Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Chrome Bookmarks Integrate with Google Search

ever wondered, how to search your Chrome-Bookmarks with Google-Search?

it's possible now:
goto https://www.google.com/bookmarks/ and search from there and YES your Chrome Bookmarks are included in the search's results!

and that's the blogpost telling about this new option:

=======================================

Until recently, Google Bookmarks and Chrome Bookmarks were two separate features that didn't speak the same language. Even if you could save your Chrome bookmarks to a Google account, they weren't saved to Google Bookmarks. For some reason, your bookmarks are available in a special Google Docs folder.

Chrome bookmarks have a web interface, but it's likely that the obvious will happen: Chrome bookmarks could be saved to Google Bookmarks. Jérôme Flipo noticed that the Google Bookmarks OneBox already includes Chrome bookmarks. I've tried to find SmallNetBuilder.com and Google's OneBox returned it even if it was starred in Chrome, not in Google Bookmarks.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Google search now supports Cherokee (ᏣᎳᎩ)

source: Official Google Blog

With the help of Cherokee Nation staff and community members, we’ve added Cherokee (ᏣᎳᎩ) as an interface language on Google, making a small contribution towards preserving one of the world’s endangered languages.

You can now select Cherokee as your default from the Language Tools page (available from the right of the search box), and the entire Google interface will transform into Cherokee:

We’ve also included an on-screen Cherokee keyboard on the search page through the Google Virtual Keyboard API. This makes it easier for people to search web content in Cherokee without a physical Cherokee keyboard. To access the keyboard, simply click the icon at the right side of the search box.

Cherokee is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people. The Cherokee syllabary writing system was developed by Sequoyah in the early 19th century. He realized the power of writing systems, and wanted his people to benefit from that power. Some of the 85 characters he developed for his syllabary were modified from his original handwritten script for a printing press in the 1820s, resulting in characters that resemble Latin and Greek letters. Despite the resemblance, they are pronounced differently. The modified script was quickly adapted for printing Cherokee newspapers, books and pamphlets. The adoption and use of the script enabled the Cherokee people to maintain their language and culture. Today, Cherokee is spoken mostly in the states of Oklahoma and North Carolina. (The Cherokee Nation is the sovereign operating government of the Cherokee people. It is a federally recognized tribe of more than 300,000 Cherokee citizens, with its capital located in Tahlequah, Okla. To learn more, please visit www.cherokee.org.)

We’re honored to have the opportunity to continue this tradition, and we’d like to thank the Cherokee Nation for working with us to translate the interface for Google search into Cherokee.

Search is now available in 146 interface languages—and the list is growing. If you speak an endangered language that you would like us to support, please sign up for Google in Your Language and submit community translations.

Update 10:26 AM: You can find the press release from the Cherokee Nation here.

Posted by ᏇᎩ (Craig Cornelius), Software Engineer, Internationalization

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The loudest cat in the world?

For cat lovers, there is nothing more soothing than the sound of their pet purring with contentment.
But when Smokey kicks off, it’s time to reach for the ear plugs.

The sound she produces can reach an incredible 92 decibels – the same as you’d experience watching a Boeing 737 coming in to land, and more than THREE times louder than most cats. Even from five feet away the level is 80 decibels, the same as a car passing 25ft away. Most cats produce around 25 decibels.

Owners Ruth and Mark Adams say the 12-year-old British Shorthair can drown out TV and radio shows and phone conversations with her ‘cooing purr’ which they describe as ‘sounding as if she has a dove stuck in her throat’.

Mrs Adams, from Pitsford, Northampton, said: ‘She even manages to purr while she eats. The only time she is quiet is when she is asleep. 'It’s either adorable or annoying, depending on what mood you’re in. You don’t even have to stroke her to start a purring session. Often she’ll do it for no reason.’

Guinness World Records said it had a category in place for noisiest cat but no entries yet. A spokesman said: ‘If Smokey can purr at over 80dB it would be an astonishing feat.’

Diana Johnson, of Northampton Cats Protection, who has met Smokey, said: 'I have never heard anything like her purr in my life. It can drown out your conversation. 'It is very unusual and I've never found a cat with a purr that is anywhere near as loud.'

