Things you love are Made with Code

Miral is a hip hop dancer and choreographer who lights up stages across the country. Danielle is a cinematographer at Pixar, helping to bring beloved characters like Nemo and Merida to life. Erica is a humanitarian fighting malaria around the world.

These are all women with cool, amazing jobs. But, more important, they�re all women who use computer science, and an ability to code, to do those cool, amazing jobs. They couldn�t do what they do without having learned not just to use technology, but to build it themselves. Unfortunately, there are far too few women like them and far too few young girls following their paths. In fact, fewer than one percent of high school girls express interest in majoring in computer science.

This is an issue that hits home for me. My school-age daughter instinctively knows how to play games, watch videos and chat with friends online. She understands technology. And she likes using technology. But, she never expressed any interest in creating it herself.

So, I decided to launch a campaign at home � connecting my daughter to coding resources, increasing my encouragement and introducing her to other girls interested in computer science. It wasn�t always easy, but it�s already showing results. She recently started learning basic computer languages and using code to do projects at home.

Today, we�re attempting to solve this issue on a much larger scale. Along with Chelsea Clinton, Girls Inc., Girl Scouts of the USA, Mindy Kaling, MIT Media Lab, National Center for Women & Information Technology, SevenTeen, TechCrunch and more, Google is launching Made with Code, an initiative to inspire girls to code. The program includes:

• Cool introductory Blockly-based coding projects, like designing a bracelet 3D-printed by Shapeways, learning to create animated GIFs and building beats for a music track.

• Collaborations with organizations like Girl Scouts of the USA and Girls, Inc. to introduce Made with Code to girls in their networks, encouraging them to complete their first coding experience.

• A commitment of $50 million to support programs that can help get more females into computer science, like rewarding teachers who support girls who take CS courses on Codecademy or Khan Academy.

We�ve also posted videos about women who are using code in their dream jobs, like Miral, Danielle, Erica and other inspirational girl coders � like Brittany Wenger, who is using code to fight cancer. And, we�ve developed a few steps parents can take at home to get their daughters excited about computer science. Read more about the initiative here.

Nowadays, coding isn�t just a skill useful for working at a tech company; engineering isn�t just for engineers. Interior design. Medicine. Architecture. Music. No matter what a girl dreams of doing, learning how to code will help her get there. Their future � our future � is made with code. Let�s do what we can to make sure that future is as bright as possible.


Posted by Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube

Through the Google lens: search trends June 6-12

All eyes were on Brazil this week, and searches were not far behind. Here�s a look at what�s trending on Google, from the football pitch to the political battlefield.

Football fever
The World Cup kicked off yesterday, and it�s safe to say that it�s on pretty much everyone�s minds. Even in the U.S., searches for the tournament beat searches for the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Playoff combined. In addition to more general searches like [world cup schedule] and [world cup 2014], people searched for information on top players like Cristiano Ronaldo�who left the field limping during a practice session this week�and Ronaldinho, who won�t be on Brazil�s squad this year but still has star power. If you want more news from Brazil, be sure to check out google.com/worldcup, where we�ll be sharing trends about every match for all 32 countries.

New cinema classics?
This week in entertainment, it seems to be all about the sequels. Harry, Lloyd and the Mutt Cutts van are back in Dumb and Dumber To, which premiered its trailer on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week. As Harry says in the original movie, �Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!� (Well, we�ll see, at least.) Meanwhile, cop comedy 22 Jump Street debuts in theaters today and searches are spiking for the film as well as for one of its (newer) stars�actress Amber Stevens.

Surprises at the polls
Americans got a major surprise this week in Virginia when U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost the primary election to the relatively unknown David Brat. People turned to the web to learn more about the upset, though searches for Cantor still dominate over those for Brat overall.

Celebrity causes� of a kind
Mila Kunis, who is pregnant with her first child, went on Jimmy Kimmel this week to make an important public service announcement to men who say �we are pregnant�: Just. don�t. do it. And Blue Ivy, the daughter of Beyonc� and Jay-Z, has landed on the trending search list after an online petition was created urging Blue Ivy�s parents to �comb her hair.� The petition ignited a debate about natural hair and standards of beauty.

Tip of the week
If you�re in the U.S. and can�t skip work to watch soccer all day, you can still catch all the highlights from Brazil with a simple search. We've teamed up with ESPN to bring you closer to all the stunning goals, beautiful passes, iffy red cards, tense penalty kicks and much more. Try a search for [brazil world cup] or [mexico vs. cameroon] during or after a match to get video highlights from ESPNFC.com. ?

Posted by Emily Wood, Google Blog Editor, who searched this week for [friskies commercial 2014] and who did not give in to the temptation to write about Pretty Little Liars in this post, even though it was totAlly a trending topic.

From kickoff to the final goal, Google is your guide to the beautiful game

From the last minute U.S. goal against Algeria in �10 to the headbutt watched �round the world in �06, every four years the beautiful game captures the imagination of billions of people. This year, wherever you are, Google is bringing you closer to the action than ever before.

Don�t miss a minute
For the first time, a simple search for [world cup] or [world cup usa] will give you team lineups before the match, live scores, and even up to the minute information about goals and player stats.

You can also stay updated on your favorite teams with Google Now�you don�t even have to search. Learn more on Inside Search.

What does the world want to know during the tournament?
Google Trends is your real-time guide to the players, teams and moments that are capturing the world�s attention. At google.com/worldcup you can explore these moments throughout the tournament, whether it�s insight on how a country is feeling ahead of a big match, or where fans stand on a controversial game-winning call.

