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Meet the Googlers making coding education more equitable
• sorangutan

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Within the Education Equity team at Google, three women are changing the education landscape for the next generation of black and Latinx engineers—and I’m lucky enough to call them coworkers.
April Alvarez, Peta-Gay Clarke and Bianca Okafor are part of my team at Google that’s leading two education initiatives: Code Next is a free computer science education program for black and Latinx high schoolers, and Tech Exchange is a semester-long program for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) where computer science majors immerse themselves in coding instruction on the Google campus in Mountain View. Both of these programs are part of Code with Google, our commitment focused on ensuring every student has access to the collaborative, coding, and technical skills that unlock opportunities in the classroom and beyond—no matter what their future goals may be.
In the latest installment of The She Word, and in celebration of Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 9-15), we sat down with the ladies to discuss mentorship, the lack of diversity in tech and advice for young women of color looking to get into the coding space.
Why are the programs you work on described as “Education Equity"?
April:When we design and develop programs for the Education Equity team, we start by acknowledging that advantages and barriers to success in education do exist, and that not all students have the same starting point. For example, when designing the Code Next program, we realized that access is a big barrier for Black and Latinx students interested in computer science, so we designed lab spaces that are proximate to where students live; we brought the labs to them.
For Code Next and Tech Exchange, we focus on helping students cultivate their tech “social capital” (meaning their networks of connections) by bringing in folks who work in the tech industry and connecting them to one of our students through our mentorship programs.
What are Code Next and Tech Exchange doing differently compared to other coding education programs in the space?
Bianca: From the beginning, Tech Exchange has focused on providing an immersive and enriching experience both inside and outside of the classroom. The program takes a thoughtful approach to engaging the HBCU/HSI students with social and career development programming to further bolster and add meaning to their experience on Google's campus. We make an effort to expose students to a variety of community groups and product teams to broaden their perspective on opportunities available to them in the tech industry.
Peta:With Code Next, we work with students from 9th-12th grade in a physical lab close to their homes and communities. These labs were intentionally built by Google and architects experienced in designing inspirational learning spaces. Our goal is to expose youth traditionally underrepresented in the tech industry to the wonderful world of computer science and give them the agency to immerse themselves into the areas that most interest them. We met our first cohort of students when they were in middle school, and they’re now applying to college!
When you look at a Code Next student’s resume, you will see the impact of our program—they take computer science classes at a Code Next Lab, they work with a Google mentor, and they spend the last few years of high school immersing themselves in emerging tech like app development, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and more.
You all came from different industries to work in this space—April from K-12 schools, Peta from government and higher education, Bianca from her earlier years in Google’s R&D departments. How does that affect the work that you do together?
April: First, it makes for a fun and interesting team to be a part of! Second, it allows us to make design decisions from multiple angles and perspectives. When I’m making decisions, I’m thinking about learning outcomes, the student experience and the educational pathway. Bianca and Peta do this as well, but they’re also able to chime in and share industry knowledge and experience, and then work this into the design of the program.
The tech space is working to improve diversity among its ranks. In your experience, what is one thing that could address that situation?
Peta: There isn’t one thing that will address the issue of underrepresentation in the tech industry. Instead, there are a number of ways industry leaders can have impact. For starters, we can increase focus on collaboration and partnership within and across industries. We can improve education and understanding of how to foster a diverse and inclusive culture and more importantly, what it looks like in practice. We can broaden our understanding of the internal and external systems that lead to heterogeneous workforces, and better communicate the interventions needed for changing or dismantling those systems, to produce more equitable outcomes. Lastly, we can increase investment in finding and supporting the next generation of talent from underrepresented communities.
It’s Computer Science Education Week! What’s one recommendation you have for young women of color who are interested in careers in coding?
Bianca: Mentorship is powerful. Seek out individuals who are doing the things you want to do. They can act as sounding boards and help support and motivate you.
Lastly, what gets you up in the morning? Why do you do what you do?
Peta:It comes down to empathy. Initiatives like Code Next and Tech Exchange are near and dear to my heart. I am an engineer. I am where I am today because I was exposed to tech at an early age. I come from the same communities that we are trying to uplift.
Bianca: For me, it’s engaging with and supporting our students. I'm continually inspired and amazed by the level of talent, energy and enthusiasm our Tech Exchange students bring to the program and to Google. It's an honor to run a program that’s preparing the next generation of Black and Latinx technologists.
April: Any time I get to see the direct impact of our programs, it motivates me to keep pushing and reassures me that all of this hard work is so worth it. In a lot of ways, I relate to our students and their educational experience, so it keeps me grounded in the work. I went to school with a lot of friends and family who hit barriers in their career paths, and being able to remove some of those barriers for a whole new generation of students will always keep me energized.

https://www.blog.google/inside-google/googlers/she-word/education-equity-team/
Google.org Fellows bring transparency to local jail data nationwide
• sorangutan

