Google’s autonomous cars will drive themselves around Mountain View this summer

 

Newsfeeds have been abuzz lately with discussions about the safety of Google’s self-driving cars. On the heels of the news that none of the autonomous vehicles were at fault in the motor vehicle ‘incidents’ they’ve been involved in, Google’s Self-Driving Car Project plans to free the cars from the confines of their test track and let them loose this summer on the streets of Mountain View, California. Well, sort of. In a blog post, Chris Urmson, director of the Google Self-Driving Car Project, explains that the cars will head out onto the open road with a safety driver on board. One of the biggest goals of the self-driving car movement is to free up drivers to do other tasks instead of, well, driving. Google’s autonomous car, like many other emerging prototypes, still has a steering wheel and brakes so a human driver can take over if necessary, but the car’s ability to drive itself is ever-improving. In a press conference, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said the search engine giant’s self-driving vehicles are capable of recognizing police cars, joggers, hand signs from traffic cops, and the inevitable fact that “occasionally people make terrible decisions—turning right from the far left lane, for instance, or running a red light—and is on alert for them.” Related: Google unveils the first fully functional prototype of its self-driving car By putting the autonomous cars on the road, Google’s engineering team aims to learn even more about how the vehicles operate and play with other traditionally operated cars (i.e. human-driven cars), as well as the host of variables that drivers encounter on a daily basis. The team is also really keen on getting people excited about the technology, by allowing them to see and interact with the cars. From the announcement, it doesn’t appear that Google plans to roll out all 23 of the self-driving prototype cars—just “a few.” The models that will be tooling around Mountain View have “the same software that our existing fleet of self-driving Lexus RX450h SUVs uses,” according to Urmson’s blog post. “That fleet has logged nearly a million autonomous miles on the roads since we started the project, and recently has been self-driving about 10,000 miles a week. So the new prototypes already have lots of experience to draw on—in fact, it’s the equivalent of about 75 years of typical US adult driving experience.” I guess that explains why they haven’t been to blame for any of the accidents. + Official Google Blog Images via Google   http://inhabitat.com/googles-autonomous-cars-will-drive-themselves-around-mountain-view-this-summer/

New Chromecast, Chromecast Audio want to stream everything for you

The new Chromecast comes in different colors (Credit: Google) On Tuesday, Google announced that it has sold over 20 million Chromecasts the past few years and now hopes to sell more by launching an improved second generation HDMI streaming dongle alongside a streaming audio-only version. The company introduced the new Chromecast and the Chromecast Audio at its big media event alongside new Nexus phones and a new Pixel convertible tablet The new, circular Chromecast is even smaller and more compact than the first generation and for some reason it comes in new colors – lemonade and coral – despite the fact that it should always be hidden out of sight behind your TV. Besides the snappy new look, the improvements in Chromecast 2.0 are basically incremental on the hardware side. Google's Chromecast head Mario Queiroz talked about improved antennas, better WiFi connectivity and showed a few graphs demonstrating the new Chromecast's ability to deliver higher throughput, even from a weak WiFi signal. That was about it. The new Chromecast gets improved WiFi antennas The more interesting piece of new Chromecast hardware is the new Chromecast Audio, which is similar in concept and look to its namesake, but instead plugs into your existing home speakers via 3.5 mm, RCA or optical ports. Like the original Chromecast with video, the idea here is to take whatever audio you control via your phone or tablet and "throw" it to a Chromecast Audio-connected speaker via WiFi. Get a sense of how both pieces of new hardware work in the below promotional video: Chromecast and Chromecast Audio enabled apps enclude Google Play Music, Pandora, TuneIn and most notably, Spotify, which has long been lacking the Chromecast support that was finally announced at the Google event. Like with the video Chromecast, the audio dongle supports guest access so there's the potential for new DJ battles, including from connected Android Wear devices. For apps that aren't Chromecast compatible, Chromecast Audio can also simply mirror whatever audio is playing on a connected device. It connects pretty simply once everything is powered up and there's also the ability to play the same audio simultaneously on multiple Chromecast Audio-connected speakers, possibly creating a poor man's solution to the multiple-room wireless audio system a la Sonos. In addition to the Spotify news, Google announced that Showtime programming is launching on the video Chromecast today and Sling TV is coming in the next few weeks, with support for NBA and NHL apps in the near future as well. A new and updated pair of apps for Chromecast Audio and Chromecast, respectively, were a big focus of the presentation. The revamped Chromecast app focuses on content discovery, acting as a sort of TV Guide for the available programming from the Cast-friendly apps installed on your device. There's also new programming search functions and playback controls, which guests can also control, built right into the app. The new app also pre-loads apps onto a connected Chromecast as soon as that app is open on the mobile device and Google says it is also working on a content pre-loading function that will attempt to predict what you want to watch and start to cache it before you even press play to reduce initial buffering. Google is also apparently excited about Chromecast's potential for gaming, providing an extended central display for games that can then use the connected phone as a controller or second screen for gaming. A demonstration of Angry Birds Go on stage was particularly compelling in displaying the casual group gaming potential. Both Chromecast and Chromecast Audio are available for online purchase today from the Google Play store for US$35 each. Source: Google http://www.gizmag.com/new-chromecast-chromecast-audio-details-2015/39639/

