September 2013 Summaries

Google's blog post highlights the launch of Constitute, a collaborative project with the Comparative Constitutions Project that offers online access to 177 constitutions, many of which were not previously available on the internet. This platform enhances research capabilities by tagging each constitution with attributes like citizenship and electoral oversight, allowing users to explore trends such as minority rights and marriage equality. Additionally, the blog mentions a significant paleontological discovery in the Yukon, where University of Alaska scientists found numerous dinosaur footprints, reflecting a rich prehistoric presence in the area. The post also celebrates the Google Science Fair winners, including Eric Chen, who researched flu prevention, and others, noting the unique Lego trophies awarded. The post concludes by appreciating the transient nature of life, drawing a playful parallel with the discoveries and achievements shared in the update.

Josh Livni, from the Maps Developer Relations Team at Google, discusses how Google BigQuery and the Google Maps JavaScript API can be used together to visualize airport delay correlations. By analyzing over 70 million flight records, the team was able to utilize Pearson correlation analysis in BigQuery to predict airport delays based on departure times. However, to better understand the spatial relationships between airports, Livni created a visualization tool using the Maps API. This tool allows users to select an airport and view which other airports are correlated in terms of predicting delays, taking into account different seasonal variations. The process involved creating a JSON dump of the correlations and using a modified earthquake visualization template to map the data, with interactive features that highlight correlated airports when an airport marker is clicked. Livni emphasizes the ease of running complex correlations using BigQuery and the added value of mapping visuals for spatial data analysis.

Google's Fridaygram blog post highlights several intriguing topics, starting with the release of panoramic and underwater images of the Galapagos Islands collected using the Street View Trekker, which aim to aid environmental research in the region. The post also discusses a fascinating discovery by scientists Malcolm Burrows and Gregory Sutton from the University of Cambridge, who found that young planthoppers possess microscopic gears that synchronize their leg movements during jumps, a feature they lose as they mature. Additionally, the blog celebrates the birthday of physicist Léon Foucault with a Google Doodle replicating his famous pendulum, symbolizing Earth's rotation, encouraging readers to engage in their own creative explorations. Finally, it mentions "Darwin for a Day," a project by the Charles Darwin Foundation and iNaturalist that utilizes the Street View API to further explore the Galapagos.

Google BigQuery has introduced several updates enhancing its real-time data processing capabilities, including the new tabledata().insertAll() endpoint, which allows immediate data loading and analysis, benefiting time-sensitive applications like log analysis and alert generation. This feature, free until January 1, 2014, will later be billed at a nominal rate, while the traditional jobs().insert() method remains free for bulk data loading. Additionally, BigQuery now supports "table decorators" for querying specific data subsets from the last 24 hours, reducing costs associated with full column scans. Furthermore, new statistical functions such as COVAR_POP(), COVAR_SAMP(), and others have been added, alongside improved query history retrieval in the browser tool. These updates aim to enhance user experience and analytical capabilities, encouraging feedback and discussion via Google Cloud Platform’s social channels.

In 2013, Google updated its AdSense ad code to support secure ad serving through SSL on HTTPS web pages, allowing publishers with secure sites to serve SSL-compliant ads. This update addresses the need for secure online interactions, as many websites use HTTPS to protect sensitive user information. The revised ad code uses a protocol-relative URL to ensure that ads are served via HTTPS when users visit secure sites, while non-secure HTTP visits remain unchanged. By ensuring all ad resources are SSL compliant, AdSense aims to eliminate mixed content warnings and provide a secure ad experience, although this increased security may reduce the pool of auction competitors. The update primarily benefits publishers with existing HTTPS pages and does not necessarily encourage a shift from HTTP to HTTPS. While the current SSL-compliant ads include text, image, and Flash formats, further expansions are planned to ensure safety on secure pages.

Sun Surveyor, an app developed by Adam Ratana, assists photographers, gardeners, and builders by allowing them to visualize sun and moon paths over global locations using both Map and Augmented Reality views. The app's integration with Google Maps Street View enables users to see these celestial paths overlaid on real-world panoramas, providing a realistic approximation of lighting conditions for various projects. Adam implemented this feature using overlays that synchronize with the movement of Street View panoramas, detailed in a tutorial on the Geo Developers Blog. Sun Surveyor caters to a wide audience, including filmmakers, solar industry professionals, and architects, by offering insights into the sun and moon's movements, enhancing planning and decision-making processes.

