Friday, April 6, 2012

Googland

Googland

[G] Celebrating six students receiving the AP-Google Journalism & Technology Scholarship

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 11:22 PM PDT

Official Google Blog: Celebrating six students receiving the AP-Google Journalism & Technology Scholarship

Last summer, we announced a joint scholarship program for aspiring journalists with the Associated Press, administered by the Online News Association. Congratulations to the six students who will each be receiving $20,000 to pursue degrees that lie at the intersection of journalism, computer science and new media:
  • Emily Eggleston, 24, graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, studying journalism and geography.
  • Reginald James, 30, undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying political science and African American studies.
  • Katie Zhu, 20, undergraduate at Northwestern University, studying computer science and journalism.
  • Rebecca Rolfe, 25, graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, studying digital media.
  • Kevin Schaul, 20, undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota, studying journalism and computer science.
  • John Osborn, 29, graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying journalism.
These students have big plans that range from producing hyperlocal data-driven stories, to developing open-source apps that allow for democratic news gathering and greater collaboration, to data visualization for current events and entertainment, to producing political news games and teaching journalists how to code.

We hope these scholarship winners, and their future projects, inspire the broader journalism community to keep rethinking how to report and share stories through new technologies.

For all undergraduate and graduate students already brainstorming ideas for next year, read more about the application process and eligibility on the scholarship program's website. Thank you to the Associated Press and the Online News Association for making this scholarship program possible, and we look forward to seeing the impact these students have in their communities and in journalism.

Posted by Sean Carlson, Global Communications & Public Affairs
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/celebrating-six-students-receiving-ap.html

[G] Google Ads - now on Google+

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 08:01 PM PDT

Official Google CPG Blog: Google Ads - now on Google+

When we launched Google+ Pages last November, we aimed to provide you with a way to post updates and news about your business, have engaging conversations with customers, and send tailored messages to specific groups of people.

We're now excited to share that Google Ads will be joining Google+ Pages to provide you, our advertising partners, with the latest Google advertising product news, training, tips and Hangouts that can help make the web work for you. We hope it will become a useful resource for growing your business, reaching customers in the moments that matter, and making smarter decisions.


Here's a quick peek at what you can expect from the Google Ads page on Google+:
  • Stay ahead of the curve with the latest launches and updates for Google's advertising solutions, including search, display, mobile, social, YouTube and Google Analytics
  • Receive how-to information, best practices, and recommendations
  • Learn about upcoming trainings and events
  • Attend Hangouts with product experts
Add Google Ads to your circles here. We look forward to connecting with you on Google+.

Posted by: Christina Park and Katie Miller, Ads Product Marketing
URL: http://google-cpg.blogspot.com/2012/04/google-ads-now-on-google.html

[G] Enjoying opening day with Google tools

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 12:43 PM PDT

Google Lat Long: Enjoying opening day with Google tools


Spring is finally here and with it, the beginning of the 2012 baseball season! For die hard fans, this means the beginning of another fabulous year of Cracker Jacks and days at the ballpark.

To celebrate the start of the 2012 season of America's pastime, we've created a special Google Earth video featuring aerial imagery and 3D models of the country's most legendary stadiums. Fly to Fenway in Boston, soar over Chicago's Wrigley Field and check out San Francisco Bay and AT&T Park, all from a bird's eye view. What a way to take a virtual journey with your team as they travel across the country!


For the lucky fans that get to attend their favorite team's games in person, we've put together a few tips to make the most of each match-up. Batter up!

Our first tip aims to keep you warm and dry on game day. Nothing ruins a day at the park like unexpected weather. Make sure you dress appropriately for the game and don't miss a minute of the action. On Google Maps, just select the weather layer from the drop down in the upper right hand corner of the map and zoom to specific cities to see the current and expected conditions.

The weather layer in Google Maps shows that it's going to be a pretty chilly day at AT&T Park.

Now that you've got your jacket packed, where to go pre-game for a light snack? Enter a ballpark or stadium name in Google Maps and use the "Search Nearby" feature to find sports bars, hotels, public transportation stops and more in the same neighborhood. If you are already at the ballpark, use the same feature on Google Maps for mobile and get directions on the go.


Are you planning on meeting friends at the game? Scope out the area around the ballpark with Street View in Google Maps to pick a spot to meet up before finding your seats (and maybe a couple of hot dogs along the way).

Street View of At&T Park in San Francisco

For many fans, this might be the year to do that baseball road trip you've always talked about. Create a Custom Map with your itinerary and mark the surrounding restaurants or local sites you visit along the way. Share your map with friends and family and add text, videos and photos to create an archive of your travels to enjoy during the off-season and for years to come.

We hope you find these tips useful on opening day and beyond. Best of luck to each and every team. Play ball!