Google's Project Loon balloons to cover Sri Lanka with internet access

 

Project Loon balloons like this are set to bring universal internet access to all of Sri Lanka Bringing internet to remote regions by sending internet-enabled balloons into the stratosphere sure sounds like a wild idea, but it's about to become a reality for the resident of Sri Lanka. The government of the island nation has just announced a partnership with Google that will bring affordable high-speed internet access to every inch of the country using the company's Project Loon balloons. Project Loon wouldn't really be at home anywhere other than the Google X lab, the company's secretive research arm from which all manner of left-field ideas have emerged, including glucose-monitoring contact lenses, delivery drones, Lego-like displays and a little venture known as Google Glass. It's not always easy to tell how serious Google is about some of these ambitious concepts, but it seems determined to make Project Loon a reality. The company's vision is for a network of balloons floating in the stratosphere at around 20 km (12.4 mi) above the Earth's surface. The balloons are equipped with solar panels and carry a box of electronics and communications gear underneath that provides LTE internet connectivity to an area on the ground around 40 km (25 mi) in diameter. The announcement by the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry this week of the partnership with Google will see Sri Lanka, which boasts an area of 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq mi), become the first country in the world to boast universal internet access via the high altitude balloons. Deployment of the balloons is set to begin in the coming months, with the launches expected to be completed by March, 2016. Source: Sri Lankan Government

Google self-driving car involved in first injury accident

 

Fri, 07/17/2015 - 1:00pm Justin Pritchard, Associated Press In this May 13, 2015, file photo, Google's self-driving Lexus car drives along street during a demonstration at Google campus in Mountain View, Calif. Google says that one of its self-driving cars has been involved in an injury accident for the first time. The tech giant disclosed Thursday, July 16, 2015, that one of its SUVs was rear-ended in its home city of Mountain View, and the three people on board complained of minor whiplash. All were released from the hospital soon after the July 1 collision. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) Google Inc. revealed Thursday that one of its self-driving car prototypes was involved in an injury accident for the first time. In the collision, a Lexus SUV that the tech giant outfitted with sensors and cameras was rear-ended in Google's home city of Mountain View, where more than 20 prototypes have been self-maneuvering through traffic. The three Google employees on board complained of minor whiplash, were checked out at a hospital and cleared to go back to work following the July 1 collision, Google said. The driver of the other car also complained of neck and back pain. In California, a person must be behind the wheel of a self-driving car being tested on public roads to take control in an emergency. Google typically sends another employee in the front passenger seat to record details of the ride on a laptop. In this case, there was also a back seat passenger. Google has invested heavily as a pioneer of self-driving cars, technology it believes will be safer and more efficient than human drivers. This was the 14th accident in six years and about 1.9 million miles of testing, according to the company. Google has said that its cars have not caused any of the collisions - though in 2011 an employee who took a car to run an errand rear-ended another vehicle while the Google car was out of self-driving mode. In 11 of the 14, Google said its car was rear-ended. In a blog posted Thursday, the head of Google's self-driving car program, Chris Urmson, wrote that his SUVs "are being hit surprisingly often" by distracted drivers, perhaps people looking at their phones. "The clear theme is human error and inattention," Urmson wrote. "We'll take all this as a signal that we're starting to compare favorably with human drivers." In a telephone interview, Urmson said his team was exploring whether its cars could do something to alert distracted drivers before a collision. Honking would be one possibility, but Urmson said he worried that could start to annoy residents of Mountain View. According to an accident report that Google filed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles about the July 1 crash: Google's SUV was going about 15 mph in self-driving mode behind two other cars as the group approached an intersection with a green light. The first car slowed to a stop so as not to block the intersection - traffic on the far side was not moving. The Google car and the other car in front of it also stopped. Within about a second, a fourth vehicle rear-ended the Google car at about 17 mph. On-board sensors showed the other car did not brake. The driver of that car reported "minor neck and back pain." The SUV's rear bumper was slightly damaged, while the vehicle that struck it lost its front bumper. Mountain View police responded, but did not file an accident report. Source: Associated Press

A power plant for the Internet: our newest data center in Alabama

 

