Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Googland

Googland

[G] SWIG's Second Summer of Code

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 06:53 PM PST

Google Open Source Blog: SWIG's Second Summer of Code

SWIG is a programmer's tool designed to make it easier to use C and C++ code from other popular programming languages such as Python, Perl, Ruby, PHP, Java, and C#. 2009 was SWIG's second Summer of Code, and this year we mentored five projects related to SWIG. All five students were very active over the summer period and produced some great new features. In no particular order:

Matevž Jekovec has been busy working at the coal face of SWIG to add support for C++0x, the forthcoming C++ standard. Matevž has managed to achieve close to full support for C++0x. The C++0x Wikipaedia article details the numerous planned new features and Matevž has put together a SWIG C++0x page documenting the new SWIG support for each of these. In summary the enhanced C++ language can now be parsed by SWIG, which in itself is a great step. There is much more than just this though, as most of the information parsed is used to create useful wrappers of C++0x code. The work can be tried out on the C++0x branch which should be merged fairly soon into a forthcoming release.

Miklos Vajna has been working on SWIG's PHP support to implement an advanced SWIG feature already supported for most other target languages, but not PHP. The feature is called "directors" and allows cross-language polymorphism - wrapped C++ classes can be subclassed in PHP and virtual method calls work in the natural way, whether they're made from PHP or C++ code. You can read more in the new PHP Director documentation. Miklos made such great progress that we were able to merge this support into SWIG 1.3.40, which was released even before the Summer of Code finished. Miklos also spent some time working on improving SWIG's test suite for PHP, and fixing bugs in the PHP support.

Ashish Sharma spent the summer adding support for Objective-C as a new target language. Objective-C is a major language on the Mac OS X platform. This means that now SWIG can be used to generate Objective-C wrappers over C++ code. In particular the wrappers include proxy classes, which preserve the class hierarchy from the C++ code. Ultimately this means that from the user's perspective, proxy objects look no different to objects originally written in Objective-C. Adding a new target language is quite a considerable task and Ashish is keen to add plenty more improvements over the coming months. Ashish's work is in Subversion and can be accessed in the ashishs99 branch.

Baozeng Ding has also added a new target language, in this case for the Scilab language, a free numerical computing package. He has coded up support for all the C features: variables, functions, constants, enums, structs, unions, pointers and arrays and also intends to develop it further in the near future. Documentation for SWIG and Scilab can be viewed online direct from Baozeng's Subversion branch.

Kosei Moriyama has been working on Perl bindings for the Xapian library using SWIG, to replace some existing bindings implemented by hand. He's achieved almost complete compatibility with the API of the existing bindings (the only real omission is callbacks which are waiting for completion of director support for Perl in SWIG). He has also wrapped features which weren't previously accessible from Perl. You can view Kosei's work online in his Subversion branch.

Finally, many thanks to Google for sponsoring the Summer of Code and a special thanks for all the hard work done by the students, mentors and Olly Betts, the co-administrator.

By William Fulton, SWIG administrator
URL: http://google-opensource.blogspot.com/2009/11/swigs-second-summer-of-code.html

[G] Think2010: Experimentation is worth the risk

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 05:15 PM PST

Inside AdWords: Think2010: Experimentation is worth the risk

When it comes to testing and experimentation, there's always a risk-reward scenario to play out. You could go with what you know and what feels comfortable -- or you could try something new and see how it fares. It could really pay off, but it could also flop. If you're responsible for cooking a big Thanksgiving feast this week, you may feel that lots of experimentation is clearly not worth the risk. When you think about your approach to marketing in 2010 however, testing and experimentation should be key elements.

With digital marketing, testing is a low-cost, fast way to learn. The ability to start, stop, or change your approach is easy and actually applying what you learn -- so you can capture the greatest opportunity -- can happen very quickly.

When you market online, the cycle of launching, measuring, and optimizing happens quickly and continuously. The more nimbly you manage this cycle, the stronger your results will be. Don't be afraid to try and possibly fail -- whether you're testing a new creative message, a new communication platform, a new promotion, or another strategy. The long term benefits of successful testing can quickly and easily outweigh the short term costs.

Brett Keller, CMO of Priceline.com, echoes these thoughts on the value of experimentation.