Smokey has become an honorary volunteer for Cat Protection's Northampton branch and is helping to raise awareness of the important cat welfare work they do.

source

Monday, March 14, 2011

What’s new with Blogger

source: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/whats-new-with-blogger.html

3/14/2011 09:22:00 AM

(Cross-posted from Blogger Buzz)

2010 was a big year for Blogger. We cemented ourselves as one of the largest blogging platforms and the sixth largest website in the world, according to Alexa. Blogger users published more than half a billion blog posts, which were read by more than 400 million active readers across the globe. We introduced template designer, real-time stats, comment spam filtering, mobile templates, web fonts and more. And to top it all off, we were dubbed the most reliable blogging service around.

2011 promises to be another exciting year.

To start, we’re kicking things off at SXSW by giving folks a sneak peek at our next-generation user interface. The new design is not only cleaner and more modern, but it also uses Google Web Toolkit, delivering the latest in web technology.

Current post editor

↓

New post editor

Current dashboard

↓

New dashboard

We’ll also be showcasing our new content discovery feature that lets you uncover interesting and related content based on the topics of the blog you’re currently reading.

These are just a couple of new features we want to share with you. We look forward to unveiling more throughout 2011!

If you’re in Austin for SXSW, be sure to visit us at the Google booth—or come by and enjoy a drink with us tonight at our annual Blogger bash.

Posted by Chang Kim, Product Manager, Blogger

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Daylight Time

Starting in 2007, daylight time begins in the United States on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. On the second Sunday in March, clocks are set ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. local standard time, which becomes 3:00 a.m. local daylight time. On the first Sunday in November, clocks are set back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local daylight time, which becomes 1:00 a.m. local standard time. These dates were established by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. no. 109-58, 119 Stat 594 (2005).

Not all places in the U.S. observe daylight time. In particular, Hawaii and most of Arizona do not use it. Indiana adopted its use beginning in 2006.

Year	Begin	End
2006	April 2	October 29
2007 *	March 11	November 4
2008	March 9	November 2
2009	March 8	November 1
2010	March 14	November 7
2011	March 13	November 6
2012	March 11	November 4
2013	March 10	November 3
2014	March 9	November 2
2015	March 8	November 1

* New law went into effect.

Many countries observe some form of "summer time" and the dates when the changes are made are various and not determined by any international agreements.

Daylight time and time zones in the U.S. are defined in the U.S. Code, Title 15, Chapter 6, Subchapter IX - Standard Time.

History of Daylight Time in the U.S.

Although standard time in time zones was instituted in the U.S. and Canada by the railroads in 1883, it was not established in U.S. law until the Act of March 19, 1918, sometimes called the Standard Time Act. The act also established daylight saving time, a contentious idea then. Daylight saving time was repealed in 1919, but standard time in time zones remained in law. Daylight time became a local matter. It was re-established nationally early in World War II, and was continuously observed from 9 February 1942 to 30 September 1945. After the war its use varied among states and localities. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 provided standardization in the dates of beginning and end of daylight time in the U.S. but allowed for local exemptions from its observance. The act provided that daylight time begin on the last Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday in October, with the changeover to occur at 2 a.m. local time.

During the "energy crisis" years, Congress enacted earlier starting dates for daylight time. In 1974, daylight time began on 6 January and in 1975 it began on 23 February. After those two years the starting date reverted back to the last Sunday in April. In 1986, a law was passed that shifted the starting date of daylight time to the first Sunday in April, beginning in 1987. The ending date of daylight time was not subject to such changes, and remained the last Sunday in October. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed both the starting and ending dates. Beginning in 2007, daylight time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

For a very readable account of the history of standard and daylight time in the U.S., see

Ian R. Bartky and Elizabeth Harrison: "Standard and Daylight-saving Time", Scientific American, May 1979 (Vol. 240, No. 5), pp. 46-53.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and a wonderful map about all daylight-times all over the world you might find here

my rule of thumb (after years of changing my clocks the wrong way round):

spring ahead,

fall back

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chrome 12 Will Drop Support for Google Gears

source: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2011/03/chrome-12-drops-support-for-google.html

While most Chrome users have been upgraded to Chrome 10, Google is fixing the bugs from Chrome 11 and working on Chrome 12. A recent Chromium build made a significant change: Gears is no longer included in Google Chrome.