Every time you check your Gmail, search on Google for a nearby restaurant, or watch a YouTube video, a server whirs to life in one of our data centers. Data centers are the engines of the Internet, bringing the power of the web to millions of people around the world. And as millions more people come online, our data centers are growing, too. We’ve recently expanded our data centers in Iowa, Georgia, Singapore and Belgium. And today we’re announcing a new data center in Alabama—our 14th site globally. This time, we’re doing something we’ve never done before: we’ll be building on the grounds of the Widows Creek coal power plant in Jackson County, which has been scheduled for shutdown. Data centers need a lot of infrastructure to run 24/7, and there’s a lot of potential in redeveloping large industrial sites like former coal power plants. Decades of investment shouldn’t go to waste just because a site has closed; we can repurpose existing electric and other infrastructure to make sure our data centers are reliably serving our users around the world. At Widows Creek, we can use the plants’ many electric transmission lines to bring in lots of renewable energy to power our new data center. Thanks to an arrangement with Tennessee Valley Authority, our electric utility, we’ll be able to scout new renewable energy projects and work with TVA to bring the power onto their electrical grid. Ultimately, this contributes to our goal of being powered by 100% renewable energy. In 2010, we were one of the first companies outside of the utility industry to buy large amounts of renewable energy. Since then, we’ve become the largest corporate renewable energy purchaser in the world (in fact we’ve bought the equivalent of over 1.5 percent of the installed wind power capacity in the U.S.). We're glad to see this trend is catching on among other companies. Of course, the cleanest energy is the energy you don’t use. Our Alabama data center will incorporate our state-of-the-art energy efficiency technologies. We’ve built our own super-efficient servers, invented more efficient ways to cool our data centers, and even used advanced machine learning to squeeze more out of every watt of power we consume. Compared to five years ago, we now get 3.5 times the computing power out of the same amount of energy. Since the 1960s, Widows Creek has generated power for the region—now the site will be used to power Internet services and bring information to people around the world. We expect to begin construction early next year and look forward to bringing a Google data center to Alabama. Posted by Patrick Gammons, Senior Manager, Data Center Energy and Location Strategy

Google’s Homemade Self-Driving Cars to Hit Roads This Summer

 

Google Here’s something that irks Chris Urmson: Sometimes people will get in self-driving cars, the spectacularly complex piece of technology he runs at Google and to which he has devoted most of his scientific career, and leave with a shrug. Once, Urmson was riding in one of Google’s Lexus SUVs down a freeway. Several minutes in, his fellow passenger turned to him, nonplussed. “That’s it?” Urmson, recalling the story on Google’s Mountain View campus earlier this week, threw up his hands: “Do you have any idea how hard this is?!” Soon, there may be many more blasé reactions to one of Google’s most audacious moonshots. On Friday, the Internet giant announced that the first autonomous vehicle it has manufactured — a squat two-seater, unveiled a year ago, with no steering wheel or brakes — will begin rolling out on public roads in northern California this summer. Urmson and his team have assembled 25 of the cars, which, for now, are just called “prototypes.”   When they hit the roads, they will not exceed 25 miles per hour. And, due to current state regulations, they must be equipped with brakes, an accelerator pedal and a steering wheel. But ultimately, Google wants to strip those out. The company’s stated goal is shepherding fleets of vehicles that can drive with no need for human intervention, a bid to curtail the time wasted in traffic and aide those unable to drive. “At that point, the steering wheel and brake pedal just don’t add value,” Urmson said during the demonstration at the new Google X headquarters in Mountain View. “Over the last few years, we’ve been focused almost purely on tightening the technology. The big next step is bringing it into the community and seeing how it mixes with people.” At its event to show off the car, Google mixed with people. Along with press, Google invited local community members and disability advocates onto its spacious, secure rooftop. Sergey Brin, the co-founder behind Google’s futuristic ventures, made an appearance. He reiterated Urmson’s point, arguing that for one target market of the technology — several blind community members were given lifts in the car — steering wheels aren’t the issue. “That doesn’t address the mission of access,” Brin said. Google’s announcement comes on the tail of sharp criticism. On Monday, the Associated Press reported that Google’s Lexus vehicles were involved in three accidents since September, when California required autonomous vehicle testers to declare a permit. Later that day, Google released (incidentally, by Google’s telling) the first glimpse at numbers on its self-driving car experiment: 11 accidents during the 1.7 million miles on the road since 2009. (That puts its incident rate at more than twice the national average of 0.3 damaging incidents per 100,000 miles.) Urmson detailed the accidents: Seven came from other cars rear-ending theirs, two were freeway side-swipes and one was a silly error from a Google test driver who was using the manual controls at the time. Google insists that the higher rate comes from thorough reporting, something most human drivers ignore. When its homemade cars hit the pavement, Google will also launch a website for community feedback on the trials, and will begin posting regulator progress reports, including miles driven, noteworthy trends and incidents. “It sounds cliche, but safety is issue one, two and three,” Brin told the audience. Google’s built-from-scratch car looks similar to its debut a year ago, when Re/code took it for an inaugural spin. It uses the same complex software and hardware — a jury-rigged, advanced network of swirling lasers, cameras and radar — as the existing Lexus fleet. Over the last year, the cars have grown considerably smarter and more adept, said Dmitri Dolgov, who leads software for the self-driving cars. They can decipher a trash can from a pedestrian, and even pick up what a pedestrian’s hand motions mean. Gradually, they’re also learning to handle unusual traffic situations. In Mountain View, Urmson showed earlier footage of Google’s Lexus at an intersection when a renegade cyclist crossed in front, running a red light. As the light turned, a truck to the Lexus’ left veered ahead, barely missing the cyclist. Google’s SUV saw it and stood still. (One car encountered something rarer still: A wheelchair-bound suburbanite chasing a duck; the car opted to stall.) If anything, the car errs on the side of caution. At the Google X headquarters, Google offered rides to the select few community members and reporters. During my ride, the car easily handled the planned obstacle course. A gentle slowdown when a Googler suddenly walked in front. A smooth turn when another veered ahead on a bicycle. But when my car turned to face the unexpected gaggle of press surrounding Brin, it jolted to a halt. Then lurched ahead like a nervous 16-year-old. The car is not accustomed to large gatherings of people in open spaces, Dolgov explained. Mark Bergen Sergey Brin, at Google X headquarters Yet, it learned from the encounter. With each ride, the cars deposit the observed data and share it across the entire fleet. Also, Google has learned more political savviness. The California DMV has awarded testing permits to Google and six other manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Tesla. But industry observers said the company has advanced more aggressively in lobbying. In Nevada, which granted Google the state’s maiden self-driving license in 2012, Google was the driving force in the policy process, at the expense of rivals. “The DMV and especially the state legislature, only listening to Google, wrote a law that was fine for Google but was really problematic for car manufacturers,” said Ryan Calo, a law professor and robotics specialist at the University of Washington campus. On the Google X campus, Brin, outfitted in shorts and Crocs (but no Glass), offered some boilerplate executive-speak. (“We are still refining our business plan.” “The regulatory issues are non-trivial.”) But he also hinted at the ambition of the program. “We’ve had pretty good conversations with a number of states,” he said. “And, for that matter, a number of countries.” Someone asked about his declaration, in 2012, that his self-driving cars would be ready for public use in five years. “That’s still right on track,” he said, before turning to his auto director. Urmson sheepishly corrected him — it’s closer to five years from now. Brin, whose mathematics prowess built Google’s search engine, replied: “Well, I haven’t done the math.”

