Thursday, March 31, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] New imagery of Japan after the earthquake

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 02:46 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: New imagery of Japan after the earthquake

(Cross-posted from the Lat Long Blog)

It's now the third week after the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck northeastern Japan. Aid organizations have been hard at work and cities are starting to show signs of recovery, but the damage is beyond imagination and there are still thousands of people at shelters grappling with daily challenges. As a native of Sendai city, I'm still speechless seeing the destruction and damage that has been done to the places I love and care about.

We've been looking for ways we can assist in the relief efforts using Google's map-related tools. A few days after the quake, we published updated satellite imagery of northeast Japan in Google Maps and Google Earth, which illustrated the massive scale of devastation in the affected areas.

Today, we've published imagery of the Sendai region at even higher resolution, which we collected on Sunday and Monday. The new Sendai imagery, along with satellite imagery from throughout the area, is now live in the base imagery layer of Google Earth and will soon be visible in Google Maps. We hope to continue collecting updated images and publishing them as soon as they are ready.

We hope our effort to deliver up-to-date imagery provides the relief organizations and volunteers working around the clock with the data they need to better understand the current conditions on the ground. We also hope these tools help our millions of users—both those in Japan and those closely watching and sending their support from all over the globe—to find useful information about the affected areas.

A riverside neighborhood in Sendai from our newly released imagery

Posted by Keiichi Kawai, Senior Product Manager, on behalf of Google Japan and international Crisis Response teams
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-imagery-of-japan-after-earthquake.html

[G] 38 more languages and minimize toolbar added to Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 12:31 AM PDT

Docs Blog: 38 more languages and minimize toolbar added to Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office

Just over a month ago, we launched Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office, adding simultaneous collaboration, revision history, cloud sync, unique URLs and simple sharing to the Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications.

Today, we're happy to release our first update that adds support for 38 more languages and adds the ability to minimize the toolbar. Here is what Google Cloud Connect looks like in Japanese:


Due to popular request, we've added the option to minimize Google Cloud Connect by clicking on a new minimize arrow. When the document is synced, the minimized bar will still show upload progress.


This update is available to everyone today. If you're already downloaded Google Cloud Connect, you'll receive an update automatically. If you're new to Google Cloud Connect, you can download the plugin -- in any of the 39 supported languages -- on the download page.

Posted by: Alex DeNeui, Software Engineer
URL: http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2011/03/38-more-languages-and-minimize-toolbar.html

[G] New imagery of Japan after the earthquake

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 07:58 PM PDT

Google LatLong: New imagery of Japan after the earthquake

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog, Google.org Blog and Public Policy Blog)

It's now the third week after the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck northeastern Japan. Aid organizations have been hard at work and cities are starting to show signs of recovery, but the damage is beyond imagination and there are still thousands of people at shelters grappling with daily challenges. As a native of Sendai city, I'm still speechless seeing the destruction and damage that has been done to the places I love and care about.

We've been looking for ways we can assist in the relief efforts using Google's map-related tools. A few days after the quake, we published updated satellite imagery of northeast Japan in Google Maps and Google Earth, which illustrated the massive scale of devastation in the affected areas.

Today, we've published imagery of the Sendai region at even higher resolution, which we collected on Sunday and Monday. The new Sendai imagery, along with satellite imagery from throughout the area, is now live in the base imagery layer of Google Earth and will soon be visible in Google Maps. We hope to continue collecting updated images and publishing them as soon as they are ready.

We hope our effort to deliver up-to-date imagery provides the relief organizations and volunteers working around the clock with the data they need to better understand the current conditions on the ground. We also hope these tools help our millions of users—both those in Japan and those closely watching and sending their support from all over the globe—to find useful information about the affected areas.