Take in the stadiums and streets with Street View
With Street View in Google Maps, you can explore the sights and culture of this year�s tournament, from the 12 stadiums to the iconic painted streets, one of Brazil�s tournament traditions.

Rua Professor Eurico Rabelo - Maracan�, RJ

As the world unites under a common love for a single sport, there's sure to be a lot of action. From dramatic tumbles to magisterial strikes, and from contested headers to flops and flags, we'll be there to help you discover and connect with the moments that matter most.

Posted by Emily Moxley, Product Manager

The world is a canvas: introducing the street art project

Here today, gone tomorrow. The transient nature of street art means it can be at risk of being scrubbed out and lost forever to its legions of fans. But long after the paint has faded from the walls, technology can help preserve street art, so people can discover it wherever and whenever they like. In a new project launching today, we�ve partnered with street art experts to bring you 5,000+ images and around 100 exhibitions in the Google Art Project�telling a story of street art around the world.

Starting today, you can immerse yourself in a world of prowling foxes on lonely walls, supernatural symbolism, murals on a grand scale, tiny hard-to-spot icons, or trompe l�oeil techniques that use physical details of the wall itself to trick the eye.

Some of this work was created as a means of expression and activism, like the Chilean open-sky museums of La Pincoya and San Miguel, which were born as community projects to transform poverty-stricken neighborhoods, or to make a political statement like in London and Atlanta.

It�s not just about spraypaint either�other exhibits demonstrate the signature style of the artist, like JR�s large-scale and evocative photo-portraits, Roa�s animals, Vhils� etching or Os Gemeos surrealism.

Regg and Violant, Centro Comercial Alegro, Set�bal, Galeria de Arte Urbana

Vhils using the texture of the wall as a canvas

Using Street View, you can also explore buildings with street art that are closed to the public, or that have already been demolished�such as the famed Paris 13 tower:

Agrandir le plan

Explore all nine floors and 450 square meters of painted ceilings and walls of the now-demolished Tour Paris 13 building with Street View.

In a series of fascinating exhibitions by our partners, you can also learn about origins of the street art movement or see how Street Art is being used in Poland to revitalize its cities. Take a tour through the origins of New York�s original graffiti movement of the 90�s, or see top highlights from the city�s 5 Pointz project. Compare the global nature of the Street Art produced in Mexico, which has a long and vibrant history of muralism, to the scene in the Philippines, which is just developing.

Street art may be temporary on our walls and sidewalks, but its beauty and vibrancy live on, on the web. Take a look� you�re sure to be bowled over by the variety of the urban canvas.

Posted by Lucy Schwartz, Programme Manager, Google Cultural Institute

Hangout Bridges: Bringing together young Jews and Arabs

The fortressed city of Acre lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in northern Israel. An important Middle Eastern city in ancient times, it�s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its fortified walls, citadel, mosques, synagogues, khans, baths and Crusader structures, Acre has always been a meeting place for East and West, new and old. Today, it�s a mixed Jewish-Arab city, but people from the two communities interact all too rarely. Mistrust, and sometimes outright hostility, keep the two communities apart.

We wanted to see if the Internet could help break down some of these barriers. So last September, a group of 40 students from the separate Arab and Jewish schools in the city, together with 200 Arab, Jewish, Druze and Bedouin students from other communities in Israel, took part in �Hangout Bridges: Bridges to Peace.� A partnership with ORT, Israel�s largest educational network of schools and colleges, and the Peres Center for Peace, the program uses Hangouts to help create understanding�and friendship�between these communities.

Grouped together by their teachers into multi-cultural Google+ circles, the students got to know each other online and started working on joint projects. Each circle met on average 10 times on Hangouts, then in a series of face-to-face meetings.

Last week, we hosted the finale event of the program at Campus Tel Aviv, a tech hub for developers and entrepreneurs at our Tel Aviv office. The students and their teachers enjoyed a creative session with System Ali, a multicultural rap group, and an inspirational talk with the leaders of MEET, an educational initiative that brings together young Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The students then presented the projects they've been working on for the last eight months, including a walking tour of Acre using Google Maps that seeks to uncover the rich Jewish-Arab history of this ancient city; educational Hebrew-Arabic websites that address racism and prejudice in sports, provide information on relevant legislation and offer quizzes on the topic; and an original song performed in Hebrew, Arabic and English, emphasizing coexistence and mutual respect.

This is the second year we�ve run �Hangout Bridges� in Israel. For our next course, starting this coming fall, we�re doubling the number of participants. We hope we can expand to other countries and help�in a small way�build bridges of mutual understanding around the world. As participant Wasim Jass put it: �I learned that we can cast off the hatred and plant love in its place.�

Posted by Doron Avni, Senior Policy Manager, Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Israel

Doodle 4 Google 2014: An inventive doodle for clean water

On google.com today, you may have noticed an intricately drawn version of our logo showing an unusual water purifier, surrounded by a variety of fantastical creatures. This doodle is the result of our seventh annual Doodle 4 Google competition, where we asked kids, grades K-12, to tell us what they�d invent to help make the world a better place. Today, out of more than 100,000 submissions, 250 state finalists, 50 state winners, and five national age group winners, we�re excited to present the 2014 U.S. Doodle 4 Google winner�11-year old Audrey Zhang of New York!