6 links that will show you what Google knows about you

 

Want to find out all the things Google knows about you? Here are 6 links that will show you some of the data Google has about you. 1. Find out what Google thinks about you In order to serve relevant ads, Google collects data about you and creates a profile. You can control and review the information Google has on you here: http://www.google.com/settings/ads/ Google also has a tool called Google Analytics, that helps publishers see what pages you have viewed on their website, how many times you have visited it, how long did you stay etc. You can opt out if you don’t want this type of data to be collected: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout 2. Find out your location history If you use Android, your mobile device may be sending your location to Google. You can see your entire location history here: https://maps.google.com/locationhistory 3. Find out your entire Google Search history Google saves every single search you have ever done. On top of that, they record every Google ad you have clicked on. This log is available in Google web history controls: https://www.google.com/history/ 4. Get a monthly security and privacy report from Google Google offers an Account activity page that tells you about all the Google services you are using. You can even enable a monthly report that will be sent to your email: https://www.google.com/settings/dashboard 5. Find out all the apps and extensions that are accessing your Google data The Account activity page also offers a list of all the apps that have any type of access to your data. You can see the exact type of permissions granted to the app and revoke access to your data here: https://security.google.com/settings/security/permissions 6. Export all of your data out of Google Google lets you export all your data: bookmarks, emails, contacts, drive files, profile info, your youtube videos, photos and more here: https://www.google.com/takeout BONUS Google also keeps a history of your YouTube searches. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/feed/history/search_history Source: http://www.google.com/goodtoknow/online-safety/security-tools/

Bizarre Google Streetview findings

Google streetview is wellknown, it’s an easy tool to explore unknown area’s etc.. But there are also some weird and accidental captures by Google’s Streetview car. Check out some bizarre Google Streetview findings.. Check out Part 2 of these Bizarre Google Streetview Findings.. Also view Google Streetview Animals via 9-eyes.com

Plans unveiled for Google's new Mountain View headquarters

Google has commissioned top-tier architects Bjarke Ingels (of BIG) and Thomas Heatherwick to design its new green headquarters in Mountain View, California (Image: Google) Image Gallery (9 images) Google has released renders and preliminary information regarding its planned new headquarters in Mountain View, California. Finer details are unavailable at this stage, but the firm has commissioned top-tier architects Bjarke Ingels (of BIG) and Thomas Heatherwick to handle the design, and what information we do have points toward a sustainable, flexible, and future-proof headquarters for the company. In contrast with the forbidding closed loop design of Apple's sustainable Cupertino campus by Norman Foster, Google's new digs appear more fragmented, open, and accessible. "We're really making sure that we make spaces very open and accessible, so it's not just for Googlers but for anyone in the area to come by," says David Radcliffe, the firm's Vice President of Real Estate. Intended for the North Bay Shore area of Mountain View, the renders evoke more of a futuristic college campus feel than that of a secretive technology center, and it comprises a number of buildings with large transparent roofs that allow plenty of natural light. The renders also show a mash-up of both Ingels' and Heatherwick's style in places (such as the above image, for example), and it will be interesting to see if the end result will be a clash of egos or that of two "starchitects" complimenting each other's strengths. The proposal features bike paths, lakes, and greenery, and cyclists are offered shelter from the rain in some areas with large solar canopies. Google says a significant portion of the HQ's energy needs will be met sustainably, but we've no word on how much yet, nor of any other sustainable tech in the works. Car parks are hidden from sight underground, and the renders show a focus on landscaping in a concerted effort to offer visitors and staff a greater connection with nature. Another potentially interesting but vague nugget of information revealed is that the headquarters will apparently be flexible and future-proof. "Instead of constructing immoveable concrete buildings, we’ll create lightweight block-like structures which can be moved around easily as we invest in new product areas," added Radcliffe. From this, we could infer anything from a novel system of movable buildings to simply easily-dismantled prefabs that can be extended when required. Time will tell.   Source: Google

