We use the Internet all the time: at home, at work (especially at Google!), on the move, and, increasingly, at school. We believe that the Internet and cloud-based tools are a key part of a 21st century classroom, helping students learn and teachers teach in collaborative and innovative ways. Students use Google Docs to work on group projects; classrooms use Google Sites to show off their work; and teachers use Forms in Google Docs for instant grading and Google Calendar for lesson planning. Google Apps Education Edition is helping schools build online communities for students, teachers and parents, and we now have 4 million students using Google Apps Education around the world.
This week the Google Apps Education team is launching a few new ways to make it easier for K-12 schools to use Google Apps, and attending the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington D.C. To help address schools' email security needs, Google Message Security (GMS) will be offered free to current and new eligible primary and secondary schools globally that opt in by July of next year. GMS filters out email messaging threats, and education IT departments can customize the filtering rules and group messaging lists to suit their schools. We're also launching the Google Apps Education Community site for educators and students to share tips and ideas for using Google Apps in their classrooms, as well as the Search Education Curriculum and a Google Apps Education resource center with more than 20 classroom-ready lesson plans for teachers. We'll be adding more to these resources going forward.
If you're at NECC this year, come visit the Google team in booth #3148. If not, the teaching and learning continues with some cool presentations and lesson plans on the Google Apps Education Community site, or you can learn more at google.com/a/edu.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Telur Masak Pedas
Anda tidak memiliki banyak waktu untuk memasak? Telur ceplok masak pedas bisa menjadi pilihan menu harian. Bahanya murah dan proses pembuatanya mudah. Soal asa, jangan ditanya, wangi bawang dan pedasnya cabe terasa pas dengan sepiring nasi putih. Selamat Mencoba. Resep/Dapur Uji/Foto/Food Stylist: Budi Sutomo.
Bahan:
5 butir telur, buat telur mata sapi
6 siung bawang merah, haluskan
3 siung bawang putih, haluskan
2 butir kemiri, halsukan
4 buah cabe merah, haluskan
1/4 sdt terasi
1/2 sdm air jeruk nipis
1/2 sdt garam halus
3 sdm minyak goreng
5 butir telur, buat telur mata sapi
6 siung bawang merah, haluskan
3 siung bawang putih, haluskan
2 butir kemiri, halsukan
4 buah cabe merah, haluskan
1/4 sdt terasi
1/2 sdm air jeruk nipis
1/2 sdt garam halus
3 sdm minyak goreng
Cara Membuat:
1. Panaskan minyak, tumis semua bumbu hingga harum. Masukkan telur mata sapi, masak sambil dibolak-balik hingga bumbu meresap. Angkat.
2. Atur di dalam piring saji, hidangkan hangat sebagai lauk.
1. Panaskan minyak, tumis semua bumbu hingga harum. Masukkan telur mata sapi, masak sambil dibolak-balik hingga bumbu meresap. Angkat.
2. Atur di dalam piring saji, hidangkan hangat sebagai lauk.
Untuk 5 Porsi
Dadar Gulung
Kue tradisional dadar gulung memang selalu lekat dihati. Aroma pandan dan gurihnya enten kelapa membuat kue ini selalu bikin kangen. Resep/Dapur Uji/Foto: Budi Sutomo.
Bahan Kulit:
250 g tepung terigu protein sedang/cap segitiga biru
1 sdm tepung kanji
300 ml santan kental dari ½ butir kelapa
½ sdt pasta pandan/pewarna hijau
60 ml air perasan daun suji
3 butir telur ayam, kocok lepas
½ sdt garam halus
250 g tepung terigu protein sedang/cap segitiga biru
1 sdm tepung kanji
300 ml santan kental dari ½ butir kelapa
½ sdt pasta pandan/pewarna hijau
60 ml air perasan daun suji
3 butir telur ayam, kocok lepas
½ sdt garam halus
Bahan Isi:
300 g kelapa setengah tua, kupas, parut memanjang
100 g fula merah, iris halus
3 sdm gula pasir
50 ml air
1 lembar daun pandan, potong-potong
½ sdt garam halus
300 g kelapa setengah tua, kupas, parut memanjang
100 g fula merah, iris halus
3 sdm gula pasir
50 ml air
1 lembar daun pandan, potong-potong
½ sdt garam halus
Cara Membuat:
1. Isi: Campur kelapa parut, gula pasir, garam dan daun pandan, aduk rata. Masak di atas panci hingga tekstur kelapa agak mengering. Angkat, dinginkan.
2. Kulit: Campur tepung terigu, tepung kanji, telur, pasta pandan dan garam. Aduk rata. Tuang santan, air perasan daun suji sedikit demi sedikit sambil terus diaduk hingga rata. Saring.
3. Panaskan wajan datar anti lengket yang telah diolesi dengan sedikit minyak goreng. Tuang setengah sendok sayur adonan, buat dadar tipis hingga matang. Lakukan hingga adonan habis.
4. Ambil satu lembar adonan kulit, beri satu sendok makan bahan isi. Lipat bagian sisi kanan dan kiri, kemudian gulung. Atur dalam pinggan saji. Hidangkan.
1. Isi: Campur kelapa parut, gula pasir, garam dan daun pandan, aduk rata. Masak di atas panci hingga tekstur kelapa agak mengering. Angkat, dinginkan.
2. Kulit: Campur tepung terigu, tepung kanji, telur, pasta pandan dan garam. Aduk rata. Tuang santan, air perasan daun suji sedikit demi sedikit sambil terus diaduk hingga rata. Saring.
3. Panaskan wajan datar anti lengket yang telah diolesi dengan sedikit minyak goreng. Tuang setengah sendok sayur adonan, buat dadar tipis hingga matang. Lakukan hingga adonan habis.
4. Ambil satu lembar adonan kulit, beri satu sendok makan bahan isi. Lipat bagian sisi kanan dan kiri, kemudian gulung. Atur dalam pinggan saji. Hidangkan.
Untuk ± 20 Buah
Tip: Jangan membuat kulit terlalu tebal karena akan pecah ketika digulung. Wajan sebaiknya dalam kondisi panas ketika dituang adonan kulit berpori-poroi.
Martabak Manis
Jajan pasar yang sangat populer, sebagian orang menyebutnya kue terang bulan. Perlu ketelatenan dalam proses pembuatan. Pilih ragi kualitas baik agar martabak manis dapat mengembang dan terbentuk serat ataua pori-poti kue yang lembut. Teks/Foto/Dapur Uji: Budi Sutomo.
Bahan Kulit:
500 g tepung terigu protein sedang/cap segitiga biru
600 ml air
2 butir, kocok lepas
1 sdm margarin, lelehkan
2 butir telur ayam, kocok lepas
125 g gula pasir
½ sd ragi instan
1 sdt baking powder
½ sdt vanili bubuk/vanilla pasta
½ sdt garam halus
500 g tepung terigu protein sedang/cap segitiga biru
600 ml air
2 butir, kocok lepas
1 sdm margarin, lelehkan
2 butir telur ayam, kocok lepas
125 g gula pasir
½ sd ragi instan
1 sdt baking powder
½ sdt vanili bubuk/vanilla pasta
½ sdt garam halus
Bahan Isi:
100 g keju cheddar, parut
60 ml susu kental manis putih
100 g keju cheddar, parut
60 ml susu kental manis putih
Cara Membuat:
1. Kulit: Campur tepung terigu, gula pasir, ragi instan, garam, telur, margarin dan vanili. Aduk rata. Tuang air sedikit demi sedikit sambil terus diaduk hingga tercampur rata.
2. Kocok adonan dengan mixer selama 5 menit. Diamkan selama 40 menit. Tambahkan baking powder, aduk rata.
3. Panaskan wajan martabak manis atau wajan datar anti lengket beralas tebal yang telah diolesi dengan sedikit margarin. Tuang adonan, ratakan. Masak hingga terbentuk kelembung-gelembung. Tutup dan masak hingga matang. Angkat.
4. Olesi permukaan martabak manis dengan margarin. Taburi dengan keju cheddar parut dan susu kental manis. Lipat menjadi dua sehingga berbentuk setengah lingkaran. Dinginkan.
5. Potong-potong kue, atur di dalam piring saji. Hidangkan.
Untuk ± 4 loyang
1. Kulit: Campur tepung terigu, gula pasir, ragi instan, garam, telur, margarin dan vanili. Aduk rata. Tuang air sedikit demi sedikit sambil terus diaduk hingga tercampur rata.
2. Kocok adonan dengan mixer selama 5 menit. Diamkan selama 40 menit. Tambahkan baking powder, aduk rata.
3. Panaskan wajan martabak manis atau wajan datar anti lengket beralas tebal yang telah diolesi dengan sedikit margarin. Tuang adonan, ratakan. Masak hingga terbentuk kelembung-gelembung. Tutup dan masak hingga matang. Angkat.