The blog post from the Google Developers Blog highlights three intriguing topics: the release of a five-part documentary on the influential band The Clash, the historic achievement of NASA's Voyager 1 becoming the first human-made object to enter interstellar space, and new personalized features in Google Search. The Clash, known for their impact on music in the late 1970s, are celebrated in a new documentary available on YouTube, providing fans with a deeper look at their history and unreleased footage of frontman Joe Strummer. Meanwhile, NASA's Voyager 1, launched in 1977, has officially reached interstellar space, marking a significant milestone in space exploration. In addition, Google Search has introduced features that allow users to receive personalized updates about their own flight statuses, reservations, and events, enhancing user interaction through voice search on various platforms.

Coder is an open-source tool developed by Jason Striegel and his design collaborator Jeff Baxter at Google Creative Lab, designed to transform a Raspberry Pi into a simple personal web server and web-based development environment for learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Inspired by Striegel's early programming experiences and his desire to teach his own children, Coder provides a straightforward platform for new coders to engage with web programming. The project encourages contributions from the open-source and maker communities to enhance its accessibility and functionality. Users can get started by downloading Coder and using a Raspberry Pi to create web projects, supported by a video demonstration and further resources available online.

Google Cloud Platform announced a series of global events in the fall of 2013 designed to introduce developers to its infrastructure technologies, featuring stops in Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Tel Aviv, and London. Each event is structured over two days, with the first day focusing on why and how to use the Cloud Platform, and the second day offering hands-on coding labs for participants to apply what they've learned. Attendees receive a startup pack with $2,000 in Cloud Platform credits to further explore and utilize the platform. The events aim to foster a stronger Google Cloud Platform community, and interested developers are encouraged to pre-register due to limited space.

Eve Andersson, Manager of Accessibility Engineering at Google, emphasizes the importance of web accessibility, highlighting that 285 million people globally are visually impaired, which surpasses the combined populations of England, Germany, and Japan. As websites become more complex, accessibility often declines, but Google's online course, "Introduction to Web Accessibility," aims to address this issue by teaching developers how to make their sites more accessible to visually impaired users. The course, running from September 17th to 30th, offers practical guidance on updating HTML structures and using Google Chrome extensions to inspect site accessibility, all without compromising user experience. Designed for developers familiar with HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, the course seeks to empower developers to create universally accessible web experiences, with registration now open.

The Google Picker API, as of September 6, 2013, is now accessible through the Google APIs Console, allowing developers to integrate a user-friendly interface into their applications for selecting various types of content from Google, such as photos, maps, and documents, with minimal JavaScript coding. This update facilitates easier management and monitoring of traffic and authentication data alongside other Google APIs when registered on the APIs Console. Existing users of the Picker API need to include their developer key, obtained during registration, in their JavaScript code to utilize the service effectively. Kuntal Loya, a software engineer, has been enhancing the Google Picker API while enjoying her time in Bangalore, as noted by editor Scott Knaster.

Google Cloud Platform initiated its first Developer Challenge to encourage developers worldwide to create web applications addressing real-world problems using Google App Engine and various Google APIs. The competition invites participants from six global regions to submit entries in categories such as Enterprise Solutions, Education, and Social Productivity, with the opportunity to win a $20,000 prize for regional winners. Special prizes are designated for all-female teams and mentors to promote diversity and mentorship in technology. Participants are encouraged to utilize resources like the Google App Engine tutorial and to connect with local Google Developer Groups for networking and support. Additionally, applicants can apply for $2,000 in Google Cloud Platform credits to aid in their project development.

GDG DevFest 2013 aims to build on the success of the previous year by expanding its reach and impact, with plans to host over 160 DevFests in 63 countries, targeting more than 30,000 developers. The event is organized into two seasons, from September 13 to September 29 and October 18 to November 10, and will see more than 20 countries hosting their inaugural DevFest. Each event is uniquely designed to meet the specific needs of its local developer community, while promoting collaboration and idea exchange among developers globally. Uttam Tripathi, from the Developer Relations Team, is coordinating the program, which emphasizes the potential for innovation when developers connect and share insights.