Here are a few testing ideas to apply in 2010:
  1. Use Website Optimizer to test content (e.g. headline, copy, images) or design alternatives for your landing page. This tool will help you quickly identify and implement the combinations that drive most conversions.
  2. Use YouTube as a focus group. Beyond monitoring views, ratings, and comments, use YouTube Insight to learn what's resonating, and where. Based on what you learn, invest in your 'winning' content by driving traffic via sponsored videos, altering your associated messaging in search campaigns, and ramping up geo-targeting in the areas where your video over-indexes in popularity. You may even consider testing that video as a TV spot (e.g. via Google TV Ads).
  3. If you're not yet using display ads, commit to testing them. Use Display Ad Builder to build display, rich media, and video ads in minutes by incorporating your own text, images, and logo into one of our professionally designed templates. This allows you to test a creative message and learn what is working before investing in a deeper level of creative support.
Posted by Dan Friedman, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2009/11/think2010-experimentation-is-worth-risk.html

[G] Google Affiliate Network Publisher Terms and Policies Update

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 04:24 PM PST

Google Affiliate Network: Google Affiliate Network Publisher Terms and Policies Update

In August, Google Affiliate Network updated the terms and policies for new-to-network publishers to better reflect our integration with AdSense. We also recently released the updated terms and policies to all publishers who joined Google Affiliate Network before August 12, 2009. These new terms and policies help streamline and consolidate a number of issues that are now shared between Google Affiliate Network and AdSense. Since our affiliate terms and policies are largely based around existing AdSense terms and policies, we are making it easier for the one million+ AdSense publishers -- largely content websites and blogs -- to participate in affiliate marketing for the first time.

However, while we believe there is an opportunity to expand the affiliate opportunity to traditional AdSense publishers, affiliate ads and AdSense ads are different. The updated Google Affiliate Network terms and policies explicitly address the important differences between cost-per-click and cost-per-action advertising. For example, publishers running AdSense ads may not click on their own AdSense ads (or encourage users to click on their ads.) In the affiliate channel publishers may encourage users to convert through their specific Google Affiliate ads (and this is what many affiliates do best!)

Another change to highlight is our Google Affiliate Network software applications policy, which clarifies some of the previous rules around software applications and toolbars while focusing on increased transparency and choice. This new software policy is heavily oriented around protecting end users from unwanted, deceptive, or malicious software. Publishers who use, distribute, or generate traffic from applications that do not meet this policy may have their accounts immediately disabled.

We encourage all affiliate publishers to review these new terms and policies closely to understand how they may impact you. If you happen to be one of the many Google Affiliate network publishers who has experience with AdSense ads, these affiliate network terms and policies should be quite familiar. If you are a Google Affiliate Network publisher who is new to AdSense and who chooses not to run AdSense ads, that's okay too (you are under no obligation to do so). But it is important that your AdSense account remains in good standing.

Publishers will be prompted to review and accept the terms and policies upon signing into the Google Affiliate Network platform.

We thank you for all of your patience through this period of transition and wish you a happy (and productive) Q4!


Posted by: Your Google Affiliate Network Team
URL: http://googleaffiliatenetwork-blog.blogspot.com/2009/11/google-affiliate-network-publisher.html

[G] A deeper look at channels: Custom channels (Part II of III)

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 03:06 PM PST

Inside AdSense: A deeper look at channels: Custom channels (Part II of III)

In the second part of our channels series, we'll focus on custom channels. Boyar Naito will walk you through how to set up custom channels to track the performance of specific ad units. You'll learn about the three pieces of information that are most important to us: ad size, ad location, and page content, and how to analyze this information to figure out what ad formats work best for your website.



You can find more information about custom channels in our Help Center. Catch the last part of this series next week, when we'll cover targetable channels.

Posted by Dia Muthana - Inside AdSenseTeam
URL: http://adsense.blogspot.com/2009/11/deeper-look-at-channels-custom-channels.html

[G] Easy holiday shopping with Google Product Search

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 12:52 PM PST

Official Google Blog: Easy holiday shopping with Google Product Search

This holiday season, whether you're shopping for a new sweater for Fido, a Lego set for young builders, or that fancy camera you've been eyeing all year, Google Product Search can help you find what you're looking for at a great price. You can compare products and prices from merchants across the web, from popular retailers like Amazon and Best Buy to places to buy unique gifts like eBay and Etsy.

Check out some of the recent improvements we've made to Google Product Search:
  • Our new gallery view shows larger, higher-resolution images to help pick the style or model that is right for you. Check out some [digital cameras] or [sweater boots].
  • Check the Reviews section of our product pages before you buy — we're now including review summaries to help you see what people are saying at a glance. 
  • We've recently integrated video product reviews from YouTube, which appear right on the product pages so you can get an in-depth look at items before you buy. 
  • If you want to see or purchase an item in person, click nearby stores to see a map of nearby store locations for that seller. 
  • Product Search works great on mobile phones, so you can compare prices, read reviews and even find coupons from the Local Business Center while you're shopping. You can also use the nifty barcode scanner on your phone to compare prices quickly and easily.

