Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Googland

Googland

[G] Poetic Machine Translation

Posted: 06 Oct 2010 01:38 AM PDT

Official Google Research Blog: Poetic Machine Translation

Posted by Dmitriy Genzel, Software Engineer

Once upon a midnight dreary, long we pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of translation lore.
When our system does translation, lifeless prose is its creation;
Making verse with inspiration no machine has done before.
So we want to boldly go where no machine has gone before.
Quoth now Google, "Nevermore!"

Robert Frost once said, "Poetry is what gets lost in translation." Translating poetry is a very hard task even for humans, and is clearly beyond the capability of current machine translation systems. We therefore, out of academic curiosity, set about testing the limits of translating poetry and were pleasantly surprised with the results!

We are going to present a paper on poetry translation at the EMNLP conference this year. In this paper, we investigate the purely technical challenges around generating translations with fixed rhyme and meter schemes.

The value of preserving meter and rhyme in poetic translation has been highly debated. Vladimir Nabokov famously claimed that, since it is impossible to preserve both the meaning and the form of the poem in translation, one must abandon the form altogether. Another authority (and for us computer scientists, perhaps the more familiar one), Douglas Hofstadter argues that preserving the form is very important to maintaining the feeling and the sound of a poem. It is in this spirit that we decided to experiment with translating not only poetic meaning, but form as well.

A Statistical Machine Translation system, like Google Translate, typically performs translations by searching through a multitude of possible translations, guided by a statistical model of accuracy. However, to translate poetry, we not only considered translation accuracy, but meter and rhyming schemes as well. In our paper we describe in more detail how we altered our translation model, but in general we chose to sacrifice a little of the translation's accuracy to get the poetic form right.

As a pleasant side-effect, the system is also able to translate anything into poetry, allowing us to specify the genre (say, limericks or haikus), or letting the system pick the one it thinks fits best. At the moment, the system is too slow to be made publicly accessible, but we thought we'd share some excerpts:

A stanza from Essai monographique sur les Dianthus des Pyrénées françaises by Edouard Timbal-Lagrave and Eugène Bucquoy, translated to English as a pair of couplets in iambic tetrameter:
So here's the dear child under land,
will not reflect her beauty and
besides the Great, no alter dark,
the pure ray, fronts elected mark.

Voltaire's La Henriade, translated as a couplet in dactylic tetrameter:
These words compassion forced the small to lift her head
gently and tell him to whisper: "I'm not dead."

Le Miroir des simples âmes, an Old French poem by Marguerite Porete, translated to Modern French by M. de Corberon, and then to haiku by us:
"Well, gentle soul", said
Love, "say whatever you please,
for I want to hear."

More examples and technical details can be found in our research paper (as well as clever commentary).
URL: http://googleresearch.blogspot.com/2010/10/poetic-machine-translation.html

[G] Mobile Finance gets smarter, faster, better

Posted: 05 Oct 2010 11:23 PM PDT

Google Finance Blog: Mobile Finance gets smarter, faster, better

Posted by Philip Brittan, Director of Product Management

We first announced Google Finance for smartphones in August, bringing your latest portfolio quotes and market charts to your fingertips, even when you're away from your desk. But what about mutual funds and portfolios? Today we're pleased to announce a number of improvements to the mobile site that will make it easier -- and faster -- to get your key finance updates on the go.

Mutual Funds
Now in addition to seeing the latest stock and market index quotes on the mobile site, you can view mutual funds' prices, performance and key statistics on your smartphone just by entering the ticker into the search box.



Big Charts in Landscape
Chances are your smartphone has a much bigger screen than prior phones you had, so take advantage of it. You can now view wider stock charts just by turning your phone on it's side and looking in landscape view, as in the photo above.

Portfolio Performance
View more than just the last price and market cap for stocks in your portfolio; now you can see how your portfolio is performing right this minute, no matter where you are. Simply click the Performance tab from the Portfolio page to see the Market Value, Day's Gain, and Overall performance of your custom Google Finance portfolio.




Speed
We all know the feeling. You're on the run and using your smartphone for information you need right away...and the page takes forever to load. Well, we can't help when the mobile networks get overloaded or you're out of the 3G zone, but we are doing everything we can to help you get the information you need as fast as possible. We now cache the CSS and Javascript from pages on the mobile site so that reloads are faster than ever.

So hop on that smartphone of yours and start trying out the new features. And be sure to catch the latest from the Google Finance team on Twitter.
URL: http://googlefinanceblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/mobile-finance-gets-smarter-faster.html

[G] Open your eyes: Google Goggles now available on iPhone in Google Mobile App

Posted: 05 Oct 2010 07:26 PM PDT

Official Google Mobile Blog: Open your eyes: Google Goggles now available on iPhone in Google Mobile App

Searching with Google on your mobile phone can be an eye-opening experience. Now your phone's camera can even help to find out more about the world around you.

Back in December we introduced Google Goggles on Android: it lets you search by taking pictures. Today, we're excited to announce that Goggles is now a feature of Google Mobile App for iPhone. Google Mobile App already lets you speak your queries, and it can also use your phone's location to give you more relevant search results.