Posted by Vicky Homan, Product Marketing Manager, Google Earth
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/04/enjoying-opening-day-with-google-tools.html

[G] Admiral Pest Control switches to Google Apps to eliminate communication bugs

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 12:43 PM PDT

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Admiral Pest Control switches to Google Apps to eliminate communication bugs

Posted by: Jeff Jones, Vice President, Admiral Pest Control

Editor's Note: Today's guest blogger is Jeff Jones, Vice President of Admiral Pest Control, a pest control and extermination business with two locations in Los Angeles and Orange County, California.

Admiral Pest Control is a fourth generation family-owned business. The company was started by my grandfather in 1947, and with every generation there have been new ideas on how to run more efficiently. We handle everything from termite inspections, to pigeon control for residences and businesses throughout the Long Beach area. With a team of 40 people, we're big enough to accommodate the needs of our clients, but small enough to have a personal relationship with them too.

For many years, we had a Microsoft Exchange server and when it came time to upgrade, we realized we needed a change. The price to upgrade was costly and we had experienced frequent outages. So, we decided to switch to Google Apps for Business which offered a far more reliable and cost-effective way for our employees to communicate from their desks or the field.

Our staff spends a lot of time at customer locations and can now easily check their email and schedules from their mobile phones. They can see where their next customer visit is or whether there's been a cancellation without making a trip back to the office.

We've also improved how we communicate with our customers using Google Forms. We embedded a form on our website where customers can fill in their contact information and describe the problem they're experiencing. Incoming inquiries are centralized in a single spreadsheet that gets updated in real time as a form is submitted. We're able to better manage requests and reply quickly, and our customers appreciate that we make it so easy to contact us. Customers can also provide feedback on our services through a separate form on the website.

Google Apps has helped us to better communicate as a team and better communicate with our customers at a price that fits our family business. We're excited to have Google take us into the next 65 years.
URL: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2012/04/admiral-pest-control-switches-to-google.html

[G] Introducing UK promotions and deals from Google Affiliate Network

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 12:43 PM PDT

Inside AdSense: Introducing UK promotions and deals from Google Affiliate Network


We've blogged before about Google Affiliate Network, which helps you earn more from your site with ads that pay based on conversions. While all AdSense publishers around the world are eligible to join Google Affiliate Network, we're happy to let you know that this network has just expanded to more UK advertisers -- meaning that if you're located in the UK or have UK-based readers, the promotions available in Google Affiliate Network will soon become more relevant and interesting.



We've brought aboard UK affiliate programs like Blue Nile, Onlineticketexpress.com, Orvis UK, Shoes.com and Skechers, and will continue to add advertisers in verticals like retail, financial services, travel and electronics. Publisher payments are now available in over 40 currencies in 80 countries, and we're working to continue developing additional enhancements.



To get started with Google Affiliate Network in the UK, simply sign up using your existing AdSense login details and you'll hear back within a few days about your application. Once you're a publisher with Google Affiliate Network, follow the steps below to to get started:


  1. Log in to your Google Affiliate Network account

  2. Visit the Advertiser tab

  3. Change Relationship Status to 'Available', then click 'Apply'

  4. On the left-hand navigation, click 'Countries' and choose United Kingdom

  5. Apply to programs


For more information about Google Affiliate Network, visit our Help Center.



Posted by Erica Sievert -- Google Affiliate Network Marketing Manager


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/tuAm/~3/s9kdbJ48Qik/introducing-uk-promotions-and-deals.html

[G] How we’re making even more 3D video available on YouTube

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 12:43 PM PDT

YouTube Blog: How we're making even more 3D video available on YouTube

Last year we kicked off a beta feature that let creators convert YouTube videos into 3D with a click, and since then you've converted hundreds of thousands of your videos to 3D. Today we're expanding the beta to all of you by adding automatic 3D conversion for short-form videos uploaded in 1080p. Meaning, you can select 3D viewing in the Quality settings (click on the gear icon) on the YouTube player, then pop on your 3D glasses and see YouTube in another dimension. Here's one of our favorites:







How it works



To give you more dimension on 3D, here's some background how the conversion technology works at YouTube. Since last September we've been constantly improving the underlying technology, which now uses several techniques:


  • We use a combination of video characteristics such as color, spatial layout and motion to estimate a depth map for each frame of a monoscopic video sequence

  • We use machine learning from the growing number of true 3D videos on YouTube to learn video depth characteristics and apply them in depth estimation

  • The generated depth map and the original monoscopic frame create a stereo 3D left-right pair, that a stereo display system needs to display a video as 3D






With this broader knowledge of 3D conversion, we then apply cloud computing scalability to make conversion possible across even more videos on YouTube. Breaking up a video into tiny chunks of data and processing them in parallel on Google's cloud infrastructure lets us process these videos, while still producing the quality you expect.







We'd love to hear your feedback and other 3D features you'd like to see. With 4D, 5D and 6D around the corner there's lots more we can do!



Deb Mukherjee, technical staff, and Chen Wu, software engineer, recently watched "YouTube Rewind 2011" in 3D!


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/5aULYciw1C0/how-were-making-even-more-3d-video.html
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