Google Invests Billions on Satellites to Expand Internet Access

The company's plan to buy 180 small, high-capacity satellites complements its other ventures to expand Internet access to remote and underserved areas An example of a fleet of satellites operated by O3b Networks, Ltd. Credit: O3b Networks Google plans to invest more than $1 billion in a new fleet of satellites that will expand Internet access to unconnected regions of the world. The company's decision to purchase 180 small, high-capacity satellites is just the first step in a project that could cost the search giant over $3 billion, reported The Wall Street Journal. The project's price tag will depend on whether the company decides to embark on a second phase of the project, which would double the number of satellites needed, Google insiders told the WSJ. The new venture is being led by Greg Wyler, founder of the Google-backed satellite communications startup O3b Networks, Ltd. Wyler and a former O3b chief technology officer recently joined Google to spearhead the effort, reported the WSJ. Wyler's company is also known to be hiring engineers from satellite company Space Systems/Loral LLC. [Video: Google to Spend Billions on Satellites for Internet Everywhere] The sky's the limit Google's satellite project is one of several new ventures designed to expand Internet access to remote areas of the world. Last year, the company announced Project Loon, an aerial wireless network that uses high-altitude balloons to provide Internet service to users in underserved and rural areas. Google also recently acquired Titan Aerospace, a company that develops ultra-lightweight, solar-powered drones that could replace the balloons from Project Loon altogether. Speaking with the WSJ, Tim Farrar, head of the satellite-consulting firm TMF Associates, said that, for Google, drones and satellites might complement one another nicely. Drones, he said, offer better high-capacity service in smaller areas, whereas satellites offer broader coverage in areas that have less demand. The satellites currently being developed by O3b Networks for Google are relatively small—weighing roughly 250 pounds (113 kilograms), according to the WSJ. This makes them markedly different from the satellites the company usually produces, which weigh about 1,500 pounds (680 kg) each. Due to non-disclosure agreements, additional details about what Google's new satellites might look like are hard to come by, according to media reports. However, O3b Networks (the name of the company refers to the "other 3 billion" people worldwide without Internet access) has four of its own satellites currently in orbit, and plans to launch four more next month. Faster & cheaper coverage? O3b currently provides Internet connectivity to mobile carriers' base stations, reported the MIT Technology Review. The company's involvement could be good news for people in remote parts of the world, because O3b satellites provide a superior (and cheaper) way to deliver high-speed Internet than do conventional satellites, the MIT Technology Review said. Compared to conventional Internet companies, whose satellites orbit roughly 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) above Earth, O3b's satellites orbit around 5,000 miles (8,000 km) above the planet's surface. This difference in altitude results in a corresponding difference in delays. While O3b users have to contend with a 150-millisecond delay in their Internet coverage (the time it takes for radio signals to go back and forth between the base carrier station and the satellite), those with other services might experience 600-millisecond delays for the same service. Such a delay, MIT reports, is generally considered excessive, at least for business use. Google's foray into satellite Internet could speed up coverage for hundreds of millions of people around the world, a Google spokeswoman told the WSJ. The technology company noted that nearly two-third of the world's citizens have no access to the Internet at all. But despite Google's enthusiasm for the new project, some outside the company are wary of the search giant's journey into the stratosphere. Roger Rusch, who runs the satellite-industry consulting firm TelAstra, Inc., told the WSJ that Google's project is a "pipe dream," and said the company will end up spending much more on the effort than originally planned, perhaps as much as $20 billion. source : www.scientificamerican.com

12 Lesser-Known Google Projects That Are Absolutely Amazing

 

Google revolutionized the Internet by making the global brain easily searchable by anyone. In addition to search, Google has created all kinds of different tools like Google Maps, Gmail, Analytics, Android and Apps that many of us use everyday.

One of the reasons why Google has consistently released new innovative project is because of their 20% time policy, which gives many of their employees one day a week to experiment with new concepts and ideas. This has resulted in many lesser-known creative projects that have emerged from within Googleplex.

In this post, I want to show you some of most fascinating websites that Google employees have created and how you can use them as educational tools.

 

1. Google Trends Visualizer

Tap into the visual intelligence of the global brain by visualizing search trends as they are happening right now in every country in the world. I recommend downloading the free Google Trends Visualizer screensaver so you can observe real-time trends anytime.

 

 

2. World Wonders Project

Explore the ancient and modern wonders of the world like Angor Wat, the Pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge and the Great Barrier Reef in high-res photos and 3D Street View style imagery. It will surely inspire you to learn more about these mysterious and beautiful places.

 

3. Solve For X

Solve For A is a platform for discussing radical technology ideas for solving global problems. Inspired by Google X, this website will challenge you to think bigger and to speculate about technological “moonshots” that could change the world for the better.

 

4. Google Public Data Explorer

Search through databases from around the world, including the World Bank, OECD, Eurostat and the U.S. Census Bureau. After you find what you want, filter through categories to make graphs with the axes you want.