In the new version of Google Mobile App just tap on the camera button to search using Goggles. Goggles will analyze the image and highlight the objects it recognizes -- just click on them to find out more. You can see how this works in this short video:



Computer vision is a hard problem and Google Goggles is still a Labs product. It works well for things such as landmarks, logos and the covers of books, DVDs and games. However, it doesn't yet work for some things you might want to try like animals, plants or food.

Google Mobile App with Google Goggles is now available in the Apple App Store. Just search for "Google Mobile App" and download the latest version - it's free. It will gradually be appearing in all App Stores around the world starting from today.

Goggles is enabled only for English-speaking users, and since it requires an auto-focusing camera it is supported only on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 running iOS 4 or above. Visit our Help Center to learn more or send us your feedback and questions in our Help Forum.

So step away from your computer, get your Goggles on, and search the world around you.

Posted by Milan Broum, Software Engineer, Google Mobile Team
URL: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/10/open-your-eyes-google-goggles-now.html

[G] Things that go bump in the night

Posted: 05 Oct 2010 06:56 PM PDT

Official Google Blog: Things that go bump in the night

On the Picnik team, Halloween is one of our favorite times of year. We get a bit giddy anticipating our braaaaainstorm session for this holiday. We love dreaming up ghouls and ghosts that bring spooky effects to your photos.


This October, we brought back mob favorites, like Vampire and Zombie, Lightning and Ghostify. And we've introduced new effects like eeriness with one click, unearthly textures and heaps of new stickers.

Halloween Effects: Feeling beastly? Our mad scientists created tools to turn you into a zombie, vampire or other creature of the night, and many other effects to give your photo a mysterious cast.
Halloween Stickers: We went up to the attic and dusted off trunks full of stickers, so you can add everything from witch hats, ghosts and jack-o-lanterns to fangs, lesions and tombstones.
Halloween Fonts: We unearthed some of the spookiest fonts around so you can add text to your photo written in skeletons, ghosts or other treacherous text.

To find these fiendish delights, go to picnik.com/halloween. This Halloween, you can dress up your photos without even putting on a costume.
Posted by Lisa Conquergood, Picnik team
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/things-that-go-bump-in-night.html

[G] I'm in a Google Apps State of Mind

Posted: 05 Oct 2010 06:56 PM PDT

Official Google Blog: I'm in a Google Apps State of Mind

(Cross-posted on the Google Enterprise Blog)

When I graduated from high school in New York, the Internet didn't exist. Teachers were preparing me and my peers for traditional service or manufacturing careers—jobs that didn't require advanced technical knowledge. Today's students are facing a completely different landscape; they're expected to enter the workplace fully literate in technology, with strong communication and collaboration skills that will allow them to succeed in a connected and global environment.

New York state is making changes to prepare students for this future, implementing a host of initiatives designed to incorporate the development of 21st century skills into the state's core learning objectives. As a product of the New York state public education system, I couldn't be more excited to announce one of these endeavors—a new K-12 initiative that will bring powerful communication and collaboration tools to the more than 3.1 million students and hundreds of thousands of teachers throughout New York state.

Today, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), in partnership with the New York State Teacher Centers and associated Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), the New York State teacher unions and New York State professional organizations, will offer Google Apps access, training and support to 697 public school districts, as well as all non-public and charter schools, across New York. We're excited that NYIT is committed to providing schools the deployment and professional development resources they need to make Google Apps for Education—including Gmail, Docs, Sites and Calendar—a powerful tool for teachers and students across the state.



New York follows Oregon, Iowa, Colorado and Maryland as the fifth and largest state to bring Google Apps access to K-12 classrooms and will join more than 8 million students and teachers that use Google Apps today.

I no longer live in New York, but all of my family is spread out across the great Empire state and I look forward to bringing Google Apps to their local school districts!

Posted by Jaime Casap, Google Apps Education Manager
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/im-in-google-apps-state-of-mind.html

[G] New Features in Search Funnels

Posted: 05 Oct 2010 05:09 PM PDT

Inside AdWords: New Features in Search Funnels

We've received very positive feedback from advertisers using Search Funnels—the new set of reports launched in Conversions. Advertisers are beginning to understand the path to conversion beyond just the last click and are now able to give credit to assisting keywords and ads that customers saw and/or clicked before converting. Each buying cycle is different and Search Funnels is eliminating the guesswork over the roles your keywords are playing in the path to conversion.

And here's the first round of improvements, as requested by you.



Longer, customizable Conversion History Windows
A buyer may take longer to research and buy a vacation package rather than purchase movie tickets, for example. The funnel for various conversion types can differ greatly in regards to time to purchase and number of clicks to purchase. Now, you can adjust the time span, or Conversion History Window, to 30 days (default), 60 days or 90 days prior to a conversion to see the Search Funnel data leading to that conversion. With this feature, you can look further back into the history of your conversion paths.