In the spirit of our theme around inventiveness, we asked Audrey to spend a day with the doodlers following our awards ceremony to help animate her illustration. In her new role as animator and film director, the ever detail-oriented Audrey made sure that each light would flicker and that the water was clean enough to (virtually) drink in. She was especially passionate about the illustration�s dragons�about whom (oh, by the way) she is also writing a novel.

In addition to seeing her finished work on our homepage today, Audrey received a $30,000 college scholarship and $50,000 Google for Education technology grant for her school. And to help make Audrey�s vision of water purification a reality, we donated $20,000 in her name to charity:water, a charity that brings clean water to developing nations, to provide clean water to schools in Bangladesh.

"To make the world a better place, I invented a transformative water purifier. It takes in dirty and polluted water from rivers, lakes, and even oceans, then massively transforms the water into clean, safe and sanitary water, when humans and animals drink this water, they will live a healthier life." - Audrey Zhang, 11

Audrey�s doodle was one of many amazing contributions to Doodle 4 Google this year. We encourage you to take a look at the outstanding national grade group winners, who we announced at an event with all 50 state winners at the Googleplex back in May.

Every year we do this, and every year we�re amazed. The thousands of young Doodlers who enter the contest are annual reminders of that special combination of curiosity and imagination that seems to come only from young people. Their ideas�like Audrey's�inspire us to do more and be better. Congratulations to all our Doodle 4 Google winners!

Posted by Liat Ben-Rafael, Doodle 4 Google Program Manager

Through the Google lens: search trends May 30-Jun 5

It�s been a busy week for entertainment junkies, with the return of [oitnb] and a (yet another) huge episode of [game of thrones]. But people searched for more serious subjects, including the anniversary of [d-day] and a changing of the guard in Spain.

�Stars,� shows and sad goodbyes
Anticipation was high this week for the film adaptation of John Green�s The Fault in Our Stars, which comes out today. It�s the top topic on Hot Trends as I write this, and people are looking for related topics such as [ed sheeran], who contributed a song to the movie, and [theo james], who is rumored to be dating the film�s star Shailene Woodley. And searches for [orange is the new black] skyrocketed as the fan favorite returns for its much-awaited second season on Netflix.

People searched for [gwendoline christie], the Game of Thrones actress, after it was confirmed she�d be a cast member in the upcoming Star Wars 7 film. The Lady of Tarth had some company in search this week from [oberyn martell]�but we won�t get too into that in case anyone still has last week�s episode awaiting them on DVR.

And finally, on a sad note, Ann B. Davis�best known as housekeeper Alice on The Brady Bunch�passed away this week at the age of 88. Many were searching for information on her life and famous Alice moments.

Marking a moment in history
Today marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day, and veterans and world leaders gathered to commemorate the storming of the beaches of Normandy that turned the tides in World War II. [D-Day] was a top topic on Google, as people searched for [d-day anniversary] and [d-day facts] to learn more about this moment in history. If you�re interested in a more in-depth look at the Normandy Landings, this week we also added a new collection of 470 documents and images showing different perspectives on D-Day to the Google Cultural Institute.

Searching for knowledge
After 40 years on the throne, this week it was announced that King Juan Carlos I would step down in favor of his son Crown Prince Felipe. People turned to Google to understand the term [abdicate]. And as the summer break approaches, math games like [brainpop], [mymathlab] and [scratch] are trending in search�a good sign that parents and students are looking to stay sharp over vacation!

Tip of the week
Ready to cry? Just ask Google Search (on iOS and Android) to �show me movie times for The Fault In Our Stars.� You�ll see nearby theaters and showtimes, and can click on the time you like to buy a ticket online. �Ok Google, remind me to bring tissues!�

Posted by Emily Wood, Google Blog Editor, who searched this week for [darren aronofsky atwood] and [first city festival]

Meet the Bay Area Impact Challenge winners

Ten days ago, voting opened for Google�s first Bay Area Impact Challenge, and now the tally is in. On the ballot? Ten amazing nonprofit proposals to make a difference in our community.

Between May 22 and June 2, nearly 200,000 votes poured in (191,504 to be exact)�adjusted for population, that makes it the highest voter turnout we�ve had in a Challenge to date. Now we�re unveiling the winners. Each will receive $500,000 in funding and support from Google:

• Hack the Hood will address digital equity by training low-income youth to build websites for local small businesses, actively supporting them to launch their own tech careers.
• Center for Employment Opportunities will develop a tech platform to prepare formerly incarcerated people for employment in a digital world.
• The Health Trust will create new distribution channels for people to get affordable produce, expanding options for street vendors, corner stores, and farmers' markets for underserved areas.
• Bring me a book will give kids access to digital books, in multiple languages, while creating a supportive online community for parents and caregivers.

Hack the Hood celebrates their win with community advisor Reverend Cecil Williams

But everyone wins in this competition: The six remaining finalists will each receive $250,000, and we also gave an additional 15 nonprofits around the Bay Area $100,000 each.

Finally, all 25 Google Impact Challenge nonprofits will receive one year of accelerator support at our first-ever impact lab, a co-working space launched in partnership with Impact Hub SF, a shared workspace for entrepreneurs committed to positive social and environmental change.

Nonprofits will have access to networking events, meeting space, and development workshops in the Impact Hub SF, as well as membership to all U.S. Hub locations. We also plan to host community events for the Bay Area nonprofit community throughout the year�so check out our website or follow us on Google+ to stay in the loop.

Now the work really begins, and we�re excited to continue to build on our ongoing efforts to give back to the community.