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In recent years, we’ve seen a bipartisan focus on criminal justice reform in the U.S., but to measure progress—and understand the breadth of the issue—we need data on who is being incarcerated and why. The last nationwide jail census was conducted in 2013, and the federal government’s most recent estimate of the U.S. jail population is from 2017. Because it takes so long to get up-to-date information on jail populations, Vera--an organization working to improve justice systems--started a project to collect the data themselves.
In Our Backyards looks at jail population data from state and local government websites to understand who’s behind bars simply because they can’t afford bail, or who’s being charged with a non-criminal offense like unpaid child support. As part of our work using data science and technology to help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges, Google.org contributed to the project with a $4 million grant. Additionally, 12 Google.org Fellows spent six months doing full-time pro-bono work on the project.
Today, Vera released the results of this project: People In Jails in 2019. We learned that while the U.S. has made strides in prison reform, rural jail occupancy is actually on the rise. Cities like Chicago, New York and Philadelphia are reducing jail populations, but over the last several years, rural counties and smaller cities have sent more people to jail, driving an increase in the nation’s total jail population.
I sat down with Google.org Fellow, Aria Ashton, who participated in the Fellowship with Vera.
What exactly did your team set out to achieve during the Fellowship with Vera?
Our goal was to support Vera in building a nationwide jail monitoring and alerting system that shines a light on local justice systems in the United States. The ambition was to get a full picture of how many people are in county jails in near real-time, and for what reasons. Compiling this kind of data allows Vera to derive data-based insights about how county jails are being used. For example, in one county, 50 percent of the jailed population was incarcerated with bond amounts under $500. If we presume that these are individuals who would otherwise be free but cannot afford a $500 bail amount, does this mean that half of the beds in this particular jail are low-level offenders below the poverty line?
What motivated you to spend six months working full-time with Vera on this Fellowship project?
My brother spent a lot of his life incarcerated. He’d always been troubled with mental illness which led to drug dependency. If it weren’t for these two factors, my brother wouldn’t have been incarcerated at all. One year, after spending six years in a correctional facility in California, he was released to a halfway house where he eventually succumbed to his addiction and died. At this point I began to wonder, “How many brothers and sisters, how many mothers and fathers are cycling in and out of the system because they can’t find proper treatment for mental health and addiction issues?” Using jails and prisons to address mental illness and addiction is unfortunately widespread, and I hope our work with Vera will put an end to these practices.
Aria with her brother.
What do you want the world to know about the Vera project?
Society is losing so much because of the lack of visibility into the use of county jails. I hope that when the data is shared, and personal stories are told, everyone gets a sense that this is a black box and someone needs to shine a light on it. There are so many people who are lost in this system. Even though Vera understands this world holistically, they couldn’t get an accurate picture of the jail population through existing data.
How did Google help move this ambitious project along?
First, we had a ton of technical expertise on our Google.org Fellowship team—engineering resources can go a long way toward developing a technical solution like this. Second, we hadn’t been in this space for as long as Vera, so we brought a fresh perspective. We didn’t have the same assumptions, so we were able to question approaches and offer new solutions.
What surprised you about the Fellowship experience and this project in particular?
When you think about the millions of people who go in and out of jails, inevitably you start to wonder what their stories might be. Many have lost their jobs, can’t pay bills, and no longer have access to their children. Immersing ourselves with Vera and this project drove home that this system has a real human cost.Many corporations are trying to raise awareness about social justice issues, but awareness doesn’t always translate into action or advance a cause. This Fellowship is a “put your money where your mouth is” program. I hope the Google.org Fellowship can inspire more corporations to do the same.
What did you learn from the Fellowship experience and how have you applied that to your life?
First, I’m proud of the work the Fellowship team did. I’ll have that with me for the rest of my life. Working on something that really matters made me become the most efficient and effective version of myself. Second, I met a lot of people who are involved in criminal justice reform and learned about the ways advocates are trying to change the system. I realized the importance of my voice as a person who hasn’t been incarcerated but has been directly impacted by the dysfunction of the system. By raising my voice, I can perhaps help policymakers and ordinary citizens understand how much suffering this system causes. As a result of the contacts I made doing this kind of work, I am taking part in restorative justice events in prisons, so that I can do as much as I can to drive change and hopefully save other families from bleak futures, punctuated by tragedies.

https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-org/googleorg-fellows-bring-transparency-local-jail-data-nationwide/
Top 3 misconceptions about mobile ads
• sorangutan

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Although ads are often a cornerstone of successful app businesses, some developers have misconceptions that hold them back from trying ads in their app. We thought it would be helpful to address some of the more common misconceptions we’ve heard to help app publishers uncover opportunities to increase their revenue.
1) Ads interrupt the app experience of my users
One common misconception is that ads will negatively impact the app experience, when in reality most ad formats today are designed to either integrate seamlessly with your app, add to the user experience, or both.
For example, rewarded ads can give people a bonus in exchange for watching an advertisement and are a great way to make premium content available to non-paying users.
Example of a rewarded ad
Interstitial ads are shown at natural breakpoints in your app, such as between levels or at loading screens, and allow you to engage users when they would otherwise be looking at a “waiting” screen.
Example of an interstitial ad
Finally, native ads can be designed to match the look and feel of your app to integrate seamlessly with your app’s content, causing virtually no disruption to the user experience while earning you revenue.
Example of a native ad
2) I can't control what ads show up in my app
App publishers are justifiably concerned about what ads show up in their app, so we’ve taken steps to ensure that your app will only serve ads that meet the guidelines you’ve set. Our ad controls allow you to set a maximum content rating level orblock ads by category, ad type, URL, and more. Both of these controls can be applied to a single app or to your whole AdMob account.

For example, applying a maximum rating of G to your account ensures that only G-rated ads are served across all of your apps. However, you can simultaneously set a maximum rating of T for a specific app to allow it to include PG and T rated ads as well. For even more control, our Ad Review Center allows you to review individual ads on a creative-by-creative basis to decide whether you want to continue serving them. We’ve designed these features to ensure that you only serve ads you feel are appropriate for your users.
3) Ads will drive away my paying app users
Some publishers avoid including ads in their app because they don’t want to interrupt the experience of their paying users. To address this, we offer a tool called smart segmentation that allows you to only show ads to non-paying users while preserving the ad-free experience for paying users.