Only show complete conversion paths
A percentage of surfers clear cookies from time to time, which can influence search funnels data by causing conversion paths to appear shorter by eliminating some upper funnel assists - impressions or clicks on your keywords - that may have occurred prior to cookie deletion. For instance, if a buyer clicks on one of your ads, then clears cookies, then goes on to click another one or your ads before making a purchase, the click prior to cookie deletion will not show up in your Search Funnels reports.

Now, you can sanitize the search funnel data you're looking at by checking a box in your reports called "Only show complete conversion paths." This option will filter out conversions that are from paths that are potentially biased by cookie deletion. As such, while you will end up analyzing fewer conversions overall, you will be seeing truer, more complete conversion paths. Use this option to strengthen your overall funnel analysis and understand how buyers are finding your products.

These new features were created based on feedback we received from Search Funnels users and we hope you find them useful as you experiment with, analyze, and optimize your portfolio of keywords.

Posted by Gordon Zhu, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-features-in-search-funnels.html

[G] I'm in a Google Apps State of Mind

Posted: 05 Oct 2010 01:40 PM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: I'm in a Google Apps State of Mind

(Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)

When I graduated from high school in New York, the Internet didn't exist. Teachers were preparing me and my peers for traditional service or manufacturing careers - jobs that didn't require advanced technical knowledge. Today's students are facing a completely different landscape; they're expected to enter the workplace fully literate in technology, with strong communication and collaboration skills that will allow them to succeed in a connected and global environment.

New York state is making changes to prepare students for this future, implementing a host of initiatives designed to incorporate the development of 21st century skills into the state's core learning objectives. As a product of the New York state public education system, I couldn't be more excited to announce one of these endeavors—a new K-12 initiative that will bring powerful communication and collaboration tools to the more than 3.1 million students and hundreds of thousands of teachers throughout New York state.

Today, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), in partnership with the New York State Teacher Centers and associated Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), the New York State teacher unions and New York State professional organizations, will offer Google Apps access, training and support to 697 public school districts, as well as all non-public and charter schools, across New York. We're excited that NYIT is committed to providing schools the deployment and professional development resources they need to make Google Apps for Education—including Gmail, Docs, Sites and Calendar—a powerful tool for teachers and students across the state.



New York follows Oregon, Iowa, Colorado and Maryland as the fifth and largest state to bring Google Apps access to K-12 classrooms and will join more than 8 million students and teachers that use Google Apps today.

I no longer live in New York, but all of my family is spread out across the great Empire state and I look forward to bringing Google Apps to their local school districts!

Posted by Jaime Casap, Google Apps Education Manager
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2010/10/im-in-google-apps-state-of-mind.html

[G] Tips for partners: Never leave me wanting more

Posted: 05 Oct 2010 12:33 PM PDT

YouTube Blog: Tips for partners: Never leave me wanting more

As promised, over the next few weeks, we're excited to feature a series of blog posts with advice and actionable suggestions regarding what has helped partners be successful on YouTube. You can search the 'tips for partners' label to find the full series. As always, we want your feedback. If there are things we are missing, or other optimization tips you want us to cover, let us know via the comments section in this post.



We kicked off our series with information on everyone's favorite topic: metadata. Our second post is on how to use playlists and annotations to easily direct viewers to your other videos.



Make it Easy to Watch More

Keep in mind this isn't a first date. If users liked your video, they most likely want to see more, but they may not know where to go or what to do next. Keep them on the right path by making it easy for them to watch more of your videos without having to do any work.



To do:

  • Annotations are notes, or call-outs you can use to direct viewers to take a specific action. Use them to link your videos together or create a menu so users can easily watch your videos without having to move to another tab. 

  • Annotations also give you the freedom to be creative and interact with your viewers on a deeper level. Let viewers "choose their own adventure", ask for subscribers, tell users what to watch next, or encourage feedback at the end of a video. 

  • Create playlists. Playlists allow you to group your videos and they provide a simple way for users to be introduced to your content and re-watch classic videos. Playlists will also increase discoverability because they are indexed separately from search.

An example of an indexed playlist

  • When you create playlists, organize them by specific themes to help viewers find the videos they are most interested in watching. Also, keep in mind that you can embed your playlists on a web page to further capture (and keep) viewers' attention. 

  • Finally, if you remember our metadata post, when creating or editing a playlist, make sure to add appropriate tags and use all of the character limits as this will help users find your content. 

To avoid:

  • Though annotations are a great way to link your videos and make call to action statements, don't go too crazy. You can add as many annotations as you like, but when starting out, 3-5 annotations per video is a good rule of thumb to follow. 

  • Avoid being spammy. For example, if a user expects to be taken to an official music video, don't take them to your second channel instead. Don't mislead the viewer. 

Now is a great time to log into your account and optimize your playlists if you already have them and create your first 3 annotations for your latest video. Tune in this Thursday to hear from one of our partners who'll discuss first-hand how he uses playlists and annotations to increase views.



Julie Kikla and Mahin Ibrahim, Account Managers, YouTube Partnerships recently watched "Valentine - Kina Graniis (Official Music Video)"


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/9Rr-wrXzKTE/tips-for-partners-never-leave-me.html
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