We hope these new features help you find the perfect gifts for your friends and family (and maybe even something nice for yourself) this holiday season.

Happy shopping!

Posted by Sameer Samat, Product Management Director & Jeff Bartelma, Senior Product Manager
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/easy-holiday-shopping-with-google.html

[G] Happy Thanksgiving Travels: Google Maps Navigation now available for Android 1.6

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 11:58 AM PST

Official Google Mobile Blog: Happy Thanksgiving Travels: Google Maps Navigation now available for Android 1.6

A few weeks ago we launched Google Maps Navigation (Beta) as a free feature of Google Maps on Android 2.0 devices. Today we're expanding availability of Google Maps Navigation to devices running Android 1.6 (Donut) and higher, such as the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and the G1.

Google Maps Navigation is an internet-connected GPS system with voice guidance and automatic rerouting, all running on your mobile phone. Using Google services over your phone's data connection brings important benefits to GPS navigation users, like using Google search (typed or spoken) to enter your destination; fresh map, business, and traffic data; and satellite and Street View imagery along your route.

This release also includes the new Layers feature, which lets you overlay geographical information on the map. View My Maps, transit lines, Wikipedia articles about places, and more.

So if you're traveling this Thanksgiving, you'll be able to enjoy the benefits of an internet connection, whether it's free Wi-Fi at the airport or Google Maps Navigation in your car.

If you have a phone running Android 1.6, you can download an updated version of Google Maps from Android Market to use Navigation today. Google Maps Navigation is in beta and is currently available in the United States. Some features of Android 2.0 are not available on Android 1.6, for example, the ability to use the "navigate to" voice command as shown in our demo video. However, you can still create a shortcut that will allow you to launch Navigation and start getting directions to a specific place from your current location with just a single touch from your home screen. For example, you can create a "Home" shortcut to quickly navigate home, no matter where you are. Just use the "Add" menu item from the home screen, then choose "Shortcuts", then "Directions." Please visit our forum to give us feedback, or our Help Center to get help using Google Maps Navigation.

Posted by Michael Siliski, Product Manager
URL: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/11/happy-thanksgiving-travels-google-maps.html

[G] Explore Images with Google Image Swirl

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 11:58 AM PST

Official Google Research Blog: Explore Images with Google Image Swirl

Posted by Yushi Jing and Henry Rowley, Google Research

Earlier this week, we announced the Labs launch of Google Image Swirl, an experimental search tool that organizes image-search results. We hope to take this opportunity to explain some of the research underlying this feature, and why it is an important area of focus for computer vision research at Google.

As the Web becomes more "visual," it is important for Google to go beyond traditional text and hyperlink analysis to unlock the information stored in the image pixels. If our search algorithms can understand the content of images and organize search results accordingly, we can provide users with a more engaging and useful image-search experience.

Google Image Swirl represents a concrete step towards reaching that goal. It looks at the pixel values of the top search results and organizes and presents them in visually distinctive groups. For example, in ambiguous queries such as "jaguar," Image Swirl separates the top search results into categories such as jaguar the animal and jaguar the brand of car. The top-level groups are further divided into collections of subgroups, allowing users to explore a broad set of visual concepts associated with the query, such as the front view of a Jaguar car or Eiffel Tower at night or from a distance. This is a distinct departure from the way images are ranked by the Google Similar Images, which excels at finding images very visually similar to the query image.


No matter how much work goes into engineering image and text features to represent the content of images, there will always be errors and inconsistencies. Sometimes two images share many visual or text features, but have little real-world connection. In other cases, objects that look similar to the human eye may appear drastically different to computer vision algorithms. Most difficult of all, the system has to work at Web Scale -- it must cover a large fraction of query traffic, and handle ambiguities and inconsistencies in the quality of information extracted from Web images.

In Google Image Swirl, we address this set of challenges by organizing all available information about an image set into a pairwise similarity graph, and applying novel graph-analysis algorithms to discover higher-order similarity and category information from this graph. Given the high dimensionality of image features and the noise in the data, it can be difficult to train a monolithic categorization engine that can generalize across all queries. In contrast, image similarities need only be defined for similar enough objects and trained with limited sets of data. Also, invariance to certain transformations or typical intra-class variation can be built into the perceptual similarity function. Different features or similarity functions may be selected, or learned, for different types of queries or image contents. Given a robust set of similarity functions, one can generate a graph (nodes are images and edges are similarity values) and apply graph analysis algorithms to infer similarities and categorical relationships that are not immediately obvious. In this work, we combined multiple sources of similarity such as those used in Google Similar Images, landmark recognition, Picasa's face recognition, anchor text similarity, and category-instance relationships between keywords similar to that in WordNet. It is a continuation of our prior effort [paper] to rank images based on visual similarity.