Posted by Jacquelline Fuller, Director of Google.org

Transparency Report: Protecting emails as they travel across the web

When you mail a letter to your friend, you hope she�ll be the only person who reads it. But a lot could happen to that letter on its way from you to her, and prying eyes might try to take a look. That�s why we send important messages in sealed envelopes, rather than on postcards.

Email works in a similar way. Emails that are encrypted as they�re routed from sender to receiver are like sealed envelopes, and less vulnerable to snooping�whether by bad actors or through government surveillance�than postcards.

But some email is more secure than others. So to help you better understand whether your emails are protected by encryption, we�re launching a new section in the Transparency Report.

Gmail has always supported encryption in transit by using Transport Layer Security (TLS), and will automatically encrypt your incoming and outgoing emails if it can. The important thing is that both sides of an email exchange need to support encryption for it to work; Gmail can't do it alone.

Our data show that approximately 40 to 50 percent of emails sent between Gmail and other email providers aren�t encrypted. Many providers have turned on encryption, and others have said they�re going to, which is great news. As they do, more and more emails will be shielded from snooping.

For people looking for even stronger email security, end-to-end encryption is a good option�but it�s been hard to use. So today we�re making available the source code for End-to-End, a Chrome extension. It's currently in testing, and once it's ready for general use it will make this technology easier for those who choose to use it.

We encourage you to find tips about choosing strong passwords and adding another layer of protection to your account in our Safety Center. And check out Reset the Net, a broad coalition of organizations, companies and individuals coming together this week to promote stronger security practices on the web; we�re happy to be a participant in that effort.

Posted by Brandon Long, Tech Lead, Gmail Delivery Team

Through the Google lens: search trends May 23-29

This week we saw searches on everything from surprises on the court to retro reads.

Books in the news
On Wednesday, the beloved author Maya Angelou passed away at the age of 86. More than 2 million searches have taken place this week as people looked for information about her life and work. Popular queries related to the author this week include [maya angelou quotes], [maya angelou poems] and [still i rise].

Take a look, it�s in a book� on the web? More than 30 years after it first premiered, the beloved PBS show �Reading Rainbow� was in the news this week when former host LeVar Burton formed a Kickstarter campaign to fund a Reading Rainbow literacy program. In less than 24 hours, Burton had met his goal of a million dollars.

Sporting surprises
The NBA and NHL playoffs continue to dominate sports fans' minds, but this week in addition to the more expected [rangers], [blackhawks], [heat], [spurs], etc. there were a few less common sporting searches. Rapper 50 Cent threw out a first pitch for the Mets on Tuesday, and it was a little, um, off the mark. People headed to Google to look for video and GIFs of the wild pitch. Some might say 50 Cent may want to stay in da club and off the mound.

Meanwhile in tennis, French Open number-one seed Serena Williams was defeated by a lower-ranked young player, Garbine Muguruza, who grew up idolizing Serena�s game. Finally, anticipation for summer soccer is heating up. Late last week we learned that player Landon Donovan would not be included in the United States� World Cup roster this year. Searches for Donovan immediately spiked to reach a new high for the last year, with related terms [klinsmann] and [landon donovan twitter] rising as well.

Long weekend festivities
This week marked Memorial Day in the U.S., and many Americans celebrated with [parades] and [fireworks] to honor service members, and also hit up the mall for weekend [sales]. Other celebrations took place this weekend too: amidst a host of college students walking across the dais this weekend, there was one grad who's more known for her prowess in a fictional school. Harry Potter star Emma Watson graduated from Brown University (the Hogwarts of Rhode Island) this weekend, and searches for the actress were even higher than when she presented at the Oscars (woo, education!). But no weekend wrapup would be complete without at least a mention of... yes, Kimye. The long-anticipated and not-so-secret nuptials of Kanye West and [kim kardashian] took place in Europe over the weekend, leading hordes of curious searchers to look for dirt on the dress, the rehearsal dinner and more.

Last but�in my book�certainly not least: comedian Bill Murray showed up unexpectedly at a bachelor party in Charleston, South Carolina, where he gave a toast with some life advice on finding �the one.� Because if anyone knows how hard it can be to find the one, it's Phil Connors.

Posted by Emily Wood, Google Blog Editor, who searched this week for [yamasho] and [bee dance meaning]

Staying safe this hurricane season

Earlier this month, Vivek Maheshwari was heading to the airport after a business trip in Denver when he received a public alert notification on his phone telling him there was a tornado heading his way. Luckily, the storm was still a few miles off, so he was able to find an alternate route to the airport and make it home safely.

Easy and timely access to information can make a huge difference in times of crisis�whether to help people like Vivek get out of harm�s way, or to help those affected after a disaster has occurred. The web can help by providing access to official alerts from government organizations, news reports and on-the-ground updates from social media. The key is making sure that all that information can get to those who are affected�as quickly as possible.

That�s one of the things our Crisis Response Team focuses on. Since 2010, we�ve been working to make disaster-related information immediately available and useful in a crisis, through tools like Public Alerts, Crisis Map and Person Finder. And since next week marks the start of hurricane season in the North Atlantic, we thought we�d provide a few tips to help you prepare for potential summer disasters�from tropical storms to wildfires to floods.

Make sure you�ll receive Public Alerts
Google Public Alerts, launched two years ago, is a tool that sends people alerts from authoritative sources like the U.S. National Weather Service or the Japan Meteorological Agency during emergencies. They�re accessible through the Google search app on your mobile devices and Google Chrome on your computer, as well as in search results for related queries and on Google Maps when relevant.