Smart segmentation has worked well for several publishers including BlackLight Studio Games, who wanted to expand monetization in their game Ludo SuperStar without hurting paid user experience, retention, and in-app purchase (IAP) revenue. After implementing smart segmentation, they experienced a 23% increase in game revenue with no changes to user retention or average revenue per user (ARPU).
We hope this helps clear up some common misconceptions around how ads can fit into your mobile app. Even if your app is paid or offers in-app purchases, consider testing ads in your app to maximize your revenue and grow your mobile app business. For a more detailed breakdown of app business models, download our free No-Nonsense Guide to App Monetization. And if you’re ready to start earning money with ads, sign up for an AdMob account today.

https://www.blog.google/products/admob/top-3-misconceptions-about-mobile-ads/
Let Google be your holiday travel tour guide
• sorangutan

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When it comes to travel, I’m a planner. I’m content to spend weeks preparing the perfect holiday getaway: deciding on the ideal destination, finding the cheapest flights and sniffing out the best accommodations. I’ve been dreaming about a trip to Greece next year, and—true story—I’ve already got a spreadsheet to compare potential destinations, organized by flight length and hotel perks.
But the thing I don’t like to do is plot out the nitty-gritty details. I want to visit the important museums and landmarks, but I don’t want to write up a daily itinerary ahead of time. I’m a vegetarian, so I need to find veggie-friendly restaurants, but I’d prefer to stumble upon a good local spot than plan in advance. And, since I don’t speak Greek, I want to be able to navigate transportation options without having to stop and ask people for help all the time.
So I’ve come to rely on some useful Google tools to make my trips work for the way I like to travel. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
Let Maps do the talking
Getting dropped into a new city is disorienting, and all the more so when you need to ask for help but don’t know how to pronounce the name of the place you’re trying to get to. Google Maps now has a fix for this: When you’ve got a place name up in Maps, just press the new little speaker button next to it, and it will speak out a place's name and address in the local lingo. And if you want to continue the conversation, Google Maps will quickly link you to the Google Translate app.
Let your phone be your guidebook
New cities are full of new buildings, new foods and even new foliage. But I don’t want to just see these things; I want to learn more about them. That’s where Google Lens comes in as my know-it-all tour guide and interpreter. It can translate a menu, tell me about the landmark I’m standing in front of or identify a tree I’ve never seen before. So whenever I think, “I wonder what that building is for,” I can just use my camera to get an answer in real time.
Photo credit: Joao Nogueira
Get translation help on the go
The Google Assistant’s real-time translation feature, interpreter mode, is now available on Android and iOS phones worldwide, enabling you to have a conversation with someone speaking a foreign language. So if I say, “Hey Google, be my Greek translator,” I can easily communicate with, say, a restaurant server who doesn’t speak English. Interpreter mode works across 44 languages, and it features different ways to communicate suited to your situation: you can type using a keyboard for quiet environments, or manually select what language to speak.
Use your voice to get things done
Typing is fine, but talking is easier, especially when I’m on vacation and want to make everything as simple as possible. The Google Assistant makes it faster to find what I’m looking for and plan what’s next, like weather forecasts, reminders and wake-up alarms. It can also help me with conversions, like “Hey Google, how much is 20 Euros in pounds?”
Photo credit: Joao Nogueira
Take pics, then chill
When I’m in a new place, my camera is always out. But sorting through all those pictures is the opposite of relaxing. So I offload that work onto Google Photos: It backs up my photos for free and lets me search for things in them . And when I want to see all the photos my partner has taken, I can create an album that we can both add photos to. And Photos will remind me of our vacation in the future, too, with story-style highlights at the top of the app.
Photo credit: Joao Nogueira
Look up
I live in a big city, which means I don’t get to see the stars much. Traveling somewhere a little less built up means I can hone my Pixel 4 astrophotography skills. It’s easy to use something stable, like a wall, as a makeshift tripod, and then just let the camera do its thing.
Photo credit: DDay
Vacation unplugged
As useful as my phone is, I try to be mindful about putting it down and ignoring it as much as I can. And that goes double for when I’m on vacation. Android phones have a whole assortment of Digital Wellbeing features to help you disconnect. My favorite is definitely flip to shhh: Just place your phone screen-side down and it silences notifications until you pick it back up.
Photo credit: Joao Nogueira

https://www.blog.google/products/maps/let-google-be-your-holiday-travel-tour-guide/
7 ways Google Lens can help during the holidays
• sorangutan

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This holiday season, your phone’s camera can do more than just capture your favorite moments. Whether you’re jet-setting off to a new place, brainstorming gift ideas, or learning a family holiday recipe, here are 7 ways Google Lens can help:
Get style recommendations
If you’re in need of style inspiration for your holiday festivities, look no further. Point Lens at a piece of clothing, like a dress or jacket, to get style ideas from across the web. Lens will show you how others are wearing—and pairing—similar pieces so you can make the most of your closet over the season.
Get style inspiration
Find gifts in a snap
Do you like something you see in the real world? Use Lens to identify products similar to it. You can even sort by prices to help you get the best deal. Just remember to ask before taking a photo of a random person’s shoes.
Find similar items
Track your packages
Gift shopping can be fun, but it can also be difficult to keep track of all your orders and be assured that they’ll arrive in time. Point Lens at a tracking number to quickly see the delivery status of your package.
Easily track packages
Make your camera your travel companion
If you’re taking a holiday trip where you don’t speak the local language, Lens can instantly translate the text in front of you, whether you’re looking at a menu or street sign. Point Lens at any text and it will automatically detect the language and overlay the translations right on top of the original worlds—in more than 100 languages.

Quickly translate text
Don’t just snap food pics, get dish
recommendations too
When you’re out celebrating at a restaurant, Lens can help you decide what to order. Point your camera at a menu to see popular dishes highlighted. Tap on a dish to see what it actually looks like and what other customers are saying about it with photos and reviews from Google Maps.
See popular menu items
Settle the bill with ease
Unless you’re playing credit card roulette, splitting the bill can be a pain. With Lens, you can easily figure out everyone’s share of the tab or calculate the tip by pointing your camera at the receipt.
Split the tab
Copy and paste written text
If you don’t want to-do lists scattered everywhere, Lens makes it easy to copy handwritten or printed text directly to your phone. Whether you’re scanning a grocery list, a gift card code, a family recipe, or even a long Wi-Fi password you don’t want to manually enter, use Lens to copy it to your device.
Copy text to your device
To check out these features, download the Google Lens app on the Play Store or the Google app on the App Store. You can also find Lens in your Google Assistant or Google Photos.
We hope these Lens tips provide you with new, fun ways to use your smartphone camera this holiday season and throughout the year.

https://www.blog.google/products/google-lens/7-ways-google-lens-can-help-during-holidays/
How a college student became a planet hunter
• sorangutan