4. Olesi permukaan martabak manis dengan margarin. Taburi dengan keju cheddar parut dan susu kental manis. Lipat menjadi dua sehingga berbentuk setengah lingkaran. Dinginkan.
5. Potong-potong kue, atur di dalam piring saji. Hidangkan.
Untuk ± 4 loyang
Tip: Selagi panas, olesi permukaan luar dan dalam martabak dengan margarin agar kue tetap lembab. Agar punggung kue tidak pecah, lipat kue selagi panas. Isi keju bisa diganti dengan meises, cincangan kacang tanah sangrai dan susu kental manis cokelat.
Jubail Celebrates the Midnight Mile
I met Jubail on the corner of 34th and 6th Avenue, and he shared this awesome tattoo:
"Midnight Mile" is a song by Bouncing Souls, and it reminds him of coming home to New York City.
Jubail, who has "nine or ten" tattoos, was a student at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
He was about to earn his commission as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army when I spoke with him, and he knows he can rely on his tattoo to help him remind him of home here in New York.
He also has the Bouncing Souls logo on the inner part of the elbow, also known as the "ditch," which is one of the most painful places to get tattooed.
Jubail credits his ink to Saka at Tat-Nice Tattoos in Huntington, WV.
Thanks to Jubail for sharing his Bouncing Souls tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
And here's a little "Midnight Mile" bonus:
"Midnight Mile" is a song by Bouncing Souls, and it reminds him of coming home to New York City.
Jubail, who has "nine or ten" tattoos, was a student at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
He was about to earn his commission as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army when I spoke with him, and he knows he can rely on his tattoo to help him remind him of home here in New York.
He also has the Bouncing Souls logo on the inner part of the elbow, also known as the "ditch," which is one of the most painful places to get tattooed.
Jubail credits his ink to Saka at Tat-Nice Tattoos in Huntington, WV.
Thanks to Jubail for sharing his Bouncing Souls tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
And here's a little "Midnight Mile" bonus:
Media and citizens meet in the YouTube Reporters' Center
This is the first of a series of posts from YouTube's news and politics blog, Citizentube. -Ed.
YouTube is the biggest video news site on the Internet, and at no time in our site's history was that more apparent than in these last two weeks of the crisis unfolding in Iran. As hundreds of thousands of Iranian citizens took to the streets of Tehran to protest the national elections, the government kicked out foreign journalists, leaving citizens themselves as the only documentarians to the events unfolding there. We've been highlighting many of these videos and keeping track of the latest developments on our YouTube news and politics blog, Citizentube.
Though the circumstances in Iran are unique, this isn't the first time that citizens have played a crucial role in reporting on events around the world. Burmese citizens uploaded exclusive video footage to YouTube during the protests in Myanmar back in 2007; people in China's Sichuan province documented the devastating and historic 7.8-magnitude earthquake of 2008 in real-time; and eyewitnesses to the shooting of young Oscar Grant by Oakland police forces captured the event on their cell phone cameras and uploaded videos to YouTube for the world to see. Citizens are no longer merely bystanders to world events. Today, anyone can chronicle what they see and participate in the news-gathering process.
Though it's the phenomenon of citizen reporting that YouTube is probably best known for, we also have hundreds of news partners who upload thousands of videos straight to YouTube every day. You can see lots of these on our news page at youtube.com/news. Many of these organizations have used YouTube in unique ways, like asking the community to submit questions for government officials, providing a behind-the-scenes look at traveling with the Obama press corps and accepting video applications for a reporting assignment in West Africa. We believe the power of this new media landscape lies in the collaborative possibilities of amateurs and professionals working together.
And so today, we're launching a new resource on YouTube to help citizens learn more about how to report the news, straight from the experts. It's called the YouTube Reporters' Center, and it features some of the nation's top journalists sharing instructional videos with tips and advice for better reporting. Learn how to prepare for an interview; or how to be an investigative reporter from the legendary Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward; or how to report on a global humanitarian crisis from Nick Kristof of the New York Times. All of the videos are available on the YouTube Reporters' Center channel.
Posted by Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics
YouTube is the biggest video news site on the Internet, and at no time in our site's history was that more apparent than in these last two weeks of the crisis unfolding in Iran. As hundreds of thousands of Iranian citizens took to the streets of Tehran to protest the national elections, the government kicked out foreign journalists, leaving citizens themselves as the only documentarians to the events unfolding there. We've been highlighting many of these videos and keeping track of the latest developments on our YouTube news and politics blog, Citizentube.
Though the circumstances in Iran are unique, this isn't the first time that citizens have played a crucial role in reporting on events around the world. Burmese citizens uploaded exclusive video footage to YouTube during the protests in Myanmar back in 2007; people in China's Sichuan province documented the devastating and historic 7.8-magnitude earthquake of 2008 in real-time; and eyewitnesses to the shooting of young Oscar Grant by Oakland police forces captured the event on their cell phone cameras and uploaded videos to YouTube for the world to see. Citizens are no longer merely bystanders to world events. Today, anyone can chronicle what they see and participate in the news-gathering process.
Though it's the phenomenon of citizen reporting that YouTube is probably best known for, we also have hundreds of news partners who upload thousands of videos straight to YouTube every day. You can see lots of these on our news page at youtube.com/news. Many of these organizations have used YouTube in unique ways, like asking the community to submit questions for government officials, providing a behind-the-scenes look at traveling with the Obama press corps and accepting video applications for a reporting assignment in West Africa. We believe the power of this new media landscape lies in the collaborative possibilities of amateurs and professionals working together.
And so today, we're launching a new resource on YouTube to help citizens learn more about how to report the news, straight from the experts. It's called the YouTube Reporters' Center, and it features some of the nation's top journalists sharing instructional videos with tips and advice for better reporting. Learn how to prepare for an interview; or how to be an investigative reporter from the legendary Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward; or how to report on a global humanitarian crisis from Nick Kristof of the New York Times. All of the videos are available on the YouTube Reporters' Center channel.
Posted by Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics
Monday, 29 June 2009
Extending Google services in Africa
At Google we seek to serve a broad base of people — not only those who can afford to access the Internet from the convenience of their workplace or with a computer at home. It's important to reach users wherever they are, with the information they need, in areas with the greatest information poverty. In many places around the world, people look to their phones, rather than their computers, to find information they need in their daily lives. This is especially true in Africa, which has the world’s highest mobile growth rate and where mobile phone penetration is six times Internet penetration. One-third of the population owns a mobile phone and many more have access to one.
Most mobile devices in Africa only have voice and SMS capabilities, and so we are focusing our technological efforts in that continent on SMS. Today, we are announcing Google SMS, a suite of mobile applications which will allow people to access information, via SMS, on a diverse number of topics including health and agriculture tips, news, local weather, sports, and more. The suite also includes Google Trader, a SMS-based “marketplace” application that helps buyers and sellers find each other. People can find, "sell" or "buy" any type of product or service, from used cars and mobile phones to crops, livestock and jobs.
We are particularly excited about Google SMS Tips, an SMS-based query-and-answer service that enables a mobile phone user to have a web search-like experience. You enter a free form text query, and Google's algorithms restructure the query to identify keywords, search a database to identify relevant answers, and return the most relevant answer.
Both Google SMS Tips and Google Trader represent the fruits of unique partnerships among Google, the Grameen Foundation, MTN Uganda and local organizations*. We worked closely together as part of Grameen Foundation's Application Laboratory to understand information needs and gaps, develop locally relevant and actionable content, rapidly test prototypes, and conduct multi-month pilots with the people who will eventually use the applications have truly been a global effort, and created with Ugandans, for Ugandans.
We're just beginning. We can do a lot more to improve search quality and the breadth — and depth — of content on Google SMS, especially on Tips and Trader. Google SMS is by no means a finished product, but that's what's both exciting and challenging about this endeavor.
Meanwhile, if you're curious about what Google is doing in Africa, learn more at the Google Africa Blog.
Update: Corrected link to YouTube video for "rapidly test prototypes".
____
*BROSDI, (Busoga Rural Open Source and Development Initiative), Straight Talk Foundation, Marie Stopes Uganda.
Posted by Joe Mucheru, Head of Google Sub-Saharan Africa, & Fiona Lee, Africa Project Manager
Most mobile devices in Africa only have voice and SMS capabilities, and so we are focusing our technological efforts in that continent on SMS. Today, we are announcing Google SMS, a suite of mobile applications which will allow people to access information, via SMS, on a diverse number of topics including health and agriculture tips, news, local weather, sports, and more. The suite also includes Google Trader, a SMS-based “marketplace” application that helps buyers and sellers find each other. People can find, "sell" or "buy" any type of product or service, from used cars and mobile phones to crops, livestock and jobs.