A riverside neighborhood in Sendai from our newly released imagery

Posted by Keiichi Kawai, Senior Product Manager, on behalf of Google Japan and international Crisis Response teams
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-imagery-of-japan-after-earthquake.html

[G] When in Rome: New Street View imagery of historic sites in Italy and France

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 07:58 PM PDT

Google LatLong: When in Rome: New Street View imagery of historic sites in Italy and France

[Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog]

We've been busy pedaling the Street View trike around the nooks and crannies of storied sites in Europe, including palaces, monuments and castles, so you can explore them in Google Maps with Street View.

Starting today, you can view some of the most historic and architecturally significant landmarks in Italy and France, including UNESCO sites in Rome, the center of Florence and stunning chateaux in the French countryside.

In addition to seeing the exterior of archaeological sites like the Imperial Forum and the Colosseum in Rome, you can now explore inside the Colosseum and imagine yourself viewing naumachiae—simulated sea battles for which the Colosseum was filled with water—or speaking with statesmen inside the Imperial Forum.

Inside the Colosseum, Rome

In few clicks you can navigate through centuries of history. Start at the birthplace of Rome, the Palatine Hill, where the mythical founders of the city, Romulus and Remus were found and saved by a she-wolf, and where the most ancient buildings of the city are located. Follow the Appian Way, a little path that became one of the most strategically important roads of ancient Rome. After the long walk, experience the splendor of Imperial Rome at the Thermae (Baths) of Diocletian—ancient wellness and cultural centers with 33 acres of pools, gymnasiums and public libraries.

Baths of Diocletian

After wandering around Rome, you can fast forward in time to witness the celebrated architectural wonders of the Italian Renaissance, including Giotto's Campanile (bell tower) and Brunelleschi's Cupola (dome) in Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. While in Florence don't miss the opportunity to walk through Ponte Vecchio and shop at the famous artisan jewel stores built on top of it!

Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

In France, you can view picturesque chateaux and indulge your fantasies of living like French royalty by taking a virtual stroll around the beautiful Fontainebleau.

Château de Fontainebleau

Start exploring these sites in our Street View gallery, or find your favorite historic spots directly in Google Maps.

Posted by Marco Zennaro, Senior Software Engineer
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/03/when-in-rome-new-street-view-imagery-of.html

[G] Meet the Map Maker Advocates

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 07:58 PM PDT

Google LatLong: Meet the Map Maker Advocates


Today, we're proud to introduce you to our Google Map Maker Advocates! Google Map Maker is an online tool that enables individuals to add detailed information to the maps of many countries and regions for everyone to view and use in Google Maps. Having a healthy community of people contributing their local knowledge to the maps is essential, and these nearly 50 mappers representing regions from around the world have earned the status of "Map Maker Advocate" for the year 2011. They've made an impressive number of contributions to the map, as well as demonstrated community leadership by organizing mapping events and actively participating on our Map Your World discussion forums throughout the past year.


Map Maker Advocates Zohir (Morocco), Momodou (West Africa), and Jabran (Pakistan) 
at the Africa Super Mappers Conference

As part of this year-long volunteer opportunity, Map Maker Advocates will be heavily involved in Map Maker events hosted by Google and are also excited to host their own mapping events sponsored by Google. These are the mentors of the Map Maker community, well versed in the technical aspects of the product as well as local experts for their region of the world.

You can discuss mapping with them on our Map Your World discussion forums, directly through the Map Maker Advocates page, or look for their upcoming events on the Map Maker Community Events calendar. We encourage you to try out Google Map Maker today and thank our Map Maker Advocates for their continued enthusiasm and support of our growing mapping community.