People have used Public Alerts to get to safety before a landslide in Colombia, set up sandbags before a thunderstorm in Utah, and get off the road before an ice storm in Kentucky. To make sure you get the information you need to know when you need it, get Google Now on your Android device, iOS device, or computer.

Public Alerts are now available in seven countries (U.S., Australia, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan) and will continue to roll out to new countries this year.

Install emergency preparedness apps
There are a number of great apps which can help you prepare for or outlast an emergency. For example, a flashlight app can be useful if the power goes out and you don�t have access to a regular flashlight (use a regular flashlight if you can to conserve your phone�s battery). The first-aid and disaster preparedness apps from the Red Cross have a lot of valuable information. And the official FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) app has information on how to stay safe during a disaster, the locations of FEMA disaster recovery stations, and more.

And remember, when bad weather is on the way, keep your phone plugged in and follow this advice to conserve battery life on Android. If you�re using an iOS device, try these tips.

Get helpful gadgets
A waterproof phone case can help protect your phone during floods or heavy rains and a portable solar-powered charger will help keep your phone�s battery alive. It may also be a good idea to invest in a cell phone signal booster which gives you a greater chance of connecting to an operational cell tower.

Of course, tech can only take you so far, so make sure you have the basics (like a disaster supplies kit and a family emergency plan) covered too�Ready.gov is a great resource.

While it�s impossible to predict the weather, we hope these tips help you and your family prepare for the possibility of things going wrong. Stay safe this summer!

Posted by Payal Patel, Google Crisis Response Team

A new learning environment at Mater Dei in Brazil

We launched Google Apps for Education because we believed it would help students learn more collaboratively and help educators spend less time on administration and more time on teaching. It�s been thrilling to see how some schools take �going Google� to the next level and into their own hands�coming up with even more creative ways of incorporating technology in education. Recently we came across one of these schools: Col�gio Mater Dei in Brazil.

In 2013, Mater Dei deployed Google Apps for Education as part of a move to incorporate technology into the academic environment. After they started to see early results, they came to Google with a plan: create a space on campus that�s designed from the ground up to be a technology-powered learning center for K-12 students. Last week, that idea became a reality when Mater Dei launched what we�re now calling the Google Learning Space.

Transforming a part of their campus that used to be a traditional library, the school set up a high-performance wireless network in a room full of bright, colorful cushions and chairs where students can brainstorm, meet to discuss projects and talk with their teachers. There are two smart TVs with Chromecast installed, so students can project assignments, presentations and videos easily. There's a library of tablets and Chromebooks that students can use, all featuring Google Play and Google Apps.

High school history students collaborate on tablets in the Google Learning Space

The school�s ultimate goal is to increase collaboration amongst students and encourage them to think more creatively instead of learning by rote memorization. And so far, the results seem to be good�the school is already experimenting with new ways to teach and learn. For example, kindergarten teachers are helping students �visit� countries around the world with Google Earth and the Cultural Institute. Electronics teacher Andre Godoy is using Google Sites and Google Glass to help his students build a formula that can move a robot with a swipe of the finger. And biology teachers have started using the Google Play app Biodigital Human to help bring anatomy to life in 3D; students can add, remove and manipulate each organ of the body using the app, gaining an understanding of various diseases and how treatments are developed. Best of all, students and teachers seem more energized and excited to participate in class.

Grade school students work with interactive biology apps from the Google Play Store

The Google Learning Space is just one example of how bringing technology into the classroom can have a real and immediate impact on both teachers and students. We�re excited to keep working on products that can help kids learn�in Brazil and around the world.

Posted by Milton Larsen Burgese, Google Head of Education, Google Brazil

Getting to work on diversity at Google

We�ve always been reluctant to publish numbers about the diversity of our workforce at Google. We now realize we were wrong, and that it�s time to be candid about the issues. Put simply, Google is not where we want to be when it comes to diversity, and it�s hard to address these kinds of challenges if you�re not prepared to discuss them openly, and with the facts. So, here are our numbers:

There are lots of reasons why technology companies like Google struggle to recruit and retain women and minorities. For example, women earn roughly 18 percent of all computer science degrees in the United States. Blacks and Hispanics each make up under 10 percent of U.S. college grads and each collect fewer than 10 percent of degrees in CS majors. So we�ve invested a lot of time and energy in education.

Among other things, since 2010 we�ve given more than $40 million to organizations working to bring computer science education to women and girls. And we�ve been working with historically black colleges and universities to elevate coursework and attendance in computer science. For example, this year Google engineer Charles Pratt was in-residence at Howard University, where he revamped the school�s Intro to CS curriculum.

But we�re the first to admit that Google is miles from where we want to be�and that being totally clear about the extent of the problem is a really important part of the solution. To learn more about our work on diversity�for our workforce, for the web and for the tech leaders of the future�visit google.com/diversity.

Posted by Laszlo Bock, Senior Vice President, People Operations

Update May 31: We updated the language of this post to correct the number of degrees black and Hispanic students earn in CS majors, which are 8 percent and 6 percent respectively, according to the National Science Foundation.

Better data centers through machine learning

It�s no secret that we�re obsessed with saving energy. For over a decade we�ve been designing and building data centers that use half the energy of a typical data center, and we�re always looking for ways to reduce our energy use even further. In our pursuit of extreme efficiency, we�ve hit upon a new tool: machine learning. Today we�re releasing a white paper (PDF) on how we�re using neural networks to optimize data center operations and drive our energy use to new lows.