We are particularly excited about Google SMS Tips, an SMS-based query-and-answer service that enables a mobile phone user to have a web search-like experience. You enter a free form text query, and Google's algorithms restructure the query to identify keywords, search a database to identify relevant answers, and return the most relevant answer.
Both Google SMS Tips and Google Trader represent the fruits of unique partnerships among Google, the Grameen Foundation, MTN Uganda and local organizations*. We worked closely together as part of Grameen Foundation's Application Laboratory to understand information needs and gaps, develop locally relevant and actionable content, rapidly test prototypes, and conduct multi-month pilots with the people who will eventually use the applications have truly been a global effort, and created with Ugandans, for Ugandans.
We're just beginning. We can do a lot more to improve search quality and the breadth — and depth — of content on Google SMS, especially on Tips and Trader. Google SMS is by no means a finished product, but that's what's both exciting and challenging about this endeavor.
Meanwhile, if you're curious about what Google is doing in Africa, learn more at the Google Africa Blog.
Update: Corrected link to YouTube video for "rapidly test prototypes".
____
*BROSDI, (Busoga Rural Open Source and Development Initiative), Straight Talk Foundation, Marie Stopes Uganda.
Posted by Joe Mucheru, Head of Google Sub-Saharan Africa, & Fiona Lee, Africa Project Manager
Where The Wild Thing Tattoo Is
The day after I met one Jared, I met another, out in front of Madison Square Garden.
With a tattoo like this:
how could I not stop him?
As one would imagine, Jared loves the book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
The tattoo displays, on Jared's right forearm, one of the "Wild Things" that is in Max's imagination.
Jared, who was in town visiting from Boston, has ten tattoos. He had been thinking about getting a Where the Wild Things Are piece for several years and finally had it done by Chris Ford in January 2009. Ford had worked in L.A. but is now in New Jersey.
Jared said that he has had a lot of attention from people about the tattoo, in part due to the publicity from the movie adaptation coming out this Fall.
Thanks to Jared for stopping to talk and share his "wild" tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
With a tattoo like this:
how could I not stop him?
As one would imagine, Jared loves the book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
The tattoo displays, on Jared's right forearm, one of the "Wild Things" that is in Max's imagination.
Jared, who was in town visiting from Boston, has ten tattoos. He had been thinking about getting a Where the Wild Things Are piece for several years and finally had it done by Chris Ford in January 2009. Ford had worked in L.A. but is now in New Jersey.
Jared said that he has had a lot of attention from people about the tattoo, in part due to the publicity from the movie adaptation coming out this Fall.
Thanks to Jared for stopping to talk and share his "wild" tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Jared Shares His Vegan Tattoo
I met Jared while he was waiting for a train in Penn Station.
After the Manhattan Mall food court closed last summer, I discovered this wide expanse of Penn Station (especially the Amtrak area) was great for inkspotting when the weather made normal traipsing about unappealing.
Jared's ink runs down the length of his arm, from the top of his right bicep, down to the inner part of his forearm.
As a Vegan, Jared did his research, and sought out a tattoo artist that could give him a Vegan tattoo:
There's a school of thought that some tattoo inks are not "vegan," in the sense that they incorporate glycerine from animal fat, or they use bone char in the black inks. See this article here.
Some artists refute this as gimmicky, and here is a more skeptical view point from a Vegan. But many Vegans who are steadfast in their ideals find the idea of a purely vegan tattoo appealing. I featured another Vegan tattoo back in October 2007 here.
Jared, who is the musical director for the national touring company of the show "Spring Awakening", went to Cary at Body Electric Tattooing & Piercing in Hollywood for this custom design.
The top section of flowers includes at least one chrysanthemum. The bottom part spells out the word "Vegan" in twisting, viny, letters.
Jared's whole arm took three sessions and ultimately embodies the Vegan lifestyle, not just in words and design, but in the ink used to create the art.
Thanks to Jared for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday!
After the Manhattan Mall food court closed last summer, I discovered this wide expanse of Penn Station (especially the Amtrak area) was great for inkspotting when the weather made normal traipsing about unappealing.
Jared's ink runs down the length of his arm, from the top of his right bicep, down to the inner part of his forearm.
As a Vegan, Jared did his research, and sought out a tattoo artist that could give him a Vegan tattoo:
There's a school of thought that some tattoo inks are not "vegan," in the sense that they incorporate glycerine from animal fat, or they use bone char in the black inks. See this article here.
Some artists refute this as gimmicky, and here is a more skeptical view point from a Vegan. But many Vegans who are steadfast in their ideals find the idea of a purely vegan tattoo appealing. I featured another Vegan tattoo back in October 2007 here.
Jared, who is the musical director for the national touring company of the show "Spring Awakening", went to Cary at Body Electric Tattooing & Piercing in Hollywood for this custom design.
The top section of flowers includes at least one chrysanthemum. The bottom part spells out the word "Vegan" in twisting, viny, letters.
Jared's whole arm took three sessions and ultimately embodies the Vegan lifestyle, not just in words and design, but in the ink used to create the art.
Thanks to Jared for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday!
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Tattoosday Boxcars: A Leonine Tattoo and Wearing One's Heart on One's Sleeve
I met Jeff and Jeanie in Penn Station as they were about to board an Amtrak train out of the city.
I've been trying to come up with clever terms for different inkspotting phenomenon, basically creating my own lexicon.
I'll call Jeff and Jeanie "boxcars". Meaning, I approached the two of them and gambled, asking them both to participate, and they came through. Like rolling two sixes on the dice (also known as boxcars). I would even venture to call them "blind boxcars", because I could only make out fragments of their ink, but they still shared.
Jeff went first, displaying this leonine figure on his left bicep:
It's a nod to his astrological sign, Leo, and was also selected for its nod to Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast).
Jeanie shared her tattoo below:
This piece literally has her wearing her heart on her sleeve and is inspired by Mexican art. The tattoo was completed by a friend of Jeanine's named John Flack.
I would have obtained more detail, but the couple had to board their train.
Thank you to Jeanine and Jeff for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
I've been trying to come up with clever terms for different inkspotting phenomenon, basically creating my own lexicon.
I'll call Jeff and Jeanie "boxcars". Meaning, I approached the two of them and gambled, asking them both to participate, and they came through. Like rolling two sixes on the dice (also known as boxcars). I would even venture to call them "blind boxcars", because I could only make out fragments of their ink, but they still shared.
Jeff went first, displaying this leonine figure on his left bicep:
It's a nod to his astrological sign, Leo, and was also selected for its nod to Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast).
Jeanie shared her tattoo below:
This piece literally has her wearing her heart on her sleeve and is inspired by Mexican art. The tattoo was completed by a friend of Jeanine's named John Flack.
I would have obtained more detail, but the couple had to board their train.
Thank you to Jeanine and Jeff for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
Outpouring of searches for the late Michael Jackson
At Google, we are moved by the life and untimely passing of Michael Jackson. As word spread of his death, millions and millions of people from all over the world began searching for information about the pop icon. The following chart shows the meteoric rise in related searches around 3:00pm PDT:
Search volume began to increase around 2:00pm, skyrocketed by 3:00pm, and stabilized by about 8:00pm. As you can see in Google Hot Trends, many of the fastest rising search queries from yesterday and today have been about Michael Jackson's passing (others pertained to the death of another cultural icon, Farrah Fawcett). People who weren't near a computer yesterday turned to their mobile phones to check on breaking news. We saw one of the largest mobile search spikes we've ever seen, with 5 of the top 20 searches about the Moonwalker.
The spike in searches related to Michael Jackson was so big that Google News initially mistook it for an automated attack. As a result, for about 25 minutes yesterday, when some people searched Google News they saw a "We're sorry" page before finding the articles they were looking for.
Michael Jackson led an amazing and controversial life in the public eye. Many of us have a "Michael Jackson story." Mine is that he actually taught me how to moonwalk — thanks to many an hour I spent in front of the television trying to mimic his performances. Regardless of your story or personal opinions about this astounding performer, global interest in the King of Pop is undeniable.
Posted by R.J. Pittman, Director, Product Management
Search volume began to increase around 2:00pm, skyrocketed by 3:00pm, and stabilized by about 8:00pm. As you can see in Google Hot Trends, many of the fastest rising search queries from yesterday and today have been about Michael Jackson's passing (others pertained to the death of another cultural icon, Farrah Fawcett). People who weren't near a computer yesterday turned to their mobile phones to check on breaking news. We saw one of the largest mobile search spikes we've ever seen, with 5 of the top 20 searches about the Moonwalker.