Posted by Jessica Pfund, Program Manager, Google Map Maker
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/03/meet-map-maker-advocates.html

[G] Word of Mouth: Introducing Voice Search for Indonesian, Malaysian and Latin American Spanish

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 07:37 PM PDT

Official Google Mobile Blog: Word of Mouth: Introducing Voice Search for Indonesian, Malaysian and Latin American Spanish

(Read more about the launch of Voice Search in Latin American Spanish on the Google América Latina blog)

Today we are excited to announce the launch of Voice Search in Indonesian, Malaysian, and Latin American Spanish, making Voice Search available in over two dozen languages and accents since our first launch in November 2008. This accomplishment could not have been possible without the help of local users in the region - really, we couldn't have done it without them. Let me explain:

In 2010 we launched Voice Search in Dutch, the first language where we used the "word of mouth" project, a crowd-sourcing effort to collect the most accurate voice data possible.The traditional method of acquiring voice samples is to license the data from companies who specialize in the distribution of speech and text databases. However, from day one we knew that to build the most accurate Voice Search acoustic models possible, the best data would come from the people who would use Voice Search once it launched - our users.

Since then, in each country, we found small groups of people who were avid fans of Google products and were part of a large social network, either in local communities or on online. We gave them phones and asked them to get voice samples from their friends and family. Everyone was required to sign a consent form and all voice samples were anonymized. When possible, they also helped to test early versions of Voice Search as the product got closer to launch.

Building a speech recognizer is not just limited to localizing the user interface. We require thousands of hours of raw data to capture regional accents and idiomatic speech in all sorts of recording environments to mimic daily life use cases. For instance, when developing Voice Search for Latin American Spanish, we paid particular attention to Mexican and Argentinean Spanish. These two accents are more different from one another than any other pair of widely-used accents in all of South and Central America. Samples collected in these countries were very important bookends for building a version of Voice Search that would work across the whole of Latin America. We also chose key countries such as Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia to bridge the divergent accent varieties.

As an International Program Manager at Google, I have been fortunate enough to travel around the world and meet many of our local Google users. They often have great suggestions for the products that they love, and word of mouth was created with the vision that our users could participate in developing the product. These Voice Search launches would not have been possible without the help of our users, and we're excited to be able to work together on the product development with the people who will ultimately use our products.

Posted by Linne Ha, International Program Manager, Google Voice Search
URL: http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2011/03/word-of-mouth-introducing-voice-search.html

[G] +1’s: the right recommendations right when you want them—in your search results

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:38 PM PDT

Official Google Blog: +1's: the right recommendations right when you want them—in your search results

Our goal at Google is to get you the most relevant results as quickly as possible. But relevance is about relationships as well as words on webpages. That's why we recently started to include more information from people you know—stuff they've shared on Twitter, Flickr and other sites—in Google search results.

Today we're taking that a step further, enabling you to share recommendations with the world right in Google's search results. It's called +1—the digital shorthand for "this is pretty cool." To recommend something, all you have to do is click +1 on a webpage or ad you find useful. These +1's will then start appearing in Google's search results.

The +1 button will appear next to each search result


After pressing the +1 button, you have the option to undo the action immediately

Say, for example, you're planning a winter trip to Tahoe, Calif. When you do a search, you may now see a +1 from your slalom-skiing aunt next to the result for a lodge in the area. Or if you're looking for a new pasta recipe, we'll show you +1's from your culinary genius college roommate. And even if none of your friends are baristas or caffeine addicts, we may still show you how many people across the web have +1'd your local coffee shop.


The beauty of +1's is their relevance—you get the right recommendations (because they come from people who matter to you), at the right time (when you are actually looking for information about that topic) and in the right format (your search results). For more information about +1, watch this video:



So how do we know which +1's to show you? Like social search, we use many signals to identify the most useful recommendations, including things like the people you are already connected to through Google (your chat buddies and contacts, for example). Soon we may also incorporate other signals, such as your connections on sites like Twitter, to ensure your recommendations are as relevant as possible. If you want to know who you're connected to, and how, visit the "Social Circle and Content" section of the Google Dashboard.

To get started +1'ing the stuff you like, you'll need to create a Google profile—or if you already have one, upgrade it. You can use your profile to see all of your +1's in one place, and delete those you no longer want to recommend. To see +1's in your Google search results you'll need to be logged into your Google Account.