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I didn't grow up thinking I was going to be an astronomer. There wasn’t a moment when I looked up at the moon and realized my destiny. I grew up loving math and science and in college, I gradually discovered that I loved learning everything I could about stars and planets. When I started studying and doing research in astronomy, I felt like I was given secrets about the universe.
During my junior year, I took a class on planets. My professor was away for a week, so we had a guest lecturer come in. That’s when I met Andrew Vanderburg and heard about his work with former Google engineer Chris Shallue (he recently left to pursue his PhD at Harvard in astrophysics). A few years ago, Andrew and Chris built an AI system with TensorFlow that sifted through the approximately 14 billion data points captured from NASA’s Kepler mission. In doing so, they discovered two new planets: Kepler 80g and Kepler 90i.
When I walked into that classroom, I couldn't have imagined that it would lead to the discovery of two new planets.
When I started, I had zero experience with machine learning. I had no idea what a neural network was or how I could build one. I learned everything as I went along using YouTube tutorials and TensorFlow and collaborating with incredible people. Using TensorFlow, I built a way to look through space telescope data and identify signs that planets could be around those stars. By the end of the summer, my neural network was successful and could recognize planets we already knew about, and discover new ones.
I discovered two new planets, but I also created a method that makes it possible for people to find many more. (If you want to learn how to hunt for planets, you can read my tutorial). Accessible technologies and open-source data allowed me to do this work, and because of that, it’s never been easier to discover not only planets, but also other mysteries of the universe. The possibilities for what we might find are endless.

https://www.blog.google/technology/ai/how-college-student-became-planet-hunter/
Explore the angst and beauty in famous works of art
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The “Mona Lisa” is probably the most famous painting in art history. But what’s the second most famous? It could very well be “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. The image has withstood the test of time to become a modern icon, inspiring the famous ‘90s horror film series and even an emoji you may have used on occasion.

In time for Munch’s birthday on Dec. 12, Google Arts & Culture invited YouTube Music rising star Girl in Red to give us her take on the howling cultural icon. It’s the latest in our Art Zoom video series, where pop musicians bring their storytelling lens to masterpieces from art history. And who better than Marie Ulven (aka Girl in Red), who sings about a “pretty face with pretty bad dreams,” to take us through “The Scream’s” hidden details? Follow her and get down to brushstroke level, zooming in and out of the image thanks to our Art Camera’s high-resolution capabilities.
On a slightly less angsty note, we asked Lolo Zouai, a newcomer on the international R&B scene, to take us on a cheeky tour of Botticcelli’s “Birth of Venus.” If you’ve ever wondered about the story behind the beautiful woman in the giant shell, now you can just click to learn all about about the Uffizi Gallery’s most famous painting.
Give us a shout (or a scream) if you’d like to see more of these collaborations, and join the conversation on #artzoom.

https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/explore-angst-and-beauty-famous-works-art/
Safer conversations in Messages with Verified SMS and Spam Protection
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In addition to enhancing messaging on Android with Rich Communication Services (RCS) and bringing you helpful features with Messages, we also want to provide a safer messaging experience. Today we have two new updates to share on that front.

Trustworthy business messages with Verified SMS

SMS messages help businesses share useful information with consumers, things like one-time passwords, account alerts or appointment confirmations. Yet sometimes it can be difficult to trust the identity of these messages, which are often sent from a random number. Some messages may even come from bad actors pretending to be from businesses you trust and ask for private information or link to dangerous websites—this is called phishing.

Verified SMS for Messages, rolling out today in a number of countries, will help you confirm the true identity of the business that’s texting you. The feature works by verifying, on a per-message basis, that content is sent by a specific business. When a message is verified—which is done without sending your messages to Google—you’ll see the business name and logo as well as a verification badge in the message thread.

1-800-Flowers, Banco Bradesco, Kayak, Payback, and SoFi are among the first brands to send messages with Verified SMS. Google Pay India and verification codes from Google will also be enrolled in Verified SMS. And more businesses are signing up to use Verified SMS every day.
Verified SMS is rolling out gradually on Messages in nine countries, starting in the U.S., India, Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., France, Philippines, Spain and Canada, with more to come. Verified SMS is just one of our efforts to improve your messages with businesses; we also continue to work on enhancing the chats you have on Messages with Rich Business Messaging (RBM).

Real-time spam detection

In addition to verifying the businesses sending you messages, we are working on protecting you from spam in Messages.

With Spam protection for Messages, we warn you of suspected spam and unsafe websites we’ve detected. If you see a suspected spam warning in Messages you can help us improve our spam models by letting us know if it’s spam or not. You can also report spam texts in Messages at anytime, and block the conversation so you won’t receive future messages.
Spam protection, which works with your message data while keeping your messages private, has been available over the past year in a number of countries and is now rolling out broadly in the U.S.

https://www.blog.google/products/messages/safer-conversations-messages-verified-sms-and-spam-protection/
Screen surfers, unite: 2019 TV and movie Search trends
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Whether you get your entertainment in the theater or on the couch, Year in Search captured the movies and TV shows that we couldn’t stop watching—and searching.
A variety of categories that kept us glued to screens everywhere. For more, you can explore the global and country-specific lists here.
Movies
The big screen felt even bigger this year thanks to the release of several blockbuster films that made us laugh, cry and crave adventure. Here are the top trending movies in the U.S. this year.

