Google Cloud Platform News

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  Helping children in the Arab world be safe online explorers
  education families • • sorangutan  

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  Be Internet Awesome—our digital safety and citizenship program for children—is now available to more than 400 million Arabic speakers as Abtal Al Internet. The program is designed in a way that simplifies the world of internet safety and digital citizenship in a language children feel comfortable with. Developed in collaboration with online safety experts like the Family Online Safety Institute, the Internet Keep Safe Coalition and ConnectSafely, the program offers tools for parents and educators so everyone has the tools they need to help children be safer online.

  

  “A’alam Al Internet”—our digital safety game for children

  We surveyed more than 200 teachers in the Arab world to learn about their experience with online safety in the classroom. We found that 98 percent of teachers believe that online safety should be part of the curriculum, and one in three teachers reported that they had witnessed an online safety incident (sharing personal information or cyberbullying, for example) in their school. However, 75 percent of teachers said they don’t have the necessary resources to teach online safety to their students.

  We hope that by making Be Internet Awesome’s classroom curriculum available in Arabic, we can give these educators the tools and methods they need to teach digital safety fundamentals. We’re excited to give children in Arabic-speaking communities and elsewhere in the world more access to the learning opportunities online.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/technology/families/helping-children-arab-world-be-safe-online-explorers/
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  Helping CommonLit expand free literacy resources for teachers
  • sorangutan  

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  As a seventh grade teacher in rural Mississippi, Michelle Brown's serious love for teaching was only matched by her serious lack of resources. Frustrated by trying to teach with outdated books, she turned to technology to find a solution. She built CommonLit in 2014 to help teachers like her better address the unique needs of students at different reading levels. A free online reading program, CommonLit combines high-quality reading materials with guiding questions, assessments, and data analytics for teachers and students. In the handful of years since launching, CommonLit has created a more personalized and engaging classroom reading experience for more than 5 million students from Wichita to New Delhi to Johannesburg, helping them become more confident and skilled readers.

  Since 2005, Google.org has given more than $250 million toward education with over $60 million going directly to nonprofits that serve teachers, and we’re proud to continue building on this commitment. Today, in honor of World Teachers’ Day, we’re announcing a $3.5 million grant to CommonLit to help expand their free, literacy resources to more teachers around the globe. To start, they’re collaborating with local education organizations like UNETE to pilot a Spanish-language version of their platform in schools across Mexico with a goal of adding 500 reading lessons in Spanish for students by June 2020. From there, they’ll continue to explore other opportunities to expand to even more countries, classrooms and teachers.

  Technology alone can’t solve all of the challenges teachers face, but it can be a meaningful tool for closing educational gaps like access to quality, engaging learning materials. We’re proud that over the years, we’ve supported a number of organizations that are teacher-obsessed. From DonorsChoose.org, a crowd-funding platform for U.S. public school teachers to get classroom resources, to Nova Escola’s digital teacher lesson plans in Brazil, to the TeacherApp in India, we are committed to supporting and cheering on teachers for the dedication they show to their students day in and day out.

  Consider recognizing a teacher in your life by donating to a nonprofit in their honor today and sharing your #WorldTeachersDay story about someone who has inspired you to keep learning.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-org/world-teachers-day-2018/
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  A tribute to teachers, who always seem to have the answers
  • sorangutan  

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  I started sixth grade as a shy student at a new school who spent recess hiding in a bathroom stall because I hadn’t made any friends yet. But I found solace in English class, where Mrs. Ivey whisked me far away from the stresses of middle school to the world of Greek mythology. As her students, we could feel her passion for the subject which she made come alive through interactive assignments, visual projects and a whole lot of patience.

  What I didn’t recognize at the time was how hard Mrs. Ivey worked behind the scenes or between the bells. She answered all of my questions, but I never considered who she would turn to for hers. So for World Teachers’ Day this year, we’re celebrating teachers who look to Google Search to find ways to engage their classrooms and empower their students. When you’re in school, teachers are your most important cheerleaders and advocates, so this World Teachers’ Day, it’s time for all of us to return the favor.

  

  Celebrating Teachers: A Moment In Search

  We look for ways to give teachers the support, elevation and appreciation they deserve, all year round. Here are some of the things we’re doing for this World Teachers’ Day:

  Giving teachers the support they deserve

  Through Google.org we’ve provided more than $250 million toward education since 2005, with more than $60 million going directly to nonprofits that work to support teachers. To continue building on that, we’re announcing a new $3.5 million grant to CommonLit, an organization that provides free educator resources, to help them expand and reach more teachers globally. Plus we’re inviting you to help us support teachers by giving to one of the organizations we work with or another of your choosing.

  We know that teachers rarely have enough hours in the day to do everything required of them, so we’re making it easier for them to integrate technology into the classroom. We’ve created a dedicated Teacher Center with resources, trainings, and certifications and ways for teachers to connect with each other. We’re also expanding our Dynamic Learning Project pilot for its second year, placing technology coaches in 101 high-need schools across the U.S. to support teachers and help close the digital-use divide.

  Sparking and elevating teacher voices

  We’re also teaming up with TED-Ed to create a new Educator Talks YouTube channel, launching today. Together with other partners including ISTE and CCSSO, we’re raising teachers’ voices, so that their experience and expertise can help other teachers, too. Educators will soon be able to submit their stories, so if you’re interested please do get involved. In the meantime, subscribe to the channel for some inspiration as we start featuring Talks for educators, by educators.

  We’ve also curated a new YouTube playlist featuring some of the educators and creators who have inspired us. This is a collection of stories from teachers who go above and beyond to support their students, encourage their communities and improve their own skills.