We'll be slowly rolling out +1's, starting in English on Google.com. If you can't wait to start seeing +1's, we'll soon let you opt-in to the launch by visiting our experimental search site. Initially, +1's will appear alongside search results and ads, but in the weeks ahead they'll appear in many more places (including other Google products and sites across the web). If you're an advertiser and want to learn more about how the +1 button works on search ads and websites, visit our AdWords blog.

We're confident that +1, combined with all of the social content we're now including in search, will mean even better, more relevant results than you get today.

Posted by Rob Spiro, Product Manager
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/1s-right-recommendations-right-when-you.html

[G] The +1 button & AdWords

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Inside AdWords: The +1 button & AdWords

Word of mouth is powerful. When you have a choice to make, it's common to turn to the people you trust. But what about word of click? How can getting a suggestion from a friend or co-worker when you need it be as simple as having a hallway conversation -- or even simpler?

We want to make it easy for Google users to get recommendations from the people they trust right when they're searching. That's why we're introducing the +1 button. With a single click, the +1 button lets signed-in Google users recommend the content they like on the web to their friends and contacts right when it's most useful -- on Google search.



+1 is a simple idea. Let's use a hypothetical Brian as an example. When Brian signs into his Google account and sees one of your ads or organic search results on Google, he can +1 it and recommend your page to the world.


The next time Brian's friend Mary is signed in and searching on Google and your page appears, she might see a personalized annotation letting her know that Brian +1'd it. So Brian's +1 helps Mary decide that your site is worth checking out.


We expect that personalized annotations will help users know when your ads and organic search results are relevant to them, increasing the chances that they'll end up on your site. You don't have to make adjustments to your advertising strategy based on +1 buttons, and the way we calculate Quality Score isn't changing (though +1s will be one of many signals we use to calculate organic search ranking). Think of +1 buttons as an enhancement that can help already successful search campaigns perform even better.

At first the +1 button will appear for English searches only on Google.com, but we're working to add more languages in the future. You don't have to make any changes to your campaigns for +1s to help you -- over the coming weeks, we'll add +1 buttons to ads and search results on Google.com.

But the +1 button isn't just for search pages. We're working on a +1 button that you can put on your pages too, making it easy for people to recommend your content on Google search without leaving your site. If you want to be notified when the +1 button is available for your website, you can sign up for email updates at our +1 webmaster site.

The +1 button is the next step in our effort to find relevance through relationships on the web. We're excited about using +1s to make search, and your search campaigns, more personal, relevant and compelling. And we hope you're excited too!

To learn more about the +1 button and how it affects your search ads, visit Google Ad Innovations.

Posted by Dan Friedman, Inside AdWords crew
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/03/1-button-adwords.html

[G] Ultra high-speed broadband is coming to Kansas City, Kansas

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 10:56 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: Ultra high-speed broadband is coming to Kansas City, Kansas

As part of our overall goal to make the web better for users, last year we announced a new project: to provide a community with Internet access more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have today. The response was overwhelming—nearly 1,100 cities felt the need for speed—and we were thrilled by the enthusiasm we saw across the country for better and faster web connections. Thank you to every community and individual that submitted a response, joined a rally, starred in a YouTube video or otherwise participated.

After a careful review, today we're very happy to announce that we will build our ultra high-speed network in Kansas City, Kansas. We've signed a development agreement with the city, and we'll be working closely with local organizations, businesses and universities to bring a next-generation web experience to the community.

Later this morning we'll join Mayor Reardon at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas, for an event we'll carry live on the Google YouTube channel—be sure to tune in at 10am PDT to watch.

In selecting a city, our goal was to find a location where we could build efficiently, make an impact on the community and develop relationships with local government and community organizations. We've found this in Kansas City. We'll be working closely with local organizations including the Kauffman Foundation, KCNext and the University of Kansas Medical Center to help develop the gigabit applications of the future.

Pending approval from the city's Board of Commissioners, we plan to offer service beginning in 2012. We'll also be looking closely at ways to bring ultra high-speed Internet to other cities across the country.