It all started as a 20 percent project, a Google tradition of carving out time for work that falls outside of one�s official job description. Jim Gao, an engineer on our data center team, is well-acquainted with the operational data we gather daily in the course of running our data centers. We calculate PUE, a measure of energy efficiency, every 30 seconds, and we�re constantly tracking things like total IT load (the amount of energy our servers and networking equipment are using at any time), outside air temperature (which affects how our cooling towers work) and the levels at which we set our mechanical and cooling equipment. Being a smart guy�our affectionate nickname for him is �Boy Genius��Jim realized that we could be doing more with this data. He studied up on machine learning and started building models to predict�and improve�data center performance.

The mechanical plant at our facility in The Dalles, Ore. The data center team is constantly tracking the performance of the heat exchangers and other mechanical equipment pictured here.

What Jim designed works a lot like other examples of machine learning, like speech recognition: a computer analyzes large amounts of data to recognize patterns and �learn� from them. In a dynamic environment like a data center, it can be difficult for humans to see how all of the variables�IT load, outside air temperature, etc.�interact with each other. One thing computers are good at is seeing the underlying story in the data, so Jim took the information we gather in the course of our daily operations and ran it through a model to help make sense of complex interactions that his team�being mere mortals�may not otherwise have noticed.

A simplified version of what the models do: take a bunch of data, find the hidden interactions, then provide recommendations that optimize for energy efficiency.

After some trial and error, Jim�s models are now 99.6 percent accurate in predicting PUE. This means he can use the models to come up with new ways to squeeze more efficiency out of our operations. For example, a couple months ago we had to take some servers offline for a few days�which would normally make that data center less energy efficient. But we were able to use Jim�s models to change our cooling setup temporarily�reducing the impact of the change on our PUE for that time period. Small tweaks like this, on an ongoing basis, add up to significant savings in both energy and money.

The models can predict PUE with 99.6 percent accuracy.

By pushing the boundaries of data center operations, Jim and his team have opened up a new world of opportunities to improve data center performance and reduce energy consumption. He lays out his approach in the white paper, so other data center operators that dabble in machine learning (or who have a resident genius around who wants to figure it out) can give it a try as well.

Posted by Joe Kava, VP, Data Centers

Just press go: designing a self-driving vehicle

Ever since we started the Google self-driving car project, we�ve been working toward the goal of vehicles that can shoulder the entire burden of driving. Just imagine: You can take a trip downtown at lunchtime without a 20-minute buffer to find parking. Seniors can keep their freedom even if they can�t keep their car keys. And drunk and distracted driving? History.

We�re now exploring what fully self-driving vehicles would look like by building some prototypes; they�ll be designed to operate safely and autonomously without requiring human intervention. They won�t have a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal� because they don�t need them. Our software and sensors do all the work. The vehicles will be very basic�we want to learn from them and adapt them as quickly as possible�but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button. And that's an important step toward improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people.

It was inspiring to start with a blank sheet of paper and ask, �What should be different about this kind of vehicle?� We started with the most important thing: safety. They have sensors that remove blind spots, and they can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections. And we�ve capped the speed of these first vehicles at 25 mph. On the inside, we�ve designed for learning, not luxury, so we�re light on creature comforts, but we�ll have two seats (with seatbelts), a space for passengers� belongings, buttons to start and stop, and a screen that shows the route�and that�s about it.

A very early version of our prototype vehicle, and an artistic rendering of our vehicle

We�re planning to build about a hundred prototype vehicles, and later this summer, our safety drivers will start testing early versions of these vehicles that have manual controls. If all goes well, we�d like to run a small pilot program here in California in the next couple of years. We�re going to learn a lot from this experience, and if the technology develops as we hope, we�ll work with partners to bring this technology into the world safely.

If you�d like to follow updates about the project and share your thoughts, please join us on our new Google+ page. We�re looking forward to learning more about what passengers want in a vehicle where their number one job is to kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Posted by Chris Urmson, Director, Self-Driving Car Project

Through the Google lens: search trends May 16-22

This week people searched to learn more about unfamiliar faces and rising stars�on TV, courtside and even on our homepage.

Winner winner, TV dinner
People gave their �w� and �o� keys a workout this week as they turned to search to ask �who won�� in the season finales of reality show competitions �American Idol,� �The Voice� and �Dancing with the Stars.� After Josh Kaufman won "The Voice," many searched to watch some of Kaufman�s past performances on the show, like [stay with me]. Meanwhile on �Dancing with the Stars,� searches for ice dancer [meryl davis] were almost as high this past week as in February, when she won an Olympic medal in Sochi. Fans of Davis looked to find out if she�s dating her �DWTS� partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy: searches for terms like [meryl davis maksim] and [meryl davis boyfriend] have been trending.

Basketball�s surprise star
NBA fans met a fresh face this week at the NBA Draft Lottery. The designated representative of the Milwaukee Bucks was Mallory Edens, the daughter of the team�s new co-owner. And, even though the Bucks slid to the #2 pick (after having the best odds to land #1), it seems Mallory pretty much won the Lottery anyway. And she wasn�t the only one who became an overnight sensation at the NBA�s annual festival of ping pong balls and sealed envelopes: searchers also looked for information about [anjali ranadive], the daughter of the Sacramento Kings� owner, who was also at the draft.

In other sporting news, the [preakness 2014] raced to the top of the Google charts last weekend with more than 1 million searches, as Kentucky Derby-winning California Chrome won the second of three races on the way to the coveted Triple Crown. Looking ahead to the Belmont Stakes, fans are searching for [california chrome belmont] and [california chrome odds].