The spike in searches related to Michael Jackson was so big that Google News initially mistook it for an automated attack. As a result, for about 25 minutes yesterday, when some people searched Google News they saw a "We're sorry" page before finding the articles they were looking for.
Michael Jackson led an amazing and controversial life in the public eye. Many of us have a "Michael Jackson story." Mine is that he actually taught me how to moonwalk — thanks to many an hour I spent in front of the television trying to mimic his performances. Regardless of your story or personal opinions about this astounding performer, global interest in the King of Pop is undeniable.
Posted by R.J. Pittman, Director, Product Management
We have a winner for the Google Photography Prize
Huge congratulations to Daniel Halasz from Hungary, who was awarded the Google Photography Prize this week. This was a global student competition to create themes for iGoogle. More than 3,600 students from across the world entered, and a couple of weeks ago we asked you to vote on the shortlist. The six finalists who got the most public votes were Amelia Ortúzar (Chile), Fahad AlDaajani (Saudi Arabia), Matjaz Tancic (U.K.), Mikhail Simin (U.S.) and Vesna Stojakovic (Serbia) — congratulations to all of them! From that group, a jury of respected art critics and artists chose Daniel as the winner. They also gave a special commendation prize to Aliyah Hussain from the U.K.
You can see the work Daniel and the other finalists submitted at the Saatchi Gallery in London until Sunday, June 28th. Come by if you're in town, or have a look at their photographs on google.com/photographyprize, where you can also add them to your iGoogle homepage.
Posted by Posted by Louise Rigby, Consumer Marketing Team
You can see the work Daniel and the other finalists submitted at the Saatchi Gallery in London until Sunday, June 28th. Come by if you're in town, or have a look at their photographs on google.com/photographyprize, where you can also add them to your iGoogle homepage.
Posted by Posted by Louise Rigby, Consumer Marketing Team
Friday, 26 June 2009
Gina's Mayan Design
Earlier this month, I met Gina in Manhattan at the corner of 31st Street and 7th Avenue and I asked her about these tattoos:
The main element is a the piece she had inked in January 2007, on a trip to Mexico.
She went on a cruise to Mexico with her mother. While exploring some Mayan ruins, she made a rubbing of the design above, which bears some relationship to Xul, a canine god in the Mayan pantheon. She took the rubbing to a local tattoo artist and had it inked while in Mexico.
I questioned her about the cleanliness of a tattoo shop south of the border and she maintained that the place was immaculate, much cleaner than some of the shops she has seen in the U.S.
Just above the Mayan piece is a smaller tattoo, featuring an outline of Texas, where she was born. When her mother saw this "Made in Texas" tattoo, she asked Gina, "What makes you so sure you were made here?" Clearly a woman with a sense of humor. But, Gina noted, the remark "made [her] throw up a little".
This small tattoo was done by Homer Saenz at 713 Tattoo Parlour in Houston. Work from 713 has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.
Finally, as a matter of habit, I always ask people how many tattoos they have. Gina gave me an unusual answer, "Nine, going on seven."
When I gave her a puzzled look, she explained that she has nine tattoos, but she is planning on having two removed. As an actress, she feels that two of the more visible pieces may prevent her from attaining roles.
Thanks to Gina for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
The main element is a the piece she had inked in January 2007, on a trip to Mexico.
She went on a cruise to Mexico with her mother. While exploring some Mayan ruins, she made a rubbing of the design above, which bears some relationship to Xul, a canine god in the Mayan pantheon. She took the rubbing to a local tattoo artist and had it inked while in Mexico.
I questioned her about the cleanliness of a tattoo shop south of the border and she maintained that the place was immaculate, much cleaner than some of the shops she has seen in the U.S.
Just above the Mayan piece is a smaller tattoo, featuring an outline of Texas, where she was born. When her mother saw this "Made in Texas" tattoo, she asked Gina, "What makes you so sure you were made here?" Clearly a woman with a sense of humor. But, Gina noted, the remark "made [her] throw up a little".
This small tattoo was done by Homer Saenz at 713 Tattoo Parlour in Houston. Work from 713 has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.
Finally, as a matter of habit, I always ask people how many tattoos they have. Gina gave me an unusual answer, "Nine, going on seven."
When I gave her a puzzled look, she explained that she has nine tattoos, but she is planning on having two removed. As an actress, she feels that two of the more visible pieces may prevent her from attaining roles.
Thanks to Gina for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Google Voice invites on their way
A couple of months ago we announced Google Voice, a service that gives you one phone number to link all your phones and makes voicemail as easy as email. We are happy to share that Google Voice is beginning to open up beyond former GrandCentral users. If you requested an invitation on the Google Voice site or previously on GrandCentral, keep your eye out for an invite email.
Once you receive your invitation, just click on the link and follow the instructions to setup your new Voice account. To help you find a Google number that is personalized to you, we've added a number picker that lets you search by area code and text. See if you can find a number that contains your name, a specific word or a number combination.
To learn more about Google Voice, check out the video below. If you haven't signed up for a Google Voice invite, make sure to get on the list by leaving us your email address at www.google.com/voiceinvite.
Posted by Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet, Product Managers, Google Voice
Once you receive your invitation, just click on the link and follow the instructions to setup your new Voice account. To help you find a Google number that is personalized to you, we've added a number picker that lets you search by area code and text. See if you can find a number that contains your name, a specific word or a number combination.
To learn more about Google Voice, check out the video below. If you haven't signed up for a Google Voice invite, make sure to get on the list by leaving us your email address at www.google.com/voiceinvite.
Posted by Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet, Product Managers, Google Voice
Mark's Gypsy Tattoo Pays Tribute to the Female Singer-Songwriter
I have mentioned before that I tend to shy away from approaching subway commuters about their tattoos.
However, like most of my self-imposed guidelines, I always make exceptions for work that is transcendent. That is, if the tattoos are supremely blogworthy, I will solicit, for the sake of the reader, people on the subway. One such case presented itself last week on the Brooklyn-bound N train.
I approached Mark Turrigiano as the N emerged from the subterranean underworld and climbed the Manhattan Bridge. He has phenomenal sleeves, intricate work that wraps and surrounds the limbs.
His right arm, with an Asian-inspired theme, is mostly attributed to Elio Espana at Fly Rite Tattoo Studio (whose work has been seen previously here). His left arm hosts an incredibly huge and colorful octopus, which was inked by Lou at Third Eye Tattoo (whose work has appeared on Tattoosday here).
Because of the scale of those sleeves, we opted to go with one of his newer pieces, a gypsy on the back of his left calf:
This piece, designed and inked by Craig Rodriguez at Hand of Glory Tattoo Studio in Brooklyn, is seen by Mark as "a good way to commemorate [his] work with female singer-songwriters".
I like this piece a lot because it contains a lot of traditional gypsy elements, but is atypical in its presentation. It seems much larger with greater detail than the traditional gypsy profile tattoos that are much more common. The vividness of the colors also helps the tattoo pop, and you can almost feel the texture of her scarf.
Mark says the piece was completed in about four hours over two sessions. He estimates that his body is about 30% covered in ink.
Feel free to check out Mark's website here.
Thanks to Mark for sharing this great gypsy tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Announcing the AdSense for Mobile Applications beta
You don't have to be a mobile expert to see how smartphones are revolutionizing our daily lives. Lower prices, faster network speeds and unlimited data plans mean that people often reach for their cell phone rather than their computer when they are seeking information. As a result, mobile applications have become more and more popular, helping people find music, make restaurant reservations or check bank balances — all on their phone.
We want to contribute to the growth of these mobile applications, which is why we're happy to announce our beta launch of AdSense for Mobile Applications. After all, advertisers are looking for ways to reach potential customers when they are engaged with mobile content, and application developers are looking for ways to show the best ads to their users. We have already had a successful trial of this service with a small number of partners, and are excited that we can now offer this solution to a broader group.
AdSense for Mobile Applications allows developers to earn revenue by displaying text and image ads in their iPhone and Android applications. For our beta launch, we've created a site where developers can learn more about the AdSense for Mobile Applications program, see answers to frequently asked questions and sign up to participate in our beta. Advertisers can also learn about the benefits of advertising in mobile applications.
We're excited to open up this beta to more developers, and look forward to offering new features for our mobile advertisers and publishers in upcoming releases. We also want to say a big thank you to the partners who worked with us on the trial stages of this project including Backgrounds, Sega, Shazam, Urbanspoon and more.
Check out this short video of Howard Steinberg, Director of Business Development at Urbanspoon, discussing his experience with AdSense for Mobile Applications.