Action and Adventure
1. Avengers Endgame
2. Captain Marvel
3. Aquaman
4. John Wick 3
5. Dark Phoenix
6. Spider Man Far From Home
7. Midway
8. Bumblebee
9. Hobbs and Shaw
10. Alita Battle Angel
Comedies
1. Isn't It Romantic
2. Little
3. Playing with Fire
4. Good Boys
5. Jojo Rabbit
6. Booksmart
7. Fighting with my Family
8. Zombieland 2
9. Blinded by the Light
10. Late Night
Dramas
1. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
2. Hustlers
3. Green Book
4. The Upside
5. Rocketman
6. Bohemian Rhapsody
7. Brightburn
8. Breakthrough
9. The Mule
10. Ad Astra
Family
1. Toy Story 4
2. Lion King
3. Frozen 2
4. Aladdin
5. Detective Pikachu
6. Descendants 3
7. Dragon Ball Super Broly
8. The Art of Racing in the Rain
9. Dumbo
10. Missing Link
Thrillers
1. Joker
2. IT Chapter Two
3. Midsommar
4. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
5. Us
6. Pet Sematary
7. Glass
8. The Intruder
9. Crawl
10. Cold Pursuit
Romance
1. Five Feet Apart
2. Last Christmas
3. A Star is Born
4. What Men Want
5. After
6. Second Act
7. Downton Abbey
8. The Sun is also a Star
9. Always Be My Maybe
10. If Beale Street Could Talk
TV Shows
What shows kept you on the couch this year? New TV series like “Euphoria” and returning favorites like “Game of Thrones” had us staying in and binge-watching. Here are the top trending TV shows across several genres in the U.S.

Comedies
1. Dead to Me
2. The Boys
3. Rick and Morty Season 4
4. Victorious
5. Fleabag
Dramas
1. When They See Us
2. Chernobyl
3. Euphoria
4. Surviving R. Kelly
5. Russian Doll
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
1. Game of Thrones
2. Strangers Things
3. The Mandalorian
4. Umbrella Academy
5. Carnival Row
Reality TV
1. Jeopardy
2. Paradise Hotel
3. Temptation Island
4. Double Shot at Love
5. Dog the Bounty Hunter
https://www.blog.google/products/search/2019-tv-and-movie-search-trends/
Here’s what music and sports fans searched for in 2019
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Music lovers and sports fans, gather round! Wondering if everyone else is as fascinated by your favorite musician or sports team as you? Year in Search may have your answer.
We took a closer look at the artists from different genres and teams across various leagues that kept us entertained in 2019. For more, you can explore the global and country-specific lists here.
Musicians
Musicians in pop, rap and country had us singing and searching in 2019. Here are the top five trending musicians from these categories in the U.S.
Pop
1. Billie Eilish
2. Lizzo
3. Jonas Brothers
4. Cody Simpson
5. Aaron Carter
Rap
1. 21 Savage
2. Lil Nas X
3. A$AP Rocky
4. Tekashi69
5. Soulja Boy
Country
1. Granger Smith
2. Kacey Musgraves
3. Billy Ray Cyrus
4. Marty Stuart
5. Dolly Parton
Sports Teams
From knocking it out of the park to scoring a touchdown, these sports teams had people on the edge of their seats this year in the U.S. Here are the top trending sports teams.
NFL
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New England Patriots
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Chicago Bears
6. Cleveland Browns
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. New Orleans Saints
9. Oakland Raiders
10. Los Angeles Rams
MLB
1. New York Yankees
2. Houston Astros
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Washington Nationals
6. Philadelphia Phillies
7. Minnesota Twins
8. New York Mets
9. Cleveland Indians
10. Cincinnati Red
NBA
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Golden State Warriors
3. Toronto Raptors
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. Milwaukee Bucks
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. New York Knicks
8. Los Angeles Clippers
9. Denver Nuggets
10. Miami Heat
WNBA
1. Washington Mystics
2. Los Angeles Sparks
3. Las Vegas Aces
4. New York Liberty
5. Connecticut Sun
6. Chicago Sky
7. Dallas Wings
8. Indiana Fever
NHL
1. Boston Bruins
2. St. Louis Blues
3. Chicago Blackhawks
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Detroit Red Wings
6. New York Rangers
7. Dallas Stars
8. New York Islanders
9. Buffalo Sabres
10. Carolina Hurricanes
MLS
1. Los Angeles FC
2. Seattle Sounders FC
3. LA Galaxy
4. FC Dallas
5. Philadelphia Union
6. New England Revolution
7. Real Salt Lake
8. Houston Dynamo
9. Chicago Fire Soccer Club
10. San Jose Earthquakes
https://www.blog.google/products/search/2019-music-and-sports-search-trends/
Searching for style: trending fashion searches in 2019
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Searching for fashion inspiration never goes out of style, and in 2019, people were busy investigating all the latest trends. For our annual Year in Search, we looked not only at the people, places and moments that made the year unique, but also the style icons and lewks that set 2019 apart.

Check out some of your favorite searches for celebs, red carpet get-ups, signature styles and fashion how-tos that trended this year.

Top Trending Celeb “Style” Searches
1. Billie Eilish
2. Audrey Hepburn
3. Ariana Grande
4. Kylie Jenner
5. Amal Clooney
6. Shia LaBeouf
7. Cam Newton
Top Trending “Style” Searches
1. Camp
2. E Girl
3. E Boy
4. Steampunk
5. Harajuku
6. Preppy
7. Yankii
8. Vintage
9. VSCO
10. Emo
Top Trending Red Carpet Searches
1. Billy Porter
2. Cardi B
3. Lady Gaga
4. Amy Schumer husband
5. Jenny McCarthy
6. BTS Grammy
7. Caitlyn Jenner
8. Richard Madden Golden Globes
9. Brie Larson
10. Brienne of Tarth
Top Trending “How to wear” Searches
1. How to wear a beret
2. How to wear a flannel
3. How to wear duck boots
4. How to wear an infinity scarf
5. How to wear booties with jeans
6. How to wear suspenders
7. How to wear beanies
8. How to wear a jean jacket
9. How to wear a fanny pack
10. How to wear a headband
Here’s to closing out 2019 in style, and looking (fashion-)forward to 2020.

https://www.blog.google/products/search/-2019-fashion-search-trends/
Interpreter mode brings real-time translation to your phone
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You’ve booked your flights, found the perfect hotel and mapped out all of the must-see local attractions. Only one slight issue—you weren’t able to brush up on a new foreign language in time for your trip. The Google Assistant is here to help.

Travelers already turn to the Assistant for help researching and checking into flights, finding local restaurant recommendations and more. To give you even more help during your trip, the Assistant’s real-time translation feature, interpreter mode, is starting to roll out today on Assistant-enabled Android and iOS phones worldwide. Using your phone, you can have a back and forth conversation with someone speaking a foreign language.