  To this day, I credit Mrs. Ivey for instilling in me a love for reading and powerful storytelling. She had a profound impact on me and the trajectory of my life and career. Teachers have one of the most challenging and most important jobs in the world, so we hope you’ll join us in celebrating and appreciating educators, whose learning never stops.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/world-teacher-day-2018/
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  Vint Cerf on accessibility, the cello and noisy hearing aids
  diversity and inclusion accessibility googlers • • sorangutan  

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  The Internet is undoubtedly a transformative technology, changing how people all over the world live and work. One of the key figures responsible for designing the architecture of the Internet is Dr. Vint Cerf, who along with Robert E. Kahn is known as one of the “fathers of the Internet.” Dr Cerf also been Google’s chief internet evangelist for last 12 years. This Disability Awareness Month, we sat down with him to learn more about the impact of technology on the more than 1 billion people with disabilities and why building accessible products matters to him on a personal level.

  
  

  Many people might not know this, but you have a hearing impairment.

  Vint: I was born six weeks prematurely in 1943. In those days, they put babies in oxygen tents to help them breathe with immature lungs. It’s thought that this treatment led to a progressing nerve loss which continues to this day—at about 1 dB loss per year. I’ve been wearing hearing aids for over 60 years.

  Most kids hate to be different and just want to fit in. Wearing hearing aids must have been hard. How did you deal with that?

  I began wearing dual hearing aids at age 13, in junior high. It was pretty noticeable. On the other hand, I was already a self-proclaimed geek and went on to high school wearing sports coats, slacks and ties. If I was going to look different, I decided to do it with style!

  What advice would you give your younger self about how to get comfortable with your hearing impairment?

  There was no hiding those bulky, behind-the-ear hearing aids. Now I’m very open about it, even though the hearing aids are less noticeable. My advice to my younger self would have been to try to get more matter-of-fact about my hearing loss. One awkward problem—especially with behind-the-ear aids—is that they squealed when you were making out. Wrecks the mood. On the other hand, taking them off made me incommunicado. Tough choices!

  

  Left: Vint in 1956. (Look familiar? We've shared this photo before.) Right: Rocking an ascot circa 1973.

  Did you ever feel your hearing impairment held you back?

  I don’t think I ever felt “held back,” although fast-talking comedians are often frustrating because I miss the too-fast punch lines. But I have learned to adapt my practices to diminish the effects of deafness. For example, I do Q&A on stage by roaming around with a microphone so I can get close enough to lip read if I have to.

  How would you say your disability has shaped your own interaction with technology?
  

  While at UCLA for my Ph.D., I got involved in the ARPANET project. Around 1971, Ray Tomlinson developed the idea of networked electronic mail, which was hugely attractive to me because it replaced uncertain voice calls with the clarity of text. The development of the Internet was undertaken in the context of heavy use of email.

  The rise of video conferencing has actually been a huge challenge for me as it reintroduces some of the uncertainty of voice calling and I look forward to real-time, automatic captioning to overcome the limitations that medium poses for me.

  

  Vint Cerf (right) with Jon Postel and Steve Crocker in 1994. The three were part of the team working on the ARPAnet, which eventually became today's Internet. 

  Was accessibility something you were thinking of when you and Bob Kahn were developing the protocols for the creation of the Internet?

  Not at the time. Today, however, given the huge advantages of computer applications, it’s a high priority to ensure that disabilities do not prevent people from gaining the full benefit of online and offline digital environments.

  In an interview with “The Washington Post” you said, “I traded in my cello for a keyboard.” What would life would have been like if you hadn’t made that switch?

  I wish I had not treated this as a binary choice. It is entirely possible to have both but I didn’t fully appreciate that at the time. I did get to attend a masters class led by Pablo Casals at Berkeley in 1958. It was truly inspiring but computers grabbed my attention even more dramatically at that time. Perhaps it is time to go back to see whether I can regain that skill. The cello is a magnificent instrument.

  You’re married to someone who has a hearing impairment—but she got cochlear implants that really changed her life. You have quite a funny story about that.

  Sigrid was born with normal hearing but lost it at age three after a bout with spinal meningitis. She was profoundly deaf, and functioned in a hearing world through lip-reading.

  At age 53, she received her first cochlear implant. It functioned spectacularly well. After that, she was eager to make and receive phone calls—even from solicitors. She got one call from an AT&T salesperson in India and asked "oh, which part of India are you from?" The conversation went on for quite a while. Finally the poor salesperson asked, "So you're going to switch to AT&T?" and Sigrid said, "Oh no, my husband is SVP at MCI but thanks for calling!"

  

  Vint and his wife Sigrid circa 1969

  What lessons have you learned from others with disabilities?

  Jack Chen is a lawyer at Google who is blind and does stuff that I think is nuts (like bicycle riding) but he’s wonderfully open to discussing blindness and his coping mechanisms. It is from my interactions with Jack that I refined and reinforced my own comfort with talking about the challenges of deafness. I remember asking him whether he cooked. He said, “Yes!” Then I asked him, how can you tell if the food is cooked? He said, “I touch it with my fingers.” That’s when I said I wasn’t going to eat steaks that he pan fried. We both had a good laugh. It’s incredibly important to be able to laugh about some of the situations disabilities put you in.

  What message do you have for people creating technology today and how they should think about accessibility?

  It must be thought through during the design phase of any product. Accessibility and ease of use go hand in hand. Many people experience temporary disability (broken arm, leg, finger, blocked ears…) and appreciate the value of accessibility features from that experience. There is no excuse for making products that are not accessible. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/googlers/vint-cerf-accessibility-cello-and-noisy-hearing-aids/
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  Making a difference with Android and Google Play
  android google play • • sorangutan  

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  As mobile platforms with global scale and billions of users, a core tenet of Google Play and Android is to have a positive effect on and change the communities in which we operate. Over the years, we’ve facilitated innumerable connections between people, developers, and nonprofits, and in the video below, we share the stories of four incredible apps that create social impact around the world.