Posted by Susan Wojcicki, Vice President, Product Management
We want to contribute to the growth of these mobile applications, which is why we're happy to announce our beta launch of AdSense for Mobile Applications. After all, advertisers are looking for ways to reach potential customers when they are engaged with mobile content, and application developers are looking for ways to show the best ads to their users. We have already had a successful trial of this service with a small number of partners, and are excited that we can now offer this solution to a broader group.
AdSense for Mobile Applications allows developers to earn revenue by displaying text and image ads in their iPhone and Android applications. For our beta launch, we've created a site
We're excited to open up this beta to more developers, and look forward to offering new features for our mobile advertisers and publishers in upcoming releases. We also want to say a big thank you to the partners who worked with us on the trial stages of this project including Backgrounds, Sega, Shazam, Urbanspoon and more.
Check out this short video of Howard Steinberg, Director of Business Development at Urbanspoon, discussing his experience with AdSense for Mobile Applications.
Posted by Susan Wojcicki, Vice President, Product Management
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
The Day in the Cloud Challenge has begun
Today, we invite you to take part in the Day in the Cloud Challenge, an online scavenger hunt that's being played simultaneously on the ground and in the air aboard Virgin America flights across the U.S. The Day in the Cloud demonstrates how people can use Google Apps to stay connected with friends, family and co-workers when they're away from their homes — even at 35,000 feet in the air.
The online game will be available until 11:59pm PDT today, so find a quiet spot, do some finger stretches, and take the challenge.
Posted by Vivian Leung, Google Apps Team
The online game will be available until 11:59pm PDT today, so find a quiet spot, do some finger stretches, and take the challenge.
Posted by Vivian Leung, Google Apps Team
Cara Paling Cepat Terindex Google
Setelah beberapa posting sebelumnya membahas tentang bagaimana cara membuat dan menghias blog,saya akan sedikit menggeser dari tema tentang blog. Eit's tunggu dulu..,yang akan kita bahas kali ini,nggak kalah pentingnya akan kebutuhan blog tersebut lho!. Adalah Search Engine Optimization (SEO),yup!meskipun saya bukan pakar seo,tapi saya ada sedikit ilmu yang ingin saya share kepada teman-teman blogger,meski sudah banyak orang yang tahu,..ya,..itung-itung update blog ku ini,yang makin hari koq keliatannya makin kurus..Hus! koq malah nglantur! Ok! langsung kepermasalahan.
Seperti yang pernah saya singgung,di artikel saya sebelumnya "Supaya Blog / Web Terindex Google",dan di artikel kali ini saya akan memperjelas sesuatu yang sudah jelas..aaaalah! Intinya,untuk dapat terindeks mesin pencari/search engine,baik itu Google,Yahoo,dll hanya membutuhkan kerja keras dari eksperimen anda sendiri terhadap ’search engine’ tersebut.Google,misalnya. Dengan menganalisa sekata dua kata dari kata yang terdapat pada hasil pencarian,anda bisa mempunyai prediksi bagaimana dan mengapa kata itu terdapat dan dapat terindex pada hasil tersebut pada SERP,ya..itu hanya sebagian analisa kecil-kecilan,yang mana masih banyak hal ataupun eksperiment yang bisa anda lakukan,karena Rahasia dari Search Engine,adalah Search Engine itu sendiri,so' tau gw ya :D..
Pentingkah blog kita diindex google/mesin pencari? Penting dunk!karena sebagus dan selengkap apapun sebuah web/blog jika tidak dapat terindeks google/search engine,bagaimana orang akan tau keberadaan blog kita? Itulah sebabnya para master seo berlomba-lomba mengoptimalkan sebuah kata kunci untuk dapat terindex di Halaman Pertama SERP.
Seperti yang kita semua tahu dan yang selama ini saya lakukan,cara untuk cepet diindex mesin pencari,seiring berubahnya algoritm google,kita dapat menggunakan trik antara lain:
Meskipun meta sekarang ini tidak bermanfaat besar,tapi untuk anda yang ingin membuat meta diskripsi dan keyword untuk masing-masing artikel,anda bisa simak dibawah ini,simak...emang buku!#$@#%$ Khusus penggunana Blogger/blogspot,ikuti langkah berikut: Pilih Dashbord,kemudian pilih Tata Letak,lalu pilih Edit HTML,lalu cari kode berikut:
Jika sudah ketemu,letakkan meta kode seperti di bawah ini:
"'> Cara penggunaan kode: Misal blog saya mempunyai deskripsi ’Cara paling tepat agar supaya cepat terindex mesin pencari/search engine/Google’ dan saya menargetkan kata;’cara cepat,terindex,google,terindex,google cepat,terindeks cepat’ sebagai kata kunci,maka saya menuliskan sbb:
Sedangkan,jika untuk masing-masing artikel,anda juga bisa membuat masing-masing deskripsi sekalian kata kunci postingan anda,tapi kelemahannya,template anda akan menjadi panjang dan repot jika sudah mempunyai banyak artikel,jadi tulislah artikel posting yang kira-kira anda penting. Contoh pemakaian kode meta untuk meta diskripsi masing-masing artikel: Saya mempunyai artikel ’Supaya Blog / Web TerIndex Google’ dengan url:" http://pelajaran-blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/supaya-blog-web-terindex-google.html "maka tepat di bawah kode <b:include data='blog' name='all-head-content'/> ,tadi,saya meletakkan kode berikut:
Begitu seterusnya,tapi saran saya buatlah hanya untuk artikel-artikel yang anda anggap perlu dioptimasi saja. Semoga artikel dengan bahasa yang karuan ini sedikit bisa membantu anda,sampai ketemu di pelajaran blog berikutnya ya.. :) Baca Juga Yang Ini.. |
Leesa's Memorial Tattoos
There are certain signs I look for when I am scanning a crowd for tattoos. Colored hair and/or facial piercings are good, but not always reliable, indicators that someone may be inked. A guitar case, you would think, also favors the theory that its possessor has tattoos, but it's not always the reality.
So when I spotted a tall woman walking out of Penn Station carrying what appeared to be a guitar case, I took notice. And, she had a neck tattoo that resembled this pattern:
Despite being in a hurry, she let me shoot this photo of her forearm tattoos:
She explained that the one on the left arm features her mother's initials (HLH) under the phrase "máthair mo ghrá" and the dates 2-23-25 - 1-5-09". The tattoo is Gaelic and translates to "Mother, my love".
She explained that her mother died earlier this year and, before I could react, she explained that the right arm is a memorial to her husband (AMS), who died thirty-three days later.
Her right arm reads "Fear chéile mo ghrá" which means, "Husband, my love".
In an attempt to express condolences, I said, "Wow, it sounds like you've had a bad year. I'm very sorry".
But she was not down about it and said that actually, despite a rough year from a family perspective, it had been a good year for her personally.
She indicated that she was running late for rehearsal and I asked her if her band had a website. She started to spell the name "L-E-Z..." and I knew instantly what band she was in. The runic tattoo on her neck was familiar because it had stood for the great drummer John Bonham. Leesa is the drummer for the all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band, Lez Zeppelin.
It was only later, after researching a bit, that I learned that the band's guitarist and de facto leader Steph Paynes, had announced on January 5, 2009, that the other members of the band were leaving, and three replacements, including Leesa, were subsequently selected.
I am assuming that Leesa's reference to a good year, personally, had much to do with her joining Lez Zeppelin, and embarking on a tour.
These memorial tattoos were inked by Matt Adams at Sacred Tattoo in Manhattan.
Here's a clip from the band playing earlier this year in New York:
Thanks to Leesa for stopping and talking with me, despite being in a rush. I appreciate her sharing her memorial tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
Please check out the Lez Zeppelin website (here) to learn more about this cool band. See here where they are playing later this summer.
So when I spotted a tall woman walking out of Penn Station carrying what appeared to be a guitar case, I took notice. And, she had a neck tattoo that resembled this pattern:
Despite being in a hurry, she let me shoot this photo of her forearm tattoos:
She explained that the one on the left arm features her mother's initials (HLH) under the phrase "máthair mo ghrá" and the dates 2-23-25 - 1-5-09". The tattoo is Gaelic and translates to "Mother, my love".
She explained that her mother died earlier this year and, before I could react, she explained that the right arm is a memorial to her husband (AMS), who died thirty-three days later.
Her right arm reads "Fear chéile mo ghrá" which means, "Husband, my love".
In an attempt to express condolences, I said, "Wow, it sounds like you've had a bad year. I'm very sorry".
But she was not down about it and said that actually, despite a rough year from a family perspective, it had been a good year for her personally.
She indicated that she was running late for rehearsal and I asked her if her band had a website. She started to spell the name "L-E-Z..." and I knew instantly what band she was in. The runic tattoo on her neck was familiar because it had stood for the great drummer John Bonham. Leesa is the drummer for the all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band, Lez Zeppelin.