Inventions and discoveries
The subjects of not one but two Google doodles were on people�s minds this week. On Monday, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Rubik�s Cube with an interactive, 3D doodle. Presumably after killing a few minutes (or hours) of their workdays trying to solve the vexing puzzle, people searched to learn [how to solve the rubik�s cube] as well as [rubik�s cube record]. Then searchers looked for information on [mary anning], the paleontologist who was depicted uncovering a plesiosaur skeleton on our homepage on Wednesday. It�s fitting that Anning�s birthday celebration happened this week, since dinosaurs were already trending, thanks to the discovery of a new [titanosaur] dinosaur thought to be the biggest ever discovered.

Posted by Emily Wood, Google Blog Editor, who searched this week for [rei compression sack] and [smokestack sf]

Bright ideas for an even better Bay Area

Local nonprofit heroes are making a difference in our community, and we want to do more to support them. As part of that mission, we recently launched a Bay Area Impact Challenge with a question: working together, what can we do to make the Bay Area an even better place to live?

Provide training and job opportunities for people with disabilities. Match surplus medical supplies with community clinics. Bring mobile showers and toilets to the homeless. These are just a few of the nearly 1,000 thoughtful and creative proposals we received.

A panel of community advisors�Honorable Aida Alvarez, Secretary Norman Mineta, Chief Teresa Deloach Reed, Reverend Cecil Williams and Barry Zito�joined Googlers to narrow down the pool to the 10 top finalists. Each project was selected for its community impact, ingenuity, scalability and feasibility.

Now we need your help deciding which projects to support. Which one do you think will make the biggest impact in our community? Vote now for the four ideas that inspire you.

Your votes will decide which projects get up and running in a big way�with $500,000 going to each of the top four projects, and $250,000 to the next six. An additional 15 nonprofits that entered the Challenge have already received $100,000 each in support of their work.

Cast your vote by 11:59 p.m. PST on June 2, and join us in celebrating the community spirit that makes the Bay Area a great place to call home.

Posted by Jacquelline Fuller, Director of Google.org

Google+ Stories and Movies: memories made easier

A suitcase full of dirty clothes. A sad-looking house plant. And 437 photos and videos on your phone, tablet and camera. This is the typically messy scene after a vacation. And although we can�t do your laundry (thanks but no thanks), or run your errands (well, maybe a few), we�d still like to help. Enter Google+ Stories, which can automatically weave your photos, videos and the places you visited into a beautiful travelogue.

No more sifting through photos for your best shots, racking your brain for the sights you saw, or letting your videos collect virtual dust. We�ll just gift you a story after you get home. This way you can relive your favorite moments, share them with others, and remember why you traveled in the first place.

Stories will be available this week on Android and the web, with iOS coming soon. In the meantime you can browse my story below (click to start), or explore a few others by paraglider Tom de Dorlodot, DJ Steve Aoki and Allrecipes photographer Angela Sackett.

When it�s less about travel, and more about today's events (like a birthday party, or baby�s first steps), Google+ Movies can produce a highlight reel of your photos and videos automatically�including effects, transitions and a soundtrack. Today we�re bringing Movies to Android, iOS and the web, so lots more people will receive these video vignettes.

A movie of my daughter�s first bike ride, created automatically by Google+

To get started with Stories and Movies, simply back up your photos and videos to Google+. And that�s it. Auto Awesome will get to work in the background, and you�ll get notified when a story or movie is ready.

In fact: if your photo library is already online, you may already have stories waiting for you. So look for the new app in Google Play, view the full list of improvements on Google+, and enjoy your walks down memory lane.

Posted by +Anil Sabharwal, Director of Product Management

Bringing the Rubik's Cube to the next generation of problem solvers

As a designer, it's always humbling when you encounter a perfect piece of design. Good design attracts our attention with its beauty, doesn�t need a user manual, is universally understood by anyone in the world, and is simple without sacrificing functionality.

In 1974, the world gave us one such piece of perfect design�the Rubik's Cube. Budapest-based educator and inventor Erno Rubik created the puzzle originally to help his students better understand spatial geometry. Released to the public in the 1980s, it quickly became an international obsession, bigger than hairspray and breakdancing combined. But the Rubik�s Cube is more than just a toy; it�s a puzzle waiting to be solved and a question waiting to be answered. Over the past 40 years, the cube has puzzled, frustrated, and fascinated so many of us, and has helped spark an interest in math and problem solving in millions of kids. That�s part of why so many of us at Google love the cube, and why we're so excited to celebrate its 40th birthday this year.

As everyone knows (right??), there are 519 quintillion permutations for the Rubik�s cube, so May 19 seemed like a fine day to celebrate its 40th anniversary. To kick things off, we�re using some of our favorite web technologies (HTML5 and Three.js among others) to bring the cube to the world in the form of one of our most technically ambitious doodles yet. You can twist and turn it by dragging along its sides, but with full respect to all the speedcubers out there, we�ve included keyboard shortcuts:

Using the same technology that�s behind the doodle, we built Chrome Cube Lab, a series of Chrome Experiments by designers and technologists that reinterpret Rubik�s puzzle with the full power of the web. Create your own music with experiments 808Cube and SynthCube; make a custom, shareable cube of your own photos and GIFs with ImageCube; or send a scrambly message with the Type Cube. You can visit some of these experiments at the Liberty Science Center�s Beyond Rubik�s Cube exhibition, and if you'd like to explore the cube even further, consider borrowing the cube�s source code to build an experiment of your own.