  Making a difference with Android and Google Play

  My Earthquake Alerts sends free, real time push notifications to alert users of severe earthquakes close to their location. This warning system can mean the difference between lives saved and lives lost when disaster strikes.

  In situations where access to high-quality education is limited or costly, an app can help ease the strain. One example is Prepup, an effective mobile tool for students to prepare for common exams written in Nigeria and other African countries.

  Positive impact surrounding Android apps is often created both on- and off- mobile. The founders of Forest: Stay focused are building an effective tool to help people disconnect from their smartphones for short periods of time and are also contributing to real world reforestation efforts by allowing in-app actions to become real trees being planted where they are needed most.

  Some apps can also help improve the financial outcomes for their users. For example, Fresh EBT enables US users to easily view their food stamps balance, track their spending habits, and find nearby shops that accept EBT. The app can also help people save money with coupons. We believe that financial health represents a sizable social impact opportunity for fintech entrepreneurs on Google Play and Android.

  If you are a developer, then head over to this post on Medium to learn about the massive opportunity to drive positive social impact with Android and how to bring your social impact idea to mobile and achieve sustainable growth.

  
  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-play/making-difference-android-and-google-play/
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  Book a ride with the Google Assistant
  google assistant google home • • sorangutan  

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  When my friends and I are getting ready to head out to dinner, there's always a moment when we stop to ask who is going to order our ride. Now, Google can take care of it. This week, we’re rolling out a new way to easily book ride services with your Google Assistant.

  With your Android phone, iPhone, Google Home, or any smart speaker with the Assistant, start by saying, “Hey Google, book a ride to the Bluebird Cafe” or “Hey Google, get me a taxi to Denver International Airport.” You will then be given a list of popular ride services to select from, including Uber, Lyft, Ola, Grab, GO-JEK and many more, along with more information on estimated pricing and wait times from each service. If you only want ride options from a single provider, just include their name in your request, for example, “Hey Google, book a Lyft to SFO.”

  

  Then grab your phone and tap on your preferred ride service, and the app will open to let you confirm the booking. The feature will be available first in English and any country where one of our supported ride service partners operate. We plan to expand to more languages in the coming months.

  If you’re in a hurry and your hands are all tied up, you’ll now be able to use the Assistant to see all your favorite ride services in one place and pick the one that works best for you.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/book-ride-google-assistant/
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  Promoting inclusive storytelling with the Google Podcasts creator program
  • sorangutan  

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  Podcasting has quickly become one of the best ways to share and listen to stories, but its future depends on a diverse array of stories, voices and creators. With the launch of the Google Podcasts app in June, we’re working to make it easier for people around the world to find and access podcasts. While there are more podcasts than ever before, there continues to be an imbalance in who is creating them. Women and people of color are still underrepresented as hosts, and many of the world’s most popular podcasts hail from western, urban areas. In June we announced the Google Podcasts creator program, which aims to support these underrepresented voices in podcasting, and make it easier for people to learn how to get into this growing medium.

  
  

  Beginning today, through November 18th, the application window is official open globally for the first round of the Google Podcasts creator program, which will kick off in January 2019. We’re partnering with one of the best in the podcasting industry, PRX, who will lead and manage the program. PRX has demonstrated a long-time commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in the space. As a pioneer of the podcasting space, PRX will lend this valuable expertise to the podcasters in the program..

  
  

  The Google Podcasts creator program is focused on three main pillars: empowering and training underrepresented voices through an accelerator program, educating a global community with free tools, and showcasing participants’ work as a model for others. PRX, alongside a global advisory committee, will select teams to receive mentorship, seed funding, and an intensive 20-week training. Applications will be accepted from around the globe. You can learn more and apply to the program on PRX’s Google Podcasts creator program website.

  
  

  For podcast enthusiasts that want to learn more about what it takes to create a podcast, but are not yet ready to apply to the program, PRX will draw on learnings from the program to develop a series of broadly accessible podcasting 101 videos in multiple languages, as well.

  
  

  Podcasts are a way to bring additional voices, perspectives and experiences into your day-to-day life. The Google Podcasts creator program is designed to help support these voices, so that everyone can find a story that resonates with them.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/search/promoting-inclusive-storytelling-google-podcasts-creator-program/
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  GamelAwan: Reviving traditional tunes with technology
  • sorangutan  

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  We spoke with Kholis Kurniawan (who goes by the name Awan), a musician from Indonesia. His band GamelAwan creates unique songs by fusing the centuries-old tradition of gamelan, a traditional type of music played in Java, the most populous island in Indonesia, with more contemporary pop tunes. His music videos on YouTube have been watched millions of times, helping him launch a career as a musician while sharing his love for his Javanese culture with the world.

  
  

  Why did you become a musician?

  Music is in my blood. I was born into a family of artists in Lamongan Regency in East Java. My mother used to be in a band. I never received formal musical training, but I learnt how to play my first instrument—the drums—from my brother, Arjuna, when I was 10. He’s also a member of GamelAwan. The two of us having been making music with our friends and playing in bands since we were kids.
  

  

  Awan’s brother Arjuna (right) taught him how to play his first musical instrument - the drums.

  What got you interested in gamelan?

  Javanese people are losing touch with our culture and playing gamelan is my way of helping to preserve our traditions. I have also discovered that a lot of other people share my desire to remain connected to our heritage. When I first started uploading songs on YouTube, I didn’t get many views. But the videos became much more popular when I incorporated gamelan. We hit more than three million YouTube views for our first cover song that used gamelan.
  

  Gamelan has been played in Java and Bali since antiquity. In this image, Gamelawan band members are playing the kendang (drum), bonang (kettle gong), and gambang kayu (xylophone).

  What challenges did you face in building your career?