It was only later, after researching a bit, that I learned that the band's guitarist and de facto leader Steph Paynes, had announced on January 5, 2009, that the other members of the band were leaving, and three replacements, including Leesa, were subsequently selected.
I am assuming that Leesa's reference to a good year, personally, had much to do with her joining Lez Zeppelin, and embarking on a tour.
These memorial tattoos were inked by Matt Adams at Sacred Tattoo in Manhattan.
Here's a clip from the band playing earlier this year in New York:
Thanks to Leesa for stopping and talking with me, despite being in a rush. I appreciate her sharing her memorial tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
Please check out the Lez Zeppelin website (here) to learn more about this cool band. See here where they are playing later this summer.
Let's make the web faster
From building data centers in different parts of the world to designing highly efficient user interfaces, we at Google always strive to make our services faster. We focus on speed as a key requirement in product and infrastructure development, because our research indicates that people prefer faster, more responsive apps. Over the years, through continuous experimentation, we've identified some performance best practices that we'd like to share with the web community on code.google.com/speed, a new site for web developers, with tutorials, tips and performance tools.
We are excited to discuss what we've learned about web performance with the Internet community. However, to optimize the speed of web applications and make browsing the web as fast as turning the pages of a magazine, we need to work together as a community, to tackle some larger challenges that keep the web slow and prevent it from delivering its full potential:
Posted by Urs Hoelzle, SVP, Operations and Bill Coughran, SVP, Engineering
We are excited to discuss what we've learned about web performance with the Internet community. However, to optimize the speed of web applications and make browsing the web as fast as turning the pages of a magazine, we need to work together as a community, to tackle some larger challenges that keep the web slow and prevent it from delivering its full potential:
- Many protocols that power the Internet and the web were developed when broadband and rich interactive web apps were in their infancy. Networks have become much faster in the past 20 years, and by collaborating to update protocols such as HTML and TCP/IP we can create a better web experience for everyone. A great example of the community working together is HTML5. With HTML5 features such as AppCache, developers are now able to write JavaScript-heavy web apps that run instantly and work and feel like desktop applications.
- In the last decade, we have seen close to a 100x improvement in JavaScript speed. Browser developers and the communities around them need to maintain this recent focus on performance improvement in order for the browser to become the platform of choice for more feature-rich and computationally-complex applications.
- Many websites can become faster with little effort, and collective attention to performance can speed up the entire web. Tools such as Yahoo!'s YSlow and our own recently launched Page Speed help web developers create faster, more responsive web apps. As a community, we need to invest further in developing a new generation of tools for performance measurement, diagnostics, and optimization that work at the click of a button.
- While there are now more than 400 million broadband subscribers worldwide, broadband penetration is still relatively low in many areas of the world. Steps have been taken to bring the benefits of broadband to more people, such as the FCC's decision to open up the white spaces spectrum, for which the Internet community, including Google, was a strong champion. Bringing the benefits of cheap reliable broadband access around the world should be one of the primary goals of our industry.
Posted by Urs Hoelzle, SVP, Operations and Bill Coughran, SVP, Engineering
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Sarah Shoulders Her Slavic Heritage
A couple of weeks ago, I had a very productive Wednesday, speaking to five different people about their tattoos.
Sarah is the last of those five that I an posting, and was my favorite of the group that day.
This tattoo was her sixth (she has thirteen or fourteen) and is an homage to her Slavic heritage.
The piece is based on the poster for a 1921 art exposition put on by the Czech Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha at the Brooklyn Museum:
The piece, on her right shoulder was tattooed by Scott Budgen at Lady Luck Ink in Waterford, Michigan.
Thanks to Sarah for sharing this wonderful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Monday, 22 June 2009
All for Good: Bringing search, scale and openness to community service
While many organizations are doing great work to enable community service locally, it's not simple to search across opportunities from a variety of places to find what's right for you. We have some experience finding relevant information from among many scattered sources, and when we learned that President Obama and the First Lady were making community service a top priority even before taking office, we thought we could help make a difference.
With our mission in mind, a group of "20%" engineers, designers, and program managers from Google and other tech companies began work on All for Good, a new service to help you find volunteer events in your community, and share those events with your friends.
All for Good provides a single search interface for volunteer activities across many major volunteering sites and organizations like United Way, VolunteerMatch, HandsOn Network and Reach Out and Read. By building on top of the amazing efforts of existing volunteer organizations like these, we hope to amplify their efforts.
And in the spirit of open data, All for Good has a data API that anyone can use to search the same data displayed on the All for Good site. All for Good was developed entirely using App Engine and Google Base, with the full code repository hosted on Google Code Hosting. We'll be inviting developers to contribute to the open source application soon, so stay tuned.
Just as releasing the Maps API led to an surge of independent and creative uses of geographic information, we've built All for Good as a platform to encourage innovation in volunteerism, as much as an end product in itself. We hope software developers will use the API or code to build their own volunteering applications, some even better than the All for Good site!
And if you want to volunteer your video-creating skills to make a difference, check out YouTube Video Volunteers, a new platform designed to make connections between non-profits with video needs and skilled video makers who can help broadcast their causes through video.
All for Good is a new kind of collaboration between the private, public and nonprofits sectors to build free and open technology to empower citizens. Similar to the Open Social Foundation, we helped create a new organization called Our Good Works to make sure that the API, the platform, and social innovation that they inspire are supported for the long term. The leadership includes Reid Hoffman, Chris DiBona, Arianna Huffington and Craig Newmark on the board, and the organization aims to build support volunteerism services like All for Good.
Today the First Lady is in San Francisco calling on Americans to improve our communities by rolling up our sleeves and putting our time and talent towards doing good. You can learn more at serve.gov, where we're proud to power search.
Posted by Paul Rademacher and Adam Sah, Engineering Tech Leads
With our mission in mind, a group of "20%" engineers, designers, and program managers from Google and other tech companies began work on All for Good, a new service to help you find volunteer events in your community, and share those events with your friends.
All for Good provides a single search interface for volunteer activities across many major volunteering sites and organizations like United Way, VolunteerMatch, HandsOn Network and Reach Out and Read. By building on top of the amazing efforts of existing volunteer organizations like these, we hope to amplify their efforts.
And in the spirit of open data, All for Good has a data API that anyone can use to search the same data displayed on the All for Good site. All for Good was developed entirely using App Engine and Google Base, with the full code repository hosted on Google Code Hosting. We'll be inviting developers to contribute to the open source application soon, so stay tuned.
Just as releasing the Maps API led to an surge of independent and creative uses of geographic information, we've built All for Good as a platform to encourage innovation in volunteerism, as much as an end product in itself. We hope software developers will use the API or code to build their own volunteering applications, some even better than the All for Good site!
And if you want to volunteer your video-creating skills to make a difference, check out YouTube Video Volunteers, a new platform designed to make connections between non-profits with video needs and skilled video makers who can help broadcast their causes through video.
All for Good is a new kind of collaboration between the private, public and nonprofits sectors to build free and open technology to empower citizens. Similar to the Open Social Foundation, we helped create a new organization called Our Good Works to make sure that the API, the platform, and social innovation that they inspire are supported for the long term. The leadership includes Reid Hoffman, Chris DiBona, Arianna Huffington and Craig Newmark on the board, and the organization aims to build support volunteerism services like All for Good.
Today the First Lady is in San Francisco calling on Americans to improve our communities by rolling up our sleeves and putting our time and talent towards doing good. You can learn more at serve.gov, where we're proud to power search.
Posted by Paul Rademacher and Adam Sah, Engineering Tech Leads
A new landmark in computer vision
Science fiction books and movies have long imagined that computers will someday be able to see and interpret the world. At Google, we think computer vision has tremendous potential benefits for consumers, which is why we're dedicated to research in this area. And today, a Google team is presenting a paper on landmark recognition (think: Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower) at the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) conference in Miami, Florida. In the paper, we present a new technology that enables computers to quickly and efficiently identify images of more than 50,000 landmarks from all over the world with 80% accuracy.
To be clear up front, this is a research paper, not a new Google product, but we still think it's cool. For our demonstration, we begin with an unnamed, untagged picture of a landmark, enter its web address into the recognition engine, and poof — the computer identifies and names it: "Recognized Landmark: Acropolis, Athens, Greece." Thanks computer.
How did we do it? It wasn't easy. For starters, where do you find a good list of thousands of landmarks? Even if you have that list, where do you get the pictures to develop visual representations of the locations? And how do you pull that source material together in a coherent model that actually works, is fast, and can process an enormous corpus of data? Think about all the different photographs of the Golden Gate Bridge you've seen — the different perspectives, lighting conditions and image qualities. Recognizing a landmark can be difficult for a human, let alone a computer.