We hope you enjoy getting to know the cube from a few new angles.

Posted by Richard The, Designer and a child of the �80s, Creative Lab New York

Through the Google lens: search trends May 9-15

Search is often the first place we turn when something unexpected or unusual happens. This week is no exception, as people looked for news on a celebrity smackdown, an interspecies showdown and everything in between.

When the news is news
A newsroom shuffle at the New York Times put the Grey Lady at the top of headlines around the country. Wednesday, it was announced that Jill Abramson, who served as executive editor since 2011 and was the first woman in that position, would be replaced by Dean Baquet (himself a �first��no African-American has held the job before now). Searchers scrambled to find information on the story behind the story.

The Finals countdown
Basketball continues to be in the search spotlight as the NBA Finals approach. After a crazy, up-and-down, roller-coaster first round, the second round went more according to plan. Now we�re rewarded with matchups of the top two seeds in each conference finals, leading people to do some searching for the Spurs, Thunder, Heat and Pacers. While those teams are preparing for their next opponent, some teams are already making changes to prepare for next year; the Golden State Warriors announced a new coach, Steve Kerr, a former player with five championships under his belt. Searchers looked for information on [steve kerr rings] and [steve kerr bulls] (he won three of those rings in Chicago), as well as [steve kerr knicks]�rumor has it that Kerr turned down an offer to coach that team.

What a wonderful web
Legions of loyal cat people felt vindicated this week when a video of a family�s �hero cat� saving a four-year-old boy from a dog attack went viral. Not only were there hundreds of thousands of searches for [cat saves boy from dog], but the video now has more than 9 million views on YouTube. I personally vouch that it�s worth your time.

In other viral news, Macaulay Culkin was photographed wearing a T-shirt showing my own favorite famous person Ryan Gosling wearing a T-shirt of Macaulay Culkin back in his �Home Alone� days. People rushed to the web to see the photos, as well as create their own recursive images. As the A.V. Club says: great job, Internet!

Bey it ain�t so
An elevator surveillance video released by TMZ and showing Solange Knowles in a physical altercation with brother-in-law Jay-Z inspired a frenzy of speculation and search activity�and you could say it added one more problem to Jay�s list. Monday�s top trending topic�with more than 5 million searches!�was [tmz], and searches for terms like [solange attacks jay], [jay z fight] and [solange fight] were through the roof. Call it a testament to Bey and Jay�s status as celebrity royalty.

Posted by Emily Wood, Google Blog Editor, who searched this week for [what to see in valdez ak] and [cite news wikipedia]

Hop on board�and go almost anywhere�with public transit on Google Maps

More than 70 percent of the world�s population doesn�t own a car¹�a surprising fact for anyone who�s sat for what seems like hours on end in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Millions of people rely on public transit to get around. That�s why, since 2007, we�ve worked to include public transit routes and schedules in Google Maps. In fact, buses, trains, trams and subways included in Google Maps travel 200 million kilometers every day�that�s the equivalent of driving every single road in the world three times!²

Today, Google Maps is helping you get around on public transit even more easily with these additions:

• We�ve added every single transit route in Great Britain to Google Maps�making it easier to get anywhere from Land�s End to John O�Groats.
• On the other side of the globe, Vancouverites looking for sun can now get real-time updates on whether a bus to Kits is faster than one to Third Beach.
• In Chicago, Cubs fans can now zip to and from Wrigley Field, armed with the real-time information they need to hop on a bus and avoid congestion on Lake Shore Drive.
• And finally, just in time for the games, we�ve recently added transit information for every host city in Brazil. Can you say �GOOOAAALLLLL?!�

Our transit data spans six continents, 64 countries and more than 15,000 towns and cities worldwide. And we�re not done yet: Google Maps will continue to improve�serving people the information they need to get around town when and where they need it.

Posted by David Tattersall, Product Manager, Public Transit

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1 This estimate is based on the most recent World Bank data on the number of passenger cars per 1,000 people throughout 100 countries and territories. Passenger cars refer to road motor vehicles, other than two-wheelers, intended for the carriage of passengers and designed to seat no more than nine people (including the driver).
2 CIA World Factbook

Speak and learn with Spell Up, our latest Chrome Experiment

As a student growing up in France, I was always looking for ways to improve my English, often with a heavy French-to-English dictionary in tow. Since then, technology has opened up a world of new educational opportunities, from simple searches to Google Translate (and our backpacks have gotten a lot lighter). But it can be hard to find time and the means to practice a new language. So when the Web Speech API made it possible to speak to our phones, tablets and computers, I got curious about whether this technology could help people learn a language more easily.

That�s the idea behind Spell Up, a new word game and Chrome Experiment that helps you improve your English using your voice�and a modern browser, of course. It�s like a virtual spelling bee, with a twist.

We worked with game designers and teachers to make Spell Up both fun and educational. The goal of the game is to correctly spell the words you hear and stack them to build the highest word tower you can�letter by letter, word by word. The higher the tower gets, the more difficult the word challenges: You�ll be asked to pronounce words correctly, solve word jumbles and guess mystery words. You can earn bonuses and coins to level up faster.

Spell Up works best in Chrome on your computer and on Android phones and tablets. (It also works on iPhones and iPads, but you�ll need to type rather than talk.) Whether you�re just learning English or you�re already a pro, check it out! And if you�re a teacher, we encourage you to try it out in your classroom.

Posted by Xavier Barrade, Creative Lead and Polyglot, Creative Lab London