  I’m from a rural area in Java where a career in music is discouraged. People think that musicians are unable to earn a decent living. Besides dealing with society’s expectations, I also faced the same challenges experienced by other performance artists. One particular show in Bali was a disaster because the sound system stopped working as we were performing. But I learn from these experiences and it motivates me to work even harder for success.
  

  
  

  How has YouTube helped you?

  YouTube is a perfect place to publish my work because everyone uses it. Two years after we published our first video, YouTube invited me to perform on stage at YouTube FanFest in Jakarta as part of a collaboration with Weird Genius, who plays electronic music.
  

  
  

  I am really grateful for that opportunity. FanFest is the most prestigious event a YouTube creator can play at. After our performance there, subscribers to our YouTube channel grew a lot faster. We have received a Silver Button for passing the 100,000 subscriber mark. But what we did not expect was that YouTube could get us noticed offline. Since we performed at FanFest, we have made appearances on national television and gotten requests to play at a lot more events.

  
  

  YouTube was even my match-maker! I met my future wife after she left a comment in one of my videos.

  Awan and his wife Nur Farida Sani.

  What are your plans for the future?

  The Indonesian and international creators we met at YouTube FanFest inspired us to work on an album of original music. It is a huge shift from our original approach of just covering other artists’ songs. We want to create unique music for people to enjoy, while staying true to our culture and musical traditions. So we will continue fusing gamelan and more contemporary music genres in our next album. Our mission is to use the universal language of music to help communicate Javanese culture to Indonesians and people across the world.
  

  Gamelawan playing at YouTube FanFest in Jakarta.
  
  https://www.blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/gamelawan/
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  Your Google Assistant gets a makeover on phones
  • sorangutan  

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  Two years ago the Google Assistant made its debut, and since then we’ve noticed that nearly half of all interactions with the Assistant include both voice and touch. With a new makeover to the Assistant on phones, we're making it even easier to get things done regardless of whether you prefer to use your hands, your voice, or a combination of the two.
  
  Here’s what your Assistant now looks like on phones:

  
  

  • Assistant_SF
  • Assistant_weather
  • Assistant_dial
  • Assistant_score
  • Assistant_starbucks
  • Assistant_fitstar
  • Assistant_swipe_up

  Make the most of voice and touch on phones
  The new design combines the best of text and talk on your phone, giving you the relevant information right when you need it. Just ask your Google Assistant for something on your phone, and then you can interact with images, sliders and buttons to get the help you need in a fraction of the time.

  The new phone design includes:
  
  

  • Bigger visuals that are easy to glance at quickly.
    
  • New controls and sliders to manage your smart home devices. Use the dials to adjust your lights to the right brightness, or the sliders to control the volume of your smart speaker.
    
  • An interactive messaging interface so you can use your fingers to add a comma, change a word or make any other quick edits as you compose messages.
    
  • On Android phones, it’s now easier to access an overview of your day. Open up the Assistant and swipe up on your screen to get curated information based on the time of day and your recent interactions with the Assistant.
    
  • Developers and brands now have tools to take full advantage of the phone screen. Starbucks now has thumbnails to select from recommended items on their menus, Food Network has larger images of their recipes, and FitStar uses GIFs to give you a preview of your workout.
    

  
  Welcome to a new era of mobile assistance
  If you’ve been using your Google Home but haven’t tried out the Google Assistant on phones, now’s a great time to pull out the device in your pocket and find out how voice and touch work together to make life a little easier. You can download the Google Assistant app on iOS, or open the Assistant on your Android phone with a long press of the home button or by adding the Assistant app to your homescreen.
  
  Go ahead, ask your Assistant to help you look up your favorite musician, send a quick text message, check out the weather or control your lights—it’s now easier than ever to Make Google Do It.

  
  
  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/google-assistant-gets-a-makeover-on-phones/
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  Ignite innovation with workplace rituals
  • sorangutan  

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  Rituals are ubiquitous across cultures and time. From marriage and burial rituals to pregame and postgame sporting rituals, these intentional routines have been performed for centuries to foster a desired outcome or behavior.

  Now, organizations are tapping into the power of ritual to encourage innovation. These small acts can be used in the workplace to engender a sense of community, build cohesion and ultimately help take an organization from good to great.

  How rituals can help teams

  The sporting world is filled with examples of how rituals help wire organizations to achieve greatness. In fact, New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks, credits much of their success to the rituals that form the bedrock of their culture. After each match—win or lose, home or away—everyone on the team cleans the dressing room until it’s spotless. It’s a ritual designed to show thanks, build humility and reinforce that each team member is just as important as the other. The Japanese soccer team beautifully demonstrated a similar ritual when they left their locker room spotless after a gut-wrenching loss in the World Cup.

  These sporting rituals are more than just good manners or superstitions. In fact, researchers are starting to find that these types of symbolic actions do in fact have an effect on behavior. According to recent studies, regularly performing rituals helps regulate emotions, elevate performance states and foster social connections.

  Take for example one of my favorite workplace rituals that happens at OXO, the global housewares manufacturer. The company focuses on building products that fit comfortably into people’s hands, and they adopted a team ritual to bring that value to light. Whenever an employee finds a lost glove, they bring it back to the office to hang on the wall to depict all the different hands they are designing things for. This ritual may look like a seemingly random act on the from the outside, but OXO defined a clear intention to constantly visualize and focus on who they are building products for.

  Using rituals to encourage innovation

  If you want to encourage innovation on your team, design rituals that emulate characteristics that are associated with it, like being comfortable with failure and team collaboration.

  Rituals can help build the muscle memory of an organization’s culture, but they have to be intentional and repeatable. Think of your ​organization’s​ ​operating system​ as its collective set of rules, norms and behaviors. These are the basic pieces of code that define how your organization runs. If you want to recode your organizational operating system to be more innovative, you must create new cultural algorithms in the form of rituals.

