat
1 sdm keju parut
¼ sdt garam halus
¼ sdt lada halus
2 siung bawang putih, cincang kasar
Cara Membuat:
1. Didihkan kaldu/air, masukan beras, aduk rata. Masak hingga seluruh cairan terserap habis dan berass agak lunak. Angkat.
2. Campur aron beras dengan daging kakap cincang, tomat, brokoli, keju parut, saus tomat, bawang putih, lada dan garam. Aduk rata.
3. Masukkan aron beras ke dalam pinggan tahan panas. Tim hingga beras lembut. Angkat, hidangkan hangat.
Untuk 3 Porsi
Fillet Ikan Kakap:
Filet ikan kakap bisa diganti dengan ikan tuna, salmon, gurami, gindara atau ikan lain berdaging tebal namun tidak banyak durinya. Setiap 100 g ikan kakap mengandung energi 86 kkal, protein 20 g, lemak 0.7 g, mineral 2.3 g, kalsium 20 mg dan fosfor 200 mg.