Official Google Blog: March 2012

Bringing self-driving cars to NASCAR

March 31, 2012

self-driving car projectGoogle RacingNASCAR

Find more photos on our Google+ page

Find more photos on our Google+ pageUpdate Apr 1, 10:05 a.m.Posted by Sergey Brin, Co-founder

The Big Tent, and big ideas, arrive stateside

March 30, 2012

BigTenteventsBig TentAdora SvitakTiffany ShlainBig Tent YouTube channelPosted by Katharine Wang, Policy Analyst

Learning independence with Google Search features

March 29, 2012

Searches can become stories. Some are inspiring, some change the way we see the world and some just put a smile on our face. This is a story of how people can use Google to do something extraordinary. If you have a story, share it.Search by Reading LevelVoice Searchgoogle.com/insidesearch/features.htmlPosted by Glen Shires, Speech Technology

Let’s fill London with startups...

March 29, 2012

Campus Londonherewww.campuslondon.comPosted by Eze Vidra, Head of Campus London (Cross-posted from the European Public Policy blog)

Crossing the 50 billion km mark and giving Google Maps for Android a fresh look

March 28, 2012

Google Maps for Androidvoice-guided GPS navigationA new look for Navigation on Android 4.0+ phonesGoogle Maps 6.5 for AndroidAndroid 4.0+

Left: New Navigation home screen Right: Navigation in Google Maps for AndroidCrisper, faster maps for high pixel density devices

Left: Previous style Right:New style in Google Maps 6.5 for AndroidPick your preferred public transit mode and route optionGoogle Maps 6.5 for Android475 cities around the world

Google Maps 6.5 for AndroidGoogle PlayGoogle Maps YouTube channelPosted by Harlan Hile, Software Engineer(Cross-posted on the Lat Long blog)

Giving you more insight into your Google Account activity

March 28, 2012

Account Activity

Click the image for a larger version2-step verificationGoogle DashboardAds Preferences ManagerUpdate March 30Posted by Andreas Tuerk, product manager

Take a train through the Swiss Alps with Street View

March 27, 2012

Street View Rhaetian RailwaysAlbula/Bernina railway lineGoogle Mapsnew gallery
View Larger Maptrip to the AmazonStreet View trike See in GalleryhereStreet View galleryPosted by Raphael Leiteritz, Product Manager, Google Maps(Cross-posted on the Lat Long blog)

Explore Mandela’s archives online

March 27, 2012

announcedNelson Mandela Centre of Memorynew online multimedia archiveearliest-known photo of Mr. Mandelanever-before seen draftsLong Walk to Freedom

Early LifePrison YearsPresidential YearsRetirementBooks for MandelaYoung PeopleMy Moments with a LegendPrison Yearsdesk calendarsWarrants of Committalphoto of Nelson Mandela’s prison cellpersonal letter

all personal lettersdiaries and calendarslast pageMadiba’sAhmed KathradaMy Moments with a LegendArchbishop Desmond TutuF.W. De KlerkNomfundo Walaza

Google Cultural InstituteArt ProjectDead Sea ScrollsYad VashemPosted by Mark Yoshitake, Product Manager, Google’s Cultural Institute

A new kind of summer job: open source coding with Google Summer of Code

March 26, 2012

Google Summer of Codeaccepted projectsprogram website

student manualproposalhelpful dos and don’tsuser’s guideFrequently Asked QuestionstimelineGoogle Open Source blogmailing listsFreenodeGoogle StudentsHangout on AirChris DiBonaPosted by Carol Smith, Open Source Team

Measuring to improve: comprehensive, real-world data center efficiency numbers

March 26, 2012

Lord Kelvin50 percent less energytotal power used to run a data centeramount used to power the serverstrailing 12-month average

publishingdata center sitebest practicesrecycled waterPosted by Joe Kava, Senior Director, data center construction and operations

Ideas worthy of space travel: The YouTube Space Lab global winners

March 22, 2012

YouTube Space Labchallenged expert judges Meet Amr from Alexandria, Egypt Global Winner, 17-18-year-old age group: Watch his entry: “Can you teach an old spider new tricks?” Meet Dorothy and Sara from Troy, Mich., U.S. Global Winners, 14-16-year-old age group: Watch their entry: “Could alien superbugs cure diseases on Earth?”Sunita WilliamsZERO-G weightless flightUdvar-Hazy Air & Space MuseumYouTube Space Lab channelPosted by Zahaan Bharmal, head of marketing operations in EMEA