Gears is a browser plugin released by Google back in 2007, The initial goal was to add support for offline web apps, but the plugin added many other HTML5 features at a time when HTML5 wasn't a priority for most browsers. Google discontinued Gears last year to focus on "bringing all of the Gears capabilities into web standards like HTML5" and to implement them in Google Chrome. Features like geolocation, notifications, web workers, application caches are already available in Google Chrome, so it's probably the right time to stop bundling the Gears plugin.

"With all this now available in HTML5, it's finally time to say goodbye to Gears. There will be no new Gears releases, and newer browsers such as Firefox 4 and Internet Explorer 9 will not be supported. We will also be removing Gears from Chrome in Chrome 12,"informs Google.

What's surprising is that important services like Gmail and Google Calendar still use Gears to work offline. Other services like Google Docs and Google Reader dropped offline support last year. Google promised that they will use HTML5 features implemented in browsers like Chrome or Firefox, but that hasn't materialized yet.

Current Situation in Japan

source: http://answers.usa.gov/system/selfservice.controller?CONFIGURATION=1000&PARTITION_ID=1&CMD=VIEW_ARTICLE&USERTYPE=1&LANGUAGE=en&COUNTRY=US&ARTICLE_ID=13048

Immediate Assistance/Information

The most current information and announcements on the situation in Japan is available directly from the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs.

On Friday, March 11 (Thursday, March 10, in most of the U.S.), an earthquake with preliminary magnitude 8.9 occurred near the east coast of Honshu, Japan. The earthquake generated tsunamis in multiple coastal areas. Aftershocks of varying intensity continue, and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) continues to issue tsunami warnings and advisories as conditions dictate.
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) recommended the immediate evacuation of people living within 20 kilometers of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Okumacho. Japanese authorities confirmed that the situation remains serious. U.S. citizens in the Fukushima Prefecture should follow NISA instructions to evacuate and comply with Japanese government personnel on the ground.
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued a Travel Alert recommending that Americans consider avoiding tourism and non-essential travel to Japan. Temporary shortages of food and water may occur, utilities and transportation are disrupted, particularly in affected areas. Rolling power outages began on March 14, and a schedule is available from local media. U.S. Armed Forces Radio (810 AM)and InterFM (76.1 FM) broadcast emergency information in English.

U.S. Citizens Currently in Japan
The DOS recommends that Americans always carry their U.S. passport and other travel documents and identification at all times, or secure these in a safe, waterproof location. You should also contact friends and family in the United States with updates about your whereabouts. U.S. citizens in Japan are also encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Citizens without Internet access may enroll directly with the American Citizen Services (ACS) section of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo at +81 (3)3224.5000. By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy/Consulates to contact them in case of emergency.

Concerned Citizens/Family Members
U.S. citizens or family members concerned for the safety of U.S. citizens in Japan may e-mail the DOS atJapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov. You may also call 1.888.407.4747 in the U.S. and Canada, or 1.202.501.4444 for callers outside the U.S. and Canada. So that they may properly address your inquiry, please be sure to provide your full name and contact information, and as much information as possible about the person you are inquiring about. This includes their address, hotel name, and any other known contact information within Japan. The DOS also encourages you to use SMS texting and other social media used by your loved ones.
If you are calling about someone outside of Japan, who may be in the tsunami alert area, please contact the DOS at PacificTsunamiUSC@state.gov. You may also call the phone numbers listed above for information.
For general information, please consult the Country Specific Information (CSI) document on Japan.

Additional Resources:

U.S. Embassy, Japan: Warden Notices

White House: The Earthquake in Japan and Tsunami Preparedness

Physics: Radiation

Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

International Issues of Interest to U.S. Citizens

International Travel: Crisis Preparedness

Locating an American Citizen Abroad

DOS: Warden Notification System

Post-earthquake imagery of Japan

source: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/post-earthquake-imagery-of-japan.html

3/12/2011 05:28:00 PM

(Cross-posted from the LatLong Blog)

In response to the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan, we’ve worked with our satellite imagery providers to get the latest available data of the areas affected most.

To view this high-resolution imagery, courtesy of our partners at GeoEye, download this KML file and explore it in Google Earth. You can also explore the imagery with Google Maps, or have a look at this Picasa album of before-and-after shots. Here’s a sample:

Before and after the earthquake and tsunami. Above is Yuriage in Natori, below is Yagawahama; both are in Miyagi prefecture. High-resolution version of this photo.