 

 

5. The Evolution of the Web

Explore the evolution of the technologies that power the World Wide Web. You can even look at how webpages and technologies like web browsers used to look like, if you want to be reminded of how far we have come in such a short time.

 

6. Ingress

Google’s intriguing augmented reality mobile game for iPhone and Android. Discover interesting places where you live in this urban exploration game.

 

 

7. Google Sky

I’m sure you’ve explored Google Earth, but did you know that you can fly through space with Google Sky? In addition to exploring our solar system and distant constellations, you can also check out the awe-inspiring topography of Google Moon and Google Mars.

 

 

8. Build LEGO With Chrome

Now you can build with LEGO bricks using Google Maps as your baseplate in Chrome. Google and LEGO have built an excellent creative academy that shows you how to build your own LEGO cities and LEGO-fied versions of popular landmarks.

 

 

9. Google Art Project

Browse super his-res photos of artwork from over 400 of the world’s greatest art museums. You can take virtual gallery tours with audio and video guidance, zoom in on individual artwork masterpieces and even create your own virtual collections.

 

 

10. Creative Sandbox Guide

Google’s Creative Sandbox is a guide to ideas that blend creativity with technology. It shows you how to use new technology to solve problems for businesses and organizations and ties together with their excellent educational resources Think With Google and Our Mobile Planet.

 

 

11. Google Earth Flight Simulator

I’m sure you’ve probably already heard of Google Earth but if you haven’t used it in the last year, you’ll be amazed at the 3D detail in the latest version. Zoom in on the 3D ridgelines of mountaintops and between skyscrapers in major cities. To activate the awesome flight simulator download Google Earth and and press CTRL + Option + A.

 

 

12. SmartyPins

Google has recently released a new Maps game called SmartyPins for geographic trivia. It’s a fun way to explore and learn about your community.

 

Kyle Pearce

Google Launches Effort to Build Its Own Quantum Computer

 

Google’s crack at a quantum computer is a bid to change computing forever.

• By Tom Simonite on September 3, 2014

Why It Matters

Practical quantum computers could solve problems that would take conventional machines millions of years.

Quantum core: Techniques developed at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to build this device, known as a qubit, will be used to try to build a working quantum computer at Google.

Google is about to begin designing and building hardware for a quantum computer, a type of machine that can exploit quantum physics to solve problems that would take a conventional computer millions of years.

Since 2009, Google has been working with controversial startup D-Wave Systems, which claims to make “the first commercial quantum computer.” And last year Google purchased one of D-Wave’s machines. But independent tests published earlier this year found no evidence that D-Wave’s computer uses quantum physics to solve problems more efficiently than a conventional machine.

Now John Martinis, a professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, has joined Google to establish a new quantum hardware lab near the university. He will try to make his own versions of the kind of chip inside a D-Wave machine.

Martinis has spent more than a decade working on a more proven approach to quantum computing, and built some of the largest, most error-free systems of qubits, the basic building blocks that encode information in a quantum computer.

“We would like to rethink the design and make the qubits in a different way,” says Martinis of his effort to improve on D-Wave’s hardware. “We think there’s an opportunity in the way we build our qubits to improve the machine.” Martinis has taken a joint position with Google and UCSB that will allow him to continue his own research at the university.

Quantum computers could be immensely faster than any existing computer at certain problems. That’s because qubits working together can use the quirks of quantum mechanics to quickly discard incorrect paths to a solution and home in on the correct one. However, qubits are tricky to operate because quantum states are so delicate.

Chris Monroe, a professor who leads a quantum computing lab at the University of Maryland, welcomed the news that one of the leading lights in the field was going to work on the question of whether designs like D-Wave’s can be useful. “I think this is a great development to have legitimate researchers give it a try,” he says.

Since showing off its first machine in 2007, D-Wave has irritated academic researchers by making claims for its computers without providing the evidence its critics say is needed to back them up. However, the company has attracted over $140 million in funding and sold several of its machines (see “The CIA and Jeff Bezos Bet on Quantum Computing”).

There is no question that D-Wave’s machine can perform calculations. And research published in 2011 showed that the machine’s chip harbors the right kind of quantum physics needed for quantum computing. But evidence is lacking that it uses that physics in the way needed to unlock the huge speedups promised by a quantum computer. It could be solving problems using only ordinary physics.

Martinis’s previous work has been focused on the conventional approach to quantum computing. He set a new milestone in the field this April, when his lab announced that it could operate five qubits together with relatively low error rates. Larger systems of such qubits could be configured to run just about any kind of algorithm depending on the problem at hand, much like a conventional computer. To be useful, a quantum computer would probably need to be built with tens of thousands of qubits or more.

The chip at the heart of D-Wave’s latest machine has 512 qubits, but they are wired into a different, more limited, component known as a quantum annealer. It can only run a specific algorithm used for a specific kind of problem that requires selecting the best option in a situation with many competing requirements—for example, determining the most efficient delivery route around a city.