  My team has a ritual that we take part in at the beginning of every weekly team meeting: Everyone shares a failure—personal or professional—and what they learned from it. The ritual is repeated every week and helps build psychology safety and comfort around failure. Similarly, Alphabet’s X holds an annual celebration that celebrates failure where they share stories about defunct projects, failed experiments and even personal failures. Old prototypes, sticky notes with product ideas and family mementos are placed on a small altar and burned during this ritual.

  You can also develop rituals to encourage collaboration and strong team cohesiveness—characteristics which are associated with more creative teams. For example, Google employees can reward a coworker with a peer bonus when they go above and beyond and exemplify these qualities. Not only does the peer bonus ritual recognize the collaborator with a small monetary gift, but it also recognizes them with a thank you note that is sent to their peers and managers. We’ve built an entire peer bonus system online that allows team members to recognize this positive behavior again and again, helping to build reinforce this behavior.

  
  

  Ultimately, the rituals you build come down to the values you want to instill. Ask yourself: How can we bring our values to life and make them tangible through rituals? For centuries, humans have innately understood that small, tangible acts done routinely can carry meaning. Now it’s time to see how they can create new cultural algorithms for your organization or team to run on.  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/perspectives/frederik-pferdt/ignite-innovation-workplace-rituals/
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  Thanking Latino-led small businesses this Hispanic Heritage Month
  diversity and inclusion small business • • sorangutan  

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  I first met Eve Rodriguez Montoya, the creator of Yogolandia Yogurt & Botana Bar, at a roundtable focused on the challenges facing Latino-owned small businesses. In 2016, she wanted to bring more healthy food options to her neighborhood, Chicago’s Little Village. She decided to open a frozen yogurt shop that featured the Mexican flavors she grew up with and loved, like horchata, pepino and churros. And to bring her vision to life, she turned to technology. Google Search helped her learn how to create a business plan and to find suppliers. Once she was ready to open her doors, she used Google My Business to make sure customers could find her on Google Search and Maps. Today, business is thriving, she has four employees and she's collaborated with a few businesses in Chicago to feature her unique flavors.

  Google My Business Stories: Yogolandia Yogurt & Botana Bar

  We’re excited to see how Latinos across the country are using technology to grow their businesses and support local communities. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we're encouraging Latino-led businesses to make sure they’ve claimed their free business listing on Google. To help them keep growing, we’re also offering these businesses free marketing materials from Small Thanks with Google, including customized assets, like posters and social posts, featuring real Google reviews from customers.

  

  If you're a Latino-led business, make sure to get on the map. And to everyone else, we hope you'll join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and the small businesses in your community!

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/small-business/thanking-latino-led-small-businesses-hispanic-heritage-month/
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  Coming together to create a prior art archive
  • sorangutan  

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  Patent quality is a two-way street. Patent applicants should submit detailed disclosures describing their inventions and actively participate in the examination process to define clear distinctions between their inventions and existing technology. Examiners reviewing patent applications should conduct thorough searches of existing technology, reject any attempts to patent existing technology, and develop a clear record of the differences between the patent claims and what came before. The more that the patent system supports and incentivizes these activities, the more reliable the rights that issue from patent offices will be, and the more those patents will promote innovation.

  
  

  A healthy patent system requires that patent applicants and examiners be able to find and access the best documentation of state-of-the-art technology. This documentation is often found in sources other than patents. Non-patent literature can be particularly hard to find and access in the software field, where it may take the form of user manuals, technical specifications, or product marketing materials. Without access to this information, patent offices may issue patents covering existing technology, or not recognize trivial extensions of published research, removing the public’s right to use it and bringing the reliability of patent rights into question.

  
  

  To address this problem, academia and industry have worked together to launch the Prior Art Archive, created through a collaboration between the MIT Media Lab, Cisco and the USPTO, and hosted by MIT. The Prior Art Archive is a new, open access system that allows anyone to upload those hard-to-find technical materials and make them easily searchable by everyone.

  
  

  We’re proud to support the Prior Art Archive, and have devoted significant resources to this and other important quality initiatives. The Prior Art Archive is searchable through Google Patents,  and all of the documents in the Archive have been labeled with Cooperative Patent Classification codes using Google’s machine learning models. The labels are a feature we rolled out in Google Patents to help make the most relevant technical materials easier to find. We’ve also recently launched a site accessible to the public and examiners, TDCommons, where companies can publish technical information they don’t want to patent free of charge.  

  
  

  We’re also excited to use AI and machine learning to take prior art searching to the next level. To this end, we’ve recently created an open ecosystem, the Google Patents Public Datasets, to make large datasets available for empirical public policy, economics, and machine learning research. We’re committed to developing and making available technology that improves patent quality, and ultimately strengthens our patent system.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/coming-together-create-prior-art-archive/
• 

  Start a new .page today
  developers entrepreneurs small business • • sorangutan  

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  Today we’re announcing .page, the newest top-level domain (TLD) from Google Registry.
  

  A TLD is the last part of a domain name, like .com in “google.com” or .google in “blog.google” (the site you’re on right now). The .page TLD is a new opportunity for anyone to build an online presence. Whether you’re writing a blog, getting your business online, or promoting your latest project, .page makes it simple and more secure to get the word out about the unique things you do.
  

  
  Check out 10 interesting things some people and businesses are already doing on .page:
  
  

  1. Ellen.Page is the website of Academy Award®-nominated actress and producer Ellen Page that will spotlight LGBTQ culture and social causes.
     
  2. Home.Page is a project by the digital media artist Aaron Koblin, who is creating a living collection of hand-drawn houses from people across the world. Enjoy free art daily and help bring real people home by supporting revolving bail.
     
  3. ChristophNiemann.Page is the virtual exhibition space of illustrator, graphic designer, and author Christoph Niemann.
     
  4. Web.Page is a collaboration between a group of designers and developers who will offer a monthly online magazine with design techniques, strategies, and inspiration. 
     