Visit the Amazon on World Forest Day with Street View

March 21, 2012

Street ViewGoogle Earth Outreachwere invited to the Amazon BasinGoogle Maps Tributary of the Rio Negro - View Larger Mapmain section of the Rio Negrosmaller tributaries where the forest is floodedpaths of Tumbiraother communitiesAmazon forest trailsee where Brazil nuts are harvestedforest critter Amazon Rainforest - View Larger MapAmazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS)Street View trikebusiness interiors

To do this directly from maps you can go to Brazil map and drag Pegman to the Rio Negro RivergalleryPosted by Karin Tuxen-Bettman, Project Lead for Google Street View in the Amazon(Cross-posted on the Lat Long blog)

We’ve gone mad for college hoops

March 15, 2012

March MadnessWe looked back at basketball search trendsour picks for the 2012 tournamentCollege Hoops 2012Connect

Join ESPN college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb, along with fellow fans, in a series of hangouts beginning March 21 on the ESPN Google+ page to discuss bracket picks, game highlights and who the experts think will win “the big dance.”

We’ve created a college hoops circle of NCAA teams you can follow on Google+. Whether a fan of +Kentucky, +Syracuse, +UNC or +Michigan State, you can stay up-to-date on your team and join players and coaches in a hangout.

Stay informed

Keep up with your bracket picks by searching for [march madness] or individual teams like [duke basketball] to see real-time scores and schedules for the tournament.

Explore

Download a complimentary copy of the Zagat guide Winning Hangouts for College Basketball Fans to find a place to watch the games and cheer on your favorite teams. The guide features trusted ratings and reviews for restaurants, sports bars and gastropubs in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

Since chances are you can’t physically fly to every game around the U.S., take a virtual tour of the tournament locations via a customized map overlay in Google Earth and watch this video of 3D models of the stadiums where your favorite teams will be playing.

#GoogleHoopsPosted by Lauren Gellman, Product Marketing Manager

Helping the Hooch with water conservation at our Douglas County data center

March 15, 2012

Sidney Lanierwrotefree cooling

announcedPosted by Jim Brown, Data Center Facilities Manager

Making our ads better for everyone

March 14, 2012

make Gmail free of spamGoogle Play Storemalwarepartner siteslegitimateAds that harm users are not allowed on Googlepoliciescounterfeit goodshandguns or cigarettes“get rich quick working from home!”unclear billing practicesHow it all worksmalicious download sitesmalware or a virusImprovements to detection systems

Improved “query watch” for counterfeit ads: While anyone can report counterfeit ads, we’ve widened our proactive monitoring of sensitive keywords and queries related to counterfeit goods which allows us to catch more counterfeit ads before they ever appear on Google

New “risk model” to detect violations: Our computer scanning depends on detailed risk models to determine whether a particular ad may violate our policies, and we recently upgraded our engineering system with a new “risk model” that is even more precise in detecting advertisers who violate our policies

Faster manual review process: Some ads need to be reviewed manually. To increase our response time in preventing ads from policy-violating advertisers, we sped up our internal processes and systems for manual reviews, enabling our specialists to be more precise and fast

Twenty-four hour response time: We aim to respond within 24 hours upon receiving a reliable complaint about an ad to ensure that we’re reviewing ads in a timely fashion

policy for ads related to short-term loansBad ads are declining detection efforts and risk modelsWhat you can do to helppoliciesGood to Know sitereport adsWeb Search Help CenterPosted by Sridhar Ramaswamy, SVP, Engineering

Adding an origami doodle to the fold

March 13, 2012

We’re excited to have Robert J. Lang here to talk about today’s doodle in honor of Akira Yoshizawa. Lang is considered one of the world’s masters of the art of origami. His design techniques are used by origami artists around the world, and he lectures widely on the connections between origami art, science, mathematics and technology. - Ed.wet-foldingOrder of the Rising SunThe Friends of the Origami Center of America “My origami creations, in accordance with the laws of nature, require the use of geometry, science, and physics. They also encompass religion, philosophy, and biochemistry. Over all, I want you to discover the joy of creation by your own hand…the possibility of creation from paper is infinite.”Nippon Origami Association

Two versions of the Google "G," each folded from a single sheet of paper.