As with any practical application of computer vision techniques, there are a number of ad hoc details which are critical to the success of the system but are scientifically less interesting. One important direction of our future work will be to generalize some of the heuristics present in the system to make them more robust, while at the same time making the algorithm easier to analyze and evaluate against existing state-of-the-art methods. We hope that this work will lead to further research in the area of content-based image organization and look forward to your feedback.
URL: http://googleresearch.blogspot.com/2009/11/explore-images-with-google-image-swirl.html

[G] Get mobile coupons through Local Search

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 11:05 AM PST

Official Google Mobile Blog: Get mobile coupons through Local Search

Since we launched printable coupons on Google Maps a few years ago, people are increasingly using their mobile phones to find local information when they're away from a computer. With more of you going mobile to search for this information, it makes sense for coupons to go mobile too.

So just in time for the holidays, we've made it easier to find discounts when you're on the go. If a business adds a mobile coupon to its Google Local Business Center listing, you'll be able to access it from your mobile device. Just go to google.com on your phone and search for a local business. When you land on its Place Page, you'll see any coupons or discounts that might be available. Then simply show the participating business the coupon, right from your phone, to redeem the offer.

We hope you find these mobile coupons useful and that they help you save money, trees (fewer printed coupons), and your hands (from paper cuts) when you're on the go. Mobile coupons are currently only available in the US. For more information check out the Lat Long Blog.

Posted by Alex Gawley, Product Manager
URL: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/11/get-mobile-coupons-through-local-search.html

[G] Displaying the best display ad with Teracent

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 11:05 AM PST

Official Google Blog: Displaying the best display ad with Teracent




Can you spot the difference between these two sample display ads? Of course you can. However, the most important difference is not discernible to the naked eye.

The lower ad was customized and chosen from thousands of different creative elements, automatically and in real-time, by machine-learning algorithms developed by Teracent, a San Mateo, California startup.

We think that this technology has great potential to improve display advertising on the web. That's why we're pleased to announce today that we've entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Teracent. The transaction, which is subject to various closing conditions, is expected to close this quarter.

As you know, we've been busy releasing new features and products to help improve display advertising on the web for everyone. We believe that Teracent's technology fits neatly into these efforts.

Teracent's technology can pick and choose from literally thousands of creative elements of a display ad in real-time — tweaking images, products, messages or colors. These elements can be optimized depending on factors like geographic location, language, the content of the website, the time of day or the past performance of different ads.

This technology can help advertisers get better results from their display ad campaigns. In turn, this enables publishers to make more money from their ad space and delivers web users better ads and more ad-funded web content.

We're looking forward to welcoming the Teracent team to Google and to making this technology available to our display advertising clients — including those who run display ad campaigns on the Google Content Network and our DoubleClick clients.

Posted by Neal Mohan, Vice President, Product Management and Joerg Heilig, Engineering Director
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/displaying-best-display-ad-with.html

[G] With coupons on your phone, it doesn't matter where you left the scissors

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 10:12 AM PST

Google LatLong: With coupons on your phone, it doesn't matter where you left the scissors


We know that coupons are a great way for local businesses to drive customers to their stores - that's why we created the option for businesses to add coupons to their Google Local Business Center listing back in 2007. Now, as the holiday shopping season kicks off, we've upgraded the ways that customers can find your coupons.

First up, with more and more people using their mobile devices to find local businesses, we've added a new option for Local Business Center users in the US to display their coupons on mobile devices. Additionally, we've made it simpler to find and print coupons from your desktop, so now it's easy to get discounts wherever you are.

Coupons on a mobile device
If you add a new coupon to your business listing in Local Business Center, by default it will now be available on mobile devices. To make your existing coupons available on mobile, edit them and check the box for Mobile Distribution, as shown here:

When users pull up your business listing on their mobile phone, they'll see a section that lists the available coupons. They can then click to find a specially-formated page which shows all the coupon details they need for redeeming it. Now even when customers are on the go, they can see all the great values and offers available from your business.


Improved interface for desktops
We've also overhauled the printable pages that people visit from a business' Place Page. Now you can be confident that every Google coupon customers bring to your store will look the same, helping you and your staff easily recognize and redeem them. In addition to the re-design, we've made sure that the coupons print out correctly and consistently across all major browsers and operating systems.


To create a coupon now or to claim your business with Local Business Center for the first time, visit google.com/lbc.

Posted by David Armstrong, Software Engineer
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2009/11/with-coupons-on-your-phone-it-doesnt.html
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