We’re working to provide this data directly to response organizations on the ground to aid their efforts. We hope this new updated satellite imagery is valuable for them as well as everyone else following this situation to help illustrate the extent of the damage.

You can find more information regarding the disaster and resources for those in need at our Crisis Response page in English and Japanese. You can also follow @earthoutreach on Twitter to stay up to date with our mapping and imagery efforts.

Posted by Ryan Falor, Google Crisis Response team

Friday, March 11, 2011

Block Sites from Google's Results

source: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2011/03/block-sites-from-googles-results.html

You no longer have to use Google's Chrome extension to hide the results from certain domains. The feature is now available at google.com and the best thing is that the list of blocked sites is saved to your Google Account.

To try this feature, make sure that you are using google.com in English. Click on a search result, then go back to the list of results. You'll notice that there's a new link next to the result you've just clicked: "block all [domain.tld] results".

If you block an entire domain, you'll no longer see results from that site. You'll only notice a small box at the bottom of the search results page which informs you that you've blocked certain results.

There's also a page that lets you manage your blacklist and manually block sites. "Sites will be blocked only for you, but Google may use everyone's blocking information to improve the ranking of search results overall. You may block up to 500 sites."

As Barry Schwarz points out, blocking sites is not a novelty: in 2005, Google tested a similar option. "If you're in this experiment, you'll have newfound powers. Click the 'Remove result' link and with one click you can drop that url from your search results. By default, it will only block that url for that particular search. If you're really annoyed, you can click 'More options' and you'll get two more choices: block this url from all future searches and the ability to block the entire host from all future searches," explained Matt Cutts at that time. The experiment wasn't successful, but Google partially resurrected this feature in SearchWiki: you could only hide a search result for a specific query.

I think that blocking an entire site from Google's results is a feature that's way too powerful for a regular user. Some might use it accidentally and find that Google's results are suddenly less relevant. Google could add a link for explicit feedback ("Not useful?") and use that information to personalize search results.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Hide sites to find more of what you want

source: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/hide-sites-to-find-more-of-what-you.html

Over the years we’ve experimented with a number of ways to help you personalize the results you find on Google, from SearchWiki to stars in search to location settings. Now there’s yet another way to find more of what you want on Google by blocking the sites you don’t want to see.

You’ve probably had the experience where you’ve clicked a result and it wasn’t quite what you were looking for. Many times you’ll head right back to Google. Perhaps the result just wasn’t quite right, but sometimes you may dislike the site in general, whether it’s offensive, pornographic or of generally low quality. For times like these, you’ll start seeing a new option to block particular domains from your future search results. Now when you click a result and then return to Google, you’ll find a new link next to “Cached” that reads “Block all example.com results.”

As always, Matt’s been gracious enough to let us use him as an example. His site is awesome, though, and we doubt many people will want to block it!

Once you click the link to “Block all example.com results” you’ll get a confirmation message, as well as the option to undo your choice. You’ll see the link whether or not you’re signed in, but the domains you block are connected with your Google Account, so you’ll need to sign in before you can confirm a block.

Once you’ve blocked a domain, you won’t see it in your future search results. (Side note: Sometimes you may have to search on a new term, rather than simply refreshing your browser, before you'll notice the domain has been successfully removed.) The next time you’re searching and a blocked page would have appeared, you’ll see a message telling you results have been blocked, making it easy to manage your personal list of blocked sites. This message will appear at the top or bottom of the results page depending on the relevance of the blocked pages.

You can see a list of your blocked sites in a new settings page, which you can access by visiting your Search Settings or clicking on the “Manage blocked sites” link that appears when you block a domain. On the settings page you can find details about the sites you’ve blocked, block new sites, or unblock sites if you’ve changed your mind.

We’re adding this feature because we believe giving you control over the results you find will provide an even more personalized and enjoyable experience on Google. In addition, while we’re not currently using the domains people block as a signal in ranking, we’ll look at the data and see whether it would be useful as we continue to evaluate and improve our search results in the future. The new feature is rolling out today and tomorrow on google.com in English for people using Chrome 9+, IE8+ and Firefox 3.5+, and we’ll be expanding to new regions, languages and browsers soon. We hope you find it useful, and we’ll be listening closely to your suggestions.

Posted by Amay Champaneria and Beverly Yang, Search Quality Engineers

Pawgang's Ramblings

Pages

Content - Inhalt