Posted by Robert J. Lang, Origami Artist

Google Code Jam 2012 registration is open

March 13, 2012

Google Code Jam 2012build a house for kittensserve food to hungry mathematiciansescape from a shady casinohelp Goro control his angerthrow your hat into the ring nowPosted by Igor Naverniouk, Software Engineer, Google Code Jam

Honoring and supporting Belgian Internet pioneers

March 13, 2012

Prime Minister Elio Di RupoPaul OtletHenri La FontaineMundaneumuniversal decimal classification systemLouis PouzinRobert Cailliauonline tourStreet ViewLEOJ.Lyons & CoSergey Lebedev’s pioneering MESM projectBletchley ParkColossusPosted by William Echikson, External Relations, Brussels

Google and Historypin launch online gallery to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

March 12, 2012

Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth IIHistorypin

Pinning The Queen’s HistoryHistorypin sitesubmit

Google MapsStreet Viewoverlaid onto Street View

Royal Archiveswww.historypin.com/DiamondJubilee/Posted by Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist, London(Cross-posted from the Lat Long Blog)

Providing a springboard for women entrepreneurs in India

March 9, 2012

Meghana MusunuriMedakFountainhead SchoolWomen Entrepreneurs on the Web

Building an online presence: creating a website, a YouTube channel, and a business page on a social network like Google+

Collaborating effectively: tools like Gmail, Calendar and Docs

Connecting with customers: hosting Google+ Hangouts, creating and distributing targeted offers and discounts

Promoting your organization: online product demos, creating viral videos on YouTube, advertising through AdWords and AdSense

Tracking and optimizing your online presence: Google Analytics, Google Alerts, ripples on Google+, the +1 button, webmaster tools

Google+ pagethis videoColorquillArchanas Kitchenlaunch eventGoogle Anita Borg India Memorial ScholarshipsGrace Hopper CelebrationswebsiteYouTube channelPosted by Keerthana Mohan, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Asia-Pacific

Our approach to free expression and controversial content

March 9, 2012

our approach to removing contentWorld Day Against Cyber-CensorshipArticle 19Chilling EffectsGoogle.detransparentPosted by Rachel Whetstone, Senior Vice President, Global Communications and Public Policy

Helping entrepreneurs in the Crescent City

March 9, 2012

direct use of Google Earthsearch toolsGoogle volunteers$102 million of economic activityNew Orleans Entrepreneurship WeekMake It RightMake It Right Google+ PageStartup WeekendAccelerate with GooglePosted by Tara Canobbio, Google New Orleans Outreach Lead

Re-imagining classic ads for the modern web

March 9, 2012

Project Re: BriefCoca-Cola
Original Art Director: Harvey Gabor1971 adnew adsVolvoOriginal Art Director: Amil GarganoTV adsthese adsprojectrebrief.comGoogle Villageattend a talkPosted by Jim Lecinski, Vice President, U.S. Sales and Brad Bender, Director, Product Management

Official Blog

Bringing self-driving cars to NASCAR

The Big Tent, and big ideas, arrive stateside

Learning independence with Google Search features

Let’s fill London with startups...

Crossing the 50 billion km mark and giving Google Maps for Android a fresh look

Giving you more insight into your Google Account activity

Take a train through the Swiss Alps with Street View

Explore Mandela’s archives online

A new kind of summer job: open source coding with Google Summer of Code

Measuring to improve: comprehensive, real-world data center efficiency numbers

Ideas worthy of space travel: The YouTube Space Lab global winners

Visit the Amazon on World Forest Day with Street View

We’ve gone mad for college hoops

Helping the Hooch with water conservation at our Douglas County data center

Making our ads better for everyone

Adding an origami doodle to the fold

Google Code Jam 2012 registration is open

Honoring and supporting Belgian Internet pioneers

Google and Historypin launch online gallery to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Providing a springboard for women entrepreneurs in India

Our approach to free expression and controversial content

Helping entrepreneurs in the Crescent City

Re-imagining classic ads for the modern web

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