Martinis was a coauthor on a paper published in Science earlier this year that took the most rigorous independent look at a D-Wave machine yet. It concluded that in the tests run on the computer, there was “no evidence of quantum speedup.” Without that, critics say, D-Wave is nothing more than an overhyped, and rather weird, conventional computer. The company counters that the tests of its machine involved the wrong kind of problems to demonstrate its benefits.

Martinis’s work on D-Wave’s machine led him into talks with Google, and to his new position. Theory and simulation suggest that it might be possible for annealers to deliver quantum speedups, and he considers it an open question. “There’s some really interesting science that people are trying to figure out,” he says.

Martinis thinks his technology for fabricating qubits could make better quantum annealers. Specifically, he hopes to make one whose qubits can more stably maintain a quantum state known as a superposition—effectively both 0 and 1 at the same time. The qubits of D-Wave’s machine can maintain superpositions for periods lasting only nanoseconds. Martinis has built qubits that can do that for as long as 30 microseconds, he says.

Martinis makes his qubits from aluminum circuits built on sapphire wafers and chills them to 20 millikelvin—a fraction above absolute zero—so that they become superconducting. D-Wave’s chip requires similar cooling to operate, but has circuits made from a superconducting material called niobium, on top of silicon wafers. Martinis is in the process of switching to making his own qubits on silicon, and believes certain electrical insulator materials used in D-Wave’s chips may be limiting its performance.

However, Google has not given up on D-Wave. In an online statement, the leader of Google’s quantum research said that the two companies will continue to work together, and that Google’s D-Wave computer will be upgraded with a new 1,000 qubit processor when it becomes available.

A Hangout with Google Science Fair in Swaziland

 

Google Science Fair in Swaziland

 

Google Using Machine Learning to Boost Data Center Efficiency

 

by Rich Miller on May 28, 2014

Google is using machine learning and artificial intelligence to wring even more efficiency out of its mighty data centers.

In a presentation today at Data Centers Europe 2014, Google’s Joe Kava said the company has begun using a neural network to analyze the oceans of data it collects about its server farms and to recommend ways to improve them. Kava is the Internet giant’s vice president of data centers.

In effect, Google has built a computer that knows more about its data centers than even the company’s engineers. The humans remain in charge, but Kava said the use of neural networks will allow Google to reach new frontiers in efficiency in its server farms, moving beyond what its engineers can see and analyze.

Google already operates some of the most efficient data centers on earth. Using artificial intelligence will allow Google to peer into the future and model how its data centers will perform in thousands of scenarios.

In early usage, the neural network has been able to predict Google’s Power Usage Effectiveness with 99.96 percent accuracy. Its recommendations have led to efficiency gains that appear small, but can lead to major cost savings when applied across a data center housing tens of thousands of servers.

Why turn to machine learning and neural networks? The primary reason is the growing complexity of data centers, a challenge for Google, which uses sensors to collect hundreds of millions of data points about its infrastructure and its energy use.

“In a dynamic environment like a data center, it can be difficult for humans to see how all of the variables interact with each other,” said Kava. “We’ve been at this (data center optimization) for a long time. All of the obvious best practices have already been implemented, and you really have to look beyond that.”

Enter Google’s ‘Boy Genius’

Google’s neural network was created by Jim Gao, an engineer whose colleagues have given him the nickname “Boy Genius” for his prowess analyzing large datasets. Gao had been doing cooling analysis using computational fluid dynamics, which uses monitoring data to create a 3D model of airflow within a server room.

Gao thought it was possible to create a model that tracks a broader set of variables, including IT load, weather conditions, and the operations of the cooling towers, water pumps and heat exchangers that keep Google’s servers cool.

“One thing computers are good at is seeing the 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 us make sense of complex interactions that his team may not otherwise have noticed,” Kava said. “After some trial and error, Jim’s models are now 99.96% accurate in predicting PUE under a given set of conditions, which then helps him find new ways to optimize our operations. Those small tweaks add up to significant savings in both energy and money.”

A graph showing how the projections by Google’s neural network tool aligned with actual PUE readings. Click for larger image.

How it Works

Gao began working on the machine learning initiative as a “20 percent project,” a Google tradition of allowing employees to spend a chunk of their work time exploring innovations beyond their specific work duties. Gao wasn’t yet an expert in artificial intelligence. To learn the fine points of machine learning, he took a course from Stanford University Professor Andrew Ng.

Neural networks mimic how the human brain works, allowing computers to adapt and “learn” tasks without being explicitly programmed for them. Google’s search engine is often cited as an example of this type of machine learning, which is also a key research focus at the company.

“The model is nothing more than series of differential calculus equations,” Kava explained. “But you need to understand the math. The model begins to learn about the interactions between these variables.”

Gao’s first task was crunching the numbers to identify the factors that had the largest impact on energy efficiency of Google’s data centers, as measured by PUE. He narrowed the list down to 19 variables and then designed the neural network, a machine learning system that can analyze large datasets to recognize patterns.

“The sheer number of possible equipment combinations and their setpoint values makes it difficult to determine where the optimal efficiency lies,” Gao writes in the white paper on his initiative. “In a live DC, it is possible to meet the target setpoints through many possible combinations of hardware (mechanical and electrical equipment) and software (control strategies and setpoints). Testing each and every feature combination to maximize efficiency would be unfeasible given time constraints, frequent fluctuations in the IT load and weather conditions, as well as the need to maintain a stable DC environment.”