Our research builds on the vast number of images on the web, the ability to search those images, and advances in object recognition and clustering techniques. First, we generated a list of landmarks relying on two sources: 40 million GPS-tagged photos (from Picasa and Panoramio) and online tour guide webpages. Next, we found candidate images for each landmark using these sources and Google Image Search, which we then "pruned" using efficient image matching and unsupervised clustering techniques. Finally, we developed a highly efficient indexing system for fast image recognition. The following image provides a visual representation of the resulting clustered recognition model:
While we've gone a long way towards unlocking the information stored in text on the web, there's still much work to be done unlocking the information stored in pixels. This research demonstrates the feasibility of efficient computer vision techniques based on large, noisy datasets. We expect the insights we've gained will lay a useful foundation for future research in computer vision.
If you're interested to learn more about this research, check out the paper.
Posted by Jay Yagnik, Head of Computer Vision Research
To be clear up front, this is a research paper, not a new Google product, but we still think it's cool. For our demonstration, we begin with an unnamed, untagged picture of a landmark, enter its web address into the recognition engine, and poof — the computer identifies and names it: "Recognized Landmark: Acropolis, Athens, Greece." Thanks computer.
How did we do it? It wasn't easy. For starters, where do you find a good list of thousands of landmarks? Even if you have that list, where do you get the pictures to develop visual representations of the locations? And how do you pull that source material together in a coherent model that actually works, is fast, and can process an enormous corpus of data? Think about all the different photographs of the Golden Gate Bridge you've seen — the different perspectives, lighting conditions and image qualities. Recognizing a landmark can be difficult for a human, let alone a computer.
Our research builds on the vast number of images on the web, the ability to search those images, and advances in object recognition and clustering techniques. First, we generated a list of landmarks relying on two sources: 40 million GPS-tagged photos (from Picasa and Panoramio) and online tour guide webpages. Next, we found candidate images for each landmark using these sources and Google Image Search, which we then "pruned" using efficient image matching and unsupervised clustering techniques. Finally, we developed a highly efficient indexing system for fast image recognition. The following image provides a visual representation of the resulting clustered recognition model:
In the above image, related views of the Acropolis are "clustered" together, allowing for a more efficient image matching system.
While we've gone a long way towards unlocking the information stored in text on the web, there's still much work to be done unlocking the information stored in pixels. This research demonstrates the feasibility of efficient computer vision techniques based on large, noisy datasets. We expect the insights we've gained will lay a useful foundation for future research in computer vision.
If you're interested to learn more about this research, check out the paper.
Posted by Jay Yagnik, Head of Computer Vision Research
My Third Tattoo: A Hand Steeped in Faith
Last June, I wandered into a 711 and met a tattoo artist named Pete, who works under the moniker Sweetpea. Like most artists, he himself has amazing work. However, I was camera-less that day, so I gave him a flier and we went our separate ways.
Later that week he e-mailed me and we scheduled to meet and talk about tattoos. We hit it off nicely and, in one of the perks of writing Tattoosday, I gained a new friend. Of the hundreds of people I have photographed for this blog, I'd say I developed some semblance of a friendship with just a handful of my subjects. Sweetpea tops the list.
When I posted his tattoos, almost exactly a year ago today, he was actually contacted by several people who he ended up tattooing. I didn't realize it at the time, but the impact of the post was far greater than I could imagined.
A month or so later he e-mailed me and asked me what I thought of a design on his MySpace page. I checked out the sketch and admired the concept: a disembodied hand, gesturing the "om" sign, emerging from a cluster of flowers.
I told him I liked it, but if I were to get that tattoo, I'd prefer it be modified to exchange the Om for a Star of David.
He came back to me with the updated design and we agreed to get this done. Summer was just coming to an end.
Pete stopped by in September with the design and met my wife, Melanie. The three of us talked about size and placement and agreed that it would look best on the upper part of the left side of my back. Sweetpea was basically freelancing and we decided the only place we could do it would be in my living room. The kids would certainly get an education out of this!
But when he called to see if we could book a slot in early October, a glance at my calendar revealed a conflict with a wedding and Yom Kippur the Jewish Day of Atonement. Not even factoring in the religious connotations, it's generally a bad idea to get a big tattoo on your back shortly before wearing a nice suit. Healing from a tattoo can be uncomfortable and the ointment used to facilitate the process can often ruin many an article of clothing.
So October slipped away, then November, and December. And then Sweetpea left the country for over a month and didn't get back until late January.
He called me in February. Not only was he ready, but he was now working out of Made in Brooklyn a little shop around the corner run by Michael Kaves, an artist steeped in the tradition of South Brooklyn music, graffiti art and tattoo culture (see an early Kaves tattoo here). I stopped into the store a couple of times and set a date.
When I showed up for the intial sitting, Pete was slightly tentative about the design. He wanted to go in a bit of a different artistic direction and wanted to retool the sketch one more time.
It was then that I suggested a chain, to make it look like it wasn't just a star that was being held, but a necklace with a star at the end of it, almost as if the hand had picked it out of the dust and held it up for inspection. Sweetpea loved the idea of adding the chain, as it created another dimension in the piece.
A week later, I was finally back in the shop being inked.
Again, I was reminded how time is distorted by reality TV tattoo shows. In a four to six hour session, the outline and flower was completed. For what was a relatively small piece, I was surprised at the time that the first phase took, until I saw the depth and layering of the colors that went into the floral pieces.
I returned two weeks later for the hand and several more hours under Sweetpea's needle....this time focusing on the hand, and the shading. When the session was complete, the hand was very dark, so much so that Melanie was nervous.
But Sweetpea assured us that the hand would lighten when healed, and lighten it did. It still amazes me how much work he put into the detail and shading and how he, along with the best tattoo artists, can envision the tattoo after it has healed. It's like an artist creating a painting, but with an extra layer that he knows will peel off and result in a crisper, brighter work below.
Due to scheduling and the shop getting busier, I wasn't able to sit again with Sweetpea until the second weekend in June.
I came in for some final touch-ups, a little extra tuning and coloring to slam the door on the tattoo.
I suggested some gold for the star to really make it shine, and he added some crisper outlining and some subtle shading to finish things up - white highlights in the fingernails and in the chain, and a little bit of added color in the hand.
And whereas I had been happy with the tattoo before, I was astonished at how much more amazing it looked with the "finishing touches".
So what does this tattoo mean? I know that is a question I extend to the countless volunteers who offer up their ink to Tattoosday readers.
I believe that meanings change over time, as the context of a particular tattoo evolves.
The addition of the chain was significant. Instead of merely proffering a symbol, the hand extended a concrete thing that symbolized something larger.
I alluded to our discussion of the chain, as if it had been picked up and held up for examination. This forms the cornerstone of the tattoo's current meaning to me.
So here it is: the hand of a Higher Power, call Him God, or Yahweh, or another deity. The Star of David represents my faith, my understanding of Judaism.
For many years, I had fallen away from the spirituality of the religion and had merely been a "cultural" Jew, meaning I identified myself as Jewish but didn't worship at the synagogue or observe many of the religious traditions.
But when my children reached the age when they started going to Hebrew School, the pendulum swung back and I became more regularly involved in the faith.
And although I do not consider myself "devout," my faith is stronger than it has ever been, it has been plucked from the dust and is being held up to the light.
This tattoo represents Faith, lost and found.
There are other elements that pervade the tattoo that make it more complete to me, as well. I consider it a Judeo-Christian tattoo, in a sense, with a hint of Buddhism.
The hand is still held in an "Om" gesture, despite the modification. So it has a base in a symbol of peacefulness and meditation. The chain has almost rosary-like appearance to it, which is appropriate in that it represents to me the faith of the artist, and my deeper understanding of Christianity that developed over 13 years attending a Christian elementary and high
school.
I thank Peter Caruso aka Sweetpea for creating this amazing tattoo for me. He has told me that appearing on Tattoosday a year ago was a significant moment in his career, as well. In the middle of our second session, he had shared with me that his passion for tattooing had dwindled, and he had been thinking of hanging up his tattoo machine.
However, he said, my interest in the art of tattoo through the blog, and getting him talking about the history of Old School Brooklyn tattooing, rekindled the flame. He started tattooing again and, at Made in Brooklyn, he has been tattooing full-time, doing his own thing, and creating some amazing works of art.
This won't be the last time you hear of Sweetpea or Kaves or Made in Brooklyn here on Tattoosday. Their influence in my neighborhood is being extended on a daily basis. I have witnessed the phenomenal work that they are producing for others and I am sure to be featuring it here in the future. I also hope to bring you a closer look at the shop as they continue to grow the business and transform from a little shop around the corner into a Brooklyn institution.