  5. CareersXO.Page by Geek Girl Careers is a personality assessment designed to help women find tech careers they love.
     
  6. TurnThe.Page by Insurance Lounge offers advice about the transition from career to retirement.
     
  7. WordAsImage.Page is a project by designer Ji Lee that explores the visualizations of words through typography.
     
  8. Membrane.Page by Synder Filtration is an educational website about spiral-wound nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, and microfiltration membrane elements and systems.
     
  9. TV.Page is a SaaS company that provides shoppable video technology for ecommerce, social media, and retail stores.
     
  10. Navlekha.Page was created by Navlekhā, a Google initiative that helps Indian publishers get their content online with free authoring tools, guidance, and a .page domain for the first 3 years. Since the initiative debuted at Google for India, publishers are creating articles within minutes. And Navlekhā plans to bring 135,000 publishers online over the next 5 years.
      

  Security is a top priority for Google Registry’s domains. To help keep your information safe, all .page websites require an SSL certificate, which helps keep connections to your domain secure and helps protect against things like ad malware and tracking injections. Both .page and .app, which we launched in May, will help move the web to an HTTPS-everywhere future.
  

  .page domains are available now through the Early Access Program. For an extra fee, you’ll have the chance to get the perfect .page domain name from participating registrar partners before standard registrations become available on October 9th. For more details about registering your domain, check out get.page. We’re looking forward to seeing what you’ll build on .page!
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/small-business/start-new-page-today/
• 

  Ara The Star Engineer, a STEM book on a mission
  • sorangutan  

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  “Engineers are boys.”

  What do you do when your 4 year-old-daughter-proclaims this? Start a passion project, collaborate with your peers, and publish a children’s picture book to bust that bias.

  I wrote “Ara the Star Engineer” to inspire young kids to explore the magic of STEM. And it took a village to do it. Along with many other Googlers who shared my determination, we came up with an inspiring, inclusive and whimsical way to learn about computers and technology from real-life Google trailblazers of diverse backgrounds: Diane Tang, Marian Croak, Parisa Tabriz and Kripa Krishnan.

  “Ara the Star Engineer” will be released on October 11, in celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child, and book’s sales  proceeds will be donated to STEM nonprofits. You can preorder the book at www.arastarengineer.com.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/googlers/ara-star-engineer-stem-book-mission/
• 

  Use your voice to access the world with a new Android app
  diversity and inclusion accessibility android • • sorangutan  

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  Everyone can benefit from hands-free support when using technology, but for the 62 million people in the U.S. with motor and mobility impairments, it can be a vital requirement. For Stefanie Putnam, a quadriplegic and a para-equestrian driver, tasks like taking photos, sending texts and composing emails could be daunting.

  Stefanie was one of several people the Google Accessibility team worked with to test early prototypes of a feature which allowed people to control their Android device using voice-only commands. Her feedback—and that of other testers—was instructional in shaping a new product we’ve just released called Voice Access.

  “After using this product for probably about 10 seconds, I think I’m falling in love with it,” said Stefanie. “You use your voice and you’re able to access the world. It has become a huge staple in my life.”

  

  Stefanie Putnam testing Voice Access

  Voice Access provides a hands-free experience for Android, letting people navigate through apps, compose and edit text, and talk to the Google Assistant. It provides more fine-grained controls than other voice commands you might use on your phone—for example, letting you use your voice to "click" buttons and controls within apps, or scroll and navigate app screens. And while there are great benefits for individuals with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, spinal cord injury and more, Voice Access can also provide value to people who don’t have a disability—people juggling with groceries or in the middle of cooking.

  

  Screenshots of voice commands used by Voice Access

  When using Voice Access, you can compose and edit a text message hands free by saying “Ok Google,” and open your favorite app with the “open” command. Then, select the text field by speaking the number Voice Access displays next to it. After saying your message out loud, like “would you like to meet for lunch tomorrow?” you can edit the text using phrases like “replace tomorrow with Saturday” to change the day you want to meet. Speaking commands such as “delete the line” or “undo” will start over and when you’ve finished, you can say “stop listening.”  There are many more examples of available commands on oursupport page.

  

  Screenshot of an Android homepage using Voice Access

  Feedback like Stefanie’s consistently shapes the future of Google’s products. You can help our Central Accessibility team build even more accessible products by signing up to participate in future user studies.   

  Voice Access is available globally supporting English commands, with additional language support coming in the future.  Learn more about Voice Access  and download the app from Google Play today.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/use-your-voice-access-world-new-android-app/
• 

  Hello world: teaming up with Rookie to get girls into computer science
  • sorangutan  

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  I went to university to study art and media and wound up falling in love with computer science. I took an Introduction to Computer Programming course, and in the first class, we wrote a program that outputted the text, “Hello world.” After one class, I declared computer science as my second major.

  
  

  I had no idea what to expect, but representations in the media made me believe that computer science was incomprehensible and involved heavy machinery. In reality, it gave me the tools to be creative and build websites and applications. I created music videos out of cat GIFs, made animal noises for kids games, and visualized video game music.

  
  

  Although I loved it, studying computer science was not easy. When I first started out, there were many times when my classmates completely disregarded what I had to say, or laughed at me for not understanding specific programming terminology. The field is homogeneous, so I wasn't surrounded by a lot of other women who were going through the same experience that I was. And since I was usually one of the only woman in the room, I felt like I was under a microscope and that my performance in class was being scrutinized. It made me realize that the biggest barrier for young women in tech is the feeling that we don’t belong in the field.

  
  

  The first time I felt like I truly belonged was when I joined my university’s Women in Computing Club, which provided a support network that allowed me to explore the connection between computer science and my other interests. I love to do illustrations, and I learned to create web applications based on things I had sketched on paper. My favorite project I built was an application for keeping track of groceries. It included hand-drawn illustrations (by me) of the various things someone could input such as cereal, yogurt, etc.

