Sunday, November 6, 2011

Googland

Googland

[G] A visit from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Egan

Posted: 06 Nov 2011 01:55 AM PST

Inside Google Books: A visit from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Egan

Greg Sanders, Technical Writer, DoubleClick and display products

We were pleased to host Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad, for an Authors@Google event in our New York office this August. I had the pleasure of moderating the talk with Egan in front of a group of Googlers.

Although the cast of characters spanning Goon Squad is vast and raucous, Egan is most interested in the sometimes self-destructive, sometimes tender-hearted protagonists, a music producer and former punk-rocker, Bennie Salazar, and his klepto assistant, Sasha.

The book has received much press focused on the nonlinear nature of its narrative. Rather than flowing predictably from past to present to future, the chapters are ordered either to trace the threads of the characters' lives – to lend credence and nuance to their current state of mind – and sometimes as needed to maintain the plot's tension. For example, we're led back in time to the formative days of West Coast punk, then thrust a decade or two into the future of lower Manhattan, all with interesting effect, especially as regards Egan's take on technology. Yet I found other aspects of her novel even more intriguing.

First, as a fiction writer myself, I was impressed with the control and narrative prowess Egan exhibits in Goon Squad, including the numerous voices and styles she employs to tell her story. I was particularly interested in one "future" chapter, told by the sister of an Aspergian child, called "Great Rock 'n' Roll Pauses," that presents its narrative in the form of a series of graphs and charts. (Makes us wonder how data narratives will fit with straight-up storytelling in the future.) In addition, she clearly grants her imagination broad license. I wanted to understand how she manages her creative process, and wondered if she had a model that was generalizable for writers and engineers (remember, this is Google) alike.

To prepare for the role as moderator, I made a mental map of the narrative arcs that intersect across the chapters; I read the book a second time and took notes on character names, places, plot points, settings, etc. I then began generating potential points of discussion. When I felt I had a critical mass of questions, I typed them up on index cards (see a sampling) using a manual typewriter. Egan, I discovered in my research, writes all of her early drafts in longhand. This would prompt at least one question I'd ask her: does the mode we write in influence the content we write?

The discussion with Egan was fast-paced and improvisational. She clearly enjoys expanding on the themes of her work – technology, music, the perception of time, the nature of memory – and is refreshingly open about the process she goes through while writing a book like Goon Squad. Take a look for yourself.


Egan speaks at Authors@Google in our New York office

Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad is available as a Google eBookstore, as well as other novels by her (available in certain countries):
URL: http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2011/11/visit-from-pulitzer-prize-winner.html

[G] The Horns are hooked: UT Austin has gone Google

Posted: 06 Nov 2011 01:55 AM PST

Official Google Enterprise Blog: The Horns are hooked: UT Austin has gone Google

Posted by Rich Rao, Director, Global Sales and Operations, Google Enterprise

Apparently it's not enough for The University of Texas at Austin to give its alumni degrees anymore; now, the University's 450,000 graduates (and 50,000+ current students) are also getting free email addresses for life. As a Longhorn alum and member of the Texas Exes, I'm thrilled to have the privilege of announcing that my alma mater is now offering Google Apps for Education.

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Driven by the desire for better communication and collaboration capabilities, the student body petitioned for an upgraded email system. The university used the state-mandated procurement process to make its selection as it assembled a task force consisting of representatives from across campus to evaluate possible vendor solutions. After thorough review by two subcommittees, we're proud that Google emerged as the top choice.

The University of Texas at Austin joins more than 15 million other students, faculty and staff who are part of the Google Apps for Education family. We're thrilled to work with the Longhorns to make their launch a big success.

And I personally can't wait to start using my alumni account.
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/11/horns-are-hooked-ut-austin-has-gone.html

[G] YouTube Town Hall: Congress Answers Your Questions

Posted: 06 Nov 2011 01:55 AM PST

YouTube Blog: YouTube Town Hall: Congress Answers Your Questions

Over the past month people around the world watched members of Congress answer YouTube Town Hall questions about trade with China, the path to a balanced budget, and U.S. manufacturing. October's five highest voted videos include a diverse array of answers from Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle:



With campaign season heating up, political energy is in the air and this month proved to be amongst the busiest yet on the YouTube Town Hall - you all asked Conress over 1,000 questions in October, twice as many as in any other month. Today we're launching a new round of Congressional videos answering two of this month's top-voted questions:
  1. GOVERNANCE: Why has partisan bickering taken hold in Congress? Compromise is necessary for the benefit of the American people. Do you have to always vote along party lines? Can we learn to compromise again?
  2. ECONOMY: What do you think about the Wall Street protests?
Visit the YouTube Town Hall now to watch members of Congress answer these questions and then vote on the answers you most agree with!

Will Houghteling, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched "Ed Lee is...2 Legit 2 Quit."


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/gRqS7A6XW5I/youtube-town-hall-congress-answers-your.html

[G] Advancing the free flow of information

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 07:59 AM PDT

Google Public Policy Blog: Advancing the free flow of information

Posted by Winter Casey, Senior Policy Analyst, Google

The global economy relies on the free flow of information more than ever before. Companies large and small can use the Internet to reach new markets, which contributes to economic growth, job creation, and increased trade around the world.

But as companies and individuals are transmitting more information online, some governments are seeking to impose limits on the free flow of information. More than 40 governments now block or restrict information and data available on the Internet.

Last year, we released a white paper demonstrating that governments which block the free flow of information on the Internet are also blocking trade and economic growth. For example, when companies can't confidentially and confidently transmit the files and information that are necessary to keep their business running, their ability to export goods and services is hurt. The thesis is simple: when countries support the free flow of information, they will see more economic growth.

That's why we joined companies like Citi, Microsoft, IBM, GE and others to endorse a new set of principles endorsing the free flow of information across borders. The principles, written under the leadership of the National Foreign Trade Council, outline several priorities for the U.S. business community which will promote transparent, fair, and secure cross-border data flows.

Individuals and businesses will benefit from a more consistent and transparent framework for the treatment of cross-border flows of goods, services and information. We look forward to continued work with governments and industry to advance the free flow of information online.

URL: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/11/advancing-free-flow-of-information.html
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