Over the past decade, the jump from dial-up to broadband has led to streaming online video, digital music sales, video conferencing over the web and countless other innovations that have transformed communication and commerce. We can't wait to see what new products and services will emerge as Kansas City moves from traditional broadband to ultra high-speed fiber optic connections.

Now it's time to get to work.



Posted by Milo Medin, Vice President, Access Services
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/ultra-high-speed-broadband-is-coming-to.html

[G] An update on Buzz

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 10:56 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: An update on Buzz

User trust really matters to Google. That's why we try to be clear about what data we collect and how we use it—and to give people real control over the information they share with us. For example, Google Dashboard lets you view the data that's stored in your Google Account and manage your privacy settings for different services. With our Ads Preferences Manager, you can see and edit the data Google uses to tailor ads on our partner websites—or opt out of them entirely. And the Data Liberation Front makes it easy to move your data in and out of Google products. We also recently improved our internal privacy and security procedures.

That said, we don't always get everything right. The launch of Google Buzz fell short of our usual standards for transparency and user control—letting our users and Google down. While we worked quickly to make improvements, regulators—including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission—unsurprisingly wanted more detail about what went wrong and how we could prevent it from happening again. Today, we've reached an agreement with the FTC to address their concerns. We'll receive an independent review of our privacy procedures once every two years, and we'll ask users to give us affirmative consent before we change how we share their personal information.

We'd like to apologize again for the mistakes we made with Buzz. While today's announcement thankfully put this incident behind us, we are 100 percent focused on ensuring that our new privacy procedures effectively protect the interests of all our users going forward.

Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product & Engineering
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/update-on-buzz.html

[G] When in Rome: New Street View imagery of historic sites in Italy and France

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 10:56 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: When in Rome: New Street View imagery of historic sites in Italy and France

(Cross-posted on the Lat Long Blog)

We've been busy pedaling the Street View trike around the nooks and crannies of storied sites in Europe, including palaces, monuments and castles, so you can explore them in Google Maps with Street View.

Starting today, you can view some of the most historic and architecturally significant landmarks in Italy and France, including UNESCO sites in Rome, the center of Florence and stunning chateaux in the French countryside.

In addition to seeing the exterior of archaeological sites like the Imperial Forum and the Colosseum in Rome, you can now explore inside the Colosseum and imagine yourself viewing naumachiae—simulated sea battles for which the Colosseum was filled with water—or speaking with statesmen inside the Imperial Forum.

Inside the Colosseum, Rome

In few clicks you can navigate through centuries of history. Start at the birthplace of Rome, the Palatine Hill, where the mythical founders of the city, Romulus and Remus were found and saved by a she-wolf, and where the most ancient buildings of the city are located. Follow the Appian Way, a little path that became one of the most strategically important roads of ancient Rome. After the long walk, experience the splendor of Imperial Rome at the Thermae (Baths) of Diocletian—ancient wellness and cultural centers with 33 acres of pools, gymnasiums and public libraries.

Baths of Diocletian

After wandering around Rome, you can fast forward in time to witness the celebrated architectural wonders of the Italian Renaissance, including Giotto's Campanile (bell tower) and Brunelleschi's Cupola (dome) in Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. While in Florence don't miss the opportunity to walk through Ponte Vecchio and shop at the famous artisan jewel stores built on top of it!

Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

In France, you can view picturesque chateaux and indulge your fantasies of living like French royalty by taking a virtual stroll around the beautiful Fontainebleau.

Château d'Fontainebleau

Start exploring these sites in our Street View gallery, or find your favorite historic spots directly in Google Maps.

Posted by Marco Zennaro, Senior Software Engineer
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/when-in-rome-new-street-view-imagery-of.html

[G] Google Commerce Search 3.0: You won’t believe it’s online shopping

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 10:56 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: Google Commerce Search 3.0: You won't believe it's online shopping

When we first introduced Google Commerce Search—our search solution for e-commerce websites—our focus was on improving search quality and speed to help online shoppers find what they're looking for. Retailers such as Woodcraft Supply, BabyAge.com and HealthWarehouse.com implemented Google Commerce Search on their respective websites; Woodcraft increased search revenues 34 percent, BabyAge increased site searches 64 percent and HealthWarehouse saw online conversions increase 19 percent—and all have reported an increase in customer satisfaction.