Later that week he e-mailed me and we scheduled to meet and talk about tattoos. We hit it off nicely and, in one of the perks of writing Tattoosday, I gained a new friend. Of the hundreds of people I have photographed for this blog, I'd say I developed some semblance of a friendship with just a handful of my subjects. Sweetpea tops the list.
When I posted his tattoos, almost exactly a year ago today, he was actually contacted by several people who he ended up tattooing. I didn't realize it at the time, but the impact of the post was far greater than I could imagined.
A month or so later he e-mailed me and asked me what I thought of a design on his MySpace page. I checked out the sketch and admired the concept: a disembodied hand, gesturing the "om" sign, emerging from a cluster of flowers.
I told him I liked it, but if I were to get that tattoo, I'd prefer it be modified to exchange the Om for a Star of David.
He came back to me with the updated design and we agreed to get this done. Summer was just coming to an end.
Pete stopped by in September with the design and met my wife, Melanie. The three of us talked about size and placement and agreed that it would look best on the upper part of the left side of my back. Sweetpea was basically freelancing and we decided the only place we could do it would be in my living room. The kids would certainly get an education out of this!
But when he called to see if we could book a slot in early October, a glance at my calendar revealed a conflict with a wedding and Yom Kippur the Jewish Day of Atonement. Not even factoring in the religious connotations, it's generally a bad idea to get a big tattoo on your back shortly before wearing a nice suit. Healing from a tattoo can be uncomfortable and the ointment used to facilitate the process can often ruin many an article of clothing.
So October slipped away, then November, and December. And then Sweetpea left the country for over a month and didn't get back until late January.
He called me in February. Not only was he ready, but he was now working out of Made in Brooklyn a little shop around the corner run by Michael Kaves, an artist steeped in the tradition of South Brooklyn music, graffiti art and tattoo culture (see an early Kaves tattoo here). I stopped into the store a couple of times and set a date.
When I showed up for the intial sitting, Pete was slightly tentative about the design. He wanted to go in a bit of a different artistic direction and wanted to retool the sketch one more time.
It was then that I suggested a chain, to make it look like it wasn't just a star that was being held, but a necklace with a star at the end of it, almost as if the hand had picked it out of the dust and held it up for inspection. Sweetpea loved the idea of adding the chain, as it created another dimension in the piece.
A week later, I was finally back in the shop being inked.
Again, I was reminded how time is distorted by reality TV tattoo shows. In a four to six hour session, the outline and flower was completed. For what was a relatively small piece, I was surprised at the time that the first phase took, until I saw the depth and layering of the colors that went into the floral pieces.
I returned two weeks later for the hand and several more hours under Sweetpea's needle....this time focusing on the hand, and the shading. When the session was complete, the hand was very dark, so much so that Melanie was nervous.
But Sweetpea assured us that the hand would lighten when healed, and lighten it did. It still amazes me how much work he put into the detail and shading and how he, along with the best tattoo artists, can envision the tattoo after it has healed. It's like an artist creating a painting, but with an extra layer that he knows will peel off and result in a crisper, brighter work below.
Due to scheduling and the shop getting busier, I wasn't able to sit again with Sweetpea until the second weekend in June.
I came in for some final touch-ups, a little extra tuning and coloring to slam the door on the tattoo.
I suggested some gold for the star to really make it shine, and he added some crisper outlining and some subtle shading to finish things up - white highlights in the fingernails and in the chain, and a little bit of added color in the hand.
And whereas I had been happy with the tattoo before, I was astonished at how much more amazing it looked with the "finishing touches".
So what does this tattoo mean? I know that is a question I extend to the countless volunteers who offer up their ink to Tattoosday readers.
I believe that meanings change over time, as the context of a particular tattoo evolves.
The addition of the chain was significant. Instead of merely proffering a symbol, the hand extended a concrete thing that symbolized something larger.
I alluded to our discussion of the chain, as if it had been picked up and held up for examination. This forms the cornerstone of the tattoo's current meaning to me.
So here it is: the hand of a Higher Power, call Him God, or Yahweh, or another deity. The Star of David represents my faith, my understanding of Judaism.
For many years, I had fallen away from the spirituality of the religion and had merely been a "cultural" Jew, meaning I identified myself as Jewish but didn't worship at the synagogue or observe many of the religious traditions.
But when my children reached the age when they started going to Hebrew School, the pendulum swung back and I became more regularly involved in the faith.
And although I do not consider myself "devout," my faith is stronger than it has ever been, it has been plucked from the dust and is being held up to the light.
This tattoo represents Faith, lost and found.
There are other elements that pervade the tattoo that make it more complete to me, as well. I consider it a Judeo-Christian tattoo, in a sense, with a hint of Buddhism.
The hand is still held in an "Om" gesture, despite the modification. So it has a base in a symbol of peacefulness and meditation. The chain has almost rosary-like appearance to it, which is appropriate in that it represents to me the faith of the artist, and my deeper understanding of Christianity that developed over 13 years attending a Christian elementary and high
school.
I thank Peter Caruso aka Sweetpea for creating this amazing tattoo for me. He has told me that appearing on Tattoosday a year ago was a significant moment in his career, as well. In the middle of our second session, he had shared with me that his passion for tattooing had dwindled, and he had been thinking of hanging up his tattoo machine.
However, he said, my interest in the art of tattoo through the blog, and getting him talking about the history of Old School Brooklyn tattooing, rekindled the flame. He started tattooing again and, at Made in Brooklyn, he has been tattooing full-time, doing his own thing, and creating some amazing works of art.
This won't be the last time you hear of Sweetpea or Kaves or Made in Brooklyn here on Tattoosday. Their influence in my neighborhood is being extended on a daily basis. I have witnessed the phenomenal work that they are producing for others and I am sure to be featuring it here in the future. I also hope to bring you a closer look at the shop as they continue to grow the business and transform from a little shop around the corner into a Brooklyn institution.
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Jake's Redd Foxx Tattoo Helps Us Celebrate Father's Day!
Last week, I posted about a trio of friends that had recently moved from San Francisco to New York, all of them inked.
Jake was the first of the three to share his tattoo with us, and it is such a good piece, I saved it for a special occasion, Father's Day:
This is, of course, a portrait of the great comedian Redd Foxx. People of my generation (X) remember him as the bristling curmudgeon in the sitcom "Sandford and Son".
For those who are unfamiliar with the series, the show is about a widower, Fred Sanford (Foxx), raising his adult son Lamont (played by Desmond Wilson), and their junkyard business. It was a breakthrough show that was one of the first on network television to feature a minority cast.
The father-son dynamic is an ongoing theme, and Jake recalls watching the show with his dad and it being a bonding experience.
His father passed away about four years ago this month from cancer. The tattoo is not only a tribute to the great comedian, but a reminder of the times Jake spent watching "Sandford and Son" with his dad. Jake added, "I'm pretty sure if [my dad] was still around, he would get a kick out of seeing Redd Foxx on my calf."
This amazing portrait was tattooed on the back of Jake's right calf by Greg Rojas at Everlasting Tattoo in San Francisco.
As we celebrate Father's Day today, I thank Jake for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here, and invite everyone to revisit the host of tattoos previously posted on Tattoosday that pay tribute to dads. Click here to see the lot.
And, as a special treat, in the spirit of the day, I present the following clip:
Happy Father's Day from Tattoosday!
Jake was the first of the three to share his tattoo with us, and it is such a good piece, I saved it for a special occasion, Father's Day:
This is, of course, a portrait of the great comedian Redd Foxx. People of my generation (X) remember him as the bristling curmudgeon in the sitcom "Sandford and Son".
For those who are unfamiliar with the series, the show is about a widower, Fred Sanford (Foxx), raising his adult son Lamont (played by Desmond Wilson), and their junkyard business. It was a breakthrough show that was one of the first on network television to feature a minority cast.
The father-son dynamic is an ongoing theme, and Jake recalls watching the show with his dad and it being a bonding experience.
His father passed away about four years ago this month from cancer. The tattoo is not only a tribute to the great comedian, but a reminder of the times Jake spent watching "Sandford and Son" with his dad. Jake added, "I'm pretty sure if [my dad] was still around, he would get a kick out of seeing Redd Foxx on my calf."
This amazing portrait was tattooed on the back of Jake's right calf by Greg Rojas at Everlasting Tattoo in San Francisco.
As we celebrate Father's Day today, I thank Jake for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here, and invite everyone to revisit the host of tattoos previously posted on Tattoosday that pay tribute to dads. Click here to see the lot.
And, as a special treat, in the spirit of the day, I present the following clip:
Happy Father's Day from Tattoosday!
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