This diagram illustrates the complexity of analyzing the many variables that factor into a data center PUE calculation, which can be more closely analyzed using artifical intelligence.

Runs On a Single Server

As for hardware, the machine learning doesn’t require unusual computing horsepower, according to Kava, who says it runs on a single server and could even work on a high-end desktop.

The system was put to work inside several Google data centers. The machine learning tool was able to suggest several changes that yield incremental improvements in PUE, including refinements in data center load migrations during upgrades of power infrastructure, and small changes in the water temperature across several components of the chiller system.

“Actual testing on Google (data centers) indicates that machine learning is an effective method of using existing sensor data to model DC energy efficiency and can yield significant cost savings,” Gao writes.

The Machines Aren’t Taking Over

Kava said that the tool may help Google run simulations and refine future designs. But not to worry — Google’s data centers won’t become self-aware anytime soon. While the company is keen on automation, and has recently been acquiring robotics firms, the new machine learning tools won’t be taking over the management of any of its data centers.

“You still need humans to make good judgments about these things,” said Kava. “I still want our engineers to review the recommendations.”

The neural networks’ biggest benefits may be seen in the way Google builds its server farms in years to come. “I can envision using this during the data center design cycle,” said Kava. “You can use it as a forward-looking tool to test design changes and innovations. I know that we’re going to find more use cases.”

Google is sharing its approach to machine learning in Gao’s white paper, in the hopes that other hyperscale data center operators may be able to develop similar tools.

“This isn’t something that only Google or only Jim Gao can do,” said Kava. “I would love to see this type of analysis tool used more widely. I think the industry can benefit from it. It’s a great tool for being as efficient as possible.”

Out in the Open: The Tiny Box That Lets You Take Your Data Back From Google

 

The National Security Agency is scanning your email. Google and Facebook are hoarding your personal data. And online advertisers are selling your shopping habits to the highest bidder.

Today, more than ever, people are thinking about how to opt out of this madness without quitting the internet entirely. The obvious answer is to host your own web apps on your own computer server. And thanks to the burgeoning Indie Web Movement, there’s no shortage of open source alternatives to popular services like Google Calendar, Facebook’s photo albums, or Dropbox’s file sharing. The problem is that setting up and managing your own server is a pain in the neck–at least for the average consumer.

For open source developer Johannes Ernst, what the world really needs is a simple device that anyone can use to take their data back from the wilds of the internet. So he designed the Indie Box, a personal web server preloaded with open source software that lets you run your own web services from your home network–and run them with relative ease. Any system administrator will tell you that setting up a server is just the first step. Maintaining it is the other big problem. Indie Box seeks to simplify both, with an option to fully automate all updates and maintenance tasks, from operating system patches to routine database migrations.

Inside the Box

Image: The Indie Box Project

You can’t buy an Indie Box yet, but you can pre-order one through the crowdfunding site Indie GoGo. A completely assembled device costs $500. That may sound like a lot, but Ernst argues that the cost is in line with other machines equipped with similar hardware. And the prices could eventually come down if Ernst is successful in raising funds for the project. Eventually, the Indie Box software platform will be available to download, and that will let people install all its tools on their own hardware.

Plus, Ernst says, other developers will be free to build their own products atop Indie Box. “It’s not supposed to be one product from one company,” he explains. “It’s supposed to be a platform for lots of people to innovate on.”

The first Indie Box will run off an Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, and two 1TB hard drives that mirror each other to help protect your data. Software will include ownCloud, which offers a calendar, address book, and Dropbox-style file sharing; the photo album apps mediagoblin and Trovebox; and the e-mail client Mailpile. For now, it won’t include an e-mail server since spam filters make it so hard to run one from home.

There’s also an app store that will let you add more tools. Although all apps in the store must be open source, developers will have the option of selling them for a fee, giving them the chance to actually make money from their projects. “What we find is that users have no problem paying if they don’t have to maintain the software,” Ernst says.

Eventually, he wants Indie Box to act as a hub for devices on the Internet of Things. He personally runs many devices that send data to a server across the internet, which then notifies him of something that happened on the device sitting just a few feet away from him. “There’s something wrong with that architecture,” he says. “I’m much more comfortable with having my thermostat communicating with a computer in my house over my own Wi-Fi than going through Google.”

A Box in Every Home

But the bigger aim is to put an Indie Box in every home. Running a home web server may sound ridiculously geeky, but keep in mind that personal computers, home internet connections, and smartphones were once the exclusive province of geeks. All are now mainstream, and Ernst says many people are already interested in the idea.

“Everyone we talked to wanted to be able to take their calendar data home from Google,” Ernst says. “People don’t necessarily want Google to know they have a doctor’s appointment, or what diseases they are being treated for.”

And he isn’t the only one building ready-made servers for the masses. Freedom Box Foundation is working on a similar appliance for activists in countries where the internet is heavily censored, and the French company Cozy Cloud is teaming with European telecommunications companies to bring its personal cloud servers to consumers. Perhaps the age of the personal web server is finally here.