10 Pics
This year of Google blogging
It's that time again, the end of a year - time to tote up Google's blogging activity for the last 365 days. First, a few bits of data about this particular blog:
- Number of posts this year: 300
- New product announcements: 15 (not counting our April 1 release)
- News about upgrades and additions to products: 87
- Announcing products in more languages and countries: 30
- Acquisitions: 12
- Unique visitors: 6,738,830 (for 8,655,830 visits)
- Languages: 511 (preferred language configured on computers)
- Top non-Google referrers: Yahoo, Digg, Slashdot, Fark
The posts that elicited the most reaction in terms of views and linkbacks include:
- the much-discussed "Gphone" news
- our thinking about the upcoming FCC spectrum auction
- what the OpenSocial APIs could mean
- how a black screen might not save energy
- announcing the Knol test project
- building your own Google homepage
Of course, there's more than business to write about. We celebrated National Gorilla Suit Day, deconstructed the Valentine's Day doodle, and then a snake went missing.
As for the Google family of blogs, there's been lots of growth this year: 42 new ones launched, for a total to 83 active company blogs. Increasingly, Googlers want to quickly and regularly convey product news and updates to various constituents, and blogs are a great way to do that. Among the most popular of this newest crop are the Gmail blog (nearly 1.5 million unique visitors), the Orkut blogs (in English - 3.5 million uniques; and Portuguese - 8.8 million), and Google Lat Long, with 824,000 unique visitors, which covers everything geographical. In addition, readers can now turn to new product blogs including those for Google Finance, Google News, and Mobile. Reflecting keen interest in activity outside the U.S., the YouTube blog had the greatest number of comments for its June post about the fact that YouTube is available in 9 more countries, followed by the August post announcing InVideo ads.
On the ads side: there are now 6 more non-English blogs for AdSense publishers (French, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Chinese). The AdWords team opened blogs for Brasil and the Netherlands, Japan now has its own Analytics blog, and there are now German and Chinese versions of the popular Webmaster Central. (The most popular ads-related blog is the one for Analytics, with nearly half a million unique visitors, followed by closely Inside AdSense and then Inside AdWords.)
To keep current and share their work, developers got a raft of new blogs, too, including those focused on APIs for YouTube, Checkout, Gears, Mashup, and Gadgets. Needless to say, there are now also blogs for Android and OpenSocial.
Two new country blogs, for the Czech Republic and Australia, went public, to talk about all things Google in their regions. Yet more readers congregated around the new Public Policy and Google.org blogs, as well as one dedicated to online security and malware.
Despite all this activity, and the fact that a growing number of companies also host corporate blogs, the Fortune 500 Business Blogging Wiki (a collaborative project begun by Wired Magazine and SocialText) indicates that even today, just 46 of the Fortune 500 companies (about 9%), have active public blogs produced by company employees that focus on the company and its products. Let's hope in 2008 that number goes up. We think such blogs can serve users, journalists, critics, investors, and fans more effectively and directly than more traditional approaches. Apparently, so do 41,395,926 people around the world - the number of visitors to all of our blogs this year.
Party Planning
I can't believe that 2007 is coming to a close, so much to be thankful for this past year! And so much to reflect on for the coming year. If you are planning a New Years Party here are some tips on staying organized (this also works for basically any party you might be planning):
- Make a list of everything that has to get done (including your menu for the party)
- On that list note the times that things need to cooked or started or placed in the oven (for instance - make crab dip AM, put quiche in the oven 6:30)
- Have the drinks out already so you don't have to fumble in the kitchen for drinks for everyone all night
- Make sure your champagne is chilled and ready to go
- Know where your champagne flutes are in advance or have them out already
- Make sure you have enough forks, paper goods, ice - ect. before your party begins
- And be ready an hour before your first guest. (this way you can be finishing up in the kitchen when the arrive, not blow drying your hair)
And don't forget to have fun! It's a party after all! (Oh and drink responsibly!!! It's not you I am worried about, it's the other guys!)
Happy New Year Everyone!
Google: the chainmail version
From time to time we highlight the non-work interests and pastimes of individual Googlers. - Ed.
I have been working with chainmail, and metal working in general, for nearly 5 years now. I picked it up when I started college. My first major in college was history, and I was going to focus on the Middle Ages because of my fascination with the medieval period. After I changed majors to Computer Science, my hobby remained medievalism.
I have apprenticed under a blacksmith and learned some general metal working techniques. But I could not build my own forge then, so I turned to chainmail, which is a "cold" metal craft. Now I can take a bag of rings with me anywhere I go, and any time I have free time, I can work on whatever my current project is.
The crafting of chainmail is a relatively inexpensive hobby -- for the cost of a single videogame I can have enough chainmail supplies to last me months. The best part is that is requires very little thought most of the time, so you can multitask; watch TV, or movies, or even browse the web while working on chainmail.
A while back I was wanting to try my hand a chainmail inlay, but I did not have a design in mind. Most people make a chainmail shirt that has some dragon, or rampant lion design on it. I wanted to make something more unique. After a few weeks of thinking about this, I realized that I could use the Google logo.
I started construction in late April 2007, my plan was to only work on it while on my lunch break, or other downtimes. But I soon realized it would take me years at that pace. And the opening of our new office area was going to happen later in the summer. So I began to work on it whenever I was not actually doing my job. I spent around 4 to 5 hours a day every weekday weaving the banner.
Four months later, I had a completed banner, which now hangs in our office.
For the numbers-minded, here are some details:
- The entire project is exactly 25,829 rings.
- Dimensions: 67 units by 44 units (c. 66" x 27")
- Rings: 1/4" 16-gauge aluminum; the silver is bright aluminum and the inlay uses colored anodized aluminum.