To get started, just say “Hey Google, be my German translator” or “Hey Google, help me speak Spanish” and you’ll see and hear the translated conversation on your phone. After each translation, the Assistant may present Smart Replies, giving you suggestions that let you quickly respond without speaking—which can make your conversations faster and even more seamless.
Interpreter mode helps you translate across 44 languages, and since it’s integrated with the Assistant, it’s already on your Android phone. To access it on iOS, simply download the latest Google Assistant app. Interpreter mode also features different ways to communicate suited to your situation: you can type using a keyboard for quiet environments, or manually select what language to speak.

Whether you’re heading on a trip this holiday season, gearing up for international travel in the New Year, or simply want to communicate with family members who speak another language, interpreter mode is here to remove language barriers no matter where you are.

Gute Reise! Translation: “Enjoy your trip!”

https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/interpreter-mode-brings-real-time-translation-your-phone/
How digital skills are helping me prepare for the future
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When you’re responsible for seven kids, you’re constantly on your toes. It’s my responsibility to find ways to help my family thrive, and that includes making sure I have the job skills I need to provide for them. The workplace is changing rapidly, and I knew that finding ways to expand my digital skills could be a great way to stay competitive.

I found that opportunity at the Academy of Music Production Education and Development (AMPED) in Louisville, an organization that teaches music production to local kids, while also providing free adult learning courses to their parents. So while my children were tapping into their creative sides, I decided to take a course on practical computer skills.

At AMPED, my course instructor introduced me to Applied Digital Skills, a free online curriculum from Grow with Google. Each video-based lesson teaches computer skills I can use both at work and in my day-to-day life, like how to create a spreadsheet, start a document or organize an inbox. And in turn, I can add skills my resume to make myself more marketable to employers. I’m able to take these lessons at AMPED while my children learn music production, but the lessons can also be done anywhere, anytime. That means I’m able to build my skills on my own time and at my own pace.

AMPED isn’t the only organization that’s incorporated Applied Digital Skills into its programming. More than 50 nonprofits and community colleges, like New Mexico Community Capital in Albuquerque and the Richard J. Daley College in Chicago, are using the free curriculum to teach people the digital skills they can use to find jobs, thrive in the workplace or grow their small businesses. Now that some of the curriculum’s most popular lessons are available on YouTube, it’s easier than ever for people to conveniently access them. And with courses geared toward veterans, small business owners and Spanish speakers, there’s something for everyone.

Adding new digital skills to my resume has been an empowering experience. Now more than ever, I feel prepared to compete for the types of opportunities I’m interested in as I work toward my next career move. If you, like me, are considering your next steps and looking to grow your skills in the coming year, explore the Applied Digital Skills curriculum to find a lesson that interests you.

https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/grow-with-google/digital-skills-for-adults/
How Google and YouTube are working to protect the 2020 U.S. Census
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Next year, as it has done every decade since 1790, the U.S. Census Bureau will carry out its constitutional duty to count the population of the United States. In 2020, for the first time, the census will offer individuals the option of completing the census online, in addition to completing it by mail or phone. With over 70 percent of U.S. households using the internet at home, and 80 percent using smartphones, this new format will allow more people to participate in the census next year.
Yesterday, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and 41 of their Senate colleagues introduced a bipartisan resolution to ensure the census count is fair and accurate, and to urge participation by everyone, and Google is a strong supporter of the resolution.
To support the new online option, we’re working to connect people with useful and high-quality information about the census. Building upon our ongoing work to protect the integrity of information and civic processes, this past March we established our 2020 U.S. Census Taskforce, a team to support the operations and security of the 2020 Census across Google and YouTube. Its primary objective is to prevent bad actors from abusing our services to spread misinformation, or to conduct fraudulent activity around the census such as phishing or other scams. We’ll provide regular updates on our efforts to the Census Bureau and other relevant organizations. Here's a look at some of the work we're doing on this front.
YouTube policies
YouTube expanded its existing deceptive practices policy to explicitly cover the census process. Videos and comments that aim to misinform viewers about the time, means or eligibility requirements for participating in the census are not allowed on YouTube.
Policies for ads on our platforms
Our policies already prohibit ads that contain misleading uses of official government sites or agency names, or attempt to mimic the layout and design of an official government agency site. Last month we clarified this policy to explicitly prohibit ads featuring incorrect information about how to participate in the census.
Security protections for Gmail and Chrome
Every day, Gmail blocks more than 100 million phishing emails and Google Safe Browsing helps protect more than 4 billion devices against dangerous sites. Our team is working to ensure that legitimate emails from the Census Bureau are delivered, and to block phishing attempts (such as attempts to drive users to fake census websites, or to hand over personal information or account information). Security tools like Safe Browsing in Chrome are turned on by default, and can warn people of compromised sites related to the census.
Access to authoritative information on Search
Search is designed to surface relevant results from the most authoritative sources available. As part of our efforts to tackle disinformation and stay ahead of the malicious actors that propagate it, we’re improving our systems and elevating authoritative information, particularly for important areas like civics and news.
Engagement with partner organizations
We’ll share actionable information with other companies, law enforcement and the U.S. Census Bureau to help investigate, identify and resolve relevant issues. The U.S. Census Bureau is joining the YouTube Trusted Flagger program so it can augment our efforts by quickly notifying YouTube of census-related content that violates our policies.
Transparency for government information on Play
To promote transparency about the sources of government information communicated through apps on the Google Play Store, a recent policy update now requires apps that communicate government information but are not affiliated with a government entity to provide users the source(s) of this information. Census partners will need to provide the sources of any census related information they provide in their app and make clear the nature of their relationship with the census.
As other countries make a similar shift to an online census, we hope the work we’re doing for the 2020 Census in the United States will be a strong foundation on which to build.
You can learn more about the count by visiting the U.S. Census Bureau’s official website.

https://www.blog.google/technology/safety-security/how-google-and-youtube-are-working-protect-2020-us-census/
News Brief: November updates from the Google News Initiative
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November is when we ask ourselves, “Where did the year go?” This month, all of us working on the Google News Initiative continued to lay the foundation for some cool work in 2020. We can’t wait to see these programs grow.