Today we're building on the capabilities that have proved useful to our retail partners with the third-generation Google Commerce Search (GCS). With this new version, we hope to help create an even more interactive and engaging experience for shoppers and retailers.



Here are some of the cool new features in GCS 3.0:
  • Search as You Type provides instant gratification to shoppers, returning product results with every keystroke, right from the search bar
  • Local Product Availability helps retailers bridge online and offline sales by showing shoppers when a product is also available in a store nearby—in-line with the search results
  • Enhanced Merchandising tools allow retailers to create product promotions that display in banners alongside related search queries, and to easily set query-based landing pages (for example, when a visitor types [shoes], they're directed to a "shoe" page)
  • Product Recommendations (Labs) helps shoppers make purchase decisions by showing them what others viewed and ultimately bought

Search As You Type on www.babyage.com

With this release we're also welcoming three new retail partners: Forever21, General Nutrition Company (GNC) and L'Occitane. GNC implemented Google Commerce Search in less than a week on their mobile website, while Forever 21 and L'Occitane are currently working to implement various new features of GCS, such as Search as You Type and Local Product Availability. Here's what Christine Burke, VP of International E-Commerce at cosmetics staple L'Occitane had to say about GCS 3.0:
L'Occitane is unique in that our beauty products center around ingredients—such as lavender, shea butter and verbena. As our customers visit our re-designed website to shop and research our products, we're excited about the speed and accuracy of on-site search results that will be provided to us through Google Commerce Search. We're also very excited about the possibility of the new local inventory feature, which can help us connect our customers with their favorite products in one of our 170 U.S. boutiques.
For more information, visit google.com/commercesearch.

Posted by Tianyu Wen, Software Engineer, Google Commerce Search
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/google-commerce-search-30-you-wont.html

[G] Now accepting student applications for Google Summer of Code

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 10:56 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: Now accepting student applications for Google Summer of Code

Starting today, we're accepting applications from students for the 2011 Google Summer of Code. In this global program, now in its seventh year, university students receive a stipend to write code for open source projects, gaining experience in real-world software development and creating more source code which benefits everyone on the web.



To apply, visit the program website, where you can review this year's 175 accepted projects and submit your proposal. Space in the program is limited, so be sure to consult the Google Summer of Code student manual and read over some tips on crafting the best proposal and suggested dos and don'ts for participating in the program.

You can find more information on the Open Source blog. Applications are due Friday, April 8 at 12pm PDT. Good luck!

Posted by Stephanie Taylor, Open Source Programs Office
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/now-accepting-student-applications-for.html

[G] 33 million streams in 189 countries around the world: The YouTube Symphony Orchestra Grand Finale

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 10:56 AM PDT

Official Google Blog: 33 million streams in 189 countries around the world: The YouTube Symphony Orchestra Grand Finale

(Cross-posted from the YouTube Blog)

On March 20, the Grand Finale of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 was held at Sydney Opera House and live-streamed to the world on YouTube During the week-long festival leading up to the finale, 101 musicians from 33 countries joined together for the first time—immersed in new cultural experiences, musical mentorship and performances in one of the world's most iconic symbols of the arts.

During the three-and-a-half hour Grand Finale—and as people in different timezones awoke to re-broadcasts—the event was streamed 33 million times around the world to 189 countries. This included 2.8 million mobile live-streams—making it one of our biggest ever streaming events to date, on mobile and desktop. That means the event was streamed to nearly one-and-a-half times the entire population of Australia, where the event took place.

One of the goals of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra is to make classical music accessible; the total data transferred by the stream was a whopping 422 terabytes—the equivalent of 145 million MP3 files of classical music being emailed around the world.