- The entire thing is the traditional 4 in 1 pattern turned 90 degrees.
La Batalla de Wits
La Batalla de Wits (Muk Gong, 2006) es una película épica basada en una novela gráfica japonesa denominada Bokko y que se sitúa en la antigua China (alrededor de 243 A.C.) en la era de los Siete Reinos (antes de la unificación bajo la dinastía Qin). Dirigida por Jacob Cheung Chi-Leung y estelarizada por Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Ahn Sung-Ki y Fan Bing-Bing, la Batalla de Wits se enfoca en la ciudad-estado de Liang, que se encuentra bajo la amenaza de uno de los grandes reinos, Zhao, que ha enviado un numero ejército comandado por el general Xiang Yanzhong (Ahn Sung-Ki). El monarca de Liang (Wang Zhiwen), dudando entre rendirse o resistir, solicita la ayuda de la secta Mozi para dirigir la defensa de la ciudad, pero sólo llega uno de sus miembros, Ge Li (Andy Lau). Ge Li resulta un gran estratega, aunque en el fondo es un pacifista que busca el menor derramamiento de sangre. Le enseña a los soldados y a la gente de Liang cómo defenderse de manera efectiva, aunque su presencia es vista con recelo por el príncipe Liang Shi (Choi Si-Won), el general Niu (Chin Siu-Ho) y el consejero real (Wu Ma) ya que el rey pone en manos de Ge Li el pequeño ejército de Liang. Ge Li también cuenta con algunos aliados como el jefe de arqueros Zi Yuan (Nicky Wu) y la líder de la caballería Yi Yue (Fan Bing-Bing), quienes confían en la capacidad y liderazgo del guerrero Mozi. El ejército de Zhao intenta infructuosamente tomar la ciudad pero fracasan, por lo que aparentemente se retiran del sitio. La popularidad de Ge Li aumenta y el consejero real le advierte (falsamente) al rey que Ge Li quiere derrocarlo aprovechando el apoyo popular. Los soldados de Liang intentan apresar a Ge Li pero el príncipe Liang Shi, simulando ser rehén de Ge Li, lo ayuda a escapar. Los arqueros de Liang disparan flechas indiscriminadamente y matan a príncipe Liang Shi, aunque Ge Li logra huir. El arquero Zi Yuan es relevado de su mando y Yi Yue (quien esta enamorada de Ge Li) es puesta en prisión. El ejército de Zhao regresa y ataca nuevamente a Liang, que sin liderazgo en la defensa (el general Niu es incapaz de defender la ciudad), termina por caer en manos del general Xiang Yanzhong. Ge Li regresa con los arqueros y algunos otros guerreros e inunda la ciudad con el caudal de un rio cercano, liberando Liang. El problema es que Yi Yue se encuentra en una cárcel subterránea, la cual se llena de agua, por lo que Ge Li busca desesperadamente rescatarla. Al final la batalla de Wits nos demuestra que, en cualquier época, la guerra provoca la misma serie de horrores. Ge Li tratará de enseñar la filosofía del Mohismo (amor universal y desapego a las cosas materiales) a los huérfanos de la guerra.
La Batalla de Wits es aparentemente una película de acción épica que tiene subjetivamente un mensaje pacifista. Dispone eficientemente de los amplios recursos tanto humanos como de sfectos especiales, al estilo de Hermandad de Guerra, Héroe, La Maldición de la Flor Dorada y otras tantas joyas del cine asiático. La película ha sido exhibida de manera limitada en el hemisferio occidental, pero vale la pena verla si se tiene oportunidad, ya sea en cine o renta en su videoclub favorito.
La Batalla de Wits: *** (Buena)
Christmas Eve - Celebration!
I promise this is the last Christmas Post, then back to Weddings as Usual! Okay, so the one thing I love about Christmas is the food, I just love entertaining - so for me this is the Ultimate in Entertaining!
The Prep work, after my first cup of coffee I start cooking - here's our menu:
Hor's Deavours:
- Shrimp Cocktail (Fish One)
- Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese, Capers and Diced Onion on Mini Toasts (Fish Two)
- Goat Cheese with Fresh Rosemary and Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil
- Crab Rangoon's with an Apricot Dipping Sauce (Fish Three)
- Mushroom Turnovers
- Spinach Tartlets
- Cheese Souffles
- Blue Cheese with Fresh Honey
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Dinner:
- Stuffed Calamari (Fish Four + Bonus Fish in Stuffing)
- Lobster and Crab Potatoes Au Gratin (Fish Five)
- Salmon with a Lump Crab Meat and Lemon Caper Butter Sauce
- Tilapia with an Orange Dijon Glaze (Fish Six)
- Smelts (Fish Seven)
- Inside Out Stuffed Artichokes
Dessert: (Mostly Made by Maria who is an incredible Chef and needs to open a bakery!!!)
- Homemade Cookies and Cakes
- Homemade Canolli's
- A ton of yummy'ness!!!
Here is the Photo Documenting that Greg did such a fantastic job with!!!
The Prep Work:
Me Playing with the Calamari:
The Finished Products:
My Table - wouldn't The Hostess with the Mostess be proud of me! 
The Dessert:
The People:
My Handsome Husband and his Mommy:
Erin, Me and Barb:
My Step Dad (Greg), My Mommy, Father in Law and Mother in Law:
The Whole Group (Minus Greg)
Me Cleaning:
Erin and I:
It was such a lovely and Lively Christmas - I hope everyone had a fantabulous time! I know I did! And my apron looked so nice with my Christmas Eve outfit!
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