  
  

  When I joined Google I got involved with Made With Code, a program that shows young women who feel like they don’t belong that they have a place in this field. I wanted to give other women the same sense of belonging I felt in my Women in Computing Club, and show them the creative and problem-solving potential of technology.

  
  Made With Code recently partnered with Rookie, an online magazine for teenagers, to host an event for 60 young women to learn more about technology. Although Rookie founder Tavi Gevinson and I have had very different career paths, we both used technology to find our voice. Using Made With Code’s new Collage Kit, the girls played around with a visual programming editor to take objects, like rainbows and suns, and create animated collages. They also were able to use what they learned during the day to create paper zines with artist Kati Yewell.

  • _DSC0606.jpg

    Panel discussion between Tavi Gevinson (Founder of Rookie), Googler Neeka Farhad and me.

  • _DSC1223.jpg

    Our guests getting crafty during the zine-making workshop.

  • _DSC1046.jpg

    A Googler answers a guest's question.

  I hope that this event shows young women that they shouldn’t discount their interests because of other people’s perceptions. It took a long time for me to realize that my love for computer science could exist alongside my other passions, and that there could be an entire community of people like me.  I love rom-coms, I love to read, and draw and dance (even though I have no rhythm) and I also love to code and create programs that help others. Finding communities helped me and gave me the comfort to pursue all of the things I love to do.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/hello-world-teaming-rookie-get-girls-computer-science/
• 

  Using data to empower families to escape poverty
  • sorangutan  

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  Two years ago, Shoniqua Kemp was unemployed, homeless and living in a broken car with her 12-year-old daughter. It would have been easy to give in to despair, but Shoniqua had a conversation that would change the trajectory of her life. A friend told her about a nonprofit that was empowering people like her to escape poverty. Shoniqua was skeptical; it didn’t sound like the other assistance programs she knew. Nonetheless, she decided to attend the next meeting of the Family Independence Initiative (FII). She wanted a better life for her daughter.

  FII was founded in 2001 on the belief that low-income families can decide for themselves the best solutions to improve their lives, especially when guided by their own data. We believe in this approach, too, which is why Google.org is continuing our commitment to FII with over $2 million in new grants, and a team of full-time Google engineers who are lending their technical expertise.

  
  

  The fundamental components of FII’s approach are monthly group meetings and detailed journaling. For two years, each family keeps track of their goals, financial information and what academics would call “social capital exchange,” which are behaviors like helping one another with childcare or letting a neighbor borrow a car for a job interview. Families share this information on FII’s web platform called Uptogether.

  
  

  Each family sets its own economic and social mobility goals, which might be buying a home or continuing a child’s education. By filling out journals, attending group meetings to share solutions, and receiving a $100/month stipend for doing both, they create a virtuous circle, reinforcing the habits of success. Over the two year life that families participate, they can earn up to $3,200.

  
  

  “I already had a circle of friends and, growing up, I kept a diary,” Shoniqua told us. “I wasn’t sure how the program was going to help.” But then she started getting the FII reports, which turned her monthly data into graphic charts, visual proof of progress. “There, in black and white, I could see all the positive things I was doing. It changed how I saw myself.”

  
  

  In 2015, we helped FII in California expand from 100 to 1,000 families. After two years, the families increased their income by 22 percent, their savings quadrupled and they decreased their reliance on government subsidies, such as food stamps, by 55 percent.

  
  

  We want to keep the momentum going. Last week, we announced a $2 million grant to bring FII to Chicago, and today, along with the St. David’s Foundation, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and the Harold Simmons Family Foundation, we’re helping expand FII to Austin, with a total commitment of $1.3 million.  

  

  Google.org and City of Chicago at an announcement event for the Family Independence Initiative last week. From left to right: Jesús Gerena, CEO, Family Independence Initiative; Samantha Hennessey, Manager, Google.org; Patricia Belden, Preservation of Affordable Housing Communities, President; Rob Biederman, Head of Government Relations & Public Affairs, Midwest, Google; Lisa Morrison Butler, Commissioner - City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services; Maab Ibrahim, Manager, Google.org; Ebony Scott, Chicago Site Director, Family Independence Initiative

  In addition, for six months full-time, a group of six Googlers will build a tool that uses natural language processing to analyze the journal entries uploaded on UpTogether, looking for trends or patterns. With this new information, FII will gain a much deeper understanding of what leads to family success.

  
  

  Today, Shoniqua is no longer homeless, her income has quadrupled, and she was able to repair her car. But something else gives her the most pride. Last year, a middle-class woman told Shoniqua how she paid for college with a savings bond her parents had given her as a child. Shoniqua didn’t know savings bonds still existed. “It’s hard to talk about this without getting emotional,” she said, her voice catching. “But this year, I set aside enough money to buy a $200 savings bond in my daughter’s name.” She paused a moment, and then smiled. “My daughter is going to have generational wealth, just like that woman got from her parents.”

  
  

  Shoniqua is living proof that FII's approach can not only help families escape poverty, but thrive in a new life that they create for themselves. We're grateful to be part of a community of funders helping FII to reach 2,000 more families.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-org/using-data-empower-families-escape-poverty/
• 

  ICYMI in September: here’s what happened in G Suite
  • sorangutan  

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  Google turned the big 2-0 this past month. While the date is contested (who really wants to keep track of their age that closely anyway?), Google’s helped people across the world accomplish quite a bit over the past two decades. Here’s a snapshot. Or you can give yourself a tour of the original garage!

  In the G Suite world, we kicked off Next Tokyo this month and launched new G Suite features as a part of it. We announced the beta version of Work Insights—a way for you to gain a deeper understanding of how employees use G Suite to collaborate in your organization. We also made the security investigation tool available to G Suite users to help businesses stay on top of security controls.