Local news continues to be a priority.

In September, we announced a three-year partnership with U.K. publisher Archant to develop sustainable business models for local news. We recently selected Peterborough as the first site for this project, and Peterborough Matters will launch in the spring to provide online-only, community-driven local news. We also partnered with AtlanticLive to host “Informed: The New Era of Local News” in Minneapolis, Minnesota, covering a range of topics important to the future of local.

We’re working to crack the code on subscription growth.

Along with our partners Lee Enterprises, we’re working to develop a new machine learning-based paywall technology. We’re applying artificial intelligence to understand how readers engage with content and ultimately make the decision to subscribe. We’ll begin developing this technology in December, and intend to share learnings with the broader media industry.

Supporting reporters with tools to cover elections is crucial.

We’re focused on connecting voters to information about candidates and issues, and recently partnered with the Boston Globe to develop a new elections explorer tool. Although videos enrich storytelling, producing video isn’t accessible for many publishers. Along with our partners at Stringr, we’ll support local news with cost-effective video content for the 2020 U.S. elections. Through this partnership, we’ll be supplying local and national news outlets with several kinds of political video news packages on a regular basis.

Developing new technologies to support storytelling.

With new creation tools now in Google Earth, you can turn our digital globe into your own storytelling canvas, and create a map or story about the places that matter to you. We released new courses on our Training Center to help journalists tell engaging stories around the world.

Stay up to date with the latest news updates on our blog, and we’ll catch you in the new year.

https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/news-brief-november-updates-google-news-initiative/
Smarter organization of top stories in Search
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People come to Search for all types of information to help them form a better understanding of the world and the topics they care about most. We’ve continued to bring new improvements to Search to help people better orient themselves around a topic and easily explore related ideas, so they can more quickly go from having a question in mind to developing deeper understanding. Now, we’re using the latest in machine learning to bring this approach to top stories in Google Search, making it easier for people to dive into the most useful, timely articles available.
When you’re searching for information on a timely topic--a recent sports upset or the latest scientific breakthrough--you see a carousel of articles at the top of your Search results highlighting relevant news. Now, when there are multiple stories related to your search, we’ll also organize the results by story so it’s easier to understand what’s most relevant and you can make a more informed decision on which specific articles to explore. Within each story, the new structure will make more room for high-quality content--beyond just the most recent coverage--as well as more diverse sources, to bring more context and perspective to the day’s news.
For example, if you search for “NASA news,” you might see results grouped under the distinct news stories “NASA adds five companies to moon bid” and “NASA detects water vapor on Jupiter’s moon Europa,” along with additional results under “Also in the news.”

To power this new experience, we developed a new story-understanding technology to map the people, places and things involved in a news story, and then draw connections between them. This technology allows us to create distinct groups of news articles. To generate these groups, we use a variety of machine learning techniques including BERT models to examine the related articles and determine where one story ends and another begins. Our research has shown that clustering results into clearly-defined stories is critical in helping people easily navigate the results and identify the best content for their needs.
We’re now also featuring key information, such as notable quotes and related opinion pieces, in the top stories carousel within Search. These different content types provide people a more well-rounded view of a news story to help them decide which angle to explore more deeply. This change is part of a longer-term effort to expand the types of journalistic contributions we highlight to users in Search.
Notable quotations can now appear in top stories results.
These updates are available starting today on mobile devices, beginning with people using English in the U.S. and rolling out to more languages and locations in the coming months. We hope these updates help people engage with the most relevant information and build a deeper understanding of the world around them.

https://www.blog.google/products/search/smarter-organization-top-stories-search/
Google Nest and the USO help military families stay connected
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I was in the first trimester of my pregnancy when we found out my husband was getting deployed to the Middle East. He left before I was showing and didn’t return until our daughter was four or five months old. I experienced the bump growing, the first kicks, and the birth all by myself. But photos of him reminded me that I was never alone. When I couldn’t speak to him, I would talk to his photos and maybe even give them a kiss good night. Whenever I looked at the portrait of him in his uniform, my mind was flooded with everything we would do together when he was home. I would always have my husband’s photo next to our daughter’s crib, so she’d know who her father is. I guess it worked for me because now she’s a daddy’s girl!
When the days feel longer than usual and time is dragging, photos are what military families rely on. Photos help us remember we are part of something bigger and that our loved ones are coming home soon. I’ve spoken to lots of military parents, who like me, hold onto photographs to relive cherished memories. There are the big moments like birthdays, family vacations and holidays, but sometimes photos of the smaller moments, like a trip to the park or a sneaky shot of your loved one napping on the couch, are just as important.
Helping bring families closer to home - Google Nest and the USO
To help create more of these kinds of connections, Google Nest is providing Nest Hubs to the United Service Organizations to help military families feel closer to home this holiday season. While my husband is happily home from deployment, we’ve found plenty of ways to use ours. I love being silly by waking everyone up with a random song, I use it to call my mother-in-law about errands or just to chat. But of course, my favorite feature is the photo frame. Our photos automatically sync with my device so we can enjoy photos of our family on Nest Hub. They remind me of the times we spent apart during my husband’s deployment, and help me cherish the time we have together now that he’s home even more.
I’m so proud and grateful for my husband’s service to our country. Google Nest and the USO keep military members connected to their families, especially during the holidays. You can give today to help supportthe USO’s critical mission.

https://www.blog.google/products/google-nest/uso-holiday/
Meet Kwara, a startup in the new Africa Immersion program
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At Google for Startups, we look for ways to support promising new companies around the world. But those companies usually stay put in their home regions, which can be limiting—it means a smaller network of expertise to draw on, and a restricted pool of venture capital investors. We wanted to see what might happen if we expanded the geographical horizon, and connected up-and-coming businesses in one region with well-honed resources from a different region.