The top 10 countries viewing the performance online were:
1. U.S.
2. Germany
3. Italy
4. France
5. Poland
6. Russia
7. Australia
8. U.K.
9. Brazil
10. Taiwan

Enormous thanks go to all our Symphony members who flew to Sydney from around the world and put their hearts and souls into an extraordinary performance. You surprised and moved people and had some fun along the way!

For the rest of you, you can read about the experience of YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 cellist Mathisha Panagoda in a guest post on the YouTube Australia blog. And if you missed the Grand Finale, you can watch the full concert and highlights from the last week anytime at youtube.com/symphony.



Posted by Ed Sanders, Group Marketing Manager
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/33-million-streams-in-189-countries.html

[G] Student applications now being accepted for Google Summer of Code

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 09:57 AM PDT

Google Open Source Blog: Student applications now being accepted for Google Summer of Code

Today marks the start of the 2011 Google Summer of Code student application period.

Google Summer of Code is a global program where university students are given a stipend to write code for open source projects over a three month period. Through Google Summer of Code, accepted students are paired with a mentor from the participating projects, gaining exposure to real-world software development and the opportunity for employment in areas related to their academic pursuits. Best of all, more source code is created and released for the use and benefit of all.

Google Summer of Code is a highly competitive program with a limited number of students being accepted. We are pleased to announce that this year we have enlarged the program so that we can accept as many as 150 additional students. We hope all interested students will apply!

Now it is time for the students to submit their proposals to the accepted mentoring organizations via the Google Summer of Code program website from today through Friday, April 8th 19:00 UTC. For the past 10 days students have had the opportunity to review the Ideas pages for this year's 175 accepted projects and to research which projects they would like to contribute to for this year's Google Summer of Code.

Every year we have thousands of students who apply for the Google Summer of Code program but due to the limited number of slots many students are not able to be a part of the program. The quality of your proposal is what will make you stand out from your peers. Students should consult the Google Summer of Code student manual for suggestions on how to write a proposal that will grab the attention of the mentoring organizations. Multiple proposals are allowed but we highly recommend focusing on quality over quantity. The mentoring organizations have many proposals to review, so it is important to follow each organization's specific guidelines or templates and we advise you to submit your proposal early so you can receive timely feedback.

For more tips, see a list of some helpful dos and don'ts for successful student participation written by a group of experienced Google Summer of Code administrators, our user's guide for the program site, Frequently Asked Questions and timeline. You can also stay up-to-date on all things Google Summer of Code on our Google Open Source blog, mailing lists or on IRC at #gsoc on Freenode.

Good luck students and remember to submit your proposals early–you only have until April 8!

By Stephanie Taylor, Open Source Programs Office
URL: http://google-opensource.blogspot.com/2011/03/student-applications-now-being-accepted.html

[G] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answers your questions live on YouTube

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 05:24 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answers your questions live on YouTube

Two weeks ago, YouTube and Israel's Channel 2 News asked you to submit your questions for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thousands of you responded, from more than 90 countries, and while a large portion of questions were submitted from users across the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, many also from farther corners like Japan, Pakistan, Canada, Nepal, and Venezuela.



Today, at 11:10 am PST, Prime Minister Netanyahu will answer the top-voted questions from around the world, and you can watch the interview live at www.youtube.com/worldview.



One topic which attracted hundreds of questions by users worldwide was the the fate of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. People also posted about about negotiations and chances for peace with the Palestinians, the recent upheavals in the Middle East, and housing and gas prices in Israel.



To see which questions Netanyahu will answer, and how he'll respond, please visit the World View channel at 11:10 am or check back later today to see it in its uploaded form.





Alon Chen, Israel Product Marketing Manager, and Ramya Raghavan, News and Politics Manager, recently watched, "Two Questions for PM Netanyahu".


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/NtaRVwewa78/israeli-prime-minister-benjamin_30.html
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