  

  Did you know there is a Chrome extension that lets you search for Drive files from within your Google Search bar? It’s awesome. You can download the Chrome extension here.

  

  → Smart Compose is available in G Suite now. Type on.

  → If you’ve ever wished you could comment on a Microsoft file like you do in Google Docs (because it’s awesome), now you can if you save the file in Drive. Check out this demo to see how to comment on Word, Excel or PowerPoint files.

  → We’ve beefed up our conference capabilities with third-parties in Google Calendar. Now you can join meetings natively in Calendar through add-ons from Cisco, Dialpad, LogMeIn, RingCentral and Vonage instead of downloading a separate Chrome extension. One less step. (Or you can always use Hangouts Meet. ;)).

  → Speaking of Hangouts Meet, now up to 100,000 people can livestream meetings—great for global company-wide meetings or executive presentations.

  → The Google Sheets add-on for Salesforce is ready for use. It can help you import data and reports from Salesforce into Sheets, and push updates back to Salesforce. Read more.

  → We’re testing out a new feature for businesses in Google Drive called Priority Workspaces. It uses machine learning to help people find information quicker in Drive. Admins can apply for the beta here.

  → By popular demand, now you can edit jams from the web on Jamboard. We also added a new “view only” option.

  Check out the full recap of product updates in September. Cheerio!

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/g-suite/icymi-september-heres-what-happened-g-suite/
• 

  Something new that’s also blue—new Aqua Mini
  google assistant google home • • sorangutan  

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  Blue: the color of ocean waves, the bright sky, sapphires and now … our latest Google Home Mini. Well, we’re actually calling it Aqua, and this new color is the first one we’ve added since we launched Google Home Mini last year.

  
  

  It’s made from the same fabric as the Mini’s original colors—chalk, charcoal and coral—with the same aesthetic goal, to easily blend into your home. Aqua Mini does all the great things you expect from your Google Assistant and Google Home, like:

  • Speaking two languages interchangeably.
    
  • Playing music from YouTube Music, Pandora, and Spotify.
    
  • Sharing a message with everyone in the house with Broadcast.
    
  • Helping you locate your phone simply with a quick “Ok Google, find my phone.” Android phones will ring even when on silent.
    

  And of course, you can ask it some fun questions to get to know the Google Assistant. Here are a few of our favorites, just start with “Hey Google,”
  

  • Tell me a secret.
    
  • Tell me a joke.
    
  • Spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
    
  • Tag you're it.
    
  • What sound does a unicorn make?
    

  Google Home Mini in Aqua will be available from the Google Store and Walmart online later this month.  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/home/something-new-also-blue-new-aqua-mini/
• 

  Take control of your commute with Google Maps
  • sorangutan  

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  If you’ve ever been stuck in a hot, crowded subway tunnel or caught in gridlocked traffic wishing that you could magically transport yourself to work, you know that commuting can be hard.

  
  

  Why are commutes so stressful? They’re unpredictable and long. Commute data in 25 North American cities tells us daily commute times during rush hour traffic can be up to 60 percent longer than what you expect when you start your drive—resulting in a lot of stress, missed meetings, and skipped breakfasts. According to historical Google Maps data, people in North America spend a full day per month commuting—which almost adds up to a two-week vacation each year.  Plus, a bad commute can negatively impact the rest of your day, long after the actual commute is over.

  
  

  Today, we’re rolling out new features on Google Maps to help you take control of your daily commute— enabling you to plan ahead, prepare for the inevitable disruptions, and possibly avoid them altogether. Oh, and we’ll also help you have a bit of fun along the way. 👍

  
  

  • 1houraday
  • 2weekvacation
  • 60%longer

  
  

  Know before you go

  Google Maps now features a commute tab that provides one-tap access to live traffic and transit information tailored to your commute. We’ll tell you if your commute is going to be a normal one or if you’ll need to budget extra time due to things like an accident or heavy traffic. In the case of a delay, we’ll tell you about alternative routes to help you get to work faster. On Android, you’ll also receive notifications about delays and disruptions on your route as they happen, so you can know about an incident before you get caught up in the delay.  

  
  

  

  Drive 🚗, walk 🚶🏽 and ride 🚌 : support for mixed-mode commutes

  There’s a new feature for people whose commutes involve both driving and public transit. You can see helpful information about when to leave, and for each leg of your trip:  you’ll know if there’s traffic on your drive, when the next train departs, and how long it’ll take to walk from the train station to the office. We do the work for you and automatically factor this into your ETA so you can anticipate exactly when you’ll get to work.

  
  

  Stop the guessing game

  Sprinting to the subway station only to find that your train is delayed is our least favorite way to start the day. Now, transit riders in 80 regions worldwide will be able to see exactly where their bus or train is in real time on the map. This will help you plan your day more efficiently—you’ll know if you can spend an extra few minutes grabbing coffee, or if you really do need to make a run for it to catch your bus. And in Sydney, we’ve partnered with Transport New South Wales to show how full you next bus or train is - so you’ll know whether or not you’ll get a seat. This feature will be coming to more cities around the globe soon.

  
  

  

  Get your motor running, head out on the highway 🎸

  If you have to sit in traffic, you may as well do it while listening to good music. We're making Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music available within Google Maps so that you can control your tunes and podcasts right from Google Maps navigation. With Spotify on Android you can also choose your favorite content by browsing through songs, albums, podcasts, and playlists with the new, easy to use navigation. Say goodbye to toggling between apps, and rock out knowing that you can keep your eyes where they should be—on the road.

  
  

  

  Get started

  Our new commute features start rolling out globally on Android and iOS this week. To get started, update your app from the Play Store or App Store. To learn how to set up your commute, visit our Help Center.
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/maps/take-control-your-commute-google-maps/