So in September, Google for Startups UK launched our first-ever Africa Immersion cohort, a 12-week program to bring expertise from Google and London startups to tech startups from Africa. We chose ten startups from our Launchpad Africa program, a network of tech startups around the world, who can share learnings, support and do business with each other. We wrapped up last week in Lagos, where we brought key investors from the UK to meet with the founders.

To get a behind-the-scenes view of the Africa Immersion cohort, we chatted with Cynthia Wandia, co-founder and CEO of Kwara, an online and mobile banking platform for financial cooperatives (also known as credit unions and community banks).
First, what does Kwara do?

We provide secure, simple and affordable online and mobile banking for cooperative financial institutions and their members, who are often excluded by traditional banks. Starting in Kenya, our mission is to make sure that these institutions can meet their members’ financial needs instantly, helping them avoid expensive predatory alternatives.
Team Kwara: Austin Kabiru, Software Engineer, and Cynthia Wandia, Cofounder & CEO
How did you get started—where did the idea come from?
The idea started from the view that small-scale cash crop farmers should be able to command more value for their produce. As most farmers rely on the cooperative for their primary financial needs, we decided to strengthen the cooperatives by making them more secure, transparent and investible.
Who are your customers? What does your company do for them?
Our first sector is financial cooperatives, also known as credit unions and community banks. Our technology helps them acquire and retain more members, secure their members’ funds, and increase their own revenues. Members in turn benefit from increased convenience, transparency, peace of mind and more complete credit profiles. And since we link our banking platform to the formal financial sector, the members can also access shared channels such as ATM networks and widespread agent infrastructure.
Why did you decide to participate in the Africa Immersion program?
We were first connected to Google through Launchpad, a three-month accelerator program that provides early-stage startups with access to Google technology, mentorship and workshops on growing their businesses. Before Launchpad, we had acquired some customers who were willing to try out our product while it was still in an early testing stage, and we were making sure that we really could solve all the problems we wanted to address. Launchpad helped us focus on a single product and user, and define our tech team responsibilities. And the Google brand gave us added credibility with potential customers. We also benefited immensely from the lessons and experiences that other startups shared with us. So we were keen to participate in another Google program, specifically one that sought to open up new investor networks to us, as well as continue to introduce us to a peer group of admirable startups from all over the continent.
Is there a moment or event from the program that particularly stands out to you?
Access to the Google for Startups UK team who have an extensive network and are very open to share has been the highlight. We have been linked with experts in product, fundraising and marketing, both from within Google and from leading startups in the UK.
What do you hope will come out of the program?
We hope to align with a few like-minded investors to start conversations about our next funding round. We also hope to continue our mentorship with the Google for Startups team, and hopefully speed up our marketing efforts.

https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/entrepreneurs/meet-kwara-startup-new-africa-immersion-program/
We need a hero: 2019 in Search
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In 2019, the world found heroes.
We found heroes at the box office, where Avengers: Endgame was the top-trending movie around the world (in fact, “hero” was searched three times more than “villain” globally this year). We turned to real-life heroes in times of crisis, when searches for “how to become a first responder” hit an all-time high in the U.S. We cheered for them on the field, where Megan Rapinoe was one of the top trending athletes globally. And she was joined by other leading ladies: searches for “sheroes” increased by 150 percent and the “first female spacewalk” became a breakout trend worldwide.
Thanks to all of our heroes for helping us soar into 2020. Explore more trending lists from the year at Google.com/2019.

https://www.blog.google/products/search/year-in-search-2019/
Then and now: a decade in Search
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A new decade is right around the corner. As 2020 rapidly approaches, we’ve started reminiscing about the people, movies, songs and more that captivated us during the past 10 years. We took a look at 2010 data to explore what people were searching for at the beginning of the decade compared to the search trends topping the charts in 2019. Here are some 2010 trends that will give you all the feels.
People
Justin Bieber’s first studio album, “My World 2.0,” debuted in March 19, 2010, and he became the top trending musician that year. Bieber is trending again a decade later, but not for his music: This time he’s trending in the “weddings” category following his marriage to Hailey Baldwin.
Betty White was the oldest person to host “Saturday Night Live” in 2010. This year, Betty returned to top trends thanks to a movie role. She joined the cast of “Toy Story 4” as Bitey White, a friendly, hilarious toy tiger.
Lebron James became a free agent in 2010 and announced on live television he would sign with the Miami Heat. He continues to make headlines, on and off the court, throughout the decade.
Musicians and songs
We took a look at the five top trending musicians or bands from each year since 2010. Here’s a glimpse at how we’ve seen searching for these artists change over the decade. (This does not include artists who didn’t make the top five Year in Search for each year.)
Click here to see the interactive chart.
And if visualizing these musical journeys isn’t making you nostalgic, remembering the top trending songs from 2010 will. We took a trip down memory lane and looked at the jams we were busy belting out (and searching for).
1. Pants on the Ground by Larry Platt
2. Love the Way You Lie by Rhianna
3. Like a G6 by Far East Movement
4. We Are The World by Artists for Haiti
5. Bedrock by Young Money
6. Bottoms Up by Brantley Gilbert
7. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
8. Rude Boy by Rhianna
9. Hey Soul Sister by Train
10. Right Above It by Lil’ Wayne ft. Drake
Movies and TV
“Toy Story 3” premiered in 2010 nearly 11 years after its previous sequel, sending it to the top trending movies category that year in the U.S. The cast of familiar faces (and some new ones!) return in “Toy Story 4.” The fourth movie in the saga made the top trending list for movies in 2019.
Tony Stark saved the day in “Iron Man 2” at the beginning of the decade. This year, he joined the cast of superheroes in “Avengers: Endgame,” which was the top trending movie globally.
“The Walking Dead” walked into the top trending TV shows list in 2010 with its series premiere. The show didn’t make the top trending list this year, but searches for “the walking dead” spiked twice in the U.S. for the season nine finale and the season 10 premiere.

https://www.blog.google/products